The Mark He Bit Into Me novel Chapter 15

Chapter 6

Lewis’s empire–the territories, the illicit revenue streams, the legitimate fronts–was worth countless millions. By walking away from it all, I was relinquishing a claim to power and wealth that most in our world would kill for.

The sheer magnitude of my surrender was not lost on anyone. Even Victoria and Lewis looked visibly shaken, the casual arrogance they’d worn moments ago replaced by a stunned calculation.

Around the war room table, several of the older, more pragmatic Capos suddenly sat up straighter, their interest palpably piqued. This was no longer a domestic drama; it was a financial and strategic windfall for the Family.

I wasn’t sure who made the first move to leave, but one by one, the other men found reasons to excuse themselves, filing out of the room with quiet, knowing glances. These men were Lewis’s loyalists, Victoria’s allies. They wouldn’t side with an outsider, a scorned woman. But they were undoubtedly thrilled that I was willingly severing my legal ties to the Corleone fortune. It solidified Lewis’s hold, freed up capital, and meant Victoria could pour all her formidable energy into the business–and into him–without the complication of a legitimate wife.

One of them, an older Capo, paused at the door. “We’ll give you privacy to… discuss family matters.‘

But Lewis, his pride stung and eager to project control, reached for Victoria’s hand, lacing his fingers with hers in a blatant, defiant gesture. “No. Stay. We have nothing to hide.”

Nothing to hide?

The gall of it was nauseating. I had braced for this moment, but the sight of their joined hands, so openly and shamelessly displayed, still felt like a shiv twisting in my gut.

I took a slow, controlled breath, locking my emotions away in a deep, frozen place inside me.

Then, I pushed the signed divorce agreement across the polished mahogany table toward Lewis.

He didn’t even glance at it. He picked it up and handed it directly to Victoria, as if she were his lawyer, his judge, his partner in all things.

“Look it over. Is it clean?”

She accepted the document, her fingers brushing his, a flicker of barely concealed triumph in her eyes. Her lips curled into that subtle, victorious smile I had come to despise.

She took her time, reading through the clauses that detailed my surrender. After a tense minute, she nodded, her voice crisp and professional. “It’s a clean break. She renounces all claims. This is… acceptable.”

She offered him a pen, but Lewis didn’t take it. Instead, he fixed his gaze on me, a final, condescending attempt at control.

Chapter 6

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“Are you absolutely certain about this, Emily? Once this is done, there’s no going back.”

I met his eyes, my own devoid of any warmth. “What do you think? I don’t run a garbage collection service. I don’t deal with trash.”

“You should think this through,” he said, his tone patronizing. “A divorced woman… your prospects won’t be what they were. Victoria…” he glanced at her, “she never intended to usurp your position.”

A bitter laugh almost escaped me. The absurdity was breathtaking. I turned to Victoria, whose face had tightened at his clumsy defense.

“A woman who ‘never intended to usurp my position‘ couldn’t even grant me a simple certificate of completion for my service?”

Victoria forced a tight, conciliatory smile, clearly searching for a placating lie.

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