Crashing The Meeting.

Dominick's POV

I arrived at my father's mansion with my men in tow, the sound of our heavy footsteps echoing through the grand hallway. Without hesitation, we made our way to the conference room, the door bursting open with such force that it reverberated throughout the room. All heads turned to us in surprise, their expressions quickly morphing into fear as they recognized me.

As I strode confidently into the room, my men fanning out behind me, the members of my fucking Mafia stood up from their seats and bowed their heads in greeting. But their deference meant nothing to me in that moment – all I could see was the disrespect that had been shown to me, the don.

I made a beeline for the head of the table, where my father sat, his expression a mixture of incredulity and indignation. Without a word, I gestured for him to vacate the seat, my gaze unyielding as I dared him to challenge my authority.

To my surprise, my father immediately complied, albeit begrudgingly, stepping away from the table to make room for me. I took my place at the head of the table, the rightful position as the don.

With a wave of my hand, I ordered the members of the Mafia to remain standing, their anxiety showing as they awaited my next move. It was clear that they had not expected me to assert myself so boldly, but I had grown tired of being sidelined and overlooked in favor of my fucking father.

As I surveyed the faces of those gathered in the room – including my own brother and my father's wife, both of whom had been complicit in orchestrating this meeting without my consent – I felt a surge of anger rise within me. How dare they conspire behind my back, undermining my authority as the don?

"Who the fuck called for this meeting without my knowledge and approval?" I demanded in a harsh tone. The room fell silent, the tension thickening with each passing moment, as all eyes turned to the guilty party – my fucking father.

"It was me, Dominick. I did it because you were neglecting your duty." As my father's words echoed through the tense silence of the conference room, a wave of anger surged within me. How dare he fucking accuse me of neglecting my duties as the don? How dare he undermine my authority in front of our fucking Mafia?

"I called this meeting because it's clear that someone needs to take charge around here," my father continued, his voice laced with thinly veiled contempt. "You've been lax in your duties, Dominick. You should have known that the Black Mamba were planning to attack us. You should have been more vigilant, more proactive in protecting the Phoenix Dynasty Mafia."

His accusations cut deep, but I refused to let his stupid words shake my resolve.

"I may not have known about the Black Mamba's plans, Father," I said, my voice cold and controlled despite the anger raging within me, "but you could have at least had the decency to speak to me before calling this meeting. Instead, you chose to undermine me in front of my people, to belittle me and question my abilities as the don."

My father's expression darkened, his jaw tightening with suppressed rage. For a moment, it seemed as though he might argue further, to defend his actions and assert his authority over me once more.

But then, with a resigned sigh, he seemed to deflate, the fight leaving him as quickly as it had come. "You're right, Dominick," he admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "I should have spoken to you first. I apologize for my actions."

I nodded curtly in acknowledgment, though I knew it wasn't genuine.

"You have nothing to fear," I assured everyone, "I will ensure that Marcelo and his black mamba Mafia pay for every ounce of trouble they've caused. However, anyone who dares undermine my authority will face the consequences." With solemn nods of understanding, I dismissed them.

As the door closed behind the last of our associates, I turned to face my father, my patience wearing thin. Slamming my hands onto the table, I locked eyes with him. "Why did you call this meeting without me?" I growled.

My father's expression remained stoic as he met my glare. "You know why," he replied curtly. "You've been slacking, and I won't allow you to ruin everything I've built with your incompetence."

Anger surged through me at his silly accusation, and I scoffed incredulously. "You're just jealous that I'm the don and not you," I shot back.

His lips curled into a disdainful sneer. "Don't delude yourself," he retorted. "If it weren't for that damn file, you wouldn't be in this position."

I bristled at the mention of the file, but before I could respond, he continued. "What would you have done if the black mamba had taken Sol at the party?" he taunted.

Fury ignited within me at the mention of my wife. "I would have protected her myself," I asserted vehemently, my fists clenched.

But my father's sneer only deepened. "Protect her?" he scoffed. "Or protect the thing implanted into her?"

Elle, my stepmother, interjected with a dismissive snort. "We all know it's not Sol you care about," she remarked sarcastically.

Ignoring her, I held my ground, meeting my father's gaze with pure rage. "I will protect her," I declared firmly, refusing to back down.

With a resigned shake of his head, he left the room, leaving me to stew in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. As the door closed behind him. My stupid little brother didn't say a word, only gave a smug grin as he followed after my father, leaving me with Elle.

"I must say, with the way you're going, you're going to reveal Luna's identity yourself," she smirked, shaking her head. "The way you speak about protecting her, you've never spoken about Sol that way."

"Nonsense," I dismissed her accusations, "everyone knows the reason why I want to protect Sol."

She arched an eyebrow skeptically, her smirk widening. "Of course, darling, I know it's because of the file," she retorted sarcastically. "But it seems your motives may be more personal than you care to admit."

I gave a dry chuckle, shaking my head. She was saying crap; I didn't give two flying fucks about Luna. Fine, I wanted to protect her because she was too innocent, too lost, but that was about it.

"So are you going to tell me how you got to know she's not Sol?" I asked, changing the topic.

"I met up with Sol right before she disappeared," she smiled smugly.

"I don't understand."

"She told me she was going away and she'll ask her family to replace her with her twin sister instead."

I struggled to comprehend. "So her family was aware of her plans to leave?" I asked, incredulous.

Elle nodded, her expression impassive. "She was being pursued," she added cryptically. "I helped her hide in my boutique before she vanished."

"Did she tell you where she was going to or when she was coming back?"

"No."

"She also didn't tell you who was chasing after her?"

"No, no," Elle said in a bland expression.

My skepticism flared. "And why would you help her?" I challenged, suspicion coloring my words. "You never liked her. You expect me to believe this."

She chuckled, throwing her head back. "I did it for our Mafia. What would I gain if she's caught and that file taken by our opposition?" I nodded, but my eyes remained skeptical. "That's why I'm saying we should work together."

"Thanks for your time." I stood up, totally ignoring her proposal, and started walking.

She stood also and followed behind me. "You saw what he did today, didn't you?" I froze in steps. "Your father wants the throne, and are you going to let him?"

I turned, facing her. "Do you really think I'll betray my father for you?"

She smirked, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "Well, if you don't, he will. He threw you under the bus, undermined your authority, what next? Kill you?" My eyes went up, glaring at her, but truth is, I wasn't confident enough to fucking defend my father.

"Let's work together, me and you, side by side," she continued. "All we have to do is eliminate your father."