Married My Ex's Dad, Now I'm Mafia Queen englishsub fullmovie🧲🍿

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00:00:00My name is Isabella Carlson.

00:00:03My father sells me to buy peace in Chicago, and today, I am marrying a man who doesn't love me.

00:00:11The son of a mafia don, Alex Marino.

00:00:17I walk down the aisle alone. There is no groom at the altar.

00:00:21My only friend, Faye Nichols, pale as paper, grabs my arm.

00:00:25Izzy, you need to know, Alex ran off.

00:00:27An hour ago, he boarded the train to California with that singer from the Green Mill.

00:00:31He runs away, humiliating me in front of the entire mob.

00:00:35Sophia Marino, the matriarch of the Marino family, stands up.

00:00:39Isabella, this is not the place. Alex?

00:00:41Alex runs off with a whore. He breaks the pact. He insults your name and mine.

00:00:46We will retrieve him. He will do his duty.

00:00:49I don't want him. I will not take a coward into my bed.

00:00:54The pact requires a union between Carlson and Marino.

00:00:58Do not think you can walk away from this.

00:01:03I'm not walking away.

00:01:04The contract states a Carlson daughter must marry a Marino son.

00:01:08It does not specify which one.

00:01:09Since your heir is unfit, I demand a replacement.

00:01:12For your family's honor, I will choose the one myself.

00:01:15All unmarried men of the Marino bloodland, stand up.

00:01:19Two stiff boys stand up.

00:01:21One is Mateo, Alex's best friend.

00:01:23If I marry him, I sleep next to a man who will hate me.

00:01:26The other is Luca, slim and trembling.

00:01:28He won't even meet my eyes.

00:01:30A coward.

00:01:30A brute or a coward.

00:01:32Those are my choices.

00:01:34If I pick either, I am dead.

00:01:37But I am done being a victim.

00:01:39No.

00:01:40I reject these two.

00:01:43Isabella, do not test my patience.

00:01:44You are in no position to be picky.

00:01:48I am the bride.

00:01:50And I am choosing the only man in this room who can restore the honor your family lost today.

00:01:55I lift my hand.

00:01:57My finger passes over everyone and points at the man sitting alone in the front row.

00:02:02He is Alex's father.

00:02:04The Don of the Marino family.

00:02:06The most powerful man in all of Chicago.

00:02:09Damien Moreno turns his head, his eyes locking onto mine like obsidian.

00:02:14I choose him.

00:02:15I choose the Don.

00:02:19The cathedral falls dead silent.

00:02:22My hands tremble, but I pretend not to be nervous.

00:02:26You cannot be serious.

00:02:28Isabella, he is the Don.

00:02:29He is not an option.

00:02:31Why?

00:02:31You said any unmarried Moreno man.

00:02:33Is the Don married now?

00:02:35No, but...

00:02:36Then he is an option.

00:02:36I will not marry a boy who trembles at my glance, nor a man who will beat me.

00:02:40I need a husband who can uphold the weight of this alliance.

00:02:45I need the head of the family.

00:02:47I heard Damien's heart is dead.

00:02:48After his first wife died, he never touched another woman.

00:02:51No mistresses.

00:02:52No women at all.

00:02:53This will be a cold transaction.

00:02:55I will be safe.

00:02:56He won't touch me.

00:02:57More importantly, if I marry Damien, I become the matriarch.

00:03:01When Alex crawls back to Chicago, he will find a stepmother who outranks him.

00:03:05Isabella, be careful what you wish for.

00:03:08I am not wishing.

00:03:10I am demanding what is owed.

00:03:13Sophia stiffens, or is the word of the Moreno family, broken twice in one day.

00:03:19She looks at me, then turns to her son.

00:03:21Damien!

00:03:22Damien stands up.

00:03:24He is taller than Alex, broader in the shoulders.

00:03:28He stops in front of me.

00:03:31Up close, he is dangerous.

00:03:34You invoke the pact.

00:03:35I do.

00:03:37You understand what you are asking?

00:03:41You are asking to belong to me.

00:03:45I am asking for a husband who keeps his word.

00:03:49A muscle in his jaw twitches.

00:03:50Our family keeps its word.

00:03:53Are you certain, Isabella?

00:03:55I am.

00:03:57Then let us not keep God waiting.

00:03:59He extends his arm and leads me toward the altar.

00:04:03I have won.

00:04:05I have saved myself and gotten my revenge.

00:04:08But what I don't know is, I have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

00:04:14After the wedding, Damien takes me to the Moreno estate and enters his private quarters.

00:04:21This is where you will sleep.

00:04:23And you?

00:04:25Damien doesn't look at me.

00:04:27He goes to the wardrobe.

00:04:28Takes out a thick file and a black handgun.

00:04:33I'll be in the study.

00:04:34Panic pierces through me.

00:04:36He is leaving.

00:04:39Once he walks out that door, tomorrow the whole household will know the Don doesn't touch his bride.

00:04:44I will become a joke, with no standing at all.

00:04:47No!

00:04:50Excuse me?

00:04:53Is it a Moreno family tradition to run after making a vow?

00:05:00First the son, now the father?

00:05:05Watch your tongue, Isabella.

00:05:06You are pushing boundaries.

00:05:08You chose a king, not a lover.

00:05:12Did you expect me to hold you?

00:05:14To comfort you?

00:05:17I expect respect.

00:05:18I don't want your affection, Damien.

00:05:20I don't want your body.

00:05:22I chose you because you are cold.

00:05:26Because you are a machine.

00:05:28I didn't want a husband who would love me.

00:05:31I wanted one who wouldn't destroy me with feelings.

00:05:35You think my indifference makes you safe?

00:05:38It makes us functional.

00:05:40I will be the wife you need.

00:05:41I will bear your name.

00:05:43But for that to work, you cannot leave this room tonight.

00:05:47Sleep on the floor for all I care, but you stay!

00:05:50Damien stares at me.

00:05:51The mockery fades from his face, replaced by a sharp, calculating assessment.

00:05:56The floor is beneath me.

00:05:57He moves to the velvet chaise lounge at the foot of the bed.

00:06:00Shrugs off his jacket, loosens his tie, and sits down.

00:06:04Go to bed, Isabella.

00:06:05Before I change my mind.

00:06:07I climb into the massive, empty bed.

00:06:10The sheets are cold, and the space beside me is a void.

00:06:14But across the room, the dark outlie of the dawn remains.

00:06:18I have won the first round.

00:06:21But as I lie in the dark, listening to the steady breathing of the monster I married,

00:06:26I wonder, have I simply locked myself in the cage with the beast?

00:06:35I wake from a restless sleep.

00:06:38Damien stands at the foot of the bed, fully dressed, watching me.

00:06:43You manipulated the situation last night with a skill I didn't expect.

00:06:48From a girl barely out of the schoolroom.

00:06:50I did what was necessary.

00:06:54Why me?

00:06:56You could have run.

00:06:57You could have begged for a payout.

00:07:00Instead, you walked into the lion's den and locked the door behind you.

00:07:03Why?

00:07:04This is the test.

00:07:05If I lie, he will see through it.

00:07:08Because marrying anyone else makes me a tragedy.

00:07:11The poor girl left at the altar.

00:07:13By the dawn's son.

00:07:14A victim.

00:07:15A punchline.

00:07:17But, marrying the dawn makes me a queen.

00:07:21It was the only choice that guaranteed my survival.

00:07:24In this world, power is the only shield that matters.

00:07:29Ambitious.

00:07:30But, ambition without purpose is just vanity.

00:07:34I have a purpose.

00:07:35And it makes me his mother.

00:07:37Alex?

00:07:38Alex Moreto stripped me of my honor in front of all of Chicago.

00:07:43As his new mother, I will teach him the respect he failed to show.

00:07:48It's a matter of family honor.

00:07:50A debt to be paid.

00:07:52I have just asked the most powerful man in the city for permission to go to war with his own

00:07:56son.

00:07:57You think you can handle him?

00:07:58I think he's a boy playing at being a man.

00:08:02He needs to learn that actions have consequences!

00:08:05He is a disgrace to the Moreno name.

00:08:08He lacks discipline.

00:08:09He lacks spine.

00:08:10In the next moment, Damien leans down, bracing his hands on the mattress, trapping me.

00:08:16He is your problem now, Isabella.

00:08:18As his mother, teach him his place.

00:08:22Break him if you have to.

00:08:24I don't care.

00:08:28What I don't expect is that before Alex is dragged back, I have to deal with the servants of this

00:08:34house.

00:08:36They are eager to put me in my place.

00:08:39Your coffee, ma'am.

00:08:40And the silk robe you requested.

00:08:43We couldn't locate it in the laundry.

00:08:45It seems to have been misplaced.

00:08:49I lift the cup.

00:08:51Stone cold.

00:08:53The steam has long since vanished.

00:08:59After the door closes, the young maid Clara hiss in anger.

00:09:03They are laughing at you.

00:09:05That coffee has been sitting there for an hour.

00:09:07And I saw the robe in the linen closet this morning.

00:09:10They hid it.

00:09:11I know, Clara.

00:09:12Then why didn't you say anything?

00:09:15You are the Dawn's wife.

00:09:17If I scream over a robe, I become the hysterical girl they want me to be.

00:09:21We wait.

00:09:23Wait for them to make a mistake that cannot be hidden.

00:09:29Only actions can be punished.

00:09:30The morning sun struggles to pierce the heavy velvet drapes.

00:09:35Damien left the estate before dawn.

00:09:37This is my chance to establish my authority in this house.

00:09:42Take them down.

00:09:44Are you sure, ma'am?

00:09:46The dawn prefers the dark.

00:09:47No one has touched this room since he took the title.

00:09:50I am not no one.

00:09:52I am his wife.

00:09:54Strip the bed as well.

00:09:56The gray linens are dreary.

00:09:58Use the white Egyptian cotton.

00:09:59The drapes fall.

00:10:01Sunlight floods in.

00:10:02The room instantly feels larger.

00:10:04But the light also illuminates he sneers on the faces of the two older maids by the wardrobe.

00:10:09They think the noise of the renovation masks their whispers.

00:10:12Look at her.

00:10:13Acting like a real queen.

00:10:15She forgets she was the collateral the heir threw away.

00:10:18Let her play.

00:10:19The dawn hasn't let a woman choose so much as a spoon in this house for fifteen years.

00:10:23He'll throw her and her silk curtains out onto the street before nightfall.

00:10:27I turn.

00:10:29The sound of my heels on the hardwood floor cuts through their snickers.

00:10:35Repeat that!

00:10:37The fake smile on the maid's face vanishes.

00:10:41Ma'am, I was just saying the silk is very... delicate.

00:10:44No.

00:10:46You were predicting my eviction.

00:10:48You called me collateral.

00:10:50We meant no disrespect, Mrs. Moreno.

00:10:52Just idle talk.

00:10:54Idle talk is for the market.

00:10:56In this house, words have consequences.

00:10:59Please, ma'am, we didn't mean...

00:11:01You meant every word.

00:11:05And now...

00:11:07We wait for him.

