Page 51 of Angelo

A shadow of anger and doubt entered Carlo's eyes as he exploded at Domenico,"Non sei il mio re. Siamo uguali!" You are not my king. We are equals!

Domenico retorted cruelly,"Non sei niente senza di me!" You are nothing without me!

While the duo argued in progressively louder and heated tones, Domenico's grudge against Gaspare seemed to fall to the wayside, and the barrels of everyone's guns slowly drifted downwards. Danger melted away. Elyse's tense muscles relaxed slightly.

Had hersilent prayer to the Virgin Mary been answered?

Only Domenico and Carlo were at odds now. It seemed her husband had successfully deescalated the situation and prevented an all-out gunfight between the seven clans. Peace didn't last, though.

Another deafening crack echoed through the church.

Elyse's eyes widened in horror. A bullet had been fired from Domenico’s gun. Carlo's body lay on the ground alongside Ronaldo's corpse. Guts and blood stained the floor.

"Questo,"Domenico roared with a crazed gleam in his eyes,"è quello che succede agli uomini che mi incrociano!" This is what happens to men who cross me!

Still gripping his pistol in hand, Domenico swiveled the barrel of his gun toward Gaspare."Muori, maiale di De León." Die, you De León pig.

But the bastard never got to pull the trigger. Aberto was faster. His gun lifted, and, with apop-pop-pop, he fired three shots straight into Domenico. A shower of crimson sprayed from his chest as he crumpled lifelessly to the floor.

"Quello,"Aberto grunted,"è quello che succede agli uomini che osano minacciare la mia fam—" That is what becomes of men who dare to threaten my fam—

A sickening confetti of brain matter burst in air as Alessandro shot Aberto in cold blood. It shocked every single person in the church, especially Elyse. His bullet had pierced Aberto's skull right between the eyes. The man died without finishing his sentence.

Until now, Alessandro had been following their playbook, pitting the othermafiosiagainst each other, while keeping his hands clean of the violence. But taking Aberto’s life hadn’t been part of their plans. With a grim expression, Elyse wondered what might have prompted her husband to change things up. Did it have something to do with Mariposa? Or Tommy Wilkes? Either way, the abusive, backstabbing fucker deserved to die.

Alessandro glanced at Gaspare and stated coldly, "May your father rest in peace. I congratulate you on becoming the new head of the De León clan."

Gaspare's entire face had gone pale with shock and outrage. His brothers, Orlando and Soren, aimed their guns at Alessandro. The pair looked as though they were about to avenge their father's death when Elyse heard two more shots ring out beside her.

Elyse's eyes darted toward her stepsister-in-law. Valentina was grasping a Glock in her hand. It appeared she’d ended the De León brothers before they could end Alessandro.

With a deadly smile, the blonde blew an air kiss in Gaspare's direction and cooed,"Se non ti comporti bene, amore mio, ho una pallottola anche per te." If you do not behave, my love, I have a bullet for you, too.

Gaspare looked as though he couldn't decide whether he wanted to vomit or piss his pants.

Elyse felt sick as well. Awe and distress churned within. She didn't know whether today's events had gone smoothly. They certainly hadn't gone according to plan. All she knew was that their enemies were dead, and they were alive. Vincenzo's memorial service had started with Benedetto, Alessandro, Elyse, Valentina, one priest, ten guests, and seven bodyguards. One from each clan. Now, there were six dead bodies on the ground.

One Berlusconi bodyguard.

Two brothers.

Three heads of clans.

And the priest remained unconscious.

With Aberto’s blood dripping down his face, Alessandro smiled like a dark angel. "For those of you who are still alive and wish to stay alive, my men have the church surrounded. You are outnumbered and outgunned, so put down your weapons and go back to your clans. Tell them what you witnessed today. Tell them Domenico and Carlo are dead because they wanted to replace me. Tell them I killed Aberto because he tried to kill me. Tell them I am not my father, but we will be doing things my way from now on. Tell them that I am your fuckingcapo, and I do not fuck around with anyone who tries to fuck me over."

Her husband's threat appeared to be very effective. Grunts of acknowledgment and murmurs of compliance filled the air. Guns immediately returned to their holsters.

Alessandro chuckled as he glanced around the room. “Anyone else want to die today?”

No one dared to make a move against him. With tense expressions, the guests shook their heads emphatically.

"Then listen to me carefully if you want to live," Alessandro drawled while gesturing to the smoke near the rafters. "The church appears to be on fire. We need to get the hell out of here.Now."

A gasp passed through the crowd as everyone's heads tilted upwards. Panic erupted and the guests scrambled toward the exits. Only to find both doors were locked.

Elyse shot an accusing glare in her grandfather's direction. Benedetto insisted with a troubled frown,"Non ero io." It was not me.

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