Giuseppe stood, his body slightly stiff from his arthritis. But he was still an imposing man, and meaner than ever in his advancing age. I left Nora, accompanying him as we strolled out of the ballroom and down the hall toward my father’s study.

When the door shut behind us, Giuseppe rounded on me. “You little shit.”

I strolled to the drinks cabinet and snagged the decanter, pouring a glass of whiskey for myself and then one for him. I held it out to him with my brows lifted, refusing to reply when he spewed insults.

His thin lips pulled back in a sneer, and he crossed his arms over his chest, denying my offering of civility. I shrugged and placed the glass back on the cabinet before sipping at my own drink, as though this was a casual meeting between old friends.

I settled down in a burgundy leather armchair and swirled the amber liquid in my glass. “I’m willing to forgive your betrayal,” I drawled, careful to keep the rage from my tone. Anger would make me appear weak, and if I succumbed to my hatred, I might attack the bastard. My loathing was far older than just a day; his sins against me ran deep, and I’d hated him for years.

“Your daughter is mine,” I continued, calm and reasonable. I always had careful control of my emotions, and that long practice served me well now. It was what would make me a good boss, a strong leader. I wouldn’t become erratic and unpredictable like Dante. Respect could be inspired by stability, not sadism.

My fingers clenched around my glass at the thought of Dante, my rival. The motherfucker.

I smoothed away my scowl before it could twist my lips and kept my full attention on Giuseppe.

“Your scheme with Dante is over,” I declared. “Your loyalty lies with me. We’ll put this behind us and move forward as a true family. After all, you’re my father-in-law now.”

“You’re not fit to take your father’s place,” Giuseppe seethed, gnarled fingers curling at his sides.

“No, you just don’t want me to because you think I’ll eliminate you at the first opportunity.” My hands itched with the keen desire to wrap around his neck and do just that. “But we’re allied now, whether you like it or not. I won’t kill a member of my family, and you won’t defy me again.”

His hazel eyes narrowed. “Or what? What will you do? Brutalize my daughter?” He shrugged, and my fists clenched with the need to strangle him.

Did he truly not care if I beat Nora?

No, the old bastard didn’t give a shit if I hurt her. I should’ve known. After the way he’d treated my mother, I knew the motherfucker was callous and cruel. I just hadn’t expected that indifference to extend to his own flesh and blood.