The Mafia Principessa’s Nine Knights Chapter 10

The Mafia Principessa’s Nine Knights Chapter 10

The room exploded.

Whispers rose into a roar.

Gasps. Someone cursed out loud.

A few of the older relatives stood up from their chairs.

Angelica…

She looked pinned to the floor.

The color drained from her face instantly.

From wine-flushed to bone-white.

Her lips trembled. Uncontrollably.

“It’s not… this isn’t… Luca! Luca, let me explain!”

She lunged toward him.

Her heel caught on the marble and she nearly fell.

She grabbed his arm.

“She provoked me! She’s hanging all over you every single day, I couldn’t take it, I just… I love you

so much, and I…”

Luca looked down at her fingers wrapped around his arm.

Then he peeled her fingers away. One by one.

He wasn’t rough about it.

If anything, he was gentle.

But that gentleness…

It was worse than if he’d pushed her away.

“Angelica.”

His voice was level.

Like he was reading a death sentence.

“You put your hands on Bella.”

“You hit her.”

“You dug your nails into her.”

“You threatened her.”

“You smiled to her face and tore her apart the second she turned around.”

“You thought I didn’t know.”

He released her hands.

Stepped back.

“I knew everything.”

“From the very beginning.”

Angelica’s knees buckled.

The tears came.

Not the tears of someone who’d been wronged.

The tears of someone caught.

“Luca… please… don’t do this… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“Apologize to Bella.”

His tone left no room for negotiation.

“Right now. In front of everyone. On your knees.”

“Apologize.”

The silence in that room was absolute.

Angelica didn’t move.

Her legs were shaking.

She looked around the room.

Every face looked back at her.

Not one of them was kind.

Especially…

The nine cousins.

Spread across the room.

Like nine silent blades.

Every one of them looking at her with the same unspoken message…

You’re done.

Angelica’s knees gave out, hitting the marble with a dull thud.

Her dress pooled around her.

She folded forward, hands flat on the floor.

Her whole body shook.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Bella, I’m sorry…”

The words came out in pieces.

She was crying so hard she could barely breathe.

I stood in the crowd.

Vincent stepped in front of me like a wall.

I watched Angelica on the floor.

Watched her fall apart.

My mind went completely blank.

Then a voice came from beside me.

Grandpa.

He’d made his way through the crowd without me realizing it.

He was standing right beside me.

His hand came to rest on my shoulder.

Heavy.

But steady.

‘Bella.”

“Grandpa’s right here.”

He didn’t look at Angelica.

He looked at me.

“If anyone ever hurts you, you come to Grandpa.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It was never your fault.”

My tears came then. Finally.