Chapter 8 8

Isabella POV

Eleanor's silver wolf-headed cane struck the floor one final time. The heavy thud echoed through the dead silence of the Moretti estate's corridor, a definitive period at the end of a bloody sentence. Her icy gaze swept over the ashen faces of Gina and Caitlin, before finally settling on Francesca Gallo, whose mocking smirk had completely vanished.

"We have seen enough of the Moretti family's theatrics," Eleanor stated, her voice a clear, authoritative whip that demanded absolute submission. "The Carson family will clean up its own traitors."

She didn't give Caterina or anyone else a chance to speak. She turned to the Carson soldiers flanking us. "Take them away."

The drive back to the secure suite at the Carson-controlled hotel in downtown Chicago was suffocatingly silent. The moment the heavy double doors of the suite clicked shut, sealing us away from the blizzard outside, the illusion of family shattered completely.

Caitlin violently wrenched herself free from the soldiers' grip. She threw herself onto the plush carpet, crawling toward Eleanor's feet like a madwoman.

"It was a trap! She set me up!" Caitlin shrieked, her tear-streaked face twisting with pure venom as she pointed a trembling finger at me. "She wants to ruin me! She's a lying bitch!"

I didn't flinch. I stood perfectly still, looking down at the pathetic, ruined creature she had become. As she lunged toward me, spewing vile curses, I simply tilted my head.

"Tell me, Caitlin," I asked, my voice eerily calm against her hysteria. "Did you lose because you are stupid, or because you betrayed Carson blood?"

The words stripped away her last defense. Caitlin let out a guttural, hysterical scream, thrashing wildly on the floor.

"Enough!" Eleanor roared, her voice shaking the crystal chandelier above us. "One more word of disrespect toward Isabella, and you will not just face exile. I will hand you over to the Enforcers for *punishment*."

The threat of the Enforcers-the family's brutal torturers-made the room freeze. But the silence was broken by a sharp, vicious *smack*.

Aunt Gina had lunged forward, but not to comfort her daughter. She struck Caitlin across the face with all her might. Grabbing a fistful of Caitlin's tangled red hair, Gina yanked her head back.

"You stupid girl!" Gina hissed, her face contorted in a desperate, ruthless bid for survival. "You ruined yourself, and now you want to drag your sister Bridget down with you? Her marriage to the Gallo family will not be destroyed by your filth!"

Gina forced the stunned, sobbing Caitlin to her knees. Looking up at Eleanor, Gina raised her right hand, her eyes wide with feigned righteousness. "I swear on my life, Mother Eleanor. From this day forward, I only have one daughter. Bridget is my only child."

Caitlin's eyes widened in absolute horror. The last light in her eyes died as she realized her own mother had just severed their bloodline to save herself. Eleanor watched the brutal display with cold indifference, silently accepting the sacrifice.

Eleanor pointed her cane toward the heavy oak doors. "Strip her of the Carson name. Take every piece of jewelry, every dime that belongs to this family, and throw her out. From this moment on, Caitlin Carson no longer exists in Chicago."

The soldiers moved in without hesitation. They roughly tore the pearl necklace from Caitlin's throat and dragged her toward the exit. I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, pulling the heavy drapes aside.

Down below, the heavy doors of the hotel opened. I watched as my once-glamorous cousin was shoved out into the unforgiving Chicago blizzard, her torn emerald dress offering no protection against the freezing wind. She collapsed on the snow-covered pavement, her desperate wails swallowed instantly by the howling storm. She was nothing but trash now.

I pressed my fingertips against the freezing glass. Through the swirling snow, I could just make out the distant, glowing lights of the Moretti estate. Caitlin was just a pawn. The real monsters were still breathing in that mansion.

*No, this is just the beginning,* I whispered in my mind, the cold fire of my Vendetta burning brighter than ever. *Marco Moretti... Caterina... all of you. For what you did to my family, to my child... my Vendetta has just begun.*