Chapter 34: Father’s Will{2}
"To not waste any time—mine and yours—I bequeath half of all my assets and territory to Carmen, my lovely daughter," Gordon read, and I should have been relieved. No—I should have rejoiced, but there was no reason to be.
How was I supposed to share half of a mafia don’s title with someone? What Father was indirectly asking for was a bloodbath between two people, and the winner would rule by right of conquest.
"...the other half will be given to whosoever finds the identity of my killer and kills them. Whosoever pulls the trigger. After that, they can go ahead and duke it out with Carmen," Gordon continued, and it took everything in me to remain unmoving in my seat as his voice carried through the room.
"...whosoever wins gets the entire territory. Good luck, Carmen! I’m rooting for you," Gordon finished, stretching out the paper and placing it on the table in the sitting room where we all sat, leaving it open for anyone to pick up and examine.
No one moved—until Kade leaned forward and picked it up.
But I couldn’t be bothered.
Fifty percent was mine, which meant that as long as I found the killer—with Nico’s help—the other fifty percent would be mine too. Easy, right? I thought, even though I knew "easy" was the last thing I should expect.
Bianca hadn’t spoken since Gordon began reading, and even after he finished, she simply sat there, almost like she was lost in thought—if not for her eyes, which kept flickering toward Kade, then to Nico and me.
There was a fierceness in her gaze that made it clear she didn’t think she had lost. A slow smile slid across her face as she met my eyes. Then she stood, walking straight toward me and stopping right in front of where I sat.
"May the best woman win," she said, chin lifted proudly, shoulders squared, already about to turn and leave—but I wasn’t about to let her.
I didn’t stand. I spoke from where I sat beside Nico, who looked completely unbothered by everything happening.
"I’ll need you to vacate the premises of the Castillo estate," I told her directly, satisfied to wipe that calm, confident look off her face. "...it’s mine."
Her head snapped to the side, glaring at me, her words sharp as blades.
"Until you own everything, you can shove your fifty percent up your ass!"
Her outburst had barely settled when Gordon spoke again, tearing open another folder and walking toward us with a fresh document in his hands.
"Navarro Castillo had already chosen which parts belong to Carmen," he said, stretching the paper out for me to take.
But Bianca snatched it right from his hand, her eyes scanning the list like it was something she needed to destroy.
Then she flung the paper back at Gordon, glaring at me with all the hatred her eyes could hold—never sparing Nico a glance.
"...you’ll regret this!" she swore before striding off.
Kade instantly got up and followed her. I ignored them both.
I took the paper from Gordon, who handed it over easily, and my eyes moved down the list of assets I now controlled—while the rest could still be managed by Bianca, especially since she was his wife and a successor had yet to fully take over.
"She has the right to control it until the other half of your father’s will is completed," Gordon added, tapping his slightly bulging stomach, a satisfied look resting in his eyes.
I still couldn’t understand how a man like him couldn’t be swayed—considering the rumors surrounding his many indulgences, from women to alcohol.
"Thank you. We’ll take our leave," I said.
Gordon nodded.
Nico stood and shook his hand. They didn’t speak, but something passed between them—an unspoken agreement—as Nico gave a slight nod, and Gordon returned it.
There was no reason to stay any longer.
We left, heading back to the car. Nico followed behind me, the bodyguards moving in sync—some getting into the car ahead, others behind us.
"We’re heading to the company?" I asked, glancing at him. It wasn’t the weekend—it was Friday—and we usually worked together.
"Is that what you wanted to ask me?" Nico replied with a low chuckle, clearly amused by my hesitation.
"Have you found more clues about the person behind the girl... the one who tried to kill us?" I asked.
I wasn’t happy to see him shake his head.
"Her mother was indeed sick. I also found out she herself was even sicker—with no money," Nico said. "Apart from that, I know nothing more."
"Whosoever sent them has been extremely careful," he added.
I nodded. I knew he was doing his best—but it only fueled my determination to find Father’s killer before Bianca did.
I did not want to fight her for his territory.
"We should eat," Nico muttered under his breath.
That alone made me uneasy.
The last thing I wanted was for whoever had tried to kill him to make another attempt.
"It’ll be fine," he whispered, his voice calm, filled with confidence. "...whoever they are, I don’t think they’ll try again for a while."
I shook my head, refusing to let my guard down as the car came to a stop in front of a rooftop lounge.
We stepped out and walked inside together.
We had barely reached the foyer when, almost at the same time, my gaze was drawn to the large screen mounted on the wall.
An explosion.
It played on repeat—fire raging through one of the most luxurious parts of the city.
What shocked me the most was the location.
The estate belonged to John Gotti—the man in charge of the southern district.
I turned to Nico, shock written all over my face, only to find his eyes already locked onto the screen.
The news report detailed how massive and devastating the fire was. Authorities had yet to determine the cause.
Nico’s brows furrowed, a frown creeping onto his face. He muttered under his breath, irritation clear in his voice.
"...at least now we know why they would ignore us for a while..."
But the bigger question remained—
Was John Gotti dead?
If he was... then things were about to go from bad to worse.