00:11:10Since you are so certain of his reaction,

00:11:13you should have no fear

00:11:15in repeating your predictions to his face.

00:11:18I point to the center of the room where the sunlight pools.

00:11:22Kneel.

00:11:23They sink to the floor, trembling.

00:11:26You said the dawn would throw me and my silk curtains

00:11:29out onto the street before nightfall.

00:11:32Is that right?

00:11:34Ma'am, please.

00:11:36Is that right?

00:11:38Yes.

00:11:40Good.

00:11:41Clara, you are loyal.

00:11:43Loyalty should be rewarded with authority.

00:11:46Slap them.

00:11:47Ten times each.

00:11:49Let them feel the consequence of disrespecting the Moreno name.

00:11:54Clara steps forward.

00:11:56The first slap is light.

00:11:58Harder.

00:12:00The second slap is brutal.

00:12:03Then the third.

00:12:04The fourth.

00:12:07Suddenly, the heavy doors swing open.

00:12:10Damien stands in the doorway.

00:12:13Dawn!

00:12:14Dawn, save us!

00:12:15She's mad!

00:12:17She's hurting us!

00:12:18We were just doing our jobs, sir!

00:12:21Please!

00:12:24Damien says nothing.

00:12:26His face dark.

00:12:27He walks toward me step by step.

00:12:30Damien steps past me

00:12:32and stops in front of the kneeling women.

00:12:35She gave you an order for ten slaps.

00:12:38How many has it been?

00:12:40Ten, sir.

00:12:41Then give them ten more.

00:12:47The maid's wails are cut short as Damien raises a hand.

00:12:52And when you are finished,

00:12:54take them to the cat house laundry on the south side.

00:12:57They will work there until they forget their own names.

00:13:05Damien's trusted man, Enzo, moves in to drag the sobbing women away.

00:13:10Damien walks toward me.

00:13:13I think you would mind this, at least until you knew the full story.

00:13:17No.

00:13:18I don't need to know.

00:13:20I gave you authority over my son's re-education, Isabella.

00:13:25Do you think I would grant you power over my own blood?

00:13:29But not over a maid?

00:13:31Damien looks at the spot where the maids melt,

00:13:33then lifts his gaze.

00:13:36This ugliness.

00:13:38It is not something a wife should have to deal with.

00:13:41On her second day.

00:13:43My heart skips a beat.

00:13:45He is apologizing?

00:13:48I understand the terms of our arrangement, Damien.

00:13:51I don't mind.

00:13:52You don't mind?

00:13:54Your protection and your name are enough.

00:13:57You have nothing to apologize for.

00:14:00Damien stares at me.

00:14:02Then he takes a step closer.

00:14:03Then another.

00:14:08Your understanding is appreciated, Isabella.

00:14:12He reaches out, his callished knuckles grazing my jaw.

00:14:16You focus on running my house, little queen.

00:14:19Leave the ugliness to me.

00:14:21He walks out of the room.

00:14:25I have done it.

00:14:27I have secured my position.

00:14:29We have a deal.

00:14:30A partnership devoid of desire.

00:14:33It is exactly what I wanted.

00:14:36But why does the place he touched still burn?

00:14:39Since that day, no one in this estate has dared to provoke me.

00:14:43The title of Mrs. Moreno seems secure.

00:14:46Then Clara comes running to me in a panic.

00:14:49Madam, he's back.

00:14:51I don't need to ask who.

00:14:53Alex Moreno.

00:14:55The boy who left me at the altar.

00:14:57He has no idea that the woman he abandoned is no longer his fiancée,

00:15:01but his stepmother.

00:15:06Enzo brought them ten minutes ago.

00:15:08They are in the Dawn study.

00:15:11I stand up.

00:15:12A cold smile touches my lips.

00:15:15I step inside the study.

00:15:18In the center of the Persia rug kneel two figures.

00:15:21Alex and the girl.

00:15:24Bound back to back.

00:15:26Alex's gaze locking onto mine with venomous disdain.

00:15:32Isabella, I should have known you'd be lurking around.

00:15:36Did you come to beg?

00:15:38Or did my father drag you here to watch?

00:15:42I don't know what lies you've told yourself,

00:15:45but this, us, it's never happening.

00:15:48I love Casey.

00:15:50You need to accept that.

00:15:52I'll have my father grant you an annulment.

00:15:55An annulment?

00:15:57That would be difficult, Alex.

00:16:04Considering I haven't married you.

00:16:09What are you talking about?

00:16:10The pact!

00:16:14The pact required a union between a Carlson and a Moreno.

00:16:19It did not specify which Moreno.

00:16:22I gesture to Enzo standing by the door.

00:16:28He immediately bows his head to me.

00:16:31Madam.

00:16:32Alex's eyes dart between me and the soldier.

00:16:36The color drains from his face, leaving him ashen.

00:16:48I found a man who doesn't run.

00:16:53Alex, is that any way to speak to your mother?

00:16:59You...

00:16:59You married him?

00:17:02You married Damien?

00:17:04I tell Alex a fact, but he doesn't seem willing to believe it.

00:17:09You're insane.

00:17:11You think my father, the Don, would touch the woman I cast aside?

00:17:16Watch your tongue, or I will have it cut out.

00:17:20You fucking bitch!

00:17:22You couldn't have me, so you went for my father?

00:17:25You'd rather be my mother than admit you were thrown away like trash?

00:17:29I stand tall, letting his rage wash over me.

00:17:32It doesn't sting.

00:17:33You think this is a game?

00:17:34You think marrying my father makes you anything other than a whore climbing the ladder?

00:17:38You are nothing, Isabella.

00:17:40Nothing!

00:17:41Enzo.

00:17:43In the Moreno family, what is the punishment for disrespecting the Don's wife?

00:17:47Loss of a finger for a first offense, madam.

00:17:49I turn back to Alex slowly, a cold smile on my lips.

00:17:53You see, son?

00:17:55Family rules.

00:17:56You wouldn't dare.

00:17:58I am the heir.

00:18:00I am the future of this family.

00:18:02You touch me, and the Capos will revolt.

00:18:05You think being the heir makes you untouchable?

00:18:08You forget, Alex.

00:18:09You are adopted.

00:18:11Loyalty is everything.

00:18:13And you chose to betray it for this.

00:18:16My gaze flicks to Casey.

00:18:18The girl is trembling so violently.

00:18:23Please, we just want to leave.

00:18:26We won't bother you.

00:18:27Please, let us go.

00:18:29Silence.

00:18:30Don't talk to her like that.

00:18:31She's worth ten of you, you venomous bitch.

00:18:35My father will never let you hurt me.

00:18:37He needs me.

00:18:39Does he?

00:18:40The voice doesn't come from me.

00:18:42Damien steps out of the shadows behind the desk.

00:18:44I straighten immediately, walk to Damien's side, placing a hand on his arm.

00:18:50Damien, your son.

00:18:51He refuses to show his mother the proper respect.

00:18:54He calls me names.

00:18:55He questions your judgment.

00:18:57Father, she...

00:18:58She trapped you.

00:19:00She's manipulating you.

00:19:01I came back for...

00:19:02You were dragged back.

00:19:03Like a dog that ran off its leash.

00:19:05I love her.

00:19:07You have to understand.

00:19:08You can't let this woman...

00:19:10This woman is my wife.

00:19:11And you are a disgrace to the Moreno name.

00:19:14Damien looks at me.

00:19:16There is no softness in his eyes.

00:19:18But there is approval.

00:19:20He lacks discipline.

00:19:21He has forgotten the weight of the name he carries.

00:19:24Isabella.

00:19:25As his mother.

00:19:26Teach him his place.

00:19:28Alex's face twists.

00:19:29His fear morphing into a desperate, reckless fury.

00:19:32How can you stand there and let her speak to me like that?

00:19:34Father!

00:19:35She is nothing but my discarded trash.

00:19:37And you...

00:19:37You picked her up and put a crown on her head?

00:19:39Where is the dignity?

00:19:41Because she understands honor, Alex.

00:19:43And you, quite clearly, do not.

00:19:45You have broken the pact and insulted the family name.

00:19:48In this family, we bleed for such errors.

00:19:50Isabella, do whatever you want with him.

00:19:52A shiver of dark triumph races down my spine.

00:19:55The Don has just handed the whip to me.

00:19:59Don't worry, darling.

00:20:00I'm going to be a very hands-on parent.

00:20:04Enzo.

00:20:0420 lashes.

00:20:06Father, no.

00:20:07Stop this woman.

00:20:08I'm your son.

00:20:09You are a disappointment.

00:20:11Consider this mercy.

00:20:12Enzo drags Alex toward the door.

00:20:14He twists his head back to look at Damien.

00:20:16There is a deep hatred in his eyes.

00:20:18I turn to the girl huddled on the floor.

00:20:20Casey.

00:20:21She looks small and pathetic.

00:20:23Please.

00:20:23I didn't know.

00:20:25I just love him.

00:20:27We just want to be together.

00:20:28You think this is a fairy tale?

00:20:29You think if you cry enough, you'll become a princess?

00:20:33I cast a questioning look at Damien.

00:20:35Damien.

00:20:35What should be done with this...

00:20:37Thing?

00:20:38She is yours to judge, Mia Regina.

00:20:40I crouch down, forcing Casey to look me in the eyes.

00:20:44I...

00:20:45I could be a good wife.

00:20:47Or...

00:20:47Or even just...

00:20:48I don't mind not being the wife.

00:20:50I can be his...

00:20:52His...

00:20:52His Guma?

00:20:54You won't be his wife.

00:20:56You won't even be his whore.

00:20:58An outsider who brings shame to the Moreno name has no place in this world.

00:21:03The face crumbles.

00:21:05We have a cath house on the south side.

00:21:07They are always in need of girls for the laundry.

00:21:09It's honest work.

00:21:11You will work there until you pay back every cent of the damage you've caused to my family's honor.

00:21:16No!

00:21:17You can't do that!

00:21:18I'm a singer!

00:21:20My hands!

00:21:21Your hands are now property of the Moreno family.

00:21:27Get her out of my sight.

00:21:28The soldier gags Casey with his hand and drags her limp body toward the exit.

00:21:33I stand, smoothing the silk of my dress.

00:21:36Damien pushes off the desk and walks towards me.

00:21:41Ruthless.

00:21:42I learn from the best.

00:21:44The heavy oak doors are inches from clicking shut when a scream tears through the wood.

00:21:49You!

00:21:50Let this venomous bitch poison you against your own blood!

00:21:54She's twisting your mind, father!

00:21:57Bring him back.

00:21:58The doors swing open immediately.

00:22:01Enzo and the other soldier drag a thrashing Alex and a sobbing Casey back onto the Persian rug.

00:22:07A venomous bitch.

00:22:09You stand in my house, having disgraced my name and you dare to slander my wife?

00:22:15It's the truth!

00:22:17If she were truly a venomous bitch, a cheap singer like this would never have made it past the gates.

00:22:24She would be buried in the Pine Barrens.

00:22:28And you would be mourning a ghost.

00:22:31You still don't understand, do you Alex?

00:22:35You think you can play house with this girl?

00:22:38You think if you beg enough, she becomes a Moreno?

