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Each movie brings exciting characters, surprising plot twists, touching relationships, and powerful stories that keep you watching until the final scene. From billionaire romances to inspiring life journeys, every film offers a unique experience.
Enjoy HD movies with English subtitles and stay tuned for regular uploads of the latest popular drama films.
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AmusantTranscription
00:02I was dark natured and born a cursed living voodoo doll
00:04At birth my father's mole tried to strangle me
00:07Her face went blue and she choked to death
00:09While I emerged completely unhurt
00:10Servants, capos, and rogues
00:13All those who wanted to harm me died the way they wanted me to die
00:15Any harm inflicted upon my body will be reflected back onto others
00:19Everyone believed I was a monster
00:21My father wanted to throw me to the public sea
00:23But my guileless sister Isabella saved me from drowning
00:25But fate played a cruel trick on my innocent sister
00:28She was sent by our heartless father to wed the brutal underworld padrino
00:31The godfather Don Alessandro Greco
00:33Chained and awake
00:34She was slit on command at regular intervals
00:36So the godfather's mistress could live off her blood
00:38The godfather later slaughtered our family and I
00:41Alone and hopeless
00:41Died with Isabella tragically
00:43When I opened my eyes I was back on the night of the Alliance betrothal gala
00:47I swear I shall avenge us in this life
00:49In my past life
00:50It was a pity that I married the gentle city counsellor Mateo
00:53Also the vital heir
00:54The godfather and I would have been a perfect match in hell
00:56I would only be a thousand times more evil than him
00:58So when Don the godfather and the vital's heir stood in front of me and Isabella at the same time
01:03I walked towards Don without hesitation
01:04Isabella still clutched my hand
01:06Tears welling in her eyes
01:08Valentina you'll die there
01:09I'll go in your place
01:11I shook my head and clutched the marriage contract and laughed
01:13This time neither of us will die
01:15Three days later two weddings were held in the cathedral at once
01:19Mateo Vitale came to collect Isabella himself
01:21He arrived in a white and gold suit that made ceremonial dress look effortless
01:25I watched him help Isabella into the limo
01:27Be good to her
01:28She deserves your love
01:29Then I turned and stepped into my own
01:31Don Alessandro had not come to meet me
01:33He'd spent last night at a brothel house with his mistress
01:36I'd f*** a woman all night
01:38Seven times
01:39I needed to catch up on sleep
01:41Just go have your wedding with it for now
01:47Is the padrino really doing this?
01:49A bride from a minor family
01:51Bound to a dog?
01:52How fitting
01:53If I were her I'd hang myself
01:55What's left to preserve?
01:56Signora
01:57This is his most prized companion
01:59He felt it appropriate that it stand in his place for the ceremony
02:02The padrino despises me
02:03Even his couples don't bother hiding it
02:05I said nothing
02:06I looked past him to the mama greco seated on the main chair
02:09She didn't rebuke him
02:10My boy just came back from business exhausted
02:12You're his wife
02:13Show him some grace
02:14The guests are waiting
02:15Finish the ceremony
02:17This was what Isabella had endured in our past life
02:20She never told me
02:22Valentina
02:23Stop stalling
02:24You're asking me to complete the ceremony with a b***h
02:27So your boy is equivalent to this b***h
02:30How dare you
02:31I dare nothing
02:32I came here to wed the padrino
02:34Not a b***h
02:35Silence
02:36Then scattered laughter
02:37Nervous
02:38Surprised
02:38Quickly smothered
02:39The mama greco's composure cracked at the edges
02:41The pitbull snarled at the change in the room
02:44It lunged
02:45Teeth bared
02:45I sidestepped and fired my revolver once
02:48Cleaned through its shoulder
02:49Blood sprayed across the stone
02:50A dark red smear fanned out from the wedding nave
02:52Droplets dotted the front of my white dress
02:54Crimson
02:55Deliberate like I'd meant it
02:57She killed it
02:58She killed the Don's dog
03:01You
03:02It attacked me
03:05What would you have had me do?
03:07Grab her!
03:08Someone get the Don!
