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00:00When I was 13, I shot my father's favorite mistress.
00:05For my mother's dying wish, I put down the gun.
00:08Ten years of playing the lady.
00:10Then, at my engagement dinner, scolding soup hit my chest, and a girl called me an old woman.
00:14Old woman?
00:15My fiancé just laughed it off, told me not to bother with a kid.
00:18Fine.
00:19Then let them find out what Reaper means.
00:21My dress soaked through, scolding against my skin.
00:23I looked up.
00:24Oops.
00:25My hand slipped.
00:27A girl about 18 stood in front of me, an empty bowl grinning.
00:29Not a trace of apology on her face.
00:31It was my engagement dinner.
00:32My family had spared no expost.
00:33Everyone that mattered in Graydale was in the hall.
00:35My fiancé, Evan, the decent heir to the Shaw family, was right beside me.
00:39Who are you?
00:39I'm Evan's foster sister, Lily.
00:41She set the bowl down on the table, hands on her hips, chin tipped up.
00:45You're what, 28 and old woman?
00:46What makes you think you deserve Evan?
00:47She said it loud enough for everyone to hear.
00:49The hall went dead silent.
00:51Every breath in the room held.
00:53Chamber president's glass froze midair.
00:55The police chief's fork hit the floor.
00:57People in the corner went pale.
00:58They all remembered what I'd done.
00:59I was 13 when my father's mistress drugged my mother.
01:03She bled for three days and nearly died.
01:05Father wanted it buried, but I walked into that mistress's courtyard with a gun and shot
01:09her in front of everyone.
01:10I was 15 when her son came looking for revenge.
01:12I walked into his room with poison first.
01:14After that day, Grayport never spoke his name again.
01:16Don Moretti, my father, stood outside his room door all night.
01:19He'd been a little afraid of me ever since.
01:21The Reaper.
01:22Three Shot Rosa.
01:23Ten years ago, the whole city knew those by names.
01:27Then, on her deathbed, my mother took my hand.
01:29Rosa, stop living with blood on your hands.
01:32Live a good life.
01:33I want you to be happy.
01:34For that sentence, I put my gun down for ten years.
01:38Ran charities.
01:39Learned how to be a lady.
01:40Young people in Grayport had already forgotten who the Reaper was.
01:43This girl who dumped soup on me clearly had no idea.
01:49Evan set down his wine glass, smiling gently.
01:52Lily's just young and full of spirit.
01:54Rosa, you're a proper lady.
01:55Don't bother with a kid like her.
01:57I repeated his words silently to myself and smiled.
02:00Behind me, Nina's fists were clenched so tight her knuckles had gone white.
02:04She'd been with me since we were kids.
02:05Her temper ran just as hot as mine.
02:07I put a hand over hers.
02:09Mother wanted me to live a good life.
02:12Okay, I won't bother with her.
02:14When the dinner broke up, the guests fled like they were escaping a fire.
02:17Only Lily took her time.
02:18She passed by me, stopped deliberately, tilted her head.
02:20That dress is ruined.
02:22You should change it.
02:23Maybe you'll also need a younger body.
02:24Then, grinning, she added, Evan stood right there.
02:27He said nothing, just smiled.
02:28Once they'd gone, Nina finally lost it, her voice shaking with anger.
02:32How dare she?
02:33I looked down at the stain spreading across my dress.
02:35Call Cole.
02:36Nina froze.
02:38That was a name I hadn't spoken in ten years.
02:40Miss Rosa, you-
02:40Call him.
02:41Nina held herself still.
02:42She stepped back, bowed.
02:44Right away.
02:44I meant to honor my mother's wish, to be a proper, happy wife.
02:48The first three days of marriage, Evan was perfect.
02:51Good morning kisses, polite words.
02:53He even made me coffee himself.
02:55On the fourth day, Lily arrived, with three carloads of luggage.
02:58She stood at the gates of my estate, shouting orders at the movers.
03:01Evan said I could stay here.
03:03We'll all look out for each other.
03:05Bring the trunks in.
03:07The large one goes there.
03:08Past the street could hear her.
03:09Don't scratch the floors.
03:11She'd already picked her place.
03:12The east wing.
03:13Second only to the main house.
03:15It used to belong to Nina and the other staff.
03:17I watched from the second floor window.
03:19Miss Rosa, this is your estate, not the shore's.
03:22What gives her the right?
03:24Woo!
03:24Evan does.
03:26Yes!
03:27Sure enough, he showed up soon.
03:29All gentle persuasion.
03:31Rosa, Lily's been under my care since she was little.
03:34She can't do without me.
03:35Let her have the east wing.
03:36She won't bother you.
03:37No.
03:38Her things are already inside.
03:39Making her move out would be a mess.
03:41People would say the Morettas can't tolerate a young girl.
03:43I looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
03:46Fine.
03:47Nina's breath caught.
03:48I turned and walked back to my room.
03:50Didn't look back.
03:52Once Lily moved in, the estate turned into chaos.
03:55She thought the chef's cooking was too bland, so she replaced him without asking anyone.
03:58She thought the flowers were too plain, so she had them ripped out and replaced with garish
04:02red roses.
04:03She never once acknowledged me when we crossed paths.
04:05Lily's young.
04:05She doesn't understand the rules.
04:07Please be patient with her.
04:08Evan had already made his position clear.
04:10Young.
04:10That was always his excuse.
04:11She was 17.
04:12Wasn't she old enough to know shame?
04:13What a joke.
04:14That night, I met Cole in the study.
04:16Ten years, and he hadn't changed much.
04:18Same cold face, same deep-set eyes.
04:20He was the deadliest gun mother left me.
04:22When I put the gun down ten years ago, he pulled his men back into the shadows.
04:24He never left me.
04:26Miss Rosa, I'm here.
04:27Are your men still with you?
04:29Twelve.
04:29Not one missing.
04:30Ten years.
04:31Has the gun gone rusty?
04:33Miss Rosa's gun never rusts.
04:41Find out two things for me.
04:42First, Lily's background.
04:44Who her parents are, why the Shaws took her in.
04:46Second, whether she and Evan are really foster siblings or something else.
04:50Understood.
04:50Outside, the moon was full.
04:52Mother, you wanted me to be kind.
04:53I tried for ten years.
04:54But I've always known people only respect force.
04:57By the second month, Evan's hands had found their way to my money.
05:00Eight companies, one casino, all of it my premarital property.
05:04Evan made his case sound reasonable enough.
05:06Managing all this is too much for a woman.
05:08Let me handle it.
05:10You'll have less to worry about.
05:11Accountant Chandler came to me for confirmation.
05:13Miss Rosa, Evan says he'll be distributing all revenue from now on.
05:16Let him.
05:17Chandler blinked, sweating, and left without another word.
05:20Nina grabbed my hand, eyes brimming.
05:22He's gone too far.
05:23He's raiding your finances.
05:25Lily's humiliating you.
05:26Why are you tolerating?
05:27Mother's dying wish was for me to put down the gun.
05:30To live a good life.
05:31I'm still trying.
05:32But they're stepping all over you!
05:36I didn't answer her.
05:38Three days later, Cole sent me an email.
05:40This month, Evan had siphed off 40% of the revenue.
05:42The money went into a Shaw family account.
05:44One transfer was strange.
05:45It was sent to someone named Leo.
05:47Who was that?
05:48In the afternoon, Evan's father, Richard, showed up at the estate unannounced.
05:52The moment he walked in, his head was already bowed, his posture small.
