Page 72 of Blood Heir

Cassian shakes his head, almost smiling. “You’re burning everything.”

“I am.” I look at him sharply. “And I’ll rebuild it for her.”

His voice softens, almost fond. “For her.”

“For her.” My jaw tightens. “No more secrets. No more half-truths. I will tell her everything. From the beginning.”

Cassian chuckles under his breath, shaking his head again. “You’re out of your mind.”

I allow myself the smallest smile. “You’ve always said that.”

“And yet,” he sighs, folding his arms, “I’m still on your side.”

“Good.” I tap the document. “We start now.”

Cassian studies the transfer papers again. The full estate. The routes. The D’Angelis properties. The Accardi holdings.

“This will piss off the entire council. Vittoria won’t let this stand.”

“I’m not asking her permission.”

He nods slowly. “So what’s the plan?”

“We reintroduce Fioretta as the true sovereign heir. No longer as my wife, not as my shadow—as the one who carries both dynasties.”

Cassian whistles under his breath. “You want to seat her before the full assembly?”

“First, private audiences. Neutral houses. The older dons who still respect bloodlines and tradition. Then we escalate—formal summits, exclusive councils, and finally a full gathering. She stands beside me, not behind me.”

“You’ll trigger a war.”

“We’re already in one.”

Cassian smirks. “You’ll make enemies.”

“She already has them. Now they’ll see she has me.”

He rubs his jaw thoughtfully. “What do you want me to do first?”

“Reach out to the quiet houses—Bellanti, Romano, Costa. The old bloodlines. Secure their loyalty before Vittoria can spin her version.”

Cassian nods, already slipping into strategy mode. “And Monte’s father?”

“We’ll offer them Darwin’s southern routes instead of Adelaide. Diversify the lanes. If they refuse, we cut them off completely.”

Cassian sighs. “You’ve thought this through.”

“I’ve been thinking of nothing else since she came back.”

He pauses at the door, glancing back at me one last time. “For what it’s worth—this is the first time I’ve seen you fight for something that isn’t control.”

I exhale. “It’s not about control anymore.”

He nods, disappearing into the hall.

I sit behind the heavy desk, staring at the open ledger. Years of blood. Years of lies. All leading to this moment. For the first time, I choose her.

Fully.

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