The Rejected Principessa Returns novel Chapter 13

Chapter 4

After moving out of the fortified penthouse, I decided to wait for Lewis to reach out to me before confronting him. A part of me, the foolishly hopeful part, wondered if he would even notice my absence.

But a whole week passed, and the silence from him was deafening. The only message I ever received was

the same, automated lie, delivered via encrypted text:

[Handling business. Don’t wait up.]

In reality, I saw him with Victoria every day from a distance-arriving at the social club together, leaving in the same armored car, presenting a unified front to the rest of the Family. They moved like a true Don and his

unofficial Consigliere-in-all-but-name.

After that day Molly had called Victoria a “goomah,” she had been squarely in Tommy “The Fixer’s”

crosshairs.

She was buried under mountains of punitive work-forging ledgers, tracing dirty money through shell

companies, tasks designed to break her spirit.

I couldn’t stand to watch her drown alone, so I stayed late each night, working alongside her in the dimly lit

back office.

In the deep silence of the night, we would often hear unmistakable, inappropriate sounds echoing from

Lewis’s soundproofed office.

Molly couldn’t help but mutter, “The Don is so cheap-he won’t even spring for a safe house.”

I gave a bitter, helpless smile. “Maybe doing it in the seat of his power just feels more… potent to him.”

Sometimes, when circumstance forced me to pass by his door, I couldn’t help but record short, damning

audio clips on my encrypted phone.

A deep instinct told me that evidence of their recklessness would be a weapon I could use one day.

And so,

with Molly by my side, surviving the long, degrading nights, our probationary period within the

organization finally came to an end.

Molly said she hoped to earn her formal button, to become a “made” associate.

“Jobs on the outside are for suckers,” she said, her voice tired. “I mean, yeah, the Don is a lying piece of garbage, but a person’s still got to eat. This life… it’s a paycheck.”

I wished her luck.

Then she asked if I wanted to stay, too.

I told her the only thing I wanted was my official proof of completion-a signed document from the Family acknowledging my time served-so I could leave this den of snakes behind as fast as possible.

What I didn’t expect was to be stabbed in the back by the one person I had considered a friend in this

hellhole.

I ended up being the only probationary member in the entire crew who was deemed “unworthy” of

certification.

I refused to accept this verdict and went straight to Tommy to demand a reason.

He didn’t even look up from his desk. “It was Victoria’s decision,” he said flatly.

At first, I thought Victoria had somehow discovered my true identity and was targeting me preemptively.

But then, Molly found me, her face pale with guilt and fear.

“That day I called Victoria a ‘goomah’… someone must have overheard. All that extra work Tommy piled on

us? It wasn’t his idea. It was Victoria’s order. She was making an example of me. I was finished. But because

you stuck with me, because you helped me every night…”

She broke down, sobbing into her hands.

“I was desperate, Emily! I need this life. I don’t have your looks, I’m not as clever… so I went to Victoria. I told

her… I told her it was you who started the ‘goomah’ rumor. I threw you under the bus.”

She gasped for air between tears. “I thought… I thought maybe she’d just blacklist you from staying on. I

never thought she’d deny you your proof of completion, too. I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to ruin everything for

you…”

I laughed then, a short, harsh sound that held no humor, only pure, unadulterated rage.

Rage at her cowardly betrayal, but more than that, a boiling anger at Victoria’s sheer arrogance-how she

wielded her borrowed power so casually to crush those beneath her.

“It’s fine,” I said, my voice chillingly calm. “I forgive you. Stop crying. Thank you for the friendship, while it

lasted. I wish you all the best in this miserable life you’ve chosen.”

I picked up the folder containing my unused reports and got ready to leave this place for good.

Molly grabbed my arm, her expression a pitiful mix of guilt and desperate hope. “And the whole Victoria

thing… what you know…”

I looked at her coldly and said, quietly, “Don’t worry. I’ll take the blame for it.”

Then I turned, raised my head, and projected my voice loud and clear across the entire main hall, where associates were counting money and cleaning weapons.

“She is his goomah! What, are we not allowed to speak the truth in this Family anymore?”

The entire room froze.

Every conversation died. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at me. The air was

thick with shock.

And I, with that failed probationary report in my hand, marched straight into the war room.