05:55He's young, hot-blooded.
05:57If he's offended you in any way...
05:58Richard, you're what, past 50 now?
06:02I am.
06:03Then you know it clearly.
06:04What I did at 13, what I did at 15.
06:07You know all of it.
06:09You're not here to apologize.
06:11I lifted my coffee cup.
06:12You know exactly what Evan and Lissy are up to.
06:15You can't stop them.
06:16So you came to test how far my patience goes.
06:20Miss Rosa, I swear that's not...
06:22I only...
06:22You're only afraid.
06:23I finished for him.
06:24He knelt there, sweat dripping steadily off his forehead.
06:27You should be afraid.
06:28I set down my cup and walked over to him.
06:31Go tell your son to rent it in.
06:32My patience is limited.
06:34He scrambled out, half-crawling.
06:37Will he actually pass that along?
06:40He will.
06:41Will Evan listen?
06:42No.
06:43I open my book again, voice even.
06:45He doesn't take me seriously.
06:47Why would he listen?
06:48Then why bother warning Richard?
06:50So Richard knows I gave him fair warning.
06:52When the reckoning comes, no one gets to say I didn't give them a chance.
06:57I'd guessed right.
06:58None of Richard's warning sank in with Evan.
07:00In his eyes, the three-gun Rosa was already history.
07:03The woman living with him now, the one who let soup get dumped on a herd, was not worth
07:06fearing.
07:06So instead of pulling back, Lily got bolder.
07:09She took my private car out and insulted my driver.
07:13She sent the nanny who'd accompanied me for twenty years down to work the laundry room.
07:17I said nothing.
07:19So she pushed further.
07:20That afternoon, I was writing letters in the study when a scream tore through the courtyard.
07:24It was Nina.
07:25My pen froze.
07:26Ink bled into a black blot on the page.
07:28I set it down and walked outside.
07:30Two of the Shaw family's hired hands had Nina pinned to the lawn.
07:33Her blouse was torn, her back striped with Lily stood over her, riding cast in hand,
07:37cheeks flushed with excitement.
07:38You wouldn't make my coffee?
07:40You wouldn't bow to me?
07:41What are you, anyway?
07:42Just a servant.
07:43The cape came down again.
07:44Nina bit down hard, refusing to make a sound, though her whole body shook.
07:47Lily leaned in close to her ear, smiling.
07:49Go on, scream!
07:50Isn't Rosa the great lady of the Morelli family?
07:52Call for her.
07:53Let her save you.
07:53She paused, laughing harder.
07:55Oh, right.
07:56She won't come.
07:57She let me dump soup on her without a peep.
07:59You think she's coming for you?
08:02That's enough.
08:04Lily turned.
08:05She froze for a second, then her smile widened.
08:07Here you are.
08:08Your servant doesn't know her place.
08:09I was just teaching her some manners.
08:11I shrugged her hand off.
08:12I walked straight to Nina and crouched down.
08:14She turned her head toward me.
08:16Her lip was bleeding, her eyes burning red, but no tears.
08:18Miss Rosa.
08:19I reached out, brushed the hair back from her face.
08:22Then I saw her back.
08:23Seven lashes.
08:24I touched the edge of the wound.
08:26Nina's body jerked violently.
08:27I pulled my hand back.
08:29Blood on my fingertips.
08:30I stood up, turned to Lily, and asked evenly.
08:33Who gave you the right?
08:34Lily shrugged, tossing the crop onto the ground.
08:36She's rude.
08:37So what if I taught her a lesson?
08:38I asked, who gave you the right?
08:41I don't need anyone to give it to me.
08:43Evan said I could handle things around here however I want.
08:45Go ask him yourself if you don't believe me.
08:47I looked down at the blood on my fingers.
08:49Nina's blood.
08:50Ten years, mother.
08:52I behaved for ten years.
08:53I'm done now.
08:55Evan arrived soon after.
08:57I snatched my hand back just before it could grip Lily's throat.
09:00What happened?
09:00He glanced at the wounds on Nina's back without so much as a flicker of expression.
09:03She was rushed to his side, putting on her most wounded expression.
09:05She's disrespectful to me.
09:07I taught her a little, and now Rosa's making a scene about it.
09:10Evan looked at me, that gentle smile in place.
09:12Rosa, Lily got a bit carried away.
09:14But if a servant's rude, a little discipline isn't out of rank.
09:18Lily knows her limits.
09:19Seven lashes, one deep enough to show muscle.
09:21He called that knowing limits.
09:23I said nothing, turned and walked away.
09:25Back in the study, I shut the door and sat at my desk,
09:28staring at the dried blood on my fingertips.
09:30My hand curled slowly into a fist, nails cutting into my palm.
09:32Cole, my voice was quiet.
09:34A response came instantly from outside the door.
09:35I'm here.
09:37You told me my gun never rusts.
09:39Yes.
09:40My eyes went bright and cold.
09:42Then polish it.
09:43That night, I sat with Nina.
09:45I'd called in the best doctor and stayed to watch over the treatment.
09:49Nina lay face down, her back wrapped in bandages,
09:51biting the corner of her pillow, silent.
09:53Once the doctor left,
09:54Don't worry about me.
09:55I'm fine.
09:56I tucked the blanket around her.
09:58Nina, I'm never letting anyone hurt you again.
10:01She looked at me and suddenly started crying,
10:03tears sliding down her face.
10:05But she was smiling.
10:06She knew.
10:07The Rosa from ten years ago had come back.
10:11Cole sent me a second email.
10:13Ever since Lily moved into the East Wing,
10:15Evan had been spending nearly every night there,
10:18well past midnight.
10:19In private, she didn't call him Evan.
10:21She called him Babe.
10:22What a lovely pair of siblings.
10:24What a filthy pair of liars.
10:28I stood at the window,
10:30watching the lights in the East Wing,
10:32blindingly bright.
10:33Mother,
10:34you told me to try,
10:36to build a good life,
10:37maybe even a happy family.
10:39I tried for ten years.
10:41The man I married treated me like a fool
10:43and a walking wallet.
10:44His mistress raised a whip against my beloved ones.
10:47Did you see any of this?
10:48I closed my eyes,
10:50took a slow breath.
10:51When I opened them again,
10:52only cold remained.
10:53They don't deserve mercy.
10:56The next morning,
10:57I did three things.
10:58Each one hit Evan like a blow to the dot.
10:59First,
11:00I went to the finance office myself.
11:01Chandler nearly fell out of his chair.
11:02Miss Rosa?
11:04Bring me the statements.
11:07But Evan said...
11:08Who has the final say here?
11:09Him or me?
11:10He flinched,
11:11scrambling to pull every file together,
11:12presenting them to me with both hands.
11:15From today on,
11:16I control all finances.
11:17Every expenditure requires my signature.
11:19Evan's authority is revoked.
11:20It was my property to begin with.
11:22He wasn't entitled to a single cent of it.
11:23I'll notify everyone immediately.
11:25Second,
11:25I cleaned house.
11:27Lily wasn't a Morelli.
11:28She wasn't even a real Shaw,
11:29just a foster sister.
11:30What right did she have to live in my estate?
11:31Her allowance cut off.
11:32Her staff dismissed.
11:33Her car reclaimed.
11:34What if she makes a scene?
11:36Post the rules on her door.
11:37She can read.
11:39Third,
11:40I dealt with the two hired hands who'd whipped Nina.
11:42Evan had brought them onto my land to hurt my people.
11:44That earned them a beating and permanent expulsion,
11:46never to set foot on my estate again.
