Rafa looks up from his laptop. I shift my weight, watching Elena carefully.
"You're sure?" Vito asks. "Because once we agree to this, there's no going back."
"I know. But he wasn't part of what happened to me. Ronan confirmed that. Liam opposed his father's methods. Wanted peace." Elena's voice is steady. Certain. "Starting a war that kills dozens of our people just for revenge against an organization that's already broken doesn't make sense. Liam can give us everything we need to dismantle what's left of the Costellos and rebuild them as a trusted ally. That's smarter than bloodshed."
Pride swells in my chest. This is the Elena I know—strategic, intelligent, seeing the bigger picture.
"What about the men who hurt you?" Vito presses. "The ones who worked with Ronan?"
"Liam gives us their names as part of the deal. We hunt them down. Every single one." Her eyes turn cold. "They don't get to walk away."
"Agreed." Vito leans back in his chair. "And your father?"
Elena's expression doesn't change but I see her fingers tighten slightly on the armrest.
"I don't need to see him," she says finally.
I blink. That's not what I expected.
"You don't want to confront him? After everything he's done?"
"No." She shakes her head. "He's not my father anymore. He's just a man who shares my blood. A coward who used me as a shield." She looks at Vito. "I don't want him killed. But I don't want him here either."
Vito's eyebrows rise. "You want him exiled."
"I want him sent somewhere he can never come back. Somewhere he can't hurt anyone else I care about." Her voice softens slightly. "Out of respect for my mother's memory, that's the only thing I ask. Let him live but make sure he's gone. From now on, I'd like to officially adopt my mother's maiden name."
The room is silent for a moment.
Then Vito smiles. Actually smiles. "That's a wise decision, Elena. Mature. Strategic." He stands and walks around the desk. "Your mother would be proud of you."
Elena's eyes shimmer but she doesn't cry. Just nods.
"I'll arrange for Elio's exile. Eastern Europe, probably. Somewhere the Rosso name still carries weight. He'll be watched. If he ever tries to return or contact you, he's dead." Vito places a hand on her shoulder. She doesn't flinch. "Is that acceptable?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"Don't thank me. You're family. This is what family does." He gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze before returning to his desk. "Rafa and I will handle communication with Liam. Set up the meeting. Negotiate terms."
Elena stands. "Thank you, Vito."
"Marco." Vito's voice stops me as I start to follow her out. "Stay a moment."
Elena glances back at me. I nod. "I'll be right behind you."
She slips out, closing the door behind her.
Vito waits until her footsteps fade before speaking. "She's stronger than I gave her credit for."
"She always has been. She just needed time to remember that."
Vito's gaze sharpens. He leans back in his chair with that familiar mix of mentor and Don—the man who pulled me from the streets at twenty and made me his right hand.
"Back in the car outside her place, you admitted you had feelings for her. Complicated ones." His fingers drum the desk. "I let it slide because we were in the thick of it. Threats piling up. Rina's pregnancy weighing on everything. But now she's healing under your roof and this war's still live. That's not a complication anymore. That's a commitment."
I meet his eyes. No point in denying it. "It is."
He nods slowly like he's been waiting for me to catch up. "Good. Because if you're all in—protecting her, loving her through the wreckage—then you're not just my consigliere anymore. You're family. That means the lines blur. My trust in you doesn't waver, Marco, but the risks do. One wrong move from the Irish, one slip in your focus, and it's not just the organization that bleeds. It's her. It's you."