03:10The doors swung open
03:11The floor seemed to shift as Don Alessandro walked in
03:14He moved in a dark suit
03:16Calm as a man used to having rooms fall silent
03:18His eyes swept the crowd and landed on me
03:20On the crushed animal
03:21On the stains spreading across the stone
03:23And on the absolute stillness in my face
03:25You killed my dog
03:26It started first
03:28I'm going to kill you
03:30I smiled
03:30I knew he'd come eventually
03:32Don Alessandro crossed the hall in a few strides and beckoned
03:35A line of capos moved forward
03:36Guns leveled
03:37The metal glinting in the torchlight
03:42Don Alessandro
03:44Kill me
03:45And you'll die
03:58What did you do to me?
04:07Nothing
04:07I said coldly
04:08Remember
04:09I was born evil and cursed
04:11I am more monstrous than you
04:13Any harm done to my body can be transferred to others
04:15Don Alessandro signaled and his capos fell back
04:18Guns lowered
04:19The dog was just a dog
04:21He said flat
04:22Voice calm
04:22I won't hold it against you
04:24Generous
04:24I let the word sit
04:27We still haven't finished the marriage pact
04:29You killed my dog and you want to-
04:31He stopped, stared
04:32The pact isn't finished
04:34Then it stays unfinished
04:36Be grateful I'm not having you tossed out
04:38I smiled and turned to the crowd
04:39My eyes landed on Il Medico Carlo by the far pillar Yang
04:42Slick in his white coat
04:43Watching like he hated every second
04:45I walked to him
04:46In the last life it was him who cut Isabella open and kept her alive
04:49If Don Alessandro won't finish this right
04:52I said calm
04:52Perhaps you'd like to stand in
04:54Carlo went pale
04:55He looked to Don Alessandro
04:56Horror on his face
04:57The insult stung deeper for being indirect
04:59Don Alessandro pointed at Carlo without a tremor
05:02Execute him
05:03Any man suspected of betraying the Don doesn't walk away
05:06Carlo knew it
05:06He was dragged off pleading
05:08Eyes on me
05:08Don Alessandro's jaw tightened
05:10He turned back to the dais
05:12Face like a storm
05:13All right
05:14He said through his teeth
05:15Fine
05:15He completed the wedding ceremony
05:16I did not make it easy for him
05:18That night he didn't come to the room
05:20In the last life Isabella had sat up until Don in her dress
05:23Waiting
05:24I gave Don Alessandro exactly one hour
05:26Pack his things
05:27I told my people
05:28Everything
05:29If he won't share the room we won't make space for his things here
05:33They did it without question
05:35By the time Don Alessandro stormed into the courtyard
05:37I was already asleep
05:39My father's men
05:40My goons
05:40Stood at the door
05:41Faces hard and loyal
05:42He said my name
05:43Like it was a pistol shot
05:44Valentina
05:46Open this door
05:47I stayed silent
05:48He slipped into the room like a shadow
05:50All sharp angles and quiet menace
05:52He closed the door behind him
05:53Suddenly
05:54I felt something warm wrapped around me
05:56He leaned in close
05:57Do you know how the last woman who crossed me ended up?
06:00He asked
06:00Lo
06:01If you want to kill me
06:02It won't be tonight
06:03You still need the docks my family runs
06:06The night stretched long and slow
06:08Before dawn the Mama Greco's aide came for me
06:10The aide said
06:11No softness
06:12No invitation
06:13You will come with me
06:15They led me to the Mama Greco's private suite
06:17The room smelled of starch and hot metal linen piled
06:20A heavy cast iron iron on the board
06:22The Mama Greco sat at her dressing table
06:24Loose robe
06:25A cigarette smoldering between two fingers
06:28Valentina
06:29She said without looking up
06:30You iron my things
06:32Of course
06:33I answered
06:33She tapped ash into the tray
06:35And watched me tie the apron around my waist
06:37You will not eat before the clothes are pressed
06:39Noon
06:40If it takes that long
06:41You understand how discipline works here
06:45Yes
06:45I pressed the iron over a sleeve
06:47Heat hissed
06:48Starch browned the fabric
06:49In a past life
06:51I noticed that every time Isabella came home
06:53Her hands were covered in blisters
06:55Her face pale and emaciated
06:57So that's how it was
06:58The Mama Greco said
06:59You shall learn your place here
07:01Hurry up girl
07:02Or you prefer to starve
07:03I waited until she had finished dressing
07:05Until she was standing in her finest robes
07:07Silver threaded
07:13I picked up the iron
07:14I did not touch the fabric
07:15But pressed the hot plate hard against the inside of my left arm
07:18With a blood curdling scream