00:22:41I crouch down again, bringing my face level with his.

00:22:46Let me teach you a lesson from the old world.

00:22:49A girl you propose to with her family's blessing, with a ring on her finger and a contract on the

00:22:56table, that woman becomes your wife.

00:23:00She carries your honor.

00:23:02But, a girl who runs away with you in the middle of the night?

00:23:06A girl who helps you humiliate your family?

00:23:10She is a Guma.

00:23:12A mistress.

00:23:14It is the rule, son.

00:23:16She is...

00:23:18not a mistress.

00:23:20She is the only woman I want.

00:23:23It doesn't matter what you want.

00:23:25When your punishment is over, I will find you a proper wife.

00:23:30And this...

00:23:32girl...

00:23:33can remain in the shadows where she belongs.

00:23:36No!

00:23:39I won't do it!

00:23:42I won't marry anyone else!

00:23:45Alex crawls on his knees to Damien.

00:23:48I swear it on my life, father.

00:23:49I will take no wife.

00:23:51I will never sign a marriage contract.

00:23:52Let me keep her.

00:23:53Not as a wife.

00:23:54Fine.

00:23:55As a Guma.

00:23:56But I will have no other.

00:23:57No political matches.

00:23:59Just her.

00:24:00The room goes silent.

00:24:01Because it is a vow of self-destruction.

00:24:03An heir who refuses to marry for alliance is useless to the family.

00:24:06You would forsake your duty for her?

00:24:10Yes.

00:24:13Very well.

00:24:15If that is your choice.

00:24:17One month in the cellar.

00:24:19Recite the vendetta.

00:24:20If you survive, she can move into the guest cottage.

00:24:30As your Guma.

00:24:33Alex slumps in relief.

00:24:35Sobbing thank you.

00:24:37Casey weeps into his shoulder.

00:24:40They don't see it.

00:24:42But I do.

00:24:43Damien hasn't agreed.

00:24:44Because he has moved.

00:24:46He has agreed because Alex has just proven.

00:24:48He is unfit to lead.

00:24:54Get them out of here.

00:24:55And Enzo.

00:24:57Prepare the crypt.

00:25:00The family needs to witness this.

00:25:04The doors close on Alex's weeping gratitude.

00:25:08Damien looks at me.

00:25:11I only hope he won't regret this one day.

00:25:15He made his choice.

00:25:18Now we must make ours.

00:25:20Damien nods.

00:25:21From this moment on, Alex is no longer a child of this family.

00:25:24He is a traitor.

00:25:26The Moreno family crypt is a place where sunlight never touches.

00:25:30Dozens of thick white candles flicker in the wall niches.

00:25:33In the center of the room kneeling before the obsidian sarcophagus of the first dawn is Alex.

00:25:39He looks small.

00:25:41I stand to Damien's right.

00:25:43My hands clasped demurely in front of me.

00:25:46This is a brutal, bloody theater.

00:25:50And I have the best seat.

00:25:51In the house.

00:25:59Father, please.

00:26:06A Moreno man answers for his actions.

00:26:17Surely there is another way.

00:26:19He is just a boy in love.

00:26:22To humiliate the air like this.

00:26:24Is it necessary?

00:26:25The woman speaking is Francesca.

00:26:27Alex's aunt.

00:26:28The man beside her is her husband, Antonio.

00:26:31A capo in the family.

00:26:33They have been eyeing Damien's position.

00:26:35The honor of this family is not a small matter, Francesca.

00:26:40Don, Francesca speaks from a place of care.

00:26:42But consider the optics.

00:26:44A public punishment of the air this severe.

00:26:46Our rivals in Chicago and New York may see it as a sign of instability.

00:26:51Perhaps a private reprimand would suffice.

00:26:53A family that cannot discipline its own blood is the true sign of weakness.

00:26:58Disorder breeds disrespect.

00:27:00And disrespect breeds rebellion.

00:27:03He will learn.

00:27:04Under Damien's authority, both of them shut their mouths.

00:27:11Alex Moreno, for the crime of breaking the pact, for bringing shame upon our name, and for the disrespect shown

00:27:17to my wife, your queen, you are sentenced.

00:27:2425 strashies, administrated by the enforcer.

00:27:28Following this, you will be confined to the old wine cellar for one month.

00:27:33You will see no sunlight.

00:27:35You will speak to no one.

00:27:39You will recite the history of every vendetta our family has executed for 300 years.

00:27:45Until you understand the weight of the blood you so carelessly risked.

00:27:5225?

00:27:52Father, please.

00:27:57Silence.

00:28:02The enforcer steps forward.

00:28:05The leather of the rip creaking.

00:28:08Alex crumbles.

00:28:10He thought his father's love would save him.

00:28:14But in this room, there is no love.

00:28:19There is only the law.

00:28:25Watch.

00:28:26And remember.

00:28:27I don't look away.

00:28:28I watch as the enforcer raises his arm.

00:28:35The first crack of the whip sounds like a gunshot in the confined space of the crypt.

00:28:41Alex screams.

00:28:44The whip screams faster, and everyone covers their eyes.

00:28:48But I don't clinch.

00:28:50By the 10th lash, Alex screams turn into wet, ragged sobs.

00:28:56By the 20th, he is silent.

00:29:0025 finished.

00:29:02Take him to the wine cellar.

00:29:04He stays there for a month.

00:29:06Bread and water.

00:29:15Before the soldiers can even move, someone speaks up.

00:29:21Don Damien.

00:29:22The boy is in bad shape.

00:29:24The cellar is damp.

00:29:26Infection will set in quickly.

00:29:33Perhaps we should move him to his quarters?

00:29:35The family doctor can attend to him better there.

00:29:39The prisoner of his family stays in the family's prison.

00:29:45He lost the privilege of his own room the moment he chose dishonor.

00:29:50If he dies, he dies learning a lesson.

00:29:53Antonio retreats into the shadows.

00:29:55Francesca presses a handkerchief to her lips, as if stifling a sob.

00:29:58But as the soldiers drag Alex past her, her hand lowers slightly.

00:30:02For a split second, I see it.

00:30:03A twitch of a smile she can't quite suppress.

00:30:06With Alex broken, the line of succession is open.

00:30:08Her son, Mateo, is now the strongest candidate.

00:30:10She isn't mourning the tragedy.

00:30:12She is celebrating the opportunity.

00:30:14Leave us.

00:30:15The room empties quickly.

00:30:16The heavy iron doors roam shut.

00:30:18Damien turns to me.

00:30:19Was it too much for you?

00:30:22No.

00:30:27Will you go to him?

00:30:30He...

00:30:31He looks like he might not wake up.

00:30:33He's in the hands of the family doctor now.

00:30:36My presence won't heal him.

00:30:39Aren't you afraid that he might not survive the night?

00:30:42You seem more concerned than his own father.

00:30:45Be careful with your concern, my queen.

00:30:47I know you hate him.

00:30:51I saw your face when the whip struck.

00:30:55You enjoyed it.

00:30:57My breath hitches.

00:30:59In fact, he knows everything I am thinking.

00:31:03Do not go near that cellar.

00:31:05And do not think for a second that I will look the other way if you decide to finish what

00:31:11I started.

00:31:12Come.

00:31:13My mother is waiting.

00:31:14A fire crackles in the hearth.

00:31:16Sophia sits in a velvet armchair near the fire.

00:31:20Not like a grandmother waiting for news.

00:31:22But like a judge waiting to deliver a verdict.

00:31:26Is it done?

00:31:28It is.

00:31:29He is in the cellar.

00:31:3225 lashes, Damien.

00:31:34The servants are already whispering.

00:31:39You nearly flayed the boy alive.

00:31:42Was it necessary to break him so thoroughly?

00:31:45He is still your heir.

00:31:49A broken heir is better than a disloyal one.

00:31:53He needed to learn that disrespecting my wife carries a price higher than he can ever pay.

00:32:02He needed to feel a fear of her.

00:32:05That would last a lifetime.

00:32:08My heart skips a beat.

00:32:10I thought the punishment was about enforcing his authority.

00:32:13But he is building a fortress around me.

00:32:17You are more like your father than you admit.

00:32:21Sophia turns to me and takes a slow sip of her coffee.

00:32:24You think your marriage to my son was an accident.

00:32:27A result of Alex's foolishness and a hasty clean up.

00:32:31But you are wrong.

00:32:33This union, it was the original plan.

00:32:37I don't understand.

00:32:3812 years ago, your father, Don Luciano, went to see Don Carlson.

00:32:44He wanted to unite our families.

00:32:48He didn't ask for a match for Alex.

00:32:51He asked for a match for you, Damien.

00:32:54I look at Damien.

00:32:55Genuine surprise cracks his stoic mask.

00:32:58He doesn't know either.

00:33:01Why didn't it happen?

00:33:02Because your grandfather was a cautious man, Isabella.

00:33:06He refused.

00:33:07He said the age gap was too significant.

00:33:11But that was a polite lie.

00:33:14The truth?

00:33:16He was terrified of you, Damien.

00:33:19He feared that if he gave his granddaughter to you,

00:33:22the Moreno family would swallow the Carlson legacy whole.

00:33:26He wanted a weaker man for you, Isabella.

00:33:30Someone he could control.

00:33:32That is why he agreed to betroth you to Alex instead.

00:33:35Silence descends on the room.

00:33:38I stare at my husband, the man I was forced to marry.

00:33:42The monster I once feared.

00:33:44A specter my grandfather tried to keep at bay.

00:33:47It seems that what belongs to me finds its way back eventually.

00:33:50The air between us has changed.

00:33:53We are no longer just allies bound by a contract.

00:33:57We are a correction of history.

00:33:59An inevitability.

00:34:02Isabella.

00:34:03Sophia stands and removes the ring from her right hand.

00:34:07A massive blood-red ruby surrounded by diamonds.

00:34:09The Moreno matriarch's ring.

00:34:11She walks to my side.

00:34:14Give me your hand, child.

00:34:17I glance at Damien.

00:34:19He is staring at me.

00:34:21You are Mrs. Moreno now.

00:34:23Wear it.

00:34:24I extend my hand.

00:34:27Sophia slides the ring onto my finger.

00:34:30Cold.

00:34:32Heavy.

00:34:33Terrifyingly heavy.

00:34:34May you have the strength to bear its weight.

00:34:36Before I can even recover from the cold weight of the ring.

00:34:39Sophia turns the conversation.

00:34:42Now that we have established the past, we must secure the future.

00:34:47We need to discuss Alex.

00:34:49And the question of the bloodline.

00:34:51Sophia is not one to dwell on sentimentality.

00:34:54Her gaze is fixed firmly on the future of her house.

00:34:58Alex has disgraced us.

00:35:00But we cannot change his blood.

00:35:02He is still the heir.

00:35:04Once his confinement is over, we must secure a new match.

00:35:08Immediately.

00:35:10We need a girl from the old world.

00:35:12Someone raised in traditions.

00:35:14Someone who understands that a wife's duty is to bear sons and look the other way.

00:35:20I sit perfectly still.

00:35:23Minutes ago, I learnt I was meant for the dawn.

