Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 26: Chapter 26

ALINA
I had never seen Pietro lose his cool. I had never heard him raise his voice. Not once in my life.
Now, he shouted the word at Roberto, his words like a blade that made the tension wound tighter.
“Lower the gun, Roberto, or I’ll blow your brains out.” He snarled at Roberto.
I turned my head slowly, my breath tight in my chest. Pietro stood with his gun raised, his hands steady, his legs spread firmly on the floor.
The room had changed.
More guns were out now. Each man pointed at another, waiting for the first shot to be fired.
My fingers brushed the table, just to remind myself that this was reality.
This was dangerous. One wrong move and the whole room would turn into a bloodbath.
I had no gun.
I swallowed, forcing myself to look at Roberto. His hand was still tight around his gun, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Sit down,” I told him. I didn't expect him to sit, but I would make him.
He didn’t move.
My heart pounded, but I refused to let it show.
“You can sit,” I continued, “or you can leave and forget your stake in the Costa empire. If you keep pointing that gun at my head, I’ll erase you from history.”
A muscle ticked in Roberto’s jaw.
He didn’t lower the gun.
Laughter bubbled in my throat. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was adrenaline. Either way, I let it out, the sound light and unbothered, even as my stomach twisted.
I sat and leaned back in my chair. “Then shoot me,” I said. I spread my arms and offered him my chest.
If he shot me, Pietro would kill him.
If he didn't, he would look weak before the men.
After all, I was a woman challenging his authority.
You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed my words.
Roberto’s fingers twitched on the gun. But he still didn't shoot. I knew then he wouldn't. He didn't have the guts.
I turned away from him, dismissing him completely as I looked at the men seated around me.
“As I was saying,” I continued smoothly, like he had never interrupted me. “This meeting is about the future of the Costa empire. Not childish outbursts.”
For a long second, no one spoke.
Then one of the men, an older boss named Salvatore, cleared his throat. “I want to hear what she has to say.”
Another voice followed. Then another.
Slowly, the men shifted. They leaned forward, focused on me again, ignoring Roberto as if he wasn’t still standing there, gun in hand, acting the damned fool.
I smiled, triumph lighting in my chest.
Did Roberto really think he could kill me?
He wasn’t that stupid.
And now, he was standing alone. Pulling the gun had definitely been a mistake.
I leaned forward, my hands flat on the table. “Let’s talk business.”
The men moved in their seats, some nodding, others waiting to see where this would go.
“How are the operations running?” I asked. I didn't know the full extent of all of my father's business. My first priority was to find out exactly how much my father owned.
Rinaldo cleared his throat. “We’re holding steady. The shipments are coming in on schedule, and our routes are secure, but there have been whispers of competition trying to move in.”
“Whispers?” I raised a brow.
“Nothing confirmed,” he admitted. “But it’s worth keeping an eye on.”
I turned my attention to Mikhail. He wasn’t the loudest in the room, but I’d been watching him. He was sharp.
He listened more than he spoke, and when he did speak, it was always something worth hearing.
“You,” I said, pointing at him. “From now on, you work directly with me.”
Mikhail blinked, clearly not expecting that. “Me?”
“Yes, you.”
The room murmured. Some looked pleased, others less so. I didn’t care.
“You’ll report everything to me,” I said. “If there’s even a whisper of a problem, I want to know before it becomes one I should worry about. Understood?”
Mikhail nodded quickly. “Understood.”
I swept my eyes across the table. “The rest of you, if you have concerns, you come to me directly. No middlemen. No messengers. If you’re loyal to the Costa name, you’ll deal with me. If you’re not…” I tilted my head, letting the sentence hang.
A few of the men shifted uncomfortably.
Roberto was still standing there, his gun pointed at me like an idiot.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Roberto,” I sighed, looking at him like he was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. “Are you planning to stand there all day? Your arm must be getting tired.”
Roberto’s ears twitched when all the men laughed, even those who had supported him.
His face twisted with anger, but he didn’t lower the gun.
I smirked. “If you were going to shoot me, you would’ve done it already. But you haven’t. Which means you won’t.” I leaned back in my chair, utterly relaxed. “So why don’t you sit down like a good boy before you embarrass yourself even more?”
Roberto’s fingers on the gun tightened, his face turning red.
Before he could respond, the doors burst open, literally blowing open to bang against the wall.
I turned my head, my heartbeat kicking up when I saw who had entered.
Luca.
He stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders tense, his breathing heavy from the way he’d just rushed in.
His eyes found mine, and he exhaled before he looked around at the men gathered.
He saw Roberto.
More importantly, he saw the gun still pointed at me.
Something in him snapped.
His eyes went dark; so dark they almost looked black, his jaw clenched so tight it looked painful. Then, like a monster pulling itself from the depths, his eyes turned bloody.
His entire body tensed, his fists at his sides.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
I swallowed. I’d seen him angry before, but this?
This was different.
This wasn’t just anger. This was pure, unfiltered rage.
Roberto finally lowered the gun, but it was too late.
Luca was already moving. “I remember we had a conversation, Roberto. What did I say concerning my wife?”