11:48Both of them were dragged out the front gate,
11:50screaming.
11:51That evening,
11:52Evan stormed in,
11:53furious.
11:54What exactly do you think you're doing?
11:56I didn't even look up from my book.
11:58Managing my own property,
11:59running my own estate.
12:01Is there something wrong about that?
12:02Evan froze,
12:03because there wasn't a single argument he could make.
12:05So he softened his expression,
12:07lowered his voice.
12:08Rosa,
12:09we're married.
12:10Why does it have to be like this?
12:12Evan Shaw.
12:13I said his full name,
12:14no warmth in it at all.
12:15He blinked.
12:16I married you because my father said you were a good man.
12:19I put up with Lily because my mother wanted me to live a good life.
12:22I closed my book.
12:23Then I looked up at him.
12:24That doesn't mean I won't lose my temper.
12:27I stood.
12:29He had half a head on me in height,
12:31but in that moment,
12:32he could only drop his gaze,
12:34unable to meet mine.
12:35This time,
12:36I only took back what was mine to manage.
12:38He wanted to argue.
12:39Next time you let someone put their hands on my people,
12:41what I take back won't just be authority.
12:44His throat worked,
12:45but he swallowed the words.
12:46Then he left.
12:48I waited until his footsteps faded.
12:50Only then did Nina peek out.
12:51Miss Rosa?
12:52Was he scared?
12:53Not scared.
12:54He's thinking of a way to deal with me.
12:56I sat back down at my desk.
12:58So what do we do?
12:59Let him think.
13:00I went back to my book.
13:01We'll see what he comes up with.
13:03That night,
13:04sounds of shattering porcelain echoed from Lily's room.
13:06All the cups and plates there were smashed to pieces.
13:08No money,
13:09no staff.
13:10Nothing left for Lily to do but rage.
13:13Listening to the noise,
13:14I finished the last page of my book.
13:16Three days later,
13:18Lily found a way to fight back.
13:19Using the Moretti name,
13:20she'd invited socialites to the estate for afternoon tea.
13:23The judge's daughter,
13:25the chief's niece,
13:26Entreprior's wives,
13:27all of them gathered on her word.
13:30By the time I heard about it,
13:31the guests had already arrived.
13:33Nina's face had gone white with fury.
13:35Miss Rosa!
13:36She's sitting as the host,
13:37using your tea set,
13:39and told everyone,
13:40Moretti affairs are mine to handle now.
13:42You can come to me directly.
13:44Someone even said,
13:45you're the one who's truly suited for Evan.
13:47Rose is only his wife in name.
13:49Then I suppose I should go see for myself.
13:51You're going to the parlor?
13:54The guests should meet the actual mistress of this estate.
13:57The parlor was lively.
13:59Eight women cluttered around her,
14:00chattering.
14:01Lily sat in what should have been my seat.
14:04The diamond tiara on her head caught the light.
14:07That was my mother's.
14:08She'd had two custom-made before she died.
14:10One stayed with my father.
14:12The other was locked in my jewelry box.
14:14Oh, Rose is here.
14:16There's an empty seat.
14:17Care to join us?
14:18Some embarrassed,
14:19some guilty.
14:20Compared to her,
14:22Lily really looks more like the mistress.
14:24I didn't raise my voice.
14:26Just looked at Lily,
14:27gently.
14:29That's a beautiful tiara you're wearing.
14:32This?
14:33Evan gifted it to me.
14:37That was my mother's keepsake.
14:40Her hand went still.
14:43You're wearing my mother's jewelry,
14:46sitting in my seat,
14:47using my china,
14:48and telling everyone here
14:49that you're the mistress of this estate.
14:51The room went silent.
14:52You're all decent people.
14:53Go home and ask your elders
14:55what happens to anyone
14:56who touches something
14:57that belonged to my mother.
14:58Several of the older women
14:59went pale instantly.
15:00They recalled everything.
15:02Lily's hands started to shake.
15:04Give me the tiara.
15:06She glanced at the door,
15:07hoping Evan would appear.
15:08No one was there.
15:09Give me the tiara.
15:12Slowly,
15:13she raised her hands
15:14and lifted the tiara off her head.
15:16When she placed it in my palm,
15:18her fingers were ice cold.
15:20I turned to the guests.
15:22My apologies for the poor hospitality.
15:24Lily doesn't know the code yet,
15:26and it was my oversight
15:27letting her host in my place.
15:28I'll arrange a proper dinner soon
15:30to make it up to you all.
15:32Not one of them said a word.
15:34They rose one by one,
15:36excusing themselves,
15:37footsteps quick
15:38as if fleeing a fire.
15:39The room emptied.
15:41Only Lily remained,
15:42frozen in that chair.
15:43I walked to the door
15:44and, without turning around,
15:46said,
15:46Lily,
15:47What?
15:48Next time you sit in that chair,
15:49you won't be getting up from it again.
15:51Rosa!
15:52Who do you think you are?
15:53I left.
15:56Lily ran to Evan in tears.
16:00Three days later,
16:01Evan came at me for real.
16:03He brought two people with him this time,
16:05a well-known journalist
16:06and a board member
16:07from the Chamber of Commerce.
16:08He opened with a threat.
16:10Everyone in the city
16:11has already heard about you
16:11humiliating Lily.
16:13Heir to the Moretti family,
16:14bullying a defenseless girl.
16:16If this story breaks,
16:17it'll destroy your family's reputation.
16:19Threatening me with a headline,
16:21pressuring me with the family name.
16:24Then run it.
16:26All three of them froze.
16:28You can run it on the front page.
16:29I stood,
16:30walked over to him,
16:31but before you do,
16:32let me remind you of something.
16:34More than half of Shaw Bank's deposits
16:36come from Moretti.
16:38Evan's face went white.
16:40That afternoon,
16:41two things happened.
16:42First,
16:43the Moretti family issued a public statement.
16:45Effective immediately,
16:46all the business with Shaw Bank was terminated
16:48and all funds withdrawn.
16:49Word spread through Grayport within hours.
16:51If the Morettis were pulling their money out,
16:53what was everyone else waiting for?
16:55By the next morning,
16:56there was a line out Shaw Bank's front door,
16:58all of them there to withdraw.
17:00Second,
17:00the Moretti group opened all supply contracts
17:02to public bidding.
17:03The Shaw group,
17:04flagged for financial irregularities,
17:05was suspended.
17:06In three days,
17:07most of the Shaw group's assets were gone.
17:09Richard,
17:10sick with panic,
17:11coughed up blood.
17:14He came to see me that same night.
17:17The estate gates didn't open for him.
17:20Security only relayed one message.
17:22Miss Rosa says,
17:23you didn't stop it when you could have.
17:24It's too late now.
17:25His car sat outside for two hours
17:27before finally driving away.
17:29As for the news,
17:30never ran.
17:31The journalist burned his graft,
17:33then stayed sick and locked indoors for three days.
17:35Evan hadn't come back to the estate either.
17:38Miss Rosa,
17:38he's been holed up at the Shaw
17:39as ex-adurantian-estapent plotting with someone.
17:41Do you think he'll do something desperate?
17:42Yes.
17:43I'm waiting for him to act.
17:44However he acts,
17:45my people are already in place.
17:48That night,
17:49Cole came back with two pieces of news.
17:52Each one,
17:52enough to shake all of Greho.
17:54The first.
17:57Lily's surname was Vitale.
17:59She was the daughter of the Vitale family,
18:01the one the Morettas wiped out years ago.
