Chapter 1

I spent fourteen months on the port project. No weekends.

No holidays. Three straight weeks sleeping on a cot in the control room.

At the celebration ceremony, Sofia, the Caporegime, scratched my name off the contributor list in front of everyone.

"Marlena, you're young. There will be other opportunities."

She took the million-dollar bonus and the Underboss nomination for herself.

I didn't fight back. Instead, I handed her the lifetime liability charter and watched her sign it.

Three days later, in front of the Council, the system collapsed.

Trial version expired. My little gift buried deep in the code had detonated.

She screamed that I set her up. I smiled.

"That signature on the liability charter? It says your name. Embezzlement. Fraud. Five million in losses. All yours."

......

End of year. The Gambino Family Celebration Ceremony.

The port project was finally complete.

I had poured fourteen months of my life into it, no weekends, no holidays.

During the hardest stretch, I had slept on a cot in the control room for three weeks straight just to push it through final inspection.

The ceremony hall blazed with light. Everyone was clapping, toasting, slapping my shoulder.

"Marlena, hell of a job. Couldn't have pulled this off without you."

I smiled and started toward the podium to give my speech.

But Sofia, the Caporegime, snatched the microphone from my hand. She took a pen and, in front of the entire room, scratched my name off the contributor list.

"Don't misunderstand, everyone. Marlena was just running errands for me. The core of this project was all my sweat, all my late nights."

"Marlena, you're still young. There will be other opportunities. As for the million dollar bonus and the Underboss nomination this time, I won't be modest about taking them."

She held my gaze, daring me to push back. Around us, my colleagues cast sympathetic glances my way.

Someone whispered, "Sofia's being way too blatant."

Another voice said, "She deserves it. If you don't fight for yourself, you're just asking to be walked on. Who can you blame?"

I didn't argue.

Sofia had shown up to this project exactly three times.

The first time was the groundbreaking ceremony, where she stood in the front row for a photo.

The second time was a progress meeting. She arrived forty minutes late, sat down for a cup of coffee, and left.

The third time was tonight.

Everyone waited to see how I would react.

Instead of fighting back, I handed her the project's lifetime liability charter with both hands.

"Sofia, you're absolutely right. More responsibility for the more capable. That means the final approval signature on the project should be yours as well."

Sofia paused for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction and signed her name without hesitation.

As soon as the celebration ended, she stormed into my office with her people.

"Marlena, you're just a runner. You don't deserve this office anymore."

She had them stuff my belongings into cardboard boxes.

Papers scattered across the floor. Picture frames shattered.

"The supply closet at the end of the hall has decent Wi-Fi. You can work there."

She looked down at me. "Not like you're useful anymore."

I watched my things get tossed into the trash. My hands tightened.

"Sofia, was that really necessary?"

She laughed, her crimson nail pressing into the center of my chest.

"Too far? This is just how the game works. No connections, no protection. You're nobody. And nobodies get stepped on. That's not cruelty, that's the rules."

Just then, the wide announcement blared through the speakers.

A commendation from the Don.

All credit for the port project had been awarded to Sofia alone.

The million dollar bonus. The Underboss nomination. All hers.

The same colleagues who had pitied me moments ago switched sides instantly.

"Congratulations! Well deserved!"

"See? A project like this needs a Capo at the helm. Marlena never had what it takes."

They swarmed around her, handing her drinks and lighting her cigarettes, trampling me to lift her higher.

Sofia shot me a triumphant look. She announced that drinks were on her tonight.

Then she walked right up to me and slammed a scalding hot espresso onto the corner of my desk.

Coffee splashed across my hand, leaving a red burn.

"Marlena, stick to this. Cool yourself down. Don't let jealousy eat you up."

Laughter erupted around me.

I said nothing. I quietly wiped the coffee from my skin.

I pulled out my phone and wired a generous cut straight into the Family group chat.

The message read: Congratulations to Sofia on her promotion to Underboss!

The group went silent for a moment, then exploded with people grabbing the money.

Sofia glanced at her phone and smirked.

"At least you know your place."

She warned me: "Keep your mouth shut, do what you're told, and I'll make sure you're taken care of."

I immediately bowed my head, my face full of respect.

"Of course, Sofia. You have my word. Oh, and here is the final project transfer document. All the accounts and details are inside. Just need your signature."

I handed her a thick stack of papers, dense with financial records and progress logs for the dock project.

Sofia didn't even glance at it. She was too drunk on her own rise.

She took the pen and signed her name without a second thought.

"Don't bother me with this small stuff anymore. I'm the Gambino Family's second in command now."

I looked down at her signature. The corners of my mouth curled upward.

That wasn't just a transfer document.

That was a death warrant confirming her as the project's sole responsible party.

With her name on that page, any problem that came out of this project would fall on her and her alone.