Chapter 1

As the Donna of the Moretti Family, I paid out of my own pocket to build a high-security school for the children of our fallen members.

But the widows repaid me by dragging my name through the media. Worse, they leaked the locations of three safe houses, dealing the Family a devastating blow.

They claimed the school was never a benefit at all, but a “hostage camp” where I kept their children to force them to remain loyal to the Family.

While Don Lorenzo Moretti was away, they even filed an impeachment motion with the Family Council, demanding that I shut down the school and hand its operating funds directly to them.

Fine.

I signed the closure order that very day.

But the moment the notice went out, the widows swarmed the estate gates, crying and begging me to reopen the school.

Only then did they understand—

What waited for their children beyond the school gates was never freedom.

It was a rival Family’s hit list.

Chapter 1

I’m Isabella Moretti. My exceptional security skills earned the Don’s trust and made me the Donna of the Moretti Family.

Every year after that, I held a memorial for the members who had sacrificed their lives for the Family. I even founded a high-security school for the children they left behind.

The armed security cost more than the Family could afford, so I covered the rest out of my own pocket.

I believed the Family would only grow stronger if we never forgot those who had sacrificed for us.

After this year’s memorial, I went to inspect the school.

The children were playing happily outside.

Marco Moretti and Sophia DeLuca were racing. Marco pouted while Sophia threw her arms up in victory.Their smiles were brighter than the sun.

I smiled before I could stop myself.

But suddenly！

A steel security door let out a sharp creak.

My smile vanished. If that sound rang out in the middle of the night, it could give away the children’s location.

“Order the latest security door from New York. Have it replaced immediately.”

The principal hesitated.

“Donna, the newest model costs nine hundred thousand dollars. This month’s budget…”

I took a deep breath and smiled.

“It’s all right. Take it from my personal account again.”

The principal nodded gratefully.

What was mine belonged to the Family.

Even if protecting those children drained me dry, I would pay without hesitation.

But I never imagined that someone would destroy everything I had built with my own hands.

That morning, a video titled “St. Anna Academy—or a Hostage Camp?” went viral.

In the video, a woman clung to the school gates and screamed, “Please! Let me in! I just want to see her! I won’t take her away!”

Her hair was disheveled as she pounded desperately against the gates.

The video then cut to two expressionless, “cold-blooded” guards.

I gripped my phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

No. That wasn’t how our school treated people.

I replayed the video over and over until I finally recognized the “mother.”

Her husband had died last fall, and her child had only enrolled at St. Anna a few days earlier.

The day she pounded on the gates, a black sedan had followed her to the school. The guards had explained the situation to her repeatedly, and she had eventually been allowed inside.

But forty-five minutes of truth had been cut into fifteen seconds.

A paradise for children had been edited into a prison.

My phone exploded with tags and incoming calls. Reporters had surrounded three of our safe houses.

I forced down my anger and ordered everyone to evacuate immediately.

Matteo asked, “Donna, would you like me to send someone to investigate?”

My voice turned cold.

“No. Whoever did this will come to me.”

Right on cue, someone knocked on the door.Right on cue, someone knocked.

Vera Moretti, Marco's mother, walked in with four other women. Liana was one of them.

Vera raised an eyebrow. "Donna, let's talk."

She sat across from me without waiting for permission.

"You've seen the video, I assume?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You leaked it?"

"That's right." She didn't even hesitate. "I wanted everyone to know the truth. You lock our children behind walls and keep them from us. You use them as hostages to keep us loyal."

I laughed. "That's absurd! The school was under a Level Two lockdown. Every parent was notified. We were protecting the children.

"When has a normal drop-off or pickup ever been blocked?"

Vera shot back, "The moment we take our child home, our kid loses the school and its protection. That's not a benefit. You're using our children as collateral to keep us loyal!"

I shot back, "And what do I gain from that? I don't care whether noncombatants stay or leave."

Vera scoffed and pulled a stack of papers from her bag.

"Then let me do the math for you. When our husbands were alive, we got $20,000 a month. After they died for the Family, we got $10,000. And somehow, the academy costs exactly $10,000 per child.

"So where did that money go? Did you take it and pour it into your little school?