00:35:29Now I am listening to them plot to sell another girl.

00:35:32And the girl he ran off with?

00:35:34The Putana?

00:35:36Let him keep her as a Gooma if he must.

00:35:39I look at Damien.

00:35:41I expect him to agree.

00:35:42It is the logical move.

00:35:45Marriage is a business transaction.

00:35:47And Alex is a failing asset that needs to be propped up by a strong alliance.

00:35:52No.

00:35:55Excuse me?

00:35:55There will be no marriage.

00:35:59I will not bind another innocent family to Alex's mess.

00:36:03I will not sacrifice another good girl to his foolishness.

00:36:07Only to have him humiliate her as he did Isabella.

00:36:10You speak of mercy?

00:36:13Since when does the dawn of the Murano family...

00:36:19Care about the feelings of teenage girls?

00:36:23He claims he loves this case.

00:36:26He claims he cannot live without her.

00:36:29Very well.

00:36:30I grant him his wish.

00:36:32He can have her.

00:36:34He can be faithful to her.

00:36:37He will not marry anyone else.

00:36:39This is about power, Damien.

00:36:42Without a wife, without heirs, Alex is weak.

00:36:46Let them.

00:36:48You are letting Alex win?

00:36:53You are rewarding his rebellion?

00:36:56He made his choice.

00:36:58Let him live with it.

00:36:59Sophia slams her cane against the floor.

00:37:02But she falls silent.

00:37:03She recognizes the tone of the dawn's command.

00:37:06It is final.

00:37:07He isn't showing Alex mercy.

00:37:09He is severing his future.

00:37:10I return to my quarters and sit at the vanity.

00:37:13I know I have a long way to go in this house.

00:37:16Every step must be cautious.

00:37:19A senior maid named Gina is smoothing the sheets.

00:37:22She has served Francesca for 20 years.

00:37:26Gina.

00:37:29Yes, Donna Isabella?

00:37:31I hand her a sealed envelope to the florist.

00:37:34A mundane task, but a test.

00:37:39At once, Donna.

00:37:41As the door closes,

00:37:43Clara practically vibrates with tension.

00:37:46Why her?

00:37:47She was Francesca's eyes and ears.

00:37:50You cannot trust her.

00:37:52I could have done it.

00:37:54Come here, Clara.

00:37:57A queen who only trusts one pair of eyes is a blind queen.

00:38:03If I only use you,

00:38:06the others will never fear me,

00:38:08and they will never serve me.

00:38:10I just...

00:38:11I don't want you to be vulnerable.

00:38:14Not after today.

00:38:15I am not vulnerable because I have you.

00:38:18I need to know if Gina will bite the hand that feeds her,

00:38:21or if she is smart enough to recognize the shifting power.

00:38:24It's not just the maids I worry about.

00:38:28Alex,

00:38:30when he gets out,

00:38:31he will be like a wounded animal.

00:38:34He hates you.

00:38:37He will seek revenge for what the dawn did to him.

00:38:40Let him try.

00:38:42According to our laws,

00:38:44I am his mother now.

00:38:46If he disrespects me,

00:38:48he disrespects the dawn.

00:38:50And it is a mother's duty

00:38:52to oversee her son's re-education.

00:38:55Hours later,

00:38:56the estate is silent.

00:38:58I dismiss Clara

00:39:00and climb into the vast, empty bed,

00:39:03expecting another night alone.

00:39:05A sudden shift in the mattress jolts me awake.

00:39:08Damien is there.

00:39:09He lies on the other side of the bed,

00:39:11his obsidian eyes tracing the line of my shoulder

00:39:14where the strap of my silk nightcog in has slipped down.

00:39:16When our eyes meet,

00:39:17he doesn't look away.

00:39:19We have an arrangement, Damien.

00:39:22But staring is not part of it.

00:39:27If you want to look,

00:39:28just look.

00:39:29I am your wife.

00:39:31I am willing to do my duty.

00:39:33I think offering myself is a safe bet.

00:39:35I am wrong.

00:39:36He moves suddenly.

00:39:38He leans over me,

00:39:39bracing his weight on one arm,

00:39:40caging me against the mattress.

00:39:42His lips brush my ear,

00:39:43sending a shiver down my spine.

00:39:45Are you saying you wish to perform your duties

00:39:47as my wife, Isabella?

00:39:49I...

00:39:49I only meant for the family.

00:39:53To secure the legacy.

00:39:55Sleep, Isabella.

00:39:58Before you offer things you cannot afford to give.

00:40:01He turns his back to me.

00:40:03I lie in the dark,

00:40:05my face burning.

00:40:07Hours later,

00:40:08I can't sleep.

00:40:10I turn toward him.

00:40:12My gaze falling on the jagged scar

00:40:14running from his elbow to his wrist.

00:40:16As if driven by some unseen force,

00:40:20I hold my breath,

00:40:21slowly reach out.

00:40:23My fingers trace the ridge of the scar.

00:40:25In a flash,

00:40:26his hand shoots out

00:40:27and clamps around my wrist.

00:40:30I...

00:40:30I thought you were asleep.

00:40:33I never sleep when there is a threat in my bed.

00:40:36Or a temptation.

00:40:40The next morning,

00:40:41the humiliation hasn't faded.

00:40:43I walk into the breakfast room,

00:40:45expecting to eat alone as usual.

00:40:47But as the doors open,

00:40:49I freeze.

00:40:50Damien sits at the head of the long table,

00:40:53extends his hand towards me.

00:40:54Sit.

00:40:55I take the seat across from him,

00:40:58determined to salvage

00:40:59whatever dignity remains.

00:41:02Did you enjoy the view last night,

00:41:04Don Moreno?

00:41:05You tell me,

00:41:06Mia Regina,

00:41:07who was the one

00:41:08who couldn't keep her hands to herself,

00:41:10how did it feel?

00:41:14It was...

00:41:15educational.

00:41:18I was merely inspecting the merchandise,

00:41:20ensuring the family's assets are intact.

00:41:23I am always happy to provide my wife an education.

00:41:27Though I suggest next time,

00:41:28you ask before you touch.

00:41:30I might not be so restrained.

00:41:32He finishes his coffee,

00:41:34dabs his mouth.

00:41:35He leaves me alone with my burning cheeks

00:41:37and a cold cup of coffee.

00:41:39Thirty minutes later,

00:41:41I pace the length of my quarters,

00:41:43the anger from breakfast

00:41:44churning inside me like vile.

00:41:46I need a target.

00:41:48I need to feel powerful again.

00:41:51My lady,

00:41:52the doctor has just left

00:41:53the old wine cellar.

00:41:55It's Alex.

00:41:56The whipping took a toll.

00:41:58He's burning up with fever.

00:42:00The guards say he hasn't moved

00:42:02from the cot since yesterday.

00:42:03A slow, cold smile

00:42:05spreads across my lips.

00:42:07Is that so?

00:42:09My stepson is ill.

00:42:11As his mother,

00:42:13how can I rest

00:42:14until I've seen to his comfort?

00:42:16Walking down into the old wine cellar

00:42:18feels like stepping into a grave.

00:42:20In the furthest alcove,

00:42:22Alex lies on a narrow cot,

00:42:24stripped to the waist,

00:42:25his back a round map of angry welts.

00:42:28He is shivering.

00:42:29He looks nothing like the arrogant air.

00:42:33You come to gloat?

00:42:36I came to check on my son.

00:42:39You look terrible, Alex.

00:42:40Does it hurt?

00:42:42Get out, you witch.

00:42:44Is that how you speak to your mother?

00:42:48We are a perfect tragedy,

00:42:49you and I.

00:42:51You made me a queen,

00:42:52and I made you a prisoner.

00:42:54It seems fair,

00:42:56don't you think?

00:42:58You think you've won?

00:43:02You're nothing.

00:43:05Just a piece of meat

00:43:07my father bought to warm his bed.

00:43:09And yet,

00:43:10I am the one standing.

00:43:12And you are the one

00:43:13walked in the dark.

00:43:16You venomous bitch!

00:43:20You're nothing but a rat

00:43:22from a dying family.

00:43:24You should have died

00:43:25with your mother.

00:43:27You suck my heart.

00:43:30At least you knew

00:43:31how to rot quietly.

00:43:32The wound of my mother's death

00:43:34has never fully healed.

00:43:36When I am at a loss,

00:43:37Damius appears

00:43:38and stands behind me.

00:43:40His eyes are voids,

00:43:41divide of mercy,

00:43:42fixed entirely on his son.

00:43:45You dare?

00:43:46Father,

00:43:47she,

00:43:47she provoked me.

00:43:49She came here to-

00:43:49Silence.

00:43:50You insult my wife.

00:43:51You insult the dead.

00:43:53Is this the honor

00:43:54of a Morano?

00:43:55Damien grabs my arm

00:43:56and drags me out.

00:44:00The iron door

00:44:02clangs shut behind us.

00:44:04In the corridor,

00:44:05he stops and turns to me,

00:44:07his dark eyes scrutinizing.

00:44:10Did his words hurt you?

00:44:11He is just a child

00:44:13lashing out.

00:44:14Do not lie to me,

00:44:15Isabella.

00:44:16You went there

00:44:16to twist the knife.

00:44:20You enjoyed it.

00:44:21He deserved it.

00:44:22Perhaps.

00:44:23Play your games,

00:44:25Mia Regina.

00:44:26But know that

00:44:28a cornered wolf

00:44:29will still bite.

00:44:31And I won't always be there

00:44:32to pull you

00:44:33from the fire you start.

00:44:34The warning in Damien's eyes

00:44:36is a dark, turbulent sea.

00:44:37But I don't look away.

00:44:39I need to know

00:44:40where the line is drawn,

00:44:41the line of his loyalty

00:44:42in this twisted family.

00:44:44Perhaps I was too harsh.

00:44:45He is your blood, Damien.

00:44:47To see him in such a state,

00:44:49maybe we should...

00:44:49He is a disgrace

00:44:50to the Morano name.

00:44:51My concern is that

00:44:52he is unworthy of yours.

00:44:55If he is unwilling to learn,

00:44:57then as his father,

00:44:58perhaps you should...

00:44:58I have proven he is

00:44:59beyond education.

00:45:00He is your problem now,

00:45:01Isabella.

00:45:02As I said...

00:45:05He walks ahead

00:45:06with long strides,

00:45:07and I follow.

00:45:10A small, victorious smile

00:45:12touches my lips.

00:45:14Afternoon sunlight filters

00:45:15through the cream curtains.

00:45:17I sit at my vanity,

00:45:18Clara brushing my hair.

00:45:20The rhythmic strokes

00:45:21are soothing,

00:45:22but my mind keeps racing.

00:45:24Clara,

00:45:24tell me about Alex

00:45:26before all this.

00:45:29What do you wish to know,

00:45:30Mia Regina?

00:45:31I want to know

00:45:32what the others see.

00:45:34The Capo's wives?

00:45:36Francesca?

00:45:36What do they think

00:45:37of the heir?

00:45:40They...

00:45:41adore him, ma'am.

00:45:43In public,

00:45:44Master Alex is different.

00:45:45Charming, respectful.