07:19Blisters instantly broke out all over the Mama Greco's arm
07:23Her shriek brought Don Alessandro through the door in under a minute
07:26He stood in the doorway and looked at his mother
07:28Shocked
07:29Furious
07:30Extensive burns on one arm
07:31And then at me
07:32Standing beside her with a provocative expression
07:35Throw her out
07:36The Mama Greco hissed
07:37Void the contract
07:38She's a devil
07:40We can't
07:41Don Alessandro's voice was very flat
07:43We need the doc
07:44Worthless
07:45Good for nothing brat
07:47Coward
07:48The Mama Greco slammed her teacup into Don Alessandro's chest and shrieked
07:51She was right
07:52Don Alessandro had cut a deal with Don Vittorio Marconi
07:56The most powerful boss on the coast
07:58He needed the shipping lanes, open gates, and compliant nobles
08:03My family held the eastern docks
08:05His conciliere had made sure he understood that before the marriage contract was signed
08:09In the last life he broke my sister Isabella slowly and on purpose
08:13Once he realized she carried no leverage
08:15This time he knew exactly what he was getting
08:17I made sure of it
08:19I left the Mama Greco to her collapse and walked beside Don Alessandro into the cold corridor outside her suite
08:24Three days later was the customary return to my family's waterfront
08:28Don Alessandro hadn't meant to come
08:30He'd been spending his nights at a private flat in the lower town with his first woman
08:34Waiting for the right season to bring her to the compound and make her as his favorite mall
08:38In the old life he never returned to Isabella
08:40She went alone
08:41Her mother called her useless for failing to control her husband
08:44Isabella stood with her eyes down and took every insult in silence
08:48No one knew what she endured in those rooms
08:50I found Don Alessandro before he could slip away and had my men escort him into the car
08:54He did his best to keep his fury in check
08:57Valentina, have I been too patient with you?
09:00If you don't show at my family's docks, it's my family who'll take the shame
09:04That's not my problem
09:05I've got business tonight
09:07Of course, Julia's birthday
09:08His secret lover
09:10Then stay
09:10And I'll make sure to have that whore killed before evening bells
09:13You wouldn't
09:14I held his gaze until he understood I was not performing
09:17Signora Julia
09:18Lucio Ferry's girl
09:19Did you really think you could sweep her past the gates and call her a sweetheart?
09:23If I have her disappeared, your people will thank me for it
09:25Don Alessandro went very still
09:27He had not known I had gone that deep
09:29A tainted lineage like Ferry's was trouble he could not afford right now
09:32Lucio Ferry betrayed Don Vittorio Marconi and murdered his brother in a gunfight
09:37Don Alessandro wouldn't step on another Don's toes
09:39The air in the car dropped
09:41Sit quiet, come with me, and Julia lives another day
09:46If you step out of this car, she's dead
09:48Don Alessandro looked like he wanted to put his hands around mine
09:52Viper
09:53You absolute viper
09:55He came unwillingly
09:56When we arrived, my sister Isabella was already there with her husband, Mateo
10:00The city counselor
10:01She had brought half a cartload of gifts
10:03Luxury watches
10:04A custom gold medallion and vintage wines pulled from the cellar
10:07My mother received them with polite indifference
10:09How thoughtful
10:10And handed everything to the aide without looking
10:12Isabella's expression did not change
10:14She had long since learned to carry disappointment without showing it
10:17But Mateo noticed
10:18He reached over and covered her hand with his
10:21Tenderly
10:23Valentina, my dear sister
10:25Isabella saw me and smiled
10:27She inspected me carefully and then exhaled when she found me safe and sound
10:31Have they treated you badly?
10:33Before I could answer, Don Alessandro stepped forward
10:36Who'd have the nerve?
10:38She's turned the whole household inside out
10:41Threatened to kill me before we were even married
10:43He was still furious about it
10:44Isabella blinked at him
10:46In the past life, he had not come here
10:48His presence surprised her and scared her
10:50She flinched
10:51Mateo noticed her fear
10:52Come, let's walk the docks
10:55They left together
10:56Don Alessandro watched her go
10:57Something shifted in his expression
10:59Your sister, she's soft
11:01Measured
11:02Knows how to hold herself
11:04You and she, same blood and yet you're a different animal
11:07How does that happen?