18:03The day her family was purged,
18:05the Shaws smuggled her out in secret,
18:07changed her name,
18:08and raised her as their own.
18:10She hadn't come into my estate
18:11to play the loving foster sister.
18:12She'd come for revenge.
18:14The second piece was worse.
18:16Her brother,
18:16Leo,
18:17was still alive.
18:18Right here in the city,
18:20disguised as a teacher.
18:23The siblings met twice a month in secret,
18:25driven by Evan's driver.
18:27It's kind of scary.
18:29And three days ago,
18:30Evan had met Leo himself.
18:31Cole had followed every step.
18:34What were they planning?
18:36At my father's birthday gala,
18:38Leo would make his move.
18:39His people would slip in
18:40disguised as kitchen staff,
18:41then poison the wine
18:42before anyone noticed.
18:43A toast would become a death sentiments.
18:45And Evan,
18:45as the estate's host,
18:47would inspect the kitchen
18:47at just the right time,
18:48covering their tracks
18:49while pretending to protect us.
18:50Once chaos broke out,
18:52the Mercer family
18:52from the knabbing city
18:53would step in,
18:54and Evan's reward
18:54would be half of my family's territory.
18:56Bon appetit.
18:58Miss Rosa!
19:00What are we waiting for?
19:01Tell Dawn right now
19:02and round them all up!
19:03If we move now,
19:05Evan can claim he knew nothing
19:06and pin it all on Lily and Leo.
19:08We'd only catch the driver
19:09and a few kitchen hands.
19:10He'd still be the respectable Shaw heir.
19:12Then what do we do?
19:15I walked to the closet
19:16and pulled open the bottom drawer.
19:18A set of black tactical gear
19:20folded with precision.
19:21Ten years untouched.
19:22Not a speck of dust on it.
19:24Nina had kept it maintained.
19:25She'd always knew.
19:26Someday,
19:27I'd wear it again.
19:28I'm going to let them do it themselves.
19:30With every city guest watching,
19:31let them expose themselves.
19:33The next day,
19:35I returned to the Moretti estate
19:37to see my father alone.
19:39In the study,
19:40he looked at me.
19:42Something's coming
19:42at the birthday gala?
19:44There is.
19:45I met his eyes.
19:48I've prepared a gift for you.
19:50Just sit back
19:50and watch a drop of wine.
19:51My father studied me
19:52for a long moment.
19:53This man who'd spent
19:54half his life in bloodshed
19:55nodded.
19:56For the first time in ten years,
19:58he looked at me unguarded.
19:59It was trust.
20:01As I left the study,
20:02Cole was waiting
20:03under the walkway.
20:04Should we control Leo first?
20:06No.
20:07The kitchen staff?
20:08The driver?
20:09None of them.
20:10Not yet.
20:11I looked toward the sky.
20:13Whatever needs replacing,
20:15replace it quietly.
20:16Whoever needs to be in position,
20:18put them there in advance.
20:19Then,
20:20we wait for the show.
20:22Five days later,
20:24my father's 50th birthday,
20:25Bala, began.
20:25It was the most important
20:26social event in Greyport,
20:27political and business elite.
20:29Wives and daughters
20:29of every prominent family.
20:30Over a hundred guests
20:31filled the Moretti estate.
20:32The moment I walked in,
20:34every eye in the room
20:35snapped towards me
20:36because I was dressed in black.
20:38Black tactical gear.
20:39A holster at my whip,
20:40empty.
20:41The sun people
20:42went pale instantly.
20:43In my whole life,
20:44I only wore black
20:44for two occasions.
20:45Funerals and killing.
20:47The chamber president
20:48swapped his wine for tea.
20:51A young man started
20:52to laugh at my outfit,
20:53but in the next second,
20:54he was lucked
20:55by the person next to him.
20:56It's Dawn's birthday.
20:57Why are you dressing like that?
20:58There's a funeral coming up soon.
21:00I'm practicing for it.
21:02Who's funeral?
21:04You'll know.
21:05You're dressing like a bad omen.
21:06No wonder...
21:07Evan cut her off
21:07with a sharp grip on her arm.
21:10He was unusually tense,
21:12checking his watch nonstop,
21:14fingers drumming against the table.
21:16I noticed all of it.
21:17The gala was past its midpoint.
21:19The band still played.
21:20Father sat at the head table,
21:21smiling as he accepted well wishes.
21:23The glass in front of him
21:24remained full.
21:25Evan stood.
21:26He straightened his suit.
21:27How thoughtful.
21:28How decent.
21:28Guests who didn't know butter
21:30even shot him approving glasses.
21:31He walked toward the kitchen.
21:33Only his cuffs betrayed him,
21:35wrinkled where his hand
21:36had clanched too tight.
21:37I looked down at my tea
21:38and counted silently.
21:40Three,
21:41two,
21:42one.
21:43Cole.
21:44Now.
21:44Along the side door of the ballroom,
21:46twelve men slipped out
21:47without a sound.
21:48The music played on.
21:50No one noticed.
21:51I lifted my tea,
21:53took a slow sip.
21:56The music stopped.
21:57Every guest turned at once.
22:00Inside the kitchen.
22:01The head chef had taken a sip
22:03of the poisoned wine
22:04and immediately clutched his stomach,
22:06thrilling on the floor.
22:07The poison Leo's people had used
22:09had already been swapped
22:09for vitamins by Cole.
22:11The two kitchen staff members
22:12went pale,
22:13turned to run.
22:14They didn't make it three steps.
22:17before the enforcers
22:18slammed them face down
22:19onto the prep counter.
22:22Don't move.
22:23Then,
22:23at my engagement dinner,
22:24then the ballroom doors
22:25burst open.
22:27Leo,
22:28cornered and desperate,
22:29charged in with seven gunmen,
22:30straight toward father and me.
22:32The guns in their hands
22:33had been smuggled in
22:34by the Shaw family's own driver.
22:36Unfortunately for them,
22:37that driver had been
22:38bought off by Cole
22:39three days earlier.
22:40Every round in those guns
22:41had been swapped for blanks.
22:42One gunman raised his gun
22:43and fired.
22:44The shot rang out.
22:45No one fell.
22:46Screams erupted through the hall,
22:48guests scrambling for cover.
22:49Leo's pupils contracted.
22:51His hand shot down
22:53toward the gun
22:53hidden in his boot.
22:54He never got a chance
22:55to touch that gun.
22:58He aimed it straight
22:59at my father.
23:00That's when a shot
23:01cracked through the room.
23:02The gun flew out
23:03of Leo's grip.
23:04His hand became
23:05a mangled mess.
23:06He screamed
23:06and dropped to his knees.
23:08Everyone in the room turned.
23:09I stood at the table,
23:11smoke still curling
23:12from the barrel of my gun.
23:13It had been ten years.
23:15That shot landed as steady
23:16as if I'd never put
23:17the gun down at all.
23:19I looked at father.
23:20This is my gift for you.
23:22The enforcers closed in.
23:24Gunmen were forced
23:25to the ground
23:26one by one.
23:27Leo was dragged
23:28to the center
23:29of the ballroom floor.
23:30That's when Lily
23:31lunged from her seat,
23:32throwing herself down
23:33beside Leo,
23:34screaming.
23:35The room erupted
23:36into chaos.
23:38Evan was hauled
23:39out of the kitchen
23:40by the enforcers,
23:41forced onto his knees.
23:42His face had gone bloodless.
23:43He shook his head wildly.