00:45:47He kisses the hands

00:45:48of the elders,

00:45:48and speaks of honor

00:45:50as if it were his religion.

00:45:51A saint in the parlor,

00:45:53a devil in the dark.

00:45:54Precisely.

00:45:55He has a way

00:45:56of making people feel special.

00:45:58It is why no one

00:45:59believes the room

00:46:00is about his cruelty

00:46:01until they experience

00:46:02it themselves.

00:46:03A facade.

00:46:04Alex isn't just a brute.

00:46:06He is a politician.

00:46:07That makes him dangerous.

00:46:09It means my war with him

00:46:10won't just be physical.

00:46:11It will be a battle

00:46:12for the narrative.

00:46:14A knock at the door

00:46:15interrupts my thoughts.

00:46:17An older maid named Emma

00:46:19enters with a tea tray.

00:46:20She sets it down

00:46:21with stiff efficiency,

00:46:23casting a disapproving glance

00:46:24at Clara.

00:46:25You are digging

00:46:26your own grave, girl.

00:46:35Foring over her like that.

00:46:37Do you think she will last?

00:46:39She is an outsider.

00:46:40Open your eyes, Emma.

00:46:42Did you not see

00:46:42who held the whip?

00:46:44The Don flayed

00:46:45his own son for her.

00:46:47Her word is the Don's will.

00:46:49She is just a new toy.

00:46:51Look at her hand.

00:46:52She wears Donna Sophia's ruby.

00:46:55Do you know what that means?

00:46:57I turn slowly,

00:46:58lifting the teacup

00:46:59to my lips.

00:47:01Emma stares

00:47:02at the blood-red stone

00:47:03on my finger,

00:47:04the color draining

00:47:05from her face.

00:47:07The household ledger

00:47:08will be hers

00:47:09before the month is out.

00:47:10Francesca is the past.

00:47:12She is the future.

00:47:17Is the tea to your liking,

00:47:19Donna Isabella?

00:47:20It is perfect, Emma.

00:47:22See that it stays that way.

00:47:26She nods frantically

00:47:27and backs out of the room.

00:47:29The lines are being drawn,

00:47:31not just in the dungeon,

00:47:32but in the heart of the estate.

00:47:34And I intend to hold the pen.

00:47:37Hours pass.

00:47:39The ledger lies open before me.

00:47:42Thousands of dollars

00:47:44are being siphoned off monthly

00:47:45under security enhancements

00:47:47and external logistics.

00:47:49The payments go to shell companies

00:47:51owned by Antonio Moreno's associates.

00:47:56This isn't just petty thief

00:47:58by a greedy housewife.

00:48:00This is embezzlement

00:48:01on a massive scale.

00:48:03They are building a war chest

00:48:04right under Damien's nose.

00:48:06If I expose this,

00:48:08I won't just embarrass Francesca.

00:48:11I would be declaring war

00:48:12on a powerful faction

00:48:14within the family.

00:48:15But they think

00:48:15I am just a naive girl.

00:48:17What they don't know is,

00:48:18by handing me the house,

00:48:20they have handed me the weapon

00:48:22to destroy them.

00:48:23I arrive at the rose garden

00:48:25on the south side of the estate

00:48:26and encounter Francesca,

00:48:28who is admiring the flowers.

00:48:32The white roses

00:48:33are particularly lovely this year,

00:48:35don't you think?

00:48:36They are.

00:48:38Though I've always preferred the red.

00:48:44They hide the blood better.

00:48:45Francesca's smile doesn't waver.

00:48:48She steps closer.

00:48:50I heard you requested

00:48:51the household ledgers.

00:48:52All of them.

00:48:53The accounts are terribly complex.

00:48:56And Tony always says

00:48:57it takes a real head for numbers,

00:48:59not just a pretty face,

00:49:00to make them balance.

00:49:01Damien said the household

00:49:03answers to me now.

00:49:06That includes its accounts.

00:49:12Or does the word of the don

00:49:14mean less in this wing

00:49:15of the estate?

00:49:17Francesca stiffens.

00:49:18Invoking Damien's authority

00:49:19is a shield she can't pierce.

00:49:21On the contrary,

00:49:22I find the ledgers fascinating.

00:49:24It's amazing what one can learn

00:49:26about a family's priorities

00:49:28by following the money.

00:49:30Her eyes drop to my hand,

00:49:32to Sophia's blood-red ruby ring.

00:49:34A flicker of genuine alarm

00:49:35flashes in her eyes.

00:49:39Well, I'm glad you find it

00:49:40so engaging.

00:49:45If you have any questions, Cara,

00:49:47you know my door is always open.

00:49:49I'm sure it is.

00:49:50But I find the numbers

00:49:51speak for themselves

00:49:52quite clearly.

00:49:53She turns and walks away.

00:49:55Her posture rigid.

00:49:56She came to test the new queen.

00:50:00Hoping to find cracks

00:50:01in the porcelain.

00:50:02Instead, she cut herself

00:50:04on the shards.

00:50:06Back in my room,

00:50:07the doors click shut,

00:50:09shutting out the prying eyes

00:50:11of the Moreno estate.

00:50:13Clara is pacing by the window.

00:50:16When she sees me,

00:50:18she rushes forward.

00:50:20Madam,

00:50:20a woman who claims

00:50:22to be your friend

00:50:23has come to see you.

00:50:28At the private suite

00:50:30at the Drake Hotel,

00:50:31my only friend,

00:50:32Faye Nichols,

00:50:33sits across from me.

00:50:36Her eyes red and swollen.

00:50:38I can't believe he did this to you.

00:50:42Alex,

00:50:42that bastard,

00:50:44leaving you at the altar like that.

00:50:46It's done,

00:50:47Faye.

00:50:50There is no use

00:50:51crying over spilled champagne.

00:50:53How can you be so calm?

00:50:55You're married to him.

00:50:57To Damien Moreno.

00:51:01My uncle Luca says

00:51:02he was mangled

00:51:03in the clan wars years ago.

00:51:05That he's broken.

00:51:07Cruel.

00:51:08He is not a monster,

00:51:10Faye.

00:51:10And he certainly isn't mangled.

00:51:13You don't have to lie to me.

00:51:16I know you're just

00:51:17trying to be brave.

00:51:19A strange defensive anger

00:51:20flares in my chest.

00:51:21I pull my hand back.

00:51:22I am not lying.

00:51:25And I am not terrified.

00:51:27Then why?

00:51:28You could have run.

00:51:29You could have come to me.

00:51:32Why is Shaq's self

00:51:34to a nightmare

00:51:34just because Alex

00:51:35humiliated you?

00:51:36Because, Faye,

00:51:38the best revenge

00:51:39against a prince

00:51:40isn't to run away.

00:51:42It's to become his mother.

00:51:44Faye recoils.

00:51:46She looks at me.

00:51:47Not with pity now,

00:51:49but with fear.

00:51:50Become his...

00:51:52mother?

00:51:53Isabella,

00:51:53do you hear yourself?

00:51:55You sound like one of them.

00:51:58Like a Moreno.

00:52:01I sound like someone

00:52:02who intends to survive, Faye.

00:52:04Alex is a prince in this city.

00:52:07He has soldiers,

00:52:09money,

00:52:09and his father's

00:52:10blind tolerance.

00:52:16If I had married a cousin

00:52:17or a soldier,

00:52:18I would have been

00:52:19nothing more than a nuisance

00:52:20Alex could swat away.

00:52:21But as the Don's wife,

00:52:23I am untouchable.

00:52:25It's not worth it.

00:52:27Not if it means

00:52:28living with a monster.

00:52:29My uncle Luca told me

00:52:30that Damien Moreto

00:52:31hasn't been with a woman

00:52:32in years.

00:52:33Not since the war

00:52:34that killed his first wife.

00:52:36They say he was damaged.

00:52:38That he's incapable of...

00:52:39He is not a monster, Faye.

00:52:42But he is certainly

00:52:43not a saint.

00:52:46Does he...

00:52:48Does he hurt you?

00:52:52No.

00:52:53Aside from being a lechard,

00:52:55he's...

00:52:56tolerable.

00:52:58A lecher?

00:52:59But Uncle Luca said,

00:53:01your Uncle Luca sees the Don

00:53:03in the boardroom,

00:53:04not the bedroom.

00:53:05If he is so uninterested in women,

00:53:07why is the Marino estate

00:53:08filled with maids

00:53:09who look like they walked

00:53:10off a runway?

00:53:11A man who isn't interested

00:53:13wouldn't surround himself

00:53:14with temptation.

00:53:14I lower my voice,

00:53:16leaning closer,

00:53:18and he watches me.

00:53:20At night.

00:53:21I suspect the rumors

00:53:23about his injury

00:53:24are partially true.

00:53:25He surrounds himself

00:53:26with beauty

00:53:27he can't touch,

00:53:28so he satisfies himself

00:53:30by looking.

00:53:31He's a voyeur,

00:53:32a frustrated,

00:53:33lecherous old man

00:53:34trapped in a broken body.

00:53:37Oh god,

00:53:38that's...

00:53:39repulsive.

00:53:40It is what it is.

00:53:42Better a watcher

00:53:43than a hitter.

00:53:45I walk toward the door,

00:53:47checking my reflection

00:53:48in the mirror.

00:53:49The woman staring back

00:53:51is beautiful,

00:53:52composed,

00:53:54and utterly hollow.

00:53:55I have convinced Faye,

00:53:57and perhaps I have even

00:53:58convinced myself.

00:53:59What I don't know

00:54:00is that the walls

00:54:01of the Drake Hotel

00:54:01are thin,

00:54:04and judgment

00:54:04has a way

00:54:05of echoing back

00:54:06when you least expect it.

00:54:15I open the door

00:54:16and look up.

00:54:17Damien is standing

00:54:18in the doorway

00:54:19of the room next door.

00:54:21Behind him

00:54:22is a man

00:54:22carrying an old

00:54:23reel-to-reel recorder.

00:54:25His name is Luca,

00:54:26whom Faye had just mentioned.

00:54:28He is also Damien's consultant.

00:54:32Oh god,

00:54:34Isabella,

00:54:34it's him.

00:54:37Faye hides behind me,

00:54:39clutching my arm.

00:54:40She is terrified.

00:54:41Luca looks annoyed

00:54:42and murmurs something

00:54:43I almost catch.

00:54:45Mixed up.

00:54:47Sorry, Dawn.

00:54:49So this isn't aimed at me.

00:54:51The surveillance

00:54:52was meant for someone else,

00:54:53but their equipment

00:54:54picked up the wrong room.

00:54:56They accidentally overheard

00:54:57me insulting their Dawn.

00:55:00Damien doesn't look at me.

00:55:01He just stands there,

00:55:03face like stone.

00:55:04Not saying a word.

00:55:06My own words crawl back up

00:55:08my throat like snakes.

00:55:10A lecher,

00:55:11a frustrated,

00:55:12broken old man.

00:55:13A voyeur.

00:55:14He heard everything.

00:55:16Damien's eyes are locked on me.

00:55:19Waiting for a reckoning.

