Chapter 8 - Stripping the Ice Queen's Crown
Valentina jumped to her feet, knocking her crystal glass to the floor, where it shattered into a hundred jagged pieces. "You are throwing me away for her? Look at her! She’s a broken, penniless nobody! She cleaned my toilets! She ironed my clothes! I am a Ricci! I was born to sit at this table!"
Luca didn't flinch. He looked at Valentina as if she were a stain on his driveway.
"You were born with a silver spoon and the soul of a hyena," Luca said coldly. "You walked into my home, terrorized my staff, framed an innocent woman, and attempted to murder her on Christmas Eve because you were terrified that she possessed something you could never buy with all your father’s stolen money."
"What could she possibly have that I don't?" Valentina spat, tears of pure humiliation ruining her expensive mascara.
"A heart," Luca replied simply. "Dignity. And my respect."
Luca turned to Gianni. "Strip them of their coats."
Silvio’s jaw dropped. "What? Luca, have you lost your senses? There is a blizzard outside! It's minus twenty degrees!"
"You were comfortable sending a twenty-two-year-old girl into the dark without a sweater," Luca said, his voice entirely devoid of mercy. "I am being generous. I am leaving you your shoes."
Gianni and three enforcers stepped forward. With rough, efficient movements, they stripped Don Silvio and Valentina of their heavy fur coats, their jewelry, and their mobile devices, tossing the luxury garments into the blazing fireplace. The mink and fox fur caught fire instantly, filling the air with the sharp crackle of burning wealth.
"Walk," Luca commanded, pointing toward the main entrance. "The mountain road is five miles to the nearest public highway. If you start walking now, you might reach a gas station before hypothermia sets in. If I see your vehicles on my private drive after ten minutes, my men will open fire."
"My father will destroy you for this!" Valentina screamed as she was dragged toward the front doors by her elbows, her teeth already chattering as the freezing draft from the foyer hit her bare shoulders. "You hear me, Luca? You will pay for this!"
The massive oak front doors swung open, letting in a swirl of howling white snow.
With two decisive shoves, the enforcers pushed Don Silvio Ricci and his disgraced daughter out onto the frozen marble portico, slamming the reinforced doors shut behind them and throwing the heavy deadbolts into place.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Luca turned back to the remaining captains in the room. His gaze swept over each of them, challenging any man present to utter a single word of dissent. None did. Every man in the room lowered his head in absolute, terrified submission to the true master of the house.
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"The party is over," Luca told them quietly. "Go home to your families. And remember what happens to anyone who forgets who owns this house."
Within ten minutes, the grand ballroom was entirely empty, leaving only the warmth of the fire, the quiet hum of the estate, and two people sitting together in the stillness.