23:45Dawn, they tricked me.
23:46I didn't know anything
23:46about this.
23:47Lily whipped her head
23:48toward him,
23:49tears streaming down
23:49her face.
23:50Tricked you?
23:52You went to see Leo yourself.
23:54You schemed for half
23:55the Morelli territory,
23:56and now you're
23:57purely innocent?
23:58Shut up!
23:58I will not!
23:59You told me that
24:00once it was done,
24:01you'd divorce Rosa
24:02and marry me!
24:03Silence swallowed
24:04the room whole.
24:05Every guest had just
24:06heard them tear
24:06into each other.
24:07No need to question them.
24:08They confessed it all.
24:10He walked over to Evan,
24:11looked down at him,
24:12and said,
24:12You were married
24:13to my only daughter,
24:14but you tried to kill me?
24:16Then he turned.
24:18I'll let Rosa handle them.
24:20Dead silence again.
24:21No one dared breathe.
24:23I walked over,
24:24crouched down,
24:24and met Evan's
24:25ashtead face
24:25at eye level.
24:26Evan,
24:27do you remember now
24:28what I did
24:28when I was 13?
24:30His people shrunk.
24:31I smiled.
24:33You can guess.
24:34At 28,
24:35am I crueler
24:36than I once was
24:36or have I gone soft?
24:37His legs gave out.
24:39He collapsed to the floor.
24:41A strange sound
24:41rose from his throat.
24:42Not crying.
24:43Not screaming.
24:45Something closer
24:45to the whipper
24:46of an animal
24:46in its final moments.
24:48Something closer
24:48to the whipper
24:49of an animal
24:49in its final moments.
24:51Exactly like the sound
24:52I heard at 13
24:52when I walked
24:53into the mistress' room.
24:55Three days later,
24:56rain fell over Grayport.
24:58The Moretti family's
24:59decisions spread
25:00through the city.
25:00Evan,
25:01who conspired
25:02against Don Moretti,
25:02would be shot.
25:03Leo and Lily,
25:04the last remnants
25:05of the Vatala family,
25:06would hang.
25:07The night before,
25:08Lily had cried
25:08until dawn,
25:09calling Evan
25:10over and over.
25:11In the next cell,
25:12Evan heard every word of it.
25:14He never answered once.
25:15The Shaw family's
25:16assets were seized.
25:17The family was expelled
25:18from Grayport.
25:19Richard's hair
25:20turned white overnight.
25:21As they dragged him away,
25:22he said again and again,
25:24no one spoke up for him.
25:26Cole and the enforcers
25:27swept the remaining
25:27Vatari loyalists clean
25:28within three days,
25:30efficient and merciless.
25:31My father met me alone
25:32in the study.
25:33He stood at the window,
25:34watching the rain,
25:35his back to me.
25:36Any regrets?
25:37About what?
25:38These ten years.
25:40Your mother wanted you
25:41to live a good life.
25:42You tried to change
25:43for ten years,
25:43and this is what it earned you?
25:45A house full of monsters.
25:46No regrets.
25:47Mother asked me to try,
25:48so I tried.
25:50They just weren't worth it.
25:52My father went quiet
25:53for a moment.
25:54Then he reached out
25:55and rested his hand
25:56gently on my shoulder.
25:57For ten years,
25:59my father had loved
25:59and feared me
26:00in equal measure.
26:01This was the first time
26:02he'd reached for me first.
26:03You don't need
26:04to try anymore.
26:06Live however
26:07you want to live.
26:10I stepped out
26:11of the study.
26:12The rain was still
26:13coming down.
26:15Cole stood beneath
26:15the walkway,
26:16his shoulder soaked through.
26:17The eaves were narrow,
26:18and he'd given
26:19the dry side
26:19to whoever passed through,
26:21as always.
26:22That was how
26:22he'd always been.
26:23When he saw me,
26:24he moved to bow,
26:25exactly the same way
26:26he had the first time
26:27we met.
26:28I reached out
26:28and pulled him back up.
26:29He froze.
26:30I'd never touched him before.
26:31Let's go home.
26:32He fell in three steps
26:33behind me,
26:33same as always.
26:37You can walk closer.
26:38He hesitated,
26:39then closed the distance.
26:40Two steps forward.
26:41The rain was heavy.
26:42Under the eels,
26:43there was just enough room
26:44for two people
26:44to walk side by side.
26:46Later,
26:46a new rumor about me
26:47made its way through
26:47Greyhill.
26:48Rosa Moretti,
26:49ruthless,
26:49decisive,
26:50not someone to cross.
26:51But this time,
26:52the story carried
26:52one more line.
26:53Her companion Cole
26:54has heard personally
26:55for years.
26:55He never left her side,
26:56not even a day.
26:57Some said it was loyalty.
26:58Others said it was
26:59something more.
27:00No one dared to ask.
27:01For me,
27:02there was no need
27:02to ask.
27:03The answer lay
27:03in that single step
27:04of distance,
27:05neither too close
27:06nor too far.
27:07Just right.
27:09After Evan,
27:10Lily,
27:10and Leo died,
27:11Greyport enjoyed
27:12a brief calm.
27:13I thought that was
27:14the end of it.
27:15Then the port went down.
27:16Our cargo was
27:17intercepted halfway.
27:19That same night,
27:20two of my men
27:21were killed.
27:21One in a warehouse,
27:23one in his car.
27:24Clean jobs.
27:25Even the police
27:25couldn't find a trace.
27:27Tension ramped up again.
27:28Worst of all,
27:28my father was ambushed
27:30on his way back home.
27:30Bullet holes were
27:31all over his windshield.
27:32He caught a bullet
27:33to the chest
27:33and slumped in the back seat,
27:35his face as white as a sheet.
27:36The doctors operated
27:37through the night.
27:38They didn't come out
27:38until dawn.
27:41He's alive,
27:42but we can't be sure
27:42he'll wake up.
27:43The Moretti house
27:44fell into chaos.
27:45I stood outside the ward,
27:47looking at father.
27:48Cole came up behind me.
27:51I found out.
27:52Who did it?
27:54Enzo Mercer.
27:55That name was
27:56so familiar to me.
27:58He was the head
27:59of the Mercer family
27:59from the neighboring city
28:00with formidable power.
28:02He was ruthless,
28:03cold-blooded.
28:04These years,
28:05he'd swallowed three cities.
28:07While others fought
28:08over turf,
28:08he went for lives.
28:10The Mercers were always
28:11gunning for Greyport.
28:12They'd allied with Evan before,
28:14but my father reigned them in,
28:15so they never dared
28:16to move openly.
28:17No surprise they're the ones
28:18who got my father.
28:19We all knew a clash
28:20between the Morettos
28:21and the Mercers
28:21was inevitable.
28:22We just didn't expect
28:23it to come so soon.
28:24That night,
28:25the Mercers sent back
28:26a bloody glove.
28:27It belonged to one
28:28of our missing men.
28:29They also sent a note.
28:31Nina screamed in rage.
28:32I took the glove
28:33and examined it.
28:34The blood was dry,
28:35dark,
28:35with a sharp smell.
28:36I folded the note
28:37and set it on the table.
28:37Dig up everything
28:38on the Mercers.
28:39Everything.
28:40I will.
28:41Including who Enzo's seen
28:43and whose bed he sleeps in.
28:44Cole looked up at me.
28:45He stuck his hand
28:46into Greyport.
28:47At least I should know
28:48which finger to cut off.
28:51The next day,
28:52Cole put the intel
28:53on my desk.