11:09I should have taken her instead of you
11:11I turned to face him
11:12In the past life, he had taken Isabella
11:14And he had unmade her piece by piece
11:16Season by season
11:17Until there was nothing left that resembled the girl who had once circled me in the courtyard checking for bruises
11:22Even his stable men could land a hand on her
11:26He had used her as a blood vessel to sustain that Julia's life
11:30Regrets?
11:32Say her name once more and I'll have Julia's tongue cut out
11:35Don Alessandro's face drained
11:37I misspoke
11:39Don't touch her
11:40Then go
11:41I need to settle with my mother
11:43I left him there and went inside
11:44We were back at the family compound by late afternoon
11:47Don Alessandro still had business that night
11:50He went down to Julia's flat in the lower row
11:55She rose when he came in
11:56Eyes already wet
11:58Don, I thought you'd forgotten
12:00I got held up
12:02That viper made me stay
12:03She pushed my hand
12:05Of course, I knew it was she
12:09Good girl
12:10Don Alessandro's hand slid under her dress
12:12And the two became entwined
12:14After the tenderness subsided
12:16Julia held on to Don Alessandro
12:18Her eyes and cheeks still flushed with the afterglow of passion
12:21Our son is old enough to find a tutor
12:24Could I not bring him to your household?
12:27Pack, I'll have a car
12:28In two days you move up
12:30You come to my place
12:32Julia lowered her eyes and smiled
12:34Thank you, Don
12:36And behind the smile
12:37Behind the downcast lashes
12:38Emerged the calculating slyness
12:41When we returned to the compound
12:43Before the gate I heard shouting
12:44A kid barreled toward me
12:46Face red
12:46Hands flailing
12:47You!
12:48It's because of you
12:49My mother can't come home
12:51I'll kill you!
12:52I'll kill you!
12:53A woman came scrambling after him
12:55Snatching at his collar
12:57Her face white with terror
12:58It was Julia
13:00She hauled him back
13:01And turned to leave
13:02The boy still thrashing in her arms
13:03Still screaming
13:04Wait
13:05She stopped
13:05Then, slowly
13:06She sank to her knees
13:08Senora, he's just a child
13:09Kids say stupid things
13:10He means nothing by it
13:11What do you call him?
13:14The Don's boy
13:15My man quickly stepped forward
13:16And struck Julia across the face
13:18Witch!
13:19You hit my mom!
13:20I'll have my old man kill you!
13:22I'll have you all killed!
13:23In the past life
13:24This same child had put snakes
13:26In Isabella's bed
13:27Slipped them into her shoes
13:28He terrorized her
13:29Until she was too frightened to stand
13:30Not this time
13:31I watched him a moment
13:32Then closed the space between us
13:34And slapped him hard
13:35I didn't want to do it
13:36But he raised his hand
13:37In my house first
13:38And in my house
13:39That is a line you don't cross
13:40How dare you touch my boy?
13:43He's the Don's heir!
13:44My man struck her again
13:45You are confused
13:46There is no heir yet
13:48There is no legitimate son
13:49Everyone calls him that!
13:51Even the Mama Greci never objected!
13:52Everyone was sloppy with their facts
13:54I looked down at the boy
13:55Who had gone very still
13:56An heir is born of a wife
13:58And the Don
13:59You are neither his wife
14:00Nor officially recognized
14:01Your boy is a bastard
14:03Because he carries the Don's blood informally
14:05He'll live in my wing
14:07Under my roof
14:08And my rules
14:09Julia snapped
14:10She lunged at me
14:11Hands like claws
14:12If you so much as lay a finger on my son
14:14I'll kill you!