"Do our children really cost that much every month?

"The walls were already there. The guards are already on the payroll. Food and a few extra locks don't cost $10,000 per child.

"Where did all that inflated security and tuition go?"

The four mothers behind her lifted their chins as if to back her up.

Vera swept a finger toward the widows behind her. "You take $10,000 that belongs to each of them every month, then decide for them how it gets spent.

"You call it security. I call it collateral!"

They had twisted everything I'd done for them into something ugly. I held back my anger. "What do you want? Say it."

Vera planted both hands on my desk. "Shut down the school. Permanently.

"Put the money straight into our accounts. Give us back the full $20,000 our husbands used to earn. Every cent."

Shut down the school?

Did she have any idea that every child there was on a rival Family's hit list?

Without the school's security behind them, who would protect them?

I rose to my feet and met her challenge head-on.

"No. I won't gamble with those children's lives."

Vera smiled.

"The story's already blown up. The internet is tearing you apart.

"The Family won't tolerate a Donna who steals from widows and uses their children to control them.

"Don Lorenzo isn't in New York. No one's here to protect you."

Vera's smile widened. "The Family Council meets tomorrow. You'd better be ready. We'll see you there."

Chapter 2

The next day, the widows packed the family lounge. The room had turned into a trial with me as the defendant.

"I have to give her advance notice just to pick up my kid. Who's the mother here?"

Another mother jumped in. "Exactly. Last time I wanted to send my child to his grandmother's, they demanded two days' notice."

Vera raised her voice. "Has anyone had a family member denied a visit?"

Four or five hands went up.

"Pickups require notice. Address changes must be reported. Family visits need approval." Vera counted them off. "She controls access to our own children. That place is tighter than a prison."

Vera concluded. "The school has been open for years, and not one child has been attacked. That proves the threat was never real.

"Isabella keeps going on about this hit list. Either she's paranoid, or she's exaggerating the danger to take our money and make the Family depend on her."

Everything I'd done to protect those children had become proof that I was paranoid and hungry for power.

I scoffed and went back to my office.

That afternoon, Lucia DeLuca, Sophia's mother, came in with a cup of coffee.

"Donna, please don't be upset. We're mothers. We panic when it comes to our children."

She quickly set the coffee on my desk.

"There's something I've never told you. When Sophia was followed by that strange car, I knew you were the one who brought the children to the school that night.

"You got the call in the middle of the night and came for them yourself, without even calling security.

"I've never forgotten that."

"But after that video came out yesterday, I couldn't sleep." Lucia gripped the leather on the back of the chair. "I kept thinking about that money... if it went straight to us, at least we could decide for ourselves.

"Security or cash. That should be my choice."

She looked at me timidly, but she was firm.

I picked up the cup. Clumps of instant coffee sat undissolved at the bottom.

Bitterness rose in my chest.

When Sophia had been followed by a strange car, I hadn't waited for security. I'd gone after her myself and forced the car off the road.

I was injured and spent a week in the hospital.

"I can shut down the school. But if that car comes back, how will you protect Sophia?"

She fell silent, then shook her head. She had no answer.

She didn't know how deeply the D'Angelos hated us. She didn't know how many names were on their hit list or how much danger was hiding beneath the school's peaceful surface.

I understood. She had chosen Vera's side.

Not long after she left, my phone started buzzing again.

Matteo texted me. The school had gone viral again.

The photos the widows had leaked were everywhere: classroom layouts, guard shift schedules, side-angle shots of the cars parked behind the school, and a heavily cropped copy of the pickup procedure.

D'Angelo-controlled tabloids pushed the "hostage school" story even harder.

Overnight, I became a deranged control freak in the public eye.

A shipping company suspended operations with us on two routes.

A building materials supplier sent a two-line email. "Internal review still pending. Cooperation on hold."

Then someone knocked on my office door.

Matteo stood in the doorway, his face grim.

"Vera just filed a motion with the Family Council."

"What's in it?"

Matteo hesitated. "She wants your authority suspended while Lorenzo is away. She also wants you removed from the children's trust."

I nodded.

Matteo didn't leave. He struggled for words.