28:54Cargo routes,
28:55docks,
28:56casinos,
28:56guns.
28:58Mercers had the edge
28:59everywhere.
28:59Enzo didn't build
29:00his empire through talk.
29:01He built it with bullets,
29:02blood,
29:03and fear.
29:03But the dirtiest part is,
29:04he likes collecting
29:05powerful women.
29:06And I was his next target.
29:07Enzo kissed my photo.
29:08Such a pretty wild rose.
29:10It would be a shame
29:11to kill her.
29:12Sick bastard!
29:13Dream on!
29:14Before she could finish,
29:15another delivery arrived.
29:16It was a bouquet of red roses
29:18with a letter on top.
29:19It read,
29:20Taming a wild cat
29:21is more fun
29:21than killing it.
29:23He's a maniac!
29:24I looked at the roses
29:25and smiled.
29:26So he didn't just want
29:28Greyport,
29:28he wanted me.
29:30I snapped the bouquet in half
29:32and tossed it in the trash.
29:33Tame me?
29:34Let's see if he's got the guts.
29:37I didn't reply.
29:39So the next day,
29:40the Mersons grabbed
29:41two of my young boys
29:42off the street.
29:43By evening,
29:44one came back.
29:45He collapsed at the gate,
29:46missing two fingers,
29:47shaking and crying.
29:49Miss Rosa,
29:50my friend's still there.
29:51They're still torturing him.
29:52Was it Enzo?
29:54He gasped in pain.
29:56Yes.
29:57He said it's a warning.
29:58The family erupted.
29:59Bow your head.
30:00At least we can wait
30:01until Don wakes up.
30:02He's just asking you
30:02to be his mistress,
30:03not taking your life.
30:04Save the Moretti!
30:05I ignored them all.
30:06I crouched down,
30:08took the gauze,
30:08and bondaged the boy's wounds.
30:10He trembled with pain,
30:12sweat pouring down his face.
30:14Did Enzo say anything else?
30:17He coughed up blood.
30:18He said,
30:19either you go meet him,
30:21or next time,
30:22they'll send back a dead body.
30:24Fine.
30:26Then I'll go see him.
30:28I only brought Cole with me
30:30to meet Enzo.
30:31The meeting was at a private club
30:32on the city border.
30:33The Mersons guarded the place
30:34like a fortress.
30:35As soon as we walked in,
30:37dozens of hostile eyes
30:38locked onto me.
30:39Every one of them
30:40wanted me afraid.
30:41Enzo sat in the center.
30:42He looked so confident,
30:44like he already held
30:45all the cards.
30:46His eyes crawled over me,
30:48from my face down
30:49into my waist.
30:52Rosa,
30:53you're prettier than your photos.
30:56What do you want?
30:57Your territory.
30:59And you.
31:01I didn't answer.
31:02Don Moretzi's out cold.
31:04Grayport's mine for the taking.
31:06And you?
31:07I love women with thorns.
31:10Cole stood behind me,
31:11jaw-tight with fury.
31:12I picked up a glass.
31:13You've got some nerve.
31:15Marry me.
31:16Then I'll call everything off.
31:18The room went dead quiet.
31:21You?
31:22You don't deserve that.
31:23I love that fire in you.
31:25But Rosa,
31:26do you really have
31:27the upper hand right now?
31:28Your father's in a coma.
31:30The Morettis are falling apart.
31:32Everyone in Grayport's laughing at you.
31:34You can't hold out much longer.
31:35So what's your point?
31:37I'll give you three days.
31:38Say no,
31:39and one Moretti dies day one.
31:41Two on day two.
31:42On day three,
31:43I march my men straight into Grayport.
31:45Enzo, you really think
31:46I'm that easy to scare?
31:48I really want to marry you.
31:49I even picked out your wedding dress.
31:52I turned and walked away
31:53without another word.
31:57But the moment we got back
31:59to the estate...
31:59Rosa!
32:00What is it?
32:03We lost another man!
32:05We lost another man!
32:07They sent him back barely alive,
32:09covered in blood,
32:11leg broken,
32:12dumped like garbage.
32:13Nina ran crying for the doctor.
32:16Panic spread through
32:17every corner of the estate.
32:18The waverers got louder.
32:19More people told me to give in.
32:22Enzo marrying you
32:22is not a bad thing.
32:24Dawn would be happy to see it!
32:25Say that again
32:26and I'll shoot you!
32:28I stayed up the whole night.
32:30That morning,
32:30I picked up my phone.
32:33Miss Rosa,
32:34are you really gonna...
32:35Shh!
32:37I'll marry you.
32:38I knew it.
32:39Smart girl.
32:41My voice stayed flat,
32:42but the wedding should be held
32:43at the Moretti estate.
32:44My father has to be present.
32:46As you wish.
32:47When the news broke,
32:48the whole city was stunned.
32:49Everyone thought
32:49the terrible three-shot Rosa
32:50had finally bent the knee.
32:53Late that night,
32:54Cole knocked on my door.
32:57Rosa,
32:58are you really gonna marry him?
33:00I shut the door behind Cole
33:02and told him three things.
33:03First,
33:04I'm not marrying him.
33:05Second,
33:05he dies at the wedding.
33:07Third,
33:07the Mersons will hand us
33:08the rope to hang themselves.
33:11Cole's gaze turned steely.
33:13What can I do?
33:14I spread the venue map
33:15on the table.
33:16Chapel, ballroom,
33:17back doors,
33:17corridors, parking lot.
33:18Put the rumor out.
33:19Tell everyone I'm scared
33:20and I caved.
33:22Get all women,
33:23elders, and kids out secretly.
33:25Have every loyal young man
33:26stand by armed.
33:27What happens on the wedding day?
33:32I want every important mercer
33:33to show up at that church
33:34and they will all die with Enzo.
33:35Understood.
33:36Neither of us said wedding again
33:37because we both knew
33:38it wasn't going to be a wedding.
33:40It was a funeral.
33:44After I agreed,
33:45Enzo got bolder.
33:46He sent dresses,
33:47jewels, flowers,
33:48decorating me like a trophy he won.
33:50He also sent his men
33:51into the Moretti estate
33:52to help with wedding arrangements.
33:53Everyone knew they were here
33:54through Grayport.
33:55Rosa Moretti finally met her match.
33:57No matter how fierce a woman is,
33:58she still bows to a man.
33:59I ignored it all.
34:00By day,
34:01I let them measure me
34:02for dresses
34:03and pick out rings.
34:04By night,
34:05I memorized every route,
34:06every firing point,
34:08every camera.
34:09Enzo came to see me once.
34:13He looked at me
34:14as if I were a wild beast
34:15he'd almost tamed.
34:16On our wedding,
34:17I want to hear you call me husband.
34:19You'd better live to that day.
34:23Enzo blinked,
34:24then burst out laughing.
34:25What?
34:26What the bastard?
34:27Let him enjoy this moment.
34:29The higher he flies,
34:30the harder he falls.
34:33Everyone thought my father
34:34would never wake up,
34:35but a few days before the wedding,
34:36he opened his eyes.
34:37He's awake,
34:38but too weak to appear in public.
34:39He asked to see you alone.
34:47Are you really going through
34:48with that marriage?
34:51I'm fishing.
34:55My father gave a faint smile.
35:02This unlocks our hidden armory.
35:04I look down at the key.
35:05It holds heavy-duty weapons,
35:07the ace up my sleeve
35:07all these years.
35:08Do what you have to.