14:16In the scramble
14:16She found my dagger
14:17She'd grabbed it from my belt
14:18In the struggle
14:19She forced it into her own right shoulder
14:21With a scream
14:21Blood gushing
14:22To make the scene convincing
14:23By the time
14:24Don Alessandro
14:25Crossed the courtyard
14:26Weapon in hand
14:27Julia's face
14:28Was already wet with tears
14:29He had closed the distance
14:30In four long strides
14:31Gun leveled
14:32Jaw working with a look
14:33That emptied the air
14:34The moment he saw her
14:35Thrown into his arm
14:36Sobbing
14:36Pity flickered across his face
14:38Then he looked up
14:39And his eyes cut to me
14:41Hard and furious
14:42Valentina
14:43You touched Julia
14:44And my boy
14:45He was furious
14:45Your boy charged at me
14:47In my own hall
14:48And threatened to kill my men
14:49I taught him a lesson
14:50That is my right
14:51Apologize to my son
14:53I almost laughed
14:54Or I will end you for this
14:56He's your bastard
14:57No title
14:58No standing
14:59No right to parade
15:00In my courtyard
15:01Without my say
15:01He's here only because
15:03I allow it
15:03While this
15:04She deserves to die
15:06In the past life
15:07This Julia set a trap
15:08For my sister
15:09Staged wounds
15:10Cried for sympathy
15:11Although the wound
15:12Looked scary
15:12It was only a superficial injury
15:14But she'd bled Isabella
15:15While everyone looked away
15:17Don Alessandro
15:18Had let it happen
15:18Don Alessandro
15:20Julia caught his arm
15:21Her voice breaking on cue
15:22Don Alessandro
15:24Please
15:24She is the donor of the house
15:26You cannot
15:27But I could tell
15:27She wasn't using much force
15:29He shook her off easily
15:30And kept walking
15:31I stood where I was
15:32Julia
15:33Do you really want me to die?
15:35I glanced at her
15:35Julia lowered her head
15:37Pretending not to dare
15:38To see what would happen next
15:39But her eyes betrayed
15:40An uncontrollable
15:41Triumphant smile
15:42Don Alessandro's hand moved
15:44A gun came up
15:45Steady and cold
15:46The muzzle rested
15:46An inch from my chest
15:47The metal reflecting
15:48The courtyard lights
15:50For one breath
15:50The world narrowed
15:51I lunged
15:52I grabbed the barrel
15:53And the gun
15:53Like it was a hot brand
15:54Twisted with every ounce
15:55Of force
15:56And hurt the key
15:57Of his grip
15:57There was a shot
15:58A clean horrible sound
16:01A blood purtying scream
16:03Rang off the walls
16:04Not mine
16:04But Julia's
16:06Blood gushed
16:07From Julia's chest
16:08Like a fountain
16:09Pale-faced
16:09She pressed her hand
16:10Against the wound
16:11Only to find the blood
16:12Flowing faster and faster
16:13This can't be
16:14She cried out in shock
16:16Julia
16:18Mother
16:18Don Alessandro
16:19Don Alessandro and the boy
16:20Rushed over to Julia
16:21At the same time
16:22Fetch il medico
16:23Don Alessandro shouted
16:24Extremely furious
16:25He looked at me
16:26As if his eyes
16:27Were about to shoot fire
16:28Men
16:29Cut this woman
16:30Into pieces
16:31The Greco's goons
16:32After witnessing all this
16:33None of them
16:34Dared to touch me
16:35Carlo was executed
16:36I sneered in perfect calmness
16:38In your hands
16:39The look on his face
16:40Suddenly changed
16:41Into disbelief and fear
16:42So it was you
16:43All along
16:44You planned this
16:46From the very beginning
16:47Looks like you're not
16:48All that dumb after all
16:49I smiled coldly
16:50But why
16:52Why are you doing this to me
16:55We had no history of conflict
16:57Before we met
16:58I pretended to be deep in thought
16:59No conflict?
