Page 267 of Merciless Daddy

Higher.

“And to Marco, who stole three bottles of my good wine before the doors opened.”

Marco put a hand to his chest.

“Slander.”

“I counted.”

“You can count? Congratulations, cugino.”

The room broke apart in laughter.

Tonio sat down, wiping both eyes and pretending he had something in them.

Then Sal stood.

My body tightened. He had not told me he would speak.

Of course he had not. The man had been suspicious since breakfast and seemed to be enjoying it.

The room quieted faster for him.

Sal did not lift his glass at once.

“When Mezza Notte closed,” he said, “the staff lost wages before insurance released a dollar. Suppliers faced unpaid invoices. Other businesses tied to ours were attacked through debt, frozen accounts, and false claims.”

He looked toward me.

I went still.

“Yelena’s relief fund kept every displaced employee paid.”

Faces turned.

Heat climbed my throat.

“Her restructuring prevented Gianni from reaching the operating accounts of this restaurant, Filoxenia, and four other businesses. Her employee protections kept families from losing their income while our enemies tried to make suffering expensive enough to force surrender.”

Sal’s gaze stayed on mine.

“When I met Yelena, I believed she was a point of leverage.”

The honesty struck cleanly.

“I was wrong. She was never a piece on our board. She understood the board better than any of us.”

A few people looked at Serafina. She nodded once.

Sal continued.

“People will tell the story of how we brought Yelena out of Gianni’s facility. That story is true. It is not the whole truth.”

His eyes had gone bright.

“She saved part of this family before we reached her.”

The room blurred.