35:10You are the one
35:11who has to protect the Morettis.
35:14In that moment,
35:15I finally understood.
35:16He'd been waiting for me
35:17to pick up the gun again.
35:18I tossed the key to Cole.
35:19On wedding day,
35:20we'll leave them no way out.
35:23The wedding would be held
35:24at the church
35:25on the Moretti estate.
35:26The whole city was buzzing.
35:28What Reaper?
35:28What three-shot Rosa?
35:30She still bowed her head
35:31for her family.
35:32Enzo really is something.
35:33Even the Moretti rose
35:34bends to him.
35:36Nina was so mad,
35:37she couldn't sleep.
35:38She polished her gun,
35:39eyes glistening with tears.
35:44Miss Rosa,
35:45dressed like this,
35:46you really look like a bride.
35:47I stood before the mirror,
35:48studying the lavish gown.
35:49The skirt was long enough
35:50to hide a gun.
35:51The veil was thick enough
35:52to conceal a blade.
35:53The dress is beautiful.
35:54I adjusted the veil.
35:56What a waste.
35:57Nina blinked.
35:58What?
35:59That it's going to get
36:00stained with blood.
36:04Late that night,
36:05Cole knocked.
36:05He laid the latest
36:06defense map on my desk.
36:08Mercers tripled their men
36:09around the chapel and parking.
36:10I glanced at the red-circled spots.
36:12Good.
36:12The more who come,
36:13the more who die.
36:16White roses filled the chapel.
36:17Red carpet from the doors
36:19to the altar.
36:20Guests packed the room.
36:21It looked like a decent wedding,
36:22not one held at gunpoint.
36:24All eyes were on me.
36:26Some pitied me.
36:27Others were waiting to see
36:28if the feared Rosa
36:29would submit to Enzo.
36:30I walked down the aisle,
36:31step by step.
36:32The veil hid my face
36:33and the killing in my eyes.
36:35Enzo stood at the altar,
36:37black suit,
36:38beaming with triumph.
36:39He looked at me
36:40like I was a prize
36:41he had finally claimed.
36:43When I reached him,
36:44he held out his hand.
36:45I placed mine in his.
36:48The crowd gasped.
36:49They all thought I'd surrendered.
36:52Enzo leaned close
36:53and whispered against my ear.
36:54From now on, you're mine.
36:55I didn't pull away.
36:56I stood beside him
36:57at the altar.
36:58The ceremony began.
37:00My hand was already on my gun.
37:05Enzio was drunk on victory.
37:09Thank you all for coming.
37:10After today,
37:12Grayport bears the Mershal name.
37:13His men dragged one of my men out
37:15and forced him to his knees.
37:16His face was covered in blood.
37:18Nina's jaw tightened,
37:19tears stinging her eyes.
37:21See?
37:23That's what happens
37:23when you follow the wrong boss.
37:26I said nothing.
37:28Afterward,
37:29the Moretti's lives
37:30depend on how obedient you are.
37:32The room fell deathly quiet.
37:34Everyone waited for me
37:35to break down.
37:37But I just calmly
37:38exchanged rings with Enzo.
37:40I was waiting.
37:42Waiting for Enzo
37:44to show all his cards.
37:45Waiting for Cole's signal.
37:47Seconds later,
37:48Cole noted faintly
37:49from the far end of the hall.
37:51And then,
37:52every light in the building
37:53cut out.
37:55What?
38:00When the lights came back on,
38:02half of Enzo's men
38:03were already down.
38:04Guests screamed and scattered.
38:06What the?
38:07Before he could finish,
38:09I drew my gun.
38:11First shot dropped
38:12the man holding my man.
38:13Second shot shattered
38:15the wine glass in Enzo's hand.
38:17Third shot grazed his ear.
38:18Not because I missed.
38:20He dodged.
38:21Glass and blood
38:22spattered across his face.
38:23I tore off my veil.
38:24It fell onto the rose
38:26like a shroud for the dead.
38:29Tame me, huh?
38:36You really think
38:37you can do that?
38:43Enzo didn't rage.
38:44He laughed.
38:47That's it.
38:48Now this is the woman
38:49I wanted to marry.
38:51What a feral little kitten.
38:54No!
38:56Cole's men stormed in
38:57from the side doors.
39:01Mercer's men fell
39:02one after another.
39:05I fired again,
39:06forcing Enzo
39:07to stagger backward.
39:08But he seized the moment.
39:10He grabbed Nina
39:11and pressed his gun
39:11to her head.
39:12You care about this girl,
39:13don't you?
39:14Drop your gun
39:15and I won't kill her.
39:17Nina bit her lip,
39:18shaking her head at me.
39:21The church went silent,
39:23nothing but breathing.
39:26Enzo spoke into Nina's ear,
39:28smirking.
39:28The wedding can still go on.
39:30Just drop your gun,
39:31crawl over to me
39:32and call me darling.
39:32Don't do it!
39:33Kill him!
39:34I didn't back off.
39:38You were so eager to tame me
39:39but now you're hiding
39:40behind a woman?
39:41Should I call that
39:42real brave?
39:43Enough talk!
39:44Drop it!
39:45I slowly raised my hand
39:47as if to toss the gun away.
39:51The moment his attention wavered,
39:53I swung my aim
39:55and shot out the chandelier.
39:57Second shot hit the floor
39:58at his feet,
39:59made him stumble.
40:01Third shot nailed
40:02his shooting hand.
40:03He howled in aggery
40:04and his gun
40:05clattered across the tiles.
40:07Cole yecked Nina
40:08safely behind a peon.
40:09I rushed forward
40:10and pressed my gun
40:11against Enzo's forehead.
40:12You won't pull the trigger.
40:14You're mine.
40:17His eyes burned
40:18with that disgusting possessiveness.
40:21Even a strong woman like you
40:22will end up belonging
40:23to a stronger man.
40:24I smiled.
40:26You're wrong.
40:27Enzo's smile faltered.
40:30I stared him down.
40:32I was never anyone's trophy.
40:35I will never be
40:36anyone's collection.
40:38Anyone who hurts
40:39my family dies.
40:40I fired three shots
40:41in quick succession.
40:42First pierced his shoulder.
40:44Second shattered
40:45the ring on his finger.
40:47Third landed square
40:48in his forehead.
40:49Enzo's smile
40:49froze forever.
40:50He collapsed heavily
40:51onto the red carpet.
40:52Blood spread,
40:53staining the white roses
40:54and my gown.
40:55The church fell
40:56utterly silent.
40:59Anyone else want to try?
41:00No one dared breathe.
41:01One by one,
41:02the surviving Mercers
41:02dropped to their knees.
41:05The wedding had turned
41:06into a blood blath.
41:07The surviving Mercers
41:09were either kneeling
41:09or pinned to the floor.
41:11My men, covered in blood,
41:12bowed to me in unison.
41:13Don Rosa!
41:15That shout carried
41:16more weight in secretly.
41:17My father had been
41:18brought weight than any vow.
41:19He had witnessed everything.
41:21He pulled the wedding ring
41:23off my hand,
41:23threw it away,
41:24and replaced it
41:25with the Patriarch's ring.
41:27From this day on,
41:28the Moretti family
41:29is yours to lead.
41:30No one dared to object.
41:32Cole stood behind me,
41:33half covered in blood,
41:34half bathed in light.
41:36He was my shadow,
41:37my blade.
41:38Whoever disagrees
41:39can join Enzo
41:40in the grave.
41:41From that moment on,
41:43I was no longer
41:43just three-shot Rosa.