17:01You seem to have no recollection
17:03Of how you mistreated my sister
17:04That really is a bit unfair
17:06Here's the deal
17:07If you want to save this woman
17:08Come with me to the Vitale's
17:10Annual countryside shooting weekend
17:12He had no reason to object
17:14Vitale family organized
17:15These congregations
17:16Every year
17:17A two day riding in
17:18Shooting affair
17:18Out in the hills
17:19That looked like sport
17:20But ran on politics
17:21Every major family showed
17:23Every old score
17:24And new favor
17:24Played out on that guest list
17:26The moment Isabella
17:27And I appeared
17:27The whispers started
17:30Shush
17:59Isn't that the Don's woman
18:01The fault lies with the Don
18:02Not with her
18:04I squeezed her hand
18:05Don't
18:05In the past life
18:07They had said these things to Isabella
18:08I only learned later
18:09Isabella walking alone through the snow
18:11While they called after her
18:12No one standing beside her
18:14No one speaking
18:14I crossed the grass toward Donna Lucia
18:45She didn't step back
18:47In you and your familia
18:48She had been rattled into saying something she couldn't take back
19:21You mean Julia
19:50Don Alessandro's nephew
20:20Leave
20:21You cannot simply
20:23Lorenzo
20:24He said with some desperation
20:26There are horses
20:27The horses can see
20:29I know
20:30I said
20:31He stared at me for another moment
20:32Color climbing steadily up the back of his neck
20:34And then turned and walked away with tremendous dignity
20:37And absolutely no idea where he was going
20:39I said
20:40Don Alexandra and I never finish the wedding rites
20:43We never slept together
20:44By any strict reading
20:46We're not married
20:47Lorenzo's face had gone the color of fresh linen
20:50Whatever is between you and the Don
20:52It's none of my business
20:53You shouldn't
20:54Mustn't
20:55This is
20:56He stopped
20:56Seemed to decide that finishing the sentence was too dangerous
21:00Then he turned and walked away very quickly
21:02Lorenzo
21:03I called after him
21:04He kept walking
21:05If you're willing
21:06Once I dissolve the arrangement with Don Alexandro
21:09I'd take you
21:10He sped up
21:11He was nearly at the treeline
21:12A man deciding whether to run
21:14And keeping only his pride as ballast
21:16Coward
21:16I thought
21:17With a small fond smile
21:19Absolute coward
21:20You viper
21:21Don Alessandro stepped out of the crowd on my left
21:23Materializing from the riding party like a shadow arriving in sunlight
21:28He set his jaw and closed the distance
21:32I'm not dead yet
21:33You'd like to dissolve our arrangement and marry Lorenzo over my living body
21:37He had come after all some belated instinct about appearances
21:40Most likely
21:41And he had arrived at exactly the wrong moment
21:43I'm considering my options
21:45I'm considering finding a convenient moment to have you removed
21:48Are you?
21:50Yes
21:50That would be a miscalculation
21:53He stared at me
21:54His jaw worked
21:55He knew I was right
21:56He couldn't touch me without consequences he wasn't prepared to face
21:59He couldn't risk to lose my father's support
22:01And Julia's fate lies in my hands
22:03You asked me to come here with you
22:05Was it just so I could watch you cheat on me?
22:08Not exactly
22:10Isabella, come here
22:11I saw my younger sister standing not far away
22:13But I didn't dare to approach us
22:15She feared Don Alessandro deep to bone
22:18She approached cautiously
22:19Holding the sacred Vitaly stag antler in her hands
22:22It was no ordinary trophy
22:23It was the family relic
22:25Carved and kept for rights
22:26The old stories said blood on that antler pulled secrets out of men like a plow turns earth
22:31I picked up the antler and stabbed Don Alessandro with its sharpest point
22:36You want to kill me?
22:38That would be too easy for you
22:40The antler is a relic of the Vitaly's last prophet
22:43When it come into contact with blood
22:44They reveal the truths of past lives
22:47You should repent for everything you did to my sister
22:49Don Alessandro, remember this
22:51It's a fight to the death between us
22:53And of course you're the one who's going to die
22:55But I won't let you die easily
22:57Don Alessandro left
22:58Later someone told me he had spent the ride home in uncharacteristic silence
23:02I was told he kept reaching up to touch the back of his neck
23:05As though feeling a draft from somewhere he couldn't locate
23:07Good, I thought
23:08He should start getting used to that feeling
23:10Julia's boy, the Don's bastard
23:12Was dragged into my courtyard shouting threats
23:14I'm going to drive you out
23:15My father will come to take revenge
23:17And you'll regret this
23:18When his lungs gave up I crouched
23:20Took him by the throat
23:21Not hard enough to kill
23:23His screams died
23:25Listen to me carefully
23:27You are not what you think you are
23:28You have no title
23:30No protection that I cannot remove
23:33I could end you and call it a household matter