00:55:22Luca steps forward

00:55:23and clamps his hand

00:55:24and clamps his hand

00:55:25around Faye's arm.

00:55:27Faye,

00:55:28we have a family matter

00:55:29to discuss.

00:55:30Now.

00:55:34Uncle Luca,

00:55:35I...

00:55:35Not a word.

00:55:37He drags Faye away.

00:55:40I am alone in the hallway

00:55:41with Damien.

00:55:42Shall we?

00:55:43It isn't a question.

00:55:44It is a command.

00:55:46I nod.

00:55:47My legs like lead.

00:55:49Falling into step beside him.

00:55:50He doesn't touch me.

00:55:52He doesn't offer his arm.

00:55:53He just walks,

00:55:54and I follow.

00:55:55The door clicks shut,

00:55:56sealing us inside

00:55:57the leather-clothed interior.

00:55:59The silence turns heavy,

00:56:00suffocating.

00:56:01The driver pulls away,

00:56:03the partition glass

00:56:04already raised.

00:56:06So,

00:56:07a lecture.

00:56:08Is that what I am

00:56:09to you,

00:56:10Nielo Gina?

00:56:11My head snaps up.

00:56:14He isn't looking at me.

00:56:17He is staring out the window

00:56:18at the passing city.

00:56:21The humiliation

00:56:22hits like a physical blow.

00:56:24My cheeks burn.

00:56:27He heard everything.

00:56:28The speculation

00:56:30about his impotence.

00:56:31The pity.

00:56:33The mockery.

00:56:37You were eavesdropping?

00:56:42Eavesdropping implies

00:56:42I have to make an effort

00:56:43to hear you.

00:56:45Your friend has a rather loud voice

00:56:47when she's agitated.

00:56:48The walls of the drake

00:56:49are not as thick

00:56:50as you seem to think.

00:56:52My stomach plummets.

00:56:53I have been so careless.

00:56:57Explain yourself, Isabella,

00:56:58and choose your next words

00:57:00very carefully.

00:57:03I am protecting our agreement.

00:57:05Faye,

00:57:06she is worried.

00:57:07She thinks men like you

00:57:08are monsters.

00:57:09She was terrified

00:57:10for my safety.

00:57:11I need to convince her

00:57:12that our marriage

00:57:13is purely transactional.

00:57:15That there is no danger

00:57:17of intimacy.

00:57:20So you paint me

00:57:21as a broken king

00:57:23to your friends

00:57:23to make yourself

00:57:25feel safe.

00:57:28Isabella,

00:57:30do not mistake

00:57:32your fear for strategy.

00:57:34The car stops

00:57:35at the estate.

00:57:36I hide in my room

00:57:37and collapse

00:57:37onto the vanity stool,

00:57:39kicking off my heels.

00:57:40Clara begins

00:57:42unpinning my hair,

00:57:43her hands shaking slightly.

00:57:48Madam,

00:57:49recent rumors

00:57:50in the manor

00:57:51suggest that the Godfather

00:57:52suffers from sexual dysfunction.

00:57:55Is it true?

00:58:00I don't know

00:58:01where Clara heard about this,

00:58:02but whether it's true or not,

00:58:04I must cover Damien's shame.

00:58:06I don't know, Clara.

00:58:10I'm not gossiping.

00:58:11Alex Moreno.

00:58:13He is the heir.

00:58:14Everyone knows

00:58:15he hates you.

00:58:17If something happens

00:58:18to the dawn

00:58:18and you have no son

00:58:20of your own,

00:58:21Alex will not let you live.

00:58:24Clara is reckless,

00:58:25but she isn't wrong.

00:58:27As long as Alex Moreno

00:58:29is the undisputed heir,

00:58:31my life hangs by a thread.

00:58:32I need insurance.

00:58:35There are ways

00:58:36in Sicily.

00:58:38There are orphanages.

00:58:40Funded by the family.

00:58:42A boy.

00:58:43A smart boy

00:58:44with the right look.

00:58:45If you were to bring one here,

00:58:48raise him,

00:58:50make the dawn love him,

00:58:53stop.

00:58:55Do you have any idea

00:58:56what you are suggesting?

00:58:58Treason.

00:58:59If Damien heard you

00:59:00plotting to replace

00:59:01his bloodline,

00:59:02he would have us

00:59:03both skinned alive.

00:59:06I only want you to be safe.

00:59:08Without an heir,

00:59:09you are vulnerable.

00:59:12The knock on my bedroom door

00:59:14sounds like a gavel

00:59:15striking a judge's bench.

00:59:18My conversation with Clara

00:59:20about the secret heir

00:59:21vanishes instantly.

00:59:23It was Damien

00:59:24who sent someone

00:59:25to call me.

00:59:26Damien sits behind the desk.

00:59:28The room smells

00:59:28of aged tobacco,

00:59:30expensive leather,

00:59:31and gun oil.

00:59:33Close the door.

00:59:34I obey.

00:59:35I walk forward

00:59:36and stand before the desk,

00:59:38waiting for him

00:59:39to bring up the rumors

00:59:40about his veracity.

00:59:41He stops writing,

00:59:42reaches under his desk,

00:59:44and places a dark,

00:59:45rusted iron box

00:59:46onto the surface.

00:59:47Open it.

00:59:50I lift the lid.

00:59:52Inside are stacks

00:59:53of baroner bonds,

00:59:54thick wads of cash,

00:59:55and a heavy ring

00:59:56of antique keys.

00:59:58But at the bottom,

00:59:59there are also

00:59:59leather-bound books.

01:00:01The keys to the family vault,

01:00:03the deeds to the warehouses

01:00:04on the docks,

01:00:05the operational accounts

01:00:07for the legitimate holdings.

01:00:09Why are you showing me this?

01:00:12Because you are my wife.

01:00:14And because you seem

01:00:15to think your position here

01:00:17is precarious.

01:00:18He stands and walks

01:00:19around the desk,

01:00:21leaning against the edge

01:00:22so he is just inches from me.

01:00:25The air becomes suffocating.

01:00:34This is power, Isabella.

01:00:37Real power.

01:00:39Damien covers my hand with his.

01:00:41A queen should not have

01:00:43to worry about money,

01:00:44nor should she have

01:00:45to beg for authority.

01:00:47You proved you could

01:00:48handle the house.

01:00:49Now, you handle the empire.

01:00:51Do not disappoint me.

01:00:56I pull the heavy box

01:00:58against my chest

01:00:59and turn to leave.

01:01:05Back in the room,

01:01:06I set the box on the table

01:01:08and lift the lid.

01:01:10Clara gasps,

01:01:12staring at the stacks of cash,

01:01:13the bearer bonds

01:01:15and the leather-bound ledgers.

01:01:18Madre di Dio.

01:01:20The don,

01:01:21he gave you this?

01:01:23It is a sign of great trust.

01:01:25He treats you as a true equal,

01:01:28a true queen.

01:01:29It's a transaction, Clara.

01:01:32He cannot give me affection,

01:01:34cannot give me a real marriage.

01:01:37So he gives me this instead.

01:01:40Compensation.

01:01:43Whatever the reason,

01:01:44you are safe now.

01:01:45You have the means

01:01:46to live like royalty.

01:01:48We must order new dresses,

01:01:49silks,

01:01:50velvets,

01:01:50things that fit properly.

01:01:51Not like these rags.

01:01:53The dowry Beatrice

01:01:53sent over was an insult.

01:01:55Cheap fabrics,

01:01:56cuts that were out of fashion

01:01:57five years ago.

01:01:58I freeze.

01:02:00The mention of my stepmother

01:02:01usually brings nausea,

01:02:03but this time

01:02:04it brings something else.

01:02:06I suddenly remember

01:02:07Mr. Henderson,

01:02:08my mother's old lawyer.

01:02:10On my 18th birthday,

01:02:12he slipped me a notarized copy

01:02:14of my mother's original trust,

01:02:16the one Beatrice claimed

01:02:17had been lost

01:02:18in the market crash.

01:02:19Clara,

01:02:20forget the dresses.

01:02:21I don't need a seamstress.

01:02:22I need a telephone.

01:02:23My lady?

01:02:24I walk to the window,

01:02:26looking out over

01:02:27the Moreno estate.

01:02:29Somewhere in the city,

01:02:31Beatrice and my father

01:02:32are likely celebrating

01:02:33the sale of their

01:02:34unwanted daughter.

01:02:36I need to contact

01:02:37Mr. Henderson,

01:02:38and then prepare my things

01:02:40for tomorrow morning.

01:02:41Are we going shopping?

01:02:43I reach into the iron box

01:02:45and pulls out

01:02:45a thick stack of cash.

01:02:47It feels like ammunition.

01:02:50No.

01:02:51We are going home.

01:02:53I have a debt to collect.

01:02:56Beatrice stole my mother's

01:02:58jewelry, money, and legacy.

01:03:01She thought she was safe

01:03:02because I was powerless.

01:03:04But I am no longer

01:03:05Isabella Carlson.

01:03:07I am Isabella Moreno.

01:03:10Morning light filters

01:03:11through the curtains.

01:03:12I sit at the desk.

01:03:13To my left,

01:03:14the wedding gift list

01:03:15Beatrice sent.

01:03:16To my right,

01:03:17the notifies copy

01:03:18of my mother's trust.

01:03:20The three speakeasies

01:03:22on State Street?

01:03:23Gone.

01:03:24Replaced with a 20% stake

01:03:26in a textile mill

01:03:27that has been shuttered

01:03:28since 28.

01:03:30And the jewelry?

01:03:33Not a single piece listed.

01:03:35According to Beatrix,

01:03:37the Swiss safety deposit box

01:03:39was empty.

01:03:41She erased my mother's existence

01:03:44to fund her own lifestyle.

01:03:46The Duesenberg idols

01:03:47in front of the Carlson brownstone.

01:03:50The soldiers open my door.

01:03:53I step onto the pavement.

01:03:57The house looks smaller

01:03:58than I remember.

01:04:00In the drawing room,

01:04:02my father Joseph

01:04:02stands by the fireplace,

01:04:04a glass of scotch

01:04:05already in his hand

01:04:06despite the early hour.

01:04:08Beatrice sits on the sofa,

01:04:10flanked by my stepsister, Amelia.

01:04:19Isabella,

01:04:20we didn't expect you.

01:04:22Is everything alright?

01:04:24Has something happened

01:04:25at the Moreno estate?

01:04:27Everything is perfect, Beatrice.

01:04:29I simply came

01:04:30to correct an error.

01:04:32An error?

01:04:33What error?

01:04:34You should show more respect,

01:04:37girl.

01:04:38You are still a Carlson.

01:04:40Am I?

01:04:41I am a Moreno now, father.

01:04:44I came because I reviewed

01:04:46the wedding gift documents

01:04:47you sent over

01:04:48and I found them lacking.

01:04:50Lacking?

01:04:51Times are hard, Isabella.

01:04:53The market clash

01:04:54took a toll on everyone.

01:04:56You should be grateful

01:04:57for what we could

01:04:58scrape together.

01:05:01Grateful?

01:05:02For a few thousand dollars

01:05:03and a plot of mud

01:05:04in a swamp?

