Chapter 7
755words
"No! Elena! Don't go!"
Marco's gut-wrenching roar came from behind.
He suddenly let go of Sophia, scrambling toward me on all fours.
He crawled all the way to my feet, trying to touch my shoes.
The surrounding Dons stepped back in disgust, as if he were a plague. Vito frowned and stepped in front of me, his hand already on the grip of his gun.
Marco's face was covered in blood, snot, and tears as he wailed:
"I was wrong! I wasn't thinking straight! That woman bewitched me!"
"Honey, you still want me, right? As long as you don't strip my power, as long as you vouch for me in front of your brother, I'll do anything!"
He fumbled to pull out the Underboss ring he had prepared for Sophia, then tried to take off his own Don's ring.
His hands were shaking so hard the rings fell to the floor. He scrambled to pick them up and held them out to me.
"Look! I remember! I remember the oath we swore in the slums!"
"You said as long as you wore the ring, you'd follow me forever. Elena, you stuck with me when we were eating instant noodles. Now I have money, I can give you the best life..."
I stopped and looked down at the two rings stained with dust and blood.
A cleaner happened to bring over a bucket of industrial acid, ready to clean the blood off the floor.
I didn't speak. I just picked up the ring with two fingers and held it over the acid bucket.
"Marco, watch closely."
I let go.
Sizzle—
The ring dropped into the acid, emitting a pungent white smoke, and dissolved instantly.
"Your so-called vows are just like your character—weak."
"And, truly filthy."
I took a wet towel from a bodyguard, wiped my hands, and couldn't be bothered to give him another look.
Marco stared blankly at the smoking acid, trembling.
"Filthy... you think I'm filthy..."
Suddenly, he snapped his head around, staring dead at Sophia, who was shivering nearby.
"It's because of her... Right! It's because of this fraud!"
"If she disappears, I'll be clean! You'll forgive me then, right?"
Before anyone could react, Marco lunged and snatched a pistol from the waist of a dazed soldato.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed through the hall.
"Ah—!"
Sophia screamed. She was hit in the thigh, blood streaming out as she rolled frantically on the floor.
Marco held the gun with both hands, smoke rising from the barrel. With a manic, ingratiating smile, he turned to me.
"Elena! Look! I punished her! I got revenge for you!"
"I even shot my 'fiancée' for you! Doesn't that prove I love you?"
The guests gasped in horror.
The henchmen who had mocked me alongside Sophia were now pale with fear, terrified Marco's madness would turn on them.
Vito scoffed, drew his gun, and aimed at Marco's head.
"Killing him would dirty your hands."
I pressed down on my brother's hand and spoke calmly.
Vito paused and looked at me. "You want to let him go?"
I looked at the deranged Marco, my gaze as calm as if I were looking at roadside trash.
"Today is the day you take me home. Don't spill blood for someone like him. It's bad luck."
"Besides, killing him is too easy."
I walked up to Marco and looked down at him.
"Marco, didn't you want to climb the ladder? Didn't you value money and status above all else?"
"Then I won't kill you."
"I'm stripping you of all your titles and freezing all your assets."
Marco froze, the light in his eyes dying out.
For a climber like him, returning to poverty was a fate worse than death.
"Throw them out." I waved to the Enforcers. "Don't let them stain the carpet."
"No! Elena! You can't do this to me!"
"I am the Don! I have money! I can make a comeback!"
Marco was dragged out like a dead dog. Sophia was dragged by her hair toward the door, screaming the whole way.
The hall finally went quiet.
Vito holstered his gun and adjusted the trench coat draped over me, his eyes full of affection.
"My principessa is too generous. If it were me, I would have chopped them up and fed them to the dogs."
I linked my arm through my brother's.
"Let's go, Vito. Let's go home."
