Beneath the Mafia Crown

The noises inside suddenly stopped.

Then Mia's voice rang out from the room, flustered yet still carrying that infuriating arrogance of hers.

"Don't come in, Isabella! I'm with my boyfriend!"

I let out a cold laugh.

"Boyfriend? Weren't you just calling him 'big brother'? I almost thought..."

"That's just a little thing couples do," Mia cut in immediately. "Viktor just helped me deal with someone who was harassing me. There are also a few traitors in the family that need to be taken care of. He'll come back after he finishes handling family business."

"Your brother treats you so well. As your sister-in-law, I should show some concern too." I smiled faintly. "Why don't I help you check whether this boyfriend of yours is actually worthy of you?"

Without waiting for a response, I shoved the half-open door and walked in.

"Isabella!"

Mia shrieked as she scrambled off the dining table. At the same time, a muffled groan from a man slipped through the room. Behind her, a large tablecloth had been yanked down in a hurry, covering the upper half of the man lying on the table.

Viktor did not move.

He lay there stiffly, frozen in place.

"My boyfriend isn't wearing clothes! What kind of woman barges in like this? Don't you have any shame?" Mia spread her arms to block my path, the panic in her eyes quickly turning into open provocation.

Her neck and collarbone were covered in deep red marks.

"If you take one more step forward, I'll tell my brother you were trying to stare at my boyfriend's body. You're the one cheating."

I almost laughed from sheer disbelief.

"That build really does look a lot like your brother's.

"Mia, are you this desperate to stop me because you found a boyfriend based on my husband's exact type... or because the man lying on that table actually is my husband?"

I walked straight toward her.

Enraged, Mia grabbed a wine bottle from the bar counter and smashed it at my feet.

"Just because you're my sister-in-law doesn't mean you get to slander me! If you don't leave right now, I'll sue you for defamation!"

Glass exploded across the marble floor. A sharp shard sliced across my ankle, and blood immediately streamed down my skin.

I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.

Hard.

Her head snapped to the side and she stumbled backward before collapsing onto the floor.

She clutched her cheek, staring at me in complete shock.

"Slandering you? Hitting you already dirtied my hands."

As I looked at her stunned expression, memories came rushing back one after another.

Viktor sitting on the sofa reading family reports while Mia casually picked up his coffee cup and drank from the exact spot his lips had touched, all while staring directly at me.

At family gatherings, she would wear revealing dresses and, after only a couple drinks, collapse dramatically into Viktor's arms. He would hold her close and laugh it off.

"Mia can't handle alcohol."

And one night, when I got up for water, I passed by Viktor's study and saw her leaning against the doorway in a silk nightdress, her voice soft and syrupy.

"Viktor, I had a nightmare. Can you stay with me tonight?"

Back then, I thought it was just dependency between siblings.

Viktor told me she had lost her father young and lacked a sense of security. He asked me to be more understanding.

And I believed him.

For Viktor's sake, I swallowed every bit of discomfort and disgust.

But looking back now, none of that was innocent sibling affection.

It was an affair happening right in front of me.

Every flirtatious smile, every act of dependence, every crossed boundary... it had all been deliberate.

A challenge directed straight at me.

Years of resentment exploded at once.

I grabbed Mia by the hair and slammed her head against the cold marble counter with a heavy crack.

"Let go of me! Are you insane?!" she screamed, struggling wildly.

I pinned the back of her head down with all my strength while raising my other hand, ready to pour years of humiliation onto her face in a single blow.

Then my phone rang.

Viktor's custom ringtone.

A text message.

[Darling, I'll be back soon. Thanks for taking care of Mia.]

Even while hiding under that tablecloth, he had still found time to text me because he was afraid I would hurt her.

The moment Mia saw the change in my expression, she seemed to understand instantly. She stopped struggling. The anger on her face slowly twisted into smug satisfaction.

I tightened my grip on the phone, forcing myself not to smash it directly into her face.

Then another message came through.

It was from one of my men.

"Principessa, the camera in Room 169 is in position."

Fine.

If they wanted to put on a show, I would give them a performance they would never forget.

I took a slow breath and coldly threw out one final sentence.

"Take your dog of a man and get out."

Then I turned and walked away without looking back.