01:05:05It was all there was!

01:05:08Your mother's investments

01:05:09failed years ago.

01:05:12We supported you

01:05:13out of our own pockets.

01:05:14My husband provides

01:05:16for me, Beatrice.

01:05:17Which is more than I can say

01:05:19for my father.

01:05:20I reach into my handbag

01:05:22and pull out

01:05:22the notarized copy

01:05:23of the trust.

01:05:24I let it drop

01:05:25onto the coffee table.

01:05:27It splays open

01:05:28to reveals the list

01:05:29of assets

01:05:29Beatrice thought

01:05:30she had buried forever.

01:05:32You seem to be forgetful,

01:05:34Beatrice.

01:05:34So I brought a reminder.

01:05:36I suggest you start reading.

01:05:38Beatrice stares

01:05:39at the document

01:05:40as if it were

01:05:41a venomous snake

01:05:42coiled on the rug.

01:05:43She doesn't reach for it.

01:05:45When she looks up,

01:05:47the mask is back.

01:05:48Bordy.

01:05:49Dismissive.

01:05:50Utterly fake.

01:05:52Where did you get this

01:05:53piece of fiction, Isabella?

01:05:56Did your new husband

01:05:57teach you

01:05:58to forge documents

01:05:59to extort

01:06:00your own family?

01:06:02Is that how

01:06:03the Muranos do business?

01:06:04It is a notarized copy

01:06:06of the original trust

01:06:07my mother signed

01:06:08three days

01:06:09before she died.

01:06:11Every asset

01:06:12listed there

01:06:13was meant for me.

01:06:15For my wedding.

01:06:19Lies!

01:06:21Lies!

01:06:22Mother would never

01:06:23steal from you.

01:06:24You're just jealous

01:06:25because you were

01:06:26sold off to a monster.

01:06:29You promised to keep it safe.

01:06:32Instead,

01:06:33you liquidated the shares

01:06:35in the speakeasies

01:06:36on State Street.

01:06:38You empty the safety

01:06:40deposit box in Zurich.

01:06:42Joseph,

01:06:43are you going to let her

01:06:43speak to me this way?

01:06:45That is enough, Isabella.

01:06:47Beatrice raised you

01:06:48as her own.

01:06:49She took you in

01:06:50when your mother passed.

01:06:52Is this how

01:06:53you repay her?

01:06:54With slander

01:06:56in my living room?

01:06:57She raised me

01:06:58on scraps

01:06:58while she wore

01:06:59my mother's jewels.

01:07:01And you,

01:07:02father,

01:07:02watched it happen.

01:07:06Don't pretend

01:07:07this is about

01:07:08family honor.

01:07:09It's about greed.

01:07:12At my urging,

01:07:14Joseph raises

01:07:15his hand.

01:07:16The Moreno soldiers

01:07:17by the door shift

01:07:18and he freezes,

01:07:19lowering his fist

01:07:20slowly.

01:07:21You are insolent!

01:07:22You think because

01:07:23you married a Moreno

01:07:24you can come here

01:07:25and dictate terms?

01:07:27You are still

01:07:27a Carlson by blood.

01:07:29I am a Moreno

01:07:30by law

01:07:31and by loyalty.

01:07:32And the Morenos

01:07:34do not tolerate

01:07:34thief.

01:07:36Joseph snatches

01:07:37the document

01:07:37from the table

01:07:38and scans the pages

01:07:39frantically.

01:07:40Suddenly,

01:07:41a triumphant sneer

01:07:42twists his lips.

01:07:43You are not as clever

01:07:44as you think, girl.

01:07:45Look at this paper.

01:07:46It's crisp.

01:07:47The ink is fresh.

01:07:48It smells of the printer.

01:07:49This isn't a

01:07:5017-year-old trust.

01:07:51It's a forgery.

01:07:52A fake drawn up

01:07:53yesterday to humiliate us.

01:07:55I knew it.

01:07:56A forgery.

01:07:57Did Damien put you

01:07:58up to this?

01:07:59Did he tell you

01:08:00to fabricate a list

01:08:01of fantasies

01:08:02to squeeze money

01:08:03out of us?

01:08:04Get out of my house,

01:08:05Isabella!

01:08:05Take your lies

01:08:06and your goons with you!

01:08:10You want to talk

01:08:11about proof, father?

01:08:12Be careful

01:08:13what you ask for.

01:08:15Amelia steps forward,

01:08:16her face flushed

01:08:17with rage,

01:08:18clutching Beatrice's hand.

01:08:20Isabella,

01:08:21mother has done

01:08:22nothing but pray

01:08:22for you

01:08:23since you left.

01:08:25And now you come back,

01:08:27waving fake papers

01:08:29to extort

01:08:30the woman

01:08:30who fed you?

01:08:32You want to destroy us

01:08:34because you're miserable!

01:08:35A lie is still

01:08:37a lie, Amelia,

01:08:39no matter how beautifully

01:08:41you dress it in tears.

01:08:42As she moves,

01:08:44the light catches

01:08:45the pendant

01:08:46at her throat.

01:08:48A predatory smile

01:08:50curves my lips.

01:08:52That is a stunning piece

01:08:54you're wearing, Amelia.

01:08:57Mother gave it to me

01:08:58for my 18th birthday.

01:09:01It's a symbol

01:09:02of our family's taste.

01:09:04Something you

01:09:05wouldn't understand.

01:09:07Oh, I understand

01:09:09it perfectly.

01:09:10A rose gold chain

01:09:12set with a rare

01:09:13Sicilian pink diamond.

01:09:17Custom cut

01:09:18in 1910.

01:09:20Beatrice freezes.

01:09:22Her nails dig

01:09:23into Amelia's sleeve.

01:09:26Item number 17

01:09:28on my mother's

01:09:29trust fund list.

01:09:30The very list

01:09:31my father just claimed

01:09:32was a forgery.

01:09:33Mother?

01:09:35What is she talking about?

01:09:37Coincidence?

01:09:38There are thousands

01:09:39of pink diamonds

01:09:40in the world.

01:09:41You think you own

01:09:42the color pink now?

01:09:43That list is still

01:09:45a fake written

01:09:46yesterday by your

01:09:47husband's lackeys.

01:09:50Is it?

01:09:52Father, my mother's

01:09:53trust was established

01:09:54under Sicilian law.

01:09:56When my grandfather

01:09:58married his daughter

01:09:58to you,

01:09:59he did not trust you.

01:10:02This is a copy.

01:10:03The original

01:10:05notarized document

01:10:06is kept by

01:10:07my mother's

01:10:08family advisor

01:10:09in Palermo.

01:10:12You expect me to

01:10:13believe a document

01:10:14held by some

01:10:15old Sicilian gangster

01:10:16across the ocean?

01:10:18They'd say anything

01:10:19for a price.

01:10:21That proves nothing

01:10:22in this country.

01:10:24I thought you

01:10:25might say that.

01:10:27You might not

01:10:28respect Sicilian law,

01:10:30father.

01:10:32But do you

01:10:32respect your own

01:10:33father?

01:10:34Father?

01:10:36Father?

01:10:41Leave the dead

01:10:42out of this.

01:10:45I can't.

01:10:47Because he signed

01:10:49this, a letter

01:10:50from your father,

01:10:51the late Don Carlson,

01:10:53to my grandfather.

01:10:54In it, he confirms

01:10:56he personally verified

01:10:57the wedding gift

01:10:57inventory to ensure

01:10:59the union was

01:11:00equitable.

01:11:02At the bottom

01:11:03of the page,

01:11:04the wax seal of

01:11:04the Carlson family

01:11:05crest is clear.

01:11:07Beside it,

01:11:08the signature,

01:11:08and the witness,

01:11:10his closest ally

01:11:11at the time,

01:11:12Don Costello.

01:11:13Joseph's face

01:11:14goes gray.

01:11:15The name Costello

01:11:16is law in this city.

01:11:17To call a document

01:11:18he witnessed a fake

01:11:19is a death sentence,

01:11:20an insult to the

01:11:21history of the

01:11:22outfit itself.

01:11:23The ink isn't

01:11:24fresh, father,

01:11:25but the shame

01:11:26certainly is.

01:11:27Let me see that.

01:11:28If these documents

01:11:29are indeed authentic,

01:11:31Isabella,

01:11:31then as the head

01:11:32of this house,

01:11:33it is my duty

01:11:33to verify them.

01:11:34Hand them over.

01:11:35I will ensure

01:11:36justice is done.

01:11:38Hand them to you

01:11:39so you can

01:11:40destroy them?

01:11:41I think not.

01:11:42Isabella,

01:11:43you have so much

01:11:45now, Isabella.

01:11:46You married a king.

01:11:47Why do you

01:11:48begrudge your sister

01:11:49a simple necklace?

01:11:50You are insolent.

01:11:52You come into

01:11:53my house,

01:11:54disrespect your mother,

01:11:57stepmother,

01:11:58and wave papers

01:11:59around like a

01:12:00petulant child.

01:12:01We are family,

01:12:02Isabella.

01:12:03These matters

01:12:04are handled internally,

01:12:06not with threats.

01:12:07Internal matters

01:12:08require trust,

01:12:09father.

01:12:10You have none of mine.

01:12:11You have three days.

01:12:12Three days?

01:12:13Three days

01:12:14to return everything.

01:12:16The diamonds,

01:12:18the bonds,

01:12:18the property deeds,

01:12:19every last item

01:12:20on my mother's list.

01:12:22If not,

01:12:23my husband,

01:12:25Don Marino,

01:12:25will come to

01:12:26collect it himself.

01:12:28And I assure you,

01:12:30he will take more

01:12:31than what is owed.

01:12:35You wouldn't.

01:12:36You would bring

01:12:37an outsider down

01:12:38on your own blood?

01:12:40You bring shame

01:12:41to the Carlson name!

01:12:43Honor is earned,

01:12:44father.

01:12:45A capo who robs

01:12:46his own blood

01:12:47has no honor

01:12:48to demand.

01:12:49You speak of shame?

01:12:51Look in the mirror.

01:12:53It was necessary.

01:12:54The business is bleeding.

01:12:55I needed liquidity

01:12:57to keep heads.

01:12:58You are a mafia queen

01:12:59now, Isabella.

01:13:00You have millions

01:13:01at your disposal.

01:13:02Consider your mother's

01:13:03property a contribution,

01:13:04a tax for the family

01:13:05that raised you.

01:13:06Let it go.

01:13:07The audacity steals

01:13:08my breath.

01:13:10He wants me to

01:13:11subsidize his incompetence

01:13:12with my mother's legacy.

01:13:16A truly moving

01:13:17performance, father.

01:13:19But a woman's wedding gift,

01:13:21her mother's legacy

01:13:22is her own.

01:13:23It is not

01:13:24the family slush fund.

01:13:26You are not a Don

01:13:27protecting his family.

01:13:29You are a thief

01:13:31who robbed

01:13:31his own daughter.

01:13:35Isabella!

01:13:37Three days, Joseph.

01:13:38Tick-tock.

01:13:42I turn and walk

01:13:43out of the drawing room,

01:13:44the heavy oak doors

01:13:45closing behind me.