23:35And no one with any authority would tell me I was wrong
23:38He stared at me
23:39His lip was trembling
23:41Your mother
23:42If she ever sets foot in this compound again
23:45Has no standing to raise you
23:46That right belongs to me
23:48By every rule that matters in this quarter
23:50I am the closest thing to a mother you've got
23:53You're not my mother
23:54No, I'm not
23:55But you'll address me like you mean it
23:58Or you'll kneel in this yard until you do
24:00He was not stupid
24:01He could feel my grip
24:02He went limp
24:03I released him
24:04Of course I wouldn't really kill him
24:05He's just a kid
24:06I just wanted to make his mother submit
24:08I kept my promise and spared Julia's life
24:11But she wasn't satisfied
24:12She still wanted to be the wife of Don Alessandro
24:15Julia curtsied
24:16Holding her hand over the wound on her chest
24:18Which still ached faintly
24:19I sipped my wine
24:21In the past life
24:22Isabella had stood where Julia stood
24:24Julia had Don Alessandro to lean on
24:27This life
24:28With me occupying this position
24:29Don Alessandro didn't dare move against me openly
24:32Which meant Julia had no lever to pull
24:35Except me
24:36So here she was
24:39Please
24:40I am asking for a way forward
24:42We are both women
24:43You know what it is to have no ground beneath you
24:45If I am not brought into the fortress properly
24:48I have nowhere to go
24:49She let her voice break on the last word
24:51She was playing the sympathy card with both hands
24:53I had no sympathy for Julia
24:55She had watched Isabella being bled on a schedule
24:58And called it none of her business
24:59She had benefited from every drop
25:01She can find no soft feeling in me
25:04You may stay
25:06She exhaled
25:08As a chambermaid
25:10The exhale stopped
25:11Signora Greco
25:12Being a fairy girl
25:14You ought to count yourself lucky to still be breathing
25:17I bore him a son
25:18The softness had thinned at the edges now
25:20Something harder showing through
25:22That counts for something
25:25It counts for the boy's existence
25:26It does not count for yours
25:28You produced an illegitimate child
25:30Outside of any formal arrangement
25:31And called it a service
25:32In most households
25:33That gets you killed
25:34She stood there
25:35Not quite able to speak
25:36In truth
25:37I didn't particularly care what she was called
25:39What I cared about was Isabella
25:41And the years Julia had spent comfortable
25:43While Isabella bled
25:44Let her kneel for a while
25:45Let her learn the texture of the floor
25:47She said at last
25:48She bowed her head and went down
25:49I understand
25:51After that she fell into a routine
25:53She laundered shirts at dawn
25:54Polished boots at noon
25:56And every night she went to whisper to Don Alessandro
25:58About how I'd made her life hard
25:59Don Alessandro
26:01Caught between two immovable objects
26:02Eventually lost patience
26:04And snapped at her
26:05She is the donna of the family
26:07Serving her is not beneath you
26:09I was told Julia did not speak to him
26:10For three days after that
26:11I set to work unraveling the household
26:13Move the ones who could be turned
26:15Exile the ones who wouldn't
26:16Watch how loyalty shifted
26:18And I watched Don Alessandro
26:19Meetings ended when I entered rooms
26:21Letters arrived sealed with unfamiliar marks
26:23Men showed up in the compound
26:25With no announced purpose
26:26A coup moves like bad weather
26:27First it smells like thunder
26:28I needed proof
26:29Which meant staying close to Don Alessandro
26:31Close enough to search
26:32Close enough to be seen
26:33And there was Lorenzo as my ally
26:35Don Alessandro got a summons to the coast boss
26:37Lorenzo and I arrived together
26:39The show of it mattered
26:40And while Don Alessandro sat in that meeting
26:42Lorenzo came to my side
26:44Face tight
26:44Since when have you and the Don been chummy?
26:47Since it suited me
26:48Don't stay too close to him
26:50Go back to your docks for a while
26:51Say you're ill
26:52Lay low
26:53He wasn't asking
26:54He was warning
26:54He knew there was a move coming
26:56Lorenzo
26:56If I dissolved my arrangement with Don Alessandro
26:59Formally
26:59Legally
27:00Would you marry me?
27:01He went still
27:03You have been married
27:04No one ever broke the oath made on the wedding nave
27:06The rites were never completed at the wedding nave
27:07Valentina
27:09Is it because I've been another man's wife?
27:12Even in name only?
27:14He turned to look at me
27:15Eyes darkened
27:16That he said
27:17That is not the reason
27:19I don't care about titles
27:21I watched him a long beat
27:22And then smiled
27:22If a devil like me could be worth someone trying to be better
27:25It would be for him
27:25I handed him the folder
27:27Ledgers
27:27Letters
27:27Names
27:28Dates
27:28Then come for me when you can
27:30And walked away before he could answer
27:31Don Alessandro was waiting when I returned to the compound
27:34Who were you with?
