Chapter 9
The chapel doors opened at midnight.
Not because Celeste's men controlled them.
Because Matteo ordered it.
Seven conspirators were already on their knees inside.
Weapons removed.
Capo pins on the floor.
Adrian entered under guard.
His face changed when he saw them.
Celeste's didn't.
She looked disappointed.
That was all.
Matteo walked toward the altar.
I stood beside him.
Not behind.
Celeste noticed.
Of course she did.
She always noticed positioning.
“Very theatrical.”
Her voice echoed through the chapel.
Matteo didn't answer.
Celeste looked around.
“You think this proves something?”
Adrian hissed:
“Mother, stop.”
She turned on him.
“Don't whimper.”
He stared.
Celeste's voice sharpened.
“You wanted power. Now stand straight enough to lose it.”
Even Adrian looked stunned.
No comfort.
No maternal instinct.
Only contempt for weakness.
Matteo looked at the kneeling capos.
“Who told you I'd be dead by morning?”
Silence.
Celeste smiled.
“See?”
Nobody spoke.
She continued.
“They still understand loyalty.”
Matteo looked at one man.
“Marcus.”
The capo swallowed.
Celeste's voice cut across the chapel.
“If you speak, your children will know what kind of coward raised them.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
I stared at her.
Celeste didn't care.
Family only mattered when she controlled it.
Matteo said:
“Marcus.”
The man looked up.
Matteo's voice stayed calm.
“Your children are at home with my guards.”
Marcus stared.
“Safe.”
Celeste's face changed.
Matteo continued.
“Celeste can't reach them.”
Marcus started crying.
Celeste laughed.
“Pathetic.”
She looked at him.
“Forty-eight years old and crying because someone mentioned your children.”
My stomach turned.
Marcus looked at her.
Then at Matteo.
“She said Adrian would take control.”
Adrian swore.
Celeste remained still.
Marcus continued.
“She said Matteo would be dead after the chapel blessing.”
I felt the air leave my lungs.
Matteo didn't move.
“Who kills me?”
Marcus looked toward Adrian.
Adrian shouted:
“No.”
Marcus shook his head.
“Not Adrian.”
Celeste closed her eyes.
Matteo asked again.
“Who?”
Marcus answered:
“The two men waiting beneath the west stairwell.”
The same stairwell.
My father.
Bianca.
Now Matteo.
History wasn't repeating accidentally.
Celeste had built rituals out of old crimes.
Matteo looked at her.
“You used the same route.”
Celeste shrugged.
“It worked before.”
There.
No denial anymore.
Adrian stared at her.
“What?”
Celeste looked almost bored.
“Oh, stop pretending.”
He stepped toward her.
“You told me Daniel died because Voss's men panicked.”
Celeste laughed.
“Daniel died because you couldn't control your temper.”
Adrian went pale.
I stared.
She continued.
“He caught you opening the gate.”
Adrian's breathing changed.
“You said—”
“I said what you needed to hear.”
The exact cruelty she had used on everyone else.
Adrian looked suddenly younger.
Smaller.
“You told me we were protecting the family.”
“We were.”
“You said Daniel was a traitor.”
“He was becoming one.”
“How?”
“He questioned me.”
Silence.
Even Adrian understood how monstrous that sounded.
Celeste turned toward Matteo.
“Daniel would have split the family.”
“No.”
I stepped forward.
“He would have exposed you.”
Celeste looked at me.
“Same thing.”
My stomach turned.
She believed it.
Matteo asked:
“And my mother?”
Celeste's face changed slightly.
“Bianca found out.”
“How?”
“Lucia.”
My chest tightened.
“My mother told her.”
“Yes.”
Celeste sighed.
“Women whisper. It's what they do when they lack actual power.”
I wanted to hit her.
Matteo asked:
“What did Bianca do?”
“She confronted your father.”
“And?”
“Vittorio wanted silence.”
Matteo's jaw tightened.
“Then why did she die?”
Celeste looked at him.
“Because she refused.”
The chapel became completely still.
Matteo's voice dropped.
“Refused what?”
“To stop.”
Celeste shrugged.
“Your mother thought being loved made her untouchable.”
I saw Matteo's face change.
“She was wrong.”
Adrian stared at Celeste.
“You ordered the car?”
Celeste said nothing.
“Mother.”
Nothing.
“You told me it was an accident.”
She turned.
“And you believed me because believing me was easier.”
Adrian looked destroyed.
Celeste didn't care.
She looked back at Matteo.
“This is what leadership costs.”
Matteo's expression hardened.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Daniel.”
“Necessary.”
“Bianca.”
“Necessary.”
“Lucia's silence.”
“Necessary.”
“You tried to kill me.”
Celeste smiled.
“You became weak.”
“And Sofia?”
Celeste looked at me.
“Temporary.”
That word hurt more than any insult.
Celeste continued.
“She would have remarried eventually.”
Matteo moved.
Not toward her.
Toward me.
He took my hand.
Celeste laughed.
“There.”
She pointed.
“That is exactly why you were never fit.”
Matteo looked at her.
“Because I love her?”
“Because you'd choose her over blood.”
Matteo nodded.
“Yes.”
Celeste stopped.
He looked at Adrian.
Then the kneeling capos.
Then every Bellandi man inside the chapel.
“Yes.”
His voice carried.
“I choose the woman who didn't murder my mother.”
Silence.
“I choose the daughter of the man you betrayed.”
Celeste's face tightened.
“I choose anyone who understands that loyalty without conscience is just obedience wearing a suit.”
Nobody moved.
Then Matteo looked at Adrian.
“Take off the pin.”
Adrian stared.
“What?”
“Your capo pin.”
“No.”
Matteo didn't raise his voice.
“You lost the right to wear it eighteen years ago.”
Adrian looked at Celeste.
For help.
She looked away.
That broke him.
Slowly, Adrian removed the pin.
Placed it on the stone floor.
Matteo turned toward Celeste.
“You wanted Sofia to learn brides obey.”
Celeste stared back.
“You wanted her to believe my father was right to silence Lucia.”
Nothing.
“You wanted her to watch me choose blood over her.”
Matteo stepped closer.
“Watch carefully.”
He pointed toward the chapel doors.
“They leave.”
Celeste blinked.
“What?”
“You and Adrian.”
Her face twisted.
“This is my family.”
“No.”
Matteo looked around the chapel.
“This is mine.”
Celeste laughed.
“You think banishment frightens me?”
“No.”
“Then what is this?”
Matteo's voice became very quiet.
“The part you can't survive.”
She stared.
“You spent your entire life controlling rooms.”
He nodded toward every man around us.
“Now walk through one where nobody obeys you.”
Celeste turned.
“Adrian.”
He didn't move.
“Adrian.”
He looked at the floor.
“Marcus.”
Nothing.
“Somebody.”
No one moved.
For the first time in her life, Celeste Bellandi gave an order and the room stayed still.
Her face finally became frightened.
I held my mother's letter against my chest.
Celeste looked at me.
“This is because of you.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
I looked at the chapel.
The west stairwell.
The men who had finally stopped pretending.
“This started long before me.”
May you like
Then I looked at her.
“My mother just made sure it ended with me.”