01:13:46I leave them

01:13:47in their crumbling castle

01:13:48with nothing

01:13:49but their fear

01:13:50and the ticking clock

01:13:52to keep them company.

01:13:54The drive back

01:13:55to the estate

01:13:56is arduous.

01:13:57I use Damien's name

01:13:58as a weapon,

01:13:59a shield,

01:13:59a sword.

01:14:00But I also issued

01:14:01a threat on behalf

01:14:02of the most dangerous man

01:14:03without his permission.

01:14:04I need to tell him.

01:14:05I need to control

01:14:06the narrative

01:14:07before Joseph

01:14:07tries to spin a lie.

01:14:09I told them

01:14:09they had three days.

01:14:10I told them

01:14:11that if they didn't

01:14:11return every cent,

01:14:12you would come for them.

01:14:14I used your name,

01:14:15Damien,

01:14:16without your permission.

01:14:18And did they understand?

01:14:20They will.

01:14:22But it isn't

01:14:23just the money.

01:14:26Beatrice

01:14:26gave my mother's

01:14:27jewelry to her daughter.

01:14:30Amelia was wearing it

01:14:32like a toy.

01:14:33Theft is business.

01:14:36But wearing

01:14:37a dead woman's jewels

01:14:38in front of her daughter?

01:14:42That

01:14:42is an insult.

01:14:45The phone

01:14:46on the desk

01:14:46buzzes.

01:14:50Damien

01:14:51presses the speaker.

01:14:53My father's voice

01:14:55comes through,

01:14:56breathless.

01:14:56Don Marino,

01:14:58thank God.

01:14:58I need to speak

01:14:59with you immediately.

01:15:00It's about

01:15:01Isabella's visit.

01:15:03I am not interested

01:15:04in your family drama,

01:15:05Carlson.

01:15:06Three days,

01:15:07everything,

01:15:08plus a 20%

01:15:09inconvenience tax.

01:15:1120 per,

01:15:12but...

01:15:14Or I will burn

01:15:15your house

01:15:15to the ground

01:15:16with you in it.

01:15:17Do not test me.

01:15:20Damien ends

01:15:21the call.

01:15:21He stands

01:15:22and walks

01:15:23around the desk,

01:15:24closing the distance

01:15:25until he towers

01:15:26over me.

01:15:27He reaches out,

01:15:29his large hand

01:15:30cupping my jaw.

01:15:33His thumb

01:15:34brushes against

01:15:35my cheekbone.

01:15:38You did well today,

01:15:40Mia Regina.

01:15:41But from now on,

01:15:43you don't have to

01:15:44fight your battles alone.

01:15:46Their disrespect to you

01:15:48is a declaration

01:15:49of war against me.

01:15:51I lean into his touch,

01:15:53stepping closer

01:15:53until my forehead

01:15:54rests against

01:15:55the solid wall

01:15:55of his chest.

01:15:57His arms come around me,

01:15:58pulling me into

01:15:59the heat of his body,

01:16:00an impenetrable shield

01:16:01against the world.

01:16:03Thank you for defending me.

01:16:04I want to bridge the gap.

01:16:07I think of the rumors,

01:16:09the woman who left him

01:16:10after he was wounded.

01:16:13The woman who left you

01:16:15after you were wounded.

01:16:17She was a fool.

01:16:19She didn't deserve a man

01:16:21who would protect his family

01:16:22at any cost.

01:16:24The air in the room

01:16:25turns frigid.

01:16:27Damien turns away from me.

01:16:29His eyes,

01:16:30not grateful,

01:16:31but mocking.

01:16:32Who told you she left me?

01:16:36You listen to too many whispers,

01:16:38Mia Regina.

01:16:39Let's talk about

01:16:40another story.

01:16:41The one where your husband

01:16:42is a crippled letchard

01:16:44who can only

01:16:45look.

01:16:47I...

01:16:48Did you believe it?

01:16:50Is that why you

01:16:51walked down the aisle

01:16:52without tears?

01:16:55Because you thought

01:16:56you were marrying a Gildan?

01:17:00Yes.

01:17:01Go on.

01:17:03I thought it meant

01:17:04I would be safe.

01:17:05I thought if you

01:17:06couldn't touch me,

01:17:07then I wouldn't have

01:17:08to be a wife

01:17:09in the way I feared.

01:17:11Anyway,

01:17:11I just wanted a shield.

01:17:13Damien doesn't get angry.

01:17:14He laughs.

01:17:16A dark,

01:17:17rough,

01:17:17terrifying sound.

01:17:20A shield.

01:17:22You are colder

01:17:23than you look,

01:17:24Isabella.

01:17:25Good.

01:17:26You will need

01:17:27that ice.

01:17:28Three days later,

01:17:29there is a truck

01:17:30from the Carlson estate.

01:17:32Romero,

01:17:33one of Damien's

01:17:34most trusted lieutenants,

01:17:36steps inside,

01:17:37holding a thick

01:17:38leather satchel.

01:17:40He upwards

01:17:41the satchel

01:17:42onto the table.

01:17:44Swiss bank key,

01:17:46property deeds,

01:17:47cash,

01:17:48bonds,

01:17:50and the tax.

01:17:52Paid in full,

01:17:53plus an extra envelope,

01:17:54with a letter of apology

01:17:56from Joseph Carlson.

01:17:57Burn the letter.

01:17:58Take the assets

01:17:59to the family vault.

01:18:00Have the consulieri

01:18:01verify the deeds

01:18:02by morning.

01:18:03Morning light

01:18:03filters through

01:18:04the curtains.

01:18:05I sit at my vanity,

01:18:07waiting.

01:18:09Clara slips

01:18:10into the room.

01:18:12She closes the door

01:18:14and approaches me.

01:18:16It happened

01:18:17exactly as you said.

01:18:19Donna Isabella,

01:18:20my cousin

01:18:21who works

01:18:21in the Carlson's,

01:18:22said the screaming

01:18:23started before dawn.

01:18:24Tell me.

01:18:25Your father

01:18:26cornered Mrs. Carlson

01:18:28in the library.

01:18:28He demanded

01:18:29her personal accounts.

01:18:31She refused

01:18:32at first,

01:18:33screaming that it

01:18:34was for her children.

01:18:35Mr. Carlson

01:18:36told her

01:18:36that a wife's duty

01:18:37is to cover

01:18:38her husband's debts.

01:18:39He said

01:18:40if she didn't sign,

01:18:41she could pack her bags

01:18:42and leave without a penny

01:18:44and without her children.

01:18:45She signed.

01:18:47She was weeping

01:18:48on the floor

01:18:49when the courier

01:18:50left with the check.

01:18:51But Mr. Carlson

01:18:52just stepped over her

01:18:53to pour himself

01:18:54a drink.

01:18:55Afternoon.

01:18:56The iron box

01:18:57Damien gave me

01:18:58sits on the desk

01:19:00next to the recovered

01:19:01ledgers

01:19:02of my mother's estate.

01:19:05Damien enters.

01:19:09You summoned me,

01:19:10Mia Regina?

01:19:11I didn't summon you.

01:19:13I asked for a moment

01:19:15of your time.

01:19:17I have my mother's

01:19:18inheritance now.

01:19:19It is more than enough.

01:19:22I do not need

01:19:23your charity, Damien.

01:19:24I want to return this.

01:19:26Charity.

01:19:28You think this is charity?

01:19:31It is a loan

01:19:32I no longer require.

01:19:36I can stand

01:19:37on my own two feet.

01:19:38You are a Moreno.

01:19:40You do not stand alone.

01:19:42My money is your money.

01:19:43My power is your power.

01:19:45This is not a gift.

01:19:46It is your arsenal.

01:19:48Learn to use it.

01:19:50If I keep this

01:19:51and the inheritance

01:19:52it's too much.

01:19:56Won't this affect

01:19:57your operations?

01:19:59Damien rounds the desk

01:20:01in two strides.

01:20:02His hand cups my jaw.

01:20:03His thumb brushing

01:20:04over my lower lip.

01:20:05Already trying to control

01:20:07your Don's finances,

01:20:08Mia Regina?

01:20:11You're a fast learner.

01:20:13Keep it.

01:20:14Buy whatever you want.

01:20:16Burn it for warmth

01:20:17if you have to.

01:20:19But never insult me

01:20:21by returning

01:20:21what is yours.

01:20:22He leans down

01:20:24pressing a brief

01:20:25searing kiss

01:20:25to the corner of my mouth

01:20:26then pulls away.

01:20:28I look at the box.

01:20:29A fortune that could

01:20:30buy half of Chicago.

01:20:32Then at my reflection.

01:20:34The girl who arrived here

01:20:35with nothing is gone.

01:20:38I stand before

01:20:39the full length mirror

01:20:40barely recognizing

01:20:41the woman staring back.

01:20:42The drab gray woolens

01:20:43Beatrice forced upon me

01:20:45are gone.

01:20:46In their place

01:20:46is a storm of

01:20:47begonia red silk.

01:20:50The door opens.

01:20:53Damien stands

01:20:54in the doorway.

01:20:55His gaze sweeps

01:20:57from the hem of my dress

01:20:58up to my face.

01:20:59I spent two million dollars

01:21:01this morning

01:21:02on the dress,

01:21:03the jewelry,

01:21:04the shoes.

01:21:05It is an obscene

01:21:06amount of money.

01:21:07Good.

01:21:08Good?

01:21:09It's a fortune, Damien.

01:21:11A queen's appearance

01:21:12is an extension

01:21:12of the Don's power, Isabella.

01:21:15When they look at you,

01:21:16they should see my wealth,

01:21:18my influence.

01:21:20Spend whatever

01:21:21is necessary.

01:21:23Bankrupt the city

01:21:23if you have to.

01:21:25I take Damien's hand

01:21:27and walk to the restaurant.

01:21:31Felissima!

01:21:32Come here, child.

01:21:34Let me look at you.

01:21:36Thank you, Nana.

01:21:38You have the fire

01:21:40of a true Sicilian matriarch.

01:21:44Your mother would be proud.

01:21:50She pulls a heavy gold bracelet

01:21:52from her shoal pocket.

01:21:55The Moreno family crest.

01:21:57A lion devouring a serpent.

01:22:00This was given to me

01:22:01by my mother-in-law

01:22:03when I buried

01:22:04my first enemy.

01:22:06Now,

01:22:07it is yours.

01:22:08Wear it, Isabella.

01:22:10Let them know

01:22:11that the elder

01:22:12stands with the queen.

01:22:14Francesca sits

01:22:15in the corner,

01:22:17her face ashen.

01:22:18The girl who was sold

01:22:20by her father

01:22:20for peace

01:22:21is dead.

01:22:23The woman who lives

01:22:24is the queen

01:22:25of the Moreno.

01:22:27Alex is still

01:22:28rotting in the wine cellar.

01:22:30Francesca's ledges

01:22:31are still in my drawer

01:22:32and the secret

01:22:33of Damien's first wife

01:22:34perhaps darker

01:22:36than I imagined.

01:22:37The war is not over,

01:22:39but at least today

01:22:39I wear the crown.

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