"You've been manipulated," Adam finally muttered, unable to hold back the disbelief knotting his chest. He could not understand how a woman would willingly risk her life for a man who had abandoned his own children.
"I don't think so," she replied calmly, her voice steady beneath the mask she wore. "You're going to be our leader sooner or later. When you spend more time with us—more time with him—you'll understand."
"Understand what? That he's insane? A mafia lord?" Adam's bitter laugh echoed sharply. "He walked away from me and my sister when we needed him most. We had no idea we even had a family…"
She didn't respond immediately. Instead, her sharp eyes scanned his face, noting every crease of irritation, every trace of a lifetime of frustration carved into his expression.
It struck her then—she had never lived with that kind of hurt.
"You can't blame your parents outright," she said softly. "It must have been a painful choice."