41:45I was the new
41:46Don Moretti.
41:48After Enzo died,
41:50the Mercers fell
41:50into chaos.
41:51No leader.
41:52Everyone scrambling
41:53for a peace.
41:54I didn't give them
41:55the chance.
41:57Three days after the wedding,
41:58I sent Cole
41:59to take over
41:59the Mercer docks.
42:00By the seventh day,
42:02their casinos
42:02and cargo routes
42:03were mine as well.
42:04The next month,
42:05I absorbed the neighboring
42:06cities one by one.
42:09Those who resisted,
42:10I broke them.
42:10Those who wanted to talk
42:11had to put their guns
42:12down first.
42:13Three-shot Rosa
42:13was no longer
42:14just an old legend
42:15from years ago.
42:16I'd earned myself
42:17a new title,
42:18Don Rosa.
42:18My father stepped back.
42:20He still weighed in
42:21on major choices,
42:22but most reports
42:23landed on my desk.
42:24Now everyone
42:25trembles at your name.
42:27Fear works better
42:28than affection,
42:29though there's one
42:30who isn't scared of you.
42:32I looked up.
42:34Cole stood there,
42:36cradling his gun,
42:37just as always.
42:39This time,
42:40he smiled at me.
42:43After that,
42:44Grayport was quiet
42:45for a long time.
42:46One afternoon,
42:47the weather was nice.
42:49Cole and I
42:49walked down the street
42:50side by side
42:51without bodyguards,
42:52like two ordinary people.
42:53A kid ran
42:54too fast
42:54and bumped
42:55straight into me.
42:55I'm so sorry,
42:56he didn't mean it!
42:58She clearly knew
42:59who I was.
43:00I looked down
43:01at the boy.
43:02It's fine.
43:03The woman froze,
43:05like she couldn't
43:05believe I'd said that.
43:09Cole stood close to me,
43:10close enough
43:11that I could brush
43:11my sleeve against his.
43:13The townsfolk
43:14watched us pass,
43:15their eyes filled
43:15with awe,
43:16fear,
43:16and reliance.
43:17I walked on,
43:18feeling a peace
43:19I'd never known.
43:20My gun could kill,
43:21but its real purpose
43:22was never destruction.
43:23It was about
43:24protecting the ones
43:24I love.
43:29I had my third wedding.
43:31The first was to a man
43:32I didn't love.
43:33The second was to an enemy
43:35I planned to kill.
43:37This time,
43:38it was with Cole.
43:39I invited everyone
43:40who mattered to me.
43:41Nina fixed my veil,
43:43her hands trembling.
43:44What are you nervous about?
43:45It's not your wedding?
43:47Cole stayed quiet,
43:48as always.
43:49He was more like my gun
43:50than my lover.
43:52After the wedding,
43:52I would train that out of him.
43:54I thought this wedding
43:55would be a Cole
43:56suddenly raised his bun.
43:57Before I could react,
43:58the shot rang out.
44:00My mind went blank.
44:01God, it hurt.
44:03Why?
44:10I wanted to fight back,
44:12but I couldn't lift my hands
44:14and my whole body
44:16was going numb.
44:17I spun to look at Nina.
44:19She couldn't even look at me.
44:21That was when I understood.
44:24Miss Rosa,
44:25have some water.
44:29There had been drugs
44:31in that water.
44:32One shot me.
44:33The other drugged me,
44:34had betrayed me together.
44:35The two people
44:36I trusted most
44:37had drugged them,
44:37but the drug was kicking in.
44:39Hurting in fury,
44:40I wanted to curse them.
44:41I wanted to draw my gun.
44:42I wanted answers.
44:44People were screaming
44:45and running.
44:46I could barely
44:46stay on my feet.
44:48The last thing I saw
44:49was Cole rushing forward
44:50and catching me.
44:53I wanted to ask him why,
44:54but my body
44:55wouldn't listen anymore.
44:56I'm sorry.
44:57Then everything went black.
45:01I woke up in the truck bed.
45:02My shoulder felt like
45:03it had been ripped open.
45:04The drug hadn't worn off
45:05and sweat soaked my skin
45:06with every movement.
45:07I forced myself up read
45:08and tore open the fabric
45:09over my shoulder.
45:10The bullet was far
45:11from my heart.
45:11He didn't mean to kill me.
45:13That only made everything worse.
45:14I couldn't understand
45:15why he did it
45:16and why would Nina help him?
45:17The thief was bouncing hard
45:18and Teeley Brazoo
45:19just look a shout.
45:20The truck was bouncing hard.
45:21It must have been traveling
45:22down country roads
45:23so I could get hurt.
45:24After all,
45:25the reaper is still human.
45:27Then the truck stopped.
45:29I scrambled out of the truck
45:31and stumbled into the dark.
45:33It was an open wasteland.
45:35The wind cut through me,
45:36turning my blood cold.
45:39Do wounds hurt more
45:40from those you trust?
45:42Otherwise,
45:42how could someone raised
45:43in the mob want to cry?
45:48Cole,
45:48you'd better have
45:49one hell of an explanation.
45:52Back at the Moretti estate,
45:54the atmosphere hung heavy.
45:57The truck's empty.
45:58What?
45:59Miss Rosa must have
46:00woken up and escaped.
46:02What are we going to do?
46:03She's still wounded
46:04and the drug hasn't worn off.
46:05She could die out there.
46:06She's going to hate us.
46:07She must think we betrayed her.
46:09Enzo used all his personal assets
46:11to put out a bounty
46:11through the top mercenary group.
46:13The terms were simple.
46:15If he died and Rosa lived,
46:17kill her.
46:18Rosa had to die
46:18in front of everyone.
46:19Only if the whole world
46:21believed she was dead
46:21would she survive.
46:23But now she was on the run
46:24and no one knew
46:25if she was alive or dead.
46:28Send our men secretly
46:29to look for her.
46:30Do not draw outside attention.
46:39Does the Moretti family
46:41take us for fools?
46:43Move.
46:44We're wiping out the Morettis.
46:48I clambered onto a train.
46:50Blood kept seeping from my wound.
46:52I nearly fell,
46:53but I held on tight.
46:54I had no idea
46:55why Cole shot me
46:56or why Nina drugged me.
46:58All I knew
46:58was I had to survive.
47:00By dawn,
47:00the train pulled
47:01into a strange city.
47:02The courage on Tosa
47:03the Malyard Gundy.
47:04No one knew me here.
47:05No one knew who the Reaper was
47:06and no one feared a Morani.
47:08I traded my jewelry for cash
47:10and bought medicine
47:11and gauze.
47:12My wound was getting worse.
47:14Gung at work scarred.
47:16Yet I didn't dare
47:17go to a hospital.
47:18For the first time,
47:19I learned true helplessness.
47:21No one I could trust.
47:22That evening,
47:23I walked through
47:23the back streets.
47:24Do you know that?
47:25Those mercenaries
47:26are heading for Grayport.
47:28They don't buy
47:29that Don Rosa is dead.
47:30They're going to take
47:31down the Morettis.
47:33So that was it.
47:35But who gave them
47:35the right to make choices
47:36for me?
47:37I thought it over,
47:38then glanced toward a casino.
47:40Inside,
47:40there were games,
47:41guns,
47:41and money.
47:42I had to survive,
47:43then find a way back.
47:45I'm betting on myself.
47:47I'm betting on myself.
47:47I'm betting on it.
47:48I'm betting on myself.
47:48I'm betting on my way back.
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