I sighed. "What else?"

"She's also—" His voice dropped. "She's telling outsiders to call her 'the widows' representative.' Some are even calling her the next Donna."

I laughed coldly. I'd expected nothing less.

Chapter 3

The Moretti Family Council meeting began.

At the long table, Vera sat at the center, calm and confident.

Dressed in black, the widows around her whispered to each other, certain they had already won.

A phone sat on a stand above the table, its red camera light glowing. They were already livestreaming.

"She'll give in." Vera sat straight and glanced at Liana and Lucia. "Don Lorenzo's not here. She can't hold up the Family's name on her own.

"As long as she wants to keep her acting authority, she'll have to bow to us in front of the Council."

That was what I walked into.

I took the seat across from Vera.

The phone camera on Vera's side of the table shifted slightly, pointing directly at me.

I smiled.

"I admit the school's rules made many mothers feel trapped.

"Pickups require notice. So do address changes. Family visits need approval.

"I was so focused on protecting the children that I failed to explain why those rules were necessary."

The widows exchanged glances.

Vera smirked. She swept her gaze around the room, unable to hide her triumph.

It was written all over her face. See? Every choice Isabella makes is exactly where I want it.

Someone started clapping. Others quickly joined in.

Excited whispers spread through the room.

I waited for them to settle down.

"I'll respect your decision," I continued. "St. Anna Academy will close permanently once every child has been safely transferred.

"Anyone who wants a regular school can arrange it through the Council.

"Anyone who wants something similar can choose Belmont Academy, as Vera suggested."

Before I finished, the widows erupted in cheers.

Vera turned the camera on herself, raised both hands over her head, and clapped in victory.

The room exploded with applause. A row of women in black rose on the right side of the table. Through the phone camera, it would all be a blur of movement and hands clapping until they turned red.

"One more thing." Vera quickly moved to what she really wanted. "Now that the school's closing, every family should get that other $10,000 back."

She planted both hands on the table and stared at me.

More than twenty pairs of eyes turned my way.

The room fell silent. Only the red light on Vera's phone kept blinking.

"The $20,000 your husbands earned each month was payment for their missions," I said, spacing out every word. "When a member dies, that payment ends. Article 17 of the Family charter makes that clear."

I pulled several documents from my folder and slid them toward the Council.

"The $10,000 you receive now is a survivor's stipend under Article 19.

"It goes directly into your accounts every month. Not a single dollar passes through my hands."

I opened another document and submitted both to the Council at the same time.

On the left were monthly transfer records to the widows, each marked "Stipend - Article 19."

The other showed payments from my personal trust to St. Anna: teacher salaries, buses, security, food, and repairs.

"Similar numbers don't make them the same fund."

Vera stared at the documents.

"That's impossible." Her voice rose. "The school inflated its costs! The guards are already on the payroll. Those walls were built seven years ago.

"You counted the same people twice. Of course you can make the books balance!"

"Matteo."

I cut her off and let Matteo explain.

Matteo stood and opened a box of files.

"These are St. Anna Academy's financial records from the last five years.

"Teacher contracts, security logs, vehicle maintenance records, food invoices. Every original is here."

I turned to the Council. "Audit them yourselves. Bring in an outside firm if you want. I won't interfere."

Across from me, the widows went pale.

"One more thing." I stood. "That $10,000 was never money set aside for any one child. It was the actual per-child cost of the entire protection system: walls, gates, guards, emergency plans, and intelligence checks.

"With the school closed, my personal trust stops paying for it."

I paused.

"So there was never a fund that could hand the widows an extra $10,000. There never was."

This time, the silence was absolute.

The livestream was still running. Comments flew across the screen, but no one cared anymore.

"Then what happens to us?" someone shouted. "Where's the money?"

"If the school's closed, where does my child go?"

"You really expect me to believe she paid for all this out of her own pocket? I don't buy that she's some kind of saint."

Vincent Romano, the Council chairman, slammed his hand on the table.

"The school is no longer the priority. The leaks and public scandal have frozen our port partnership. We're already calculating the losses.

"The Council will also investigate everyone who leaked school records, security schedules, or vehicle information."

