Tears streamed down her face, but her voice did not falter.
"And when your brother lost his crew and his wife walked out on him? Seraphina begged her father to help. Don Salvatore gave your brother a position. Caporegime of his own territory. Full protection. A seat at the table. We lifted your entire bloodline up."
Her voice broke on the last words.
"We treated you like family… and this… this is how you repay us?"
A heavy silence fell over the hall. Somewhere in the back, a glass was set down with exaggerated care, as though even the clink of crystal would be an obscenity.
Nico let out a short, humorless laugh, his expression turning impatient. He tugged the cuff of his left sleeve down over his wrist.
"Why are you bringing up the past?" he said dismissively. "That has nothing to do with what's happening now."
Then he turned his attention back to me, his gaze sharp.
"Well, Seraphina?" he said. "Are you just going to stand there and stare at the agreement?"
A slow, mocking smirk spread across his face.
"Not like it'll make any difference if you don't sign," he added. "The territory's already been transferred to the kids. There's barely a few hundred left in our joint accounts."