27:36Lorenzo?
27:37Something crossed his face
27:38Jealousy or anger
27:39When I get what I'm owed
27:40When the neighborhood is settled
27:42He'll be the first I cut down
27:44Then I'll look forward to that day
27:45He stared
27:46I went inside
27:47Two weeks later
27:48Don Alessandro and his allies
27:49Moved on the city's administration
27:51The customs house
27:52And the docks that run the trade
27:53They never reached the inner gates
27:54I had given Lorenzo everything
27:56The papers
27:56The correspondence
27:57The ledgers
27:58Lorenzo took them to Don Vittorio Marconi
28:00The coast boss
28:01Don Vittorio took them straight to my father
28:03My father showed up in the dark with 50 men at his back
28:05When Don Alessandro's column hit the cordon
28:07They were surrounded
28:08The whole thing was over in about an hour
28:10Don Alessandro's household was seized three days later
28:12He looked at me across the vestibule he no longer owned
28:15And his expression dimmed like a smoldering candle
28:17You gave the things all to Lorenzo
28:19You were going to destroy my family
28:21I wasn't gonna let that happen twice
28:22Don Alessandro Greco was stripped
28:24The household condemned
28:25Those who had served the coup were dealt with according to the code
28:28Marconi's code
28:28Julia ran
28:29She took the boy and tried for the east lane
28:31They were caught before nightfall
28:32She had miscalculated
28:33As people often do when they have spent too long believing themselves protected
28:37She had spent years cultivating Don Alessandro as her shelter
28:40In the end he could not shelter even himself
28:42Don Vittorio Marconi took me in himself
28:44My father had held the docks
28:45I'd given the intelligence that let them stop the move before it began
28:48By every account I'd been on the right side from the start
28:50Within a week the city talked about me again
28:52The tone had changed
28:53Less sneer more a careful kind of interest
28:55Isabella came home and broke down
28:57Gripping my hands
28:58I'm sorry
28:59This should have been me
29:01If I'd been the one you wouldn't have had to
29:03You've nothing to apologize for
29:05You and Mateo are safe
29:06That's enough
29:07She looked at me a long time
29:08Then rested her head on my shoulder
29:09And stayed there saying nothing
29:11A fortnight passed
29:12Lorenzo didn't show
29:13I sat with that for several days
29:14I sat with that for days
29:16Maybe he liked the idea of me more than the thing itself
29:18Better admired from afar
29:19I said one morning
29:20Ma
29:21I'm heading south
29:22The car waited at dawn
29:24I had one foot on the running board when a motor cut through the morning
29:27A black sedan slid up
29:29Lorenzo killed the engine and climbed out
29:31Do you always move people like pieces?
29:34You didn't come
29:35I waited
29:36A fortnight
29:37You waited a fortnight and then decided I would not come
29:39It seemed like a reasonable conclusion
29:41I had to call my folks
29:43He stopped
29:43Protocol
29:44Families talk
29:45A betrothal isn't something you rush
29:47Valentina I've waited ten years for you
29:49The morning held its breath
29:51The morning was very quiet around us
29:53You were fifteen
29:53The first time I saw you at your father's winter party
29:56You hit three clay pipples with one shot
29:58And I thought there was someone I'd like to have
30:01He looked at me
30:02You never said
30:03You were promised away
30:05Then you were married
30:06I was trying to stop the city from burning while you were dismantling a coup
30:10I'm saying it now
30:11I stepped down from the car
30:14How long before your parents arrive?
30:16A week
30:17Maybe ten days
30:18Then you have ten days
30:20Make them worth the wait
30:21He smiled
30:22I've had ten years of practice
30:23I held up my head and reached out to pinch his chin
30:25Had you?
30:27His face blushed instantly
30:29You should know I'm a voodoo doll
30:31So, the heat you're feeling right now
30:33I'm feeling it too
30:34He'sytyy
30:34It's not too loud
30:34I think it's not too high
30:35But who knew it
30:35I'm feeling it
30:35He's pretty controlled
30:36You're feeling it
30:36He's feeling it
30:37He's feeling it