He glared at the widows. "Article 34. Anyone responsible for a major security breach loses Family membership.

"Once you're out, you pay for your own security, and your children lose any extra protection."

The lost partnerships had already cut into the Family's revenue.

Forget the stipends being cut. Anyone who had endangered that income would be thrown out of the Family entirely.

The women had come demanding money. Now they were facing expulsion as traitors.

Lucia's lips went white.

Someone grabbed Vera's arm. "Where's the money? You said we'd get it once the school closed."

Another woman spoke with a trembling voice. "An investigation? Did you know this would happen? Did you trick us into getting ourselves kicked out?"

Vera jerked her arm free and slammed the livestreaming phone facedown.

Her face went blank for a moment. Then she pointed at me. "She's trying to scare you.

"When Lorenzo comes back, he'll never let his wife bully the families of his dead brothers."

I leaned back and watched them turn on each other.

Their little alliance was falling apart.

This time, only half the room backed her.

Chapter 4

The office door was closed, but I could still hear the chaos outside.

Someone shouted my name, demanding that I reopen the school.

Others screamed at each other.

A woman's voice rose above the rest. "You're the one who shared that photo first! I told you not to send that shift schedule..."

"Vera! If it comes to a transfer, you're the one paying for it."

Lucia's timid voice followed. "We can't blame everything on Vera..."

"Oh, now you want to play nice? The Donna saved your daughter, and you joined in the shouting just the same!"

Something slammed into the door. Then came the sounds of shoving outside.

Matteo squeezed through the gap and shut the door behind him. The pounding continued outside, now muffled.

"The Council has decided. There'll be an impeachment hearing in 24 hours.

"They won't punish Vera alone. That would look like they're making one widow the scapegoat, and it wouldn't solve the real problem."

I sighed. Just as I'd expected.

The Moretti Family had always been strict about rewards and punishment. They wouldn't ignore a loss this big.

"So what do I need to prove?"

"Who was just complaining. Who made up evidence. Who leaked the children's routes. And who took money from outsiders."

"Then open every financial record and security log from the school," I said.

Dominic Russo, our head of security, spoke up. "Donna, I wouldn't recommend that.

"If we release the children's routes, shift rotations, and vehicle descriptions all at once, we'll hand our enemies as much as the leakers did.

"You'd clear the school's name, but you'd expose every child's movements."

My fingers tapped against the desk. Outside, the shouting grew louder.

Liana kept screaming the same thing. "I just wanted money. I just wanted the money!"

"Here's what we'll do," I told Dominic. "Show each person only the part she took part in.

"If someone leaked a route, show her what that leak caused.

"If someone photographed a vehicle, show her who started following it afterward.

"We don't expose every child at once. Each woman sees only the damage she caused."

Dominic nodded. "That'll work. I'll handle it."

"One more thing." He showed me his phone. A list of seven or eight names, all followed by the same school: Belmont Academy.

"On Vera's orders, these mothers refused our transfer escort. They've already given Belmont their children's names, home addresses, and regular pickup times."

My head started pounding at the security risk they'd created.

"Are our people still watching them?"

"Per protocol, we pulled them back."

"Reinstate the detail. Follow from a distance. Stay out of their line of sight, and don't let them know anyone's there. Thirty days of transitional protection starting today, then pull out."

Dominic nodded and left.

Matteo, who had been listening to all of this, stepped forward. "Should we contact Don Lorenzo and ask him to come back?"

"No."

"What about the Council..."

I cut him off. "Lorenzo left the Family in my hands. That makes this my problem. I'll settle it before I hand his authority back."

The desk phone rang. It was the Council secretary.

"Donna, I'm confirming once more. You have 24 hours before the impeachment vote. If no new proposal is submitted by eight tomorrow evening, we'll proceed with the motion against Vera."

I hung up and turned to Matteo.

"Withdraw the motion against Vera alone.

"I want everyone to make their own choice." My voice hardened. "Give each woman her own file. Then tell them they can correct the lies they've told, or keep carrying the consequences for Vera."

"But there are only 24 hours left," Matteo said.

"Then we'll hold a hearing tomorrow morning. One last chance. This time, I'm not the one who should be worried."