Semua Bab Female II Papa Came Home: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Today was my 15th wedding anniversary celebration with my mafia boss husband Lorenzo.I married him when I was eighteen. Back then, he was nothing—just a low-level Soldato shaking down shopkeepers for protection money on the street corners. He couldn’t even afford a proper wedding ceremony.But I loved him, foolishly and without reservation. I worked in the shadows, secretly pulling strings with my family’s contacts within the core of Cosa Nostra. I helped him eliminate his rivals, one by one, paving his blood-soaked road to the Don's chair.Tonight was the first time we were hosting a celebration. I had dressed carefully, slipping into my favorite piece—a bespoke crimson velvet gown that screamed regality."Damn it, aren't you ready yet?"Lorenzo knocked on the door, his voice thick with impatience. I pushed the door open, ready to greet him, but my smile faltered. Standing right next to him was Sofia, his young, 'innocent' foster sister.Sofia was also wearing red.She raked her eyes

My gaze landed on Sofia’s chest.Pinned to her dress was an ancient bronze brooch shaped like a double-headed serpent. In the eyes of the snake sat two incredibly rare blood diamonds.That wasn't just jewelry. That was the Sigil of the Papa—the supreme token left to me by my father, the previous "Pope" of the Mafia. I kept it locked in a hidden safe.Noticing my stare, Sofia gasped theatrically, covering her mouth with her hand."Oh! Isabella, I saw this old thing gathering dust in the study's secret drawer. I thought it was such a shame to leave it there, so I borrowed it. You aren't mad about such a little thing, are you?"Before I could speak, Mia jumped to her defense."Mom, just give it to Auntie Sofia. That piece of junk looks like something an old woman selling bootleg cigarettes would wear. It only looks classy because Auntie Sofia is wearing it."Leo chimed in, "Yeah, Mom. You lecture us for twenty minutes about saving a few percent on laundering fees, but you hoard expensive

The day before their departure, Lorenzo kicked several massive Louis Vuitton trunks toward me."Isabella, pack for Sofia and the kids."He sat on the Italian leather sofa, casually cleaning his gold-plated Colt 1911, acting as if I were a nanny hired by him."Do you not have hands?" I asked, my voice flat.Lorenzo froze. He clearly hadn’t expected the doormat to speak."What is your problem? You always do the packing."Seeing that I didn't even bother to lift my eyes from my book, he slammed the gun onto the table in a fit of rage. "Fine! I'll do it! God, I've spoiled you."Muttering curses, he began organizing Sofia’s lingerie and dresses.As he rummaged through a drawer looking for fake passports, a small silver ring rolled out and clattered onto the floor.It was my wedding ring. The one he had stolen off a dead rival during a street brawl fifteen years ago because he couldn't afford to buy me one.The silver was tarnished, the surface marred by scratches from years of hard living.

Their trip to the Maldives never happened.Three days after I returned to the Corleone estate, I swept through the organization like a storm, reclaiming total control over every illicit operation in the family's portfolio.Sitting in the chair that symbolized the supreme authority of Sicily—Il Papa—the first order I signed was a black-listed warrant. It severed every money laundering channel and withdrew all armed protection for the Lorenzo Group.That was the life support system keeping Lorenzo’s façade of power alive. And I had just pulled the plug.In less than a week, his operation crumbled. Without a way to clean his cash, the capital chain snapped. Swiss accounts were frozen. Colombian suppliers cut him off. The man who was once the rising star of the underworld was instantly reduced to a stray dog with a bounty on his head.Lorenzo hit wall after wall. The minor family bosses who used to kiss his ring now avoided him like the plague.In his desperation, someone whispered a rum

I issued a "Red Notice"—a Vendetta—to the entire European underworld:Any faction that dares to cooperate with the Lorenzo family is an enemy of the Corleone family. It is a declaration of war against the Council of Eleven.Overnight, the Lorenzo Group became a plague. No one dared to touch them.Lorenzo was terrified.As his territory was carved up, his armories repossessed, and his bulletproof cars seized, he finally realized something on that cold winter night:For fifteen years, it wasn't his talent that ruled the gang. It was me, in the dark, clearing his obstacles, blocking assassinations, and burying indictments.Without me, he was nothing. Less than a street-level Soldato.Regret gnawed at his heart like a viper. He began frantically sending bloody gifts of atonement, land deeds, and endless letters of repentance begging for reconciliation.He stood downstairs at headquarters, weeping and shouting, "Isabella, I was wrong! My most loyal ally was always you! I can't live without