Page 52 of Twisted Vows

She stepped forward, letting her gaze sweep over the crowd. "You all know why you’re here," she said, her voice carrying across the courtyard. "The old order is gone. The betrayals, the weakness—it ends now."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, uncertainty flickering in the eyes of some. But Matteo silenced them with a single look. "This empire was built on power, on loyalty. It stands becausewe demand it. Those who cannot accept that will not stand beside us."

A few men exchanged glances, shifting uneasily. One, braver than the rest, stepped forward.

"She’s not just a Marino," one of the older men muttered. "She’s a woman. One who doesn’t belong in our business."

Isla stepped forward, her voice steady. "You think I don’t?"

She turned, picking up the gun Matteo had left on the table, then aiming it at the elder who questioned her.

Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

Matteo’s lips curved into something dangerous. Then, Matteo smirked. "Anyone else questioning my wife?"

Silence.

No one moved.

Isla folded her arms, watching them. "Then you’ve made your choice. This isn’t just Matteo’s empire anymore. It’s ours. The DeLuca and Marino families are no longer enemies; they are one. United, we will be stronger than those who came before us. The betrayals of the past will be nothing compared to the loyalty we demand now. The power struggles that once divided these families are over, and under our rule, the empire will not just survive—it will dominate."

A shift rippled through the crowd, understanding settling over them. Matteo had always ruled with fear, but now, there was something more—something unshakable. Together, he and Isla weren’t just a force to be reckoned with. They were untouchable.

Matteo turned to her, his gaze dark with something unreadable. Approval. Pride. Possession. "Anyone who doubts her, doubts me. And I do not tolerate doubt."

Silence stretched through the courtyard once more.

Isla let her gaze sweep over the men before her—the ones who had followed Matteo for years, who had fought beside him, who would die for him.

But she wasn’t here to be his shadow. She turns her attention to the traitor. The last of Leonardo’s men knelt before them, awaiting their fate.

Matteo turned to Isla. "This is your call."

She studied the man, her pulse steady. Then, in a voice laced with quiet command, she said, "We don’t kill him."

The room tensed. Even Matteo’s brow lifted slightly.

She smirked. "He lives. And he spreads the message that the DeLuca-Marino rule is unchallenged."

Matteo’s lips curled into something dark, something approving. "Clever."

“This isn’t just Matteo’s empire anymore,” she said, her voice carrying through the space, steady and unyielding. “It’s ours. And I don’t expect blind loyalty.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

“I expect you to follow me not because I stand beside him,” she continued, “but because I earned it.”

She stepped forward, her gaze locking onto Luca’s, the highest ranking among them. “Do you doubt me?”

Luca hesitated with a glance towards Matteo. Then, slowly, he shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

She nodded, satisfied, before turning to Matteo. “Now we rule.”

One by one, the men lowered their heads in silent submission, their acceptance as much an oath as the blood they had already spilled for the DeLuca name.

The empire was theirs.

As the meeting dispersed, Luca approached, his usual smirk in place, but there was something more behind it. "That was quite the speech. Didn’t think you had it in you, Isla."

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