Page 20 of Crowned By the Mafia Billionaires

I blow out a breath. “If it’s up to me, she won’t be for long.”

Dad freezes, and his eyes lock on mine. “What did you just say?”

I slowly stand up. I have never defied my father, but I’m not backing down on this. “I’m marrying Audrey.”

His face turns hard. “No, you’re not.”

“Father.”

“No.” He points toward me. “There are thousands of women in this city. Hell, you can have any woman you want, and you choose Victor Sterling’s daughter?”

I lift my chin. “I didn’t choose her because she’s his daughter.”

He doesn’t get it. He keeps shaking his head. “That doesn’t change who she is.”

I blurt out, “It changes everything.”

He shakes his head. “You don’t know what she’s capable of.”

I nod with complete confidence. I know exactly who she is and what she’s capable of. “Yes, I do.”

He waves his hand in front of himself. “You’ve known her a few months.”

I stand taller. “And in those few months, she’s risked her life helping us.”

His jaw tightens.

Before he continues, I keep my voice level and tell him, “You trust me to take over this family.”

He doesn’t answer. He just stares at me.

I hold up a finger and start to rattle off a list. “You trust me with our businesses. Our men. Our money. You trust me to make decisions that affect every person who carries the Kingston name.”

He shrugs. “That's different.”

I shake my head. “No, it isn't.” I take a step toward him. “If you trust me to take over everything you built, then you have to trust me to choose the woman who’ll stand beside me.”

He stares at me, and I don't look away. “Dad, I didn't come to this decision lightly.” I lift my chin. “I want to marry her.”

Dad drags a hand over his face. “You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me.”

I almost smile. I knew this would be hard for him to take, and honestly, it’s going better than I imagined it would.

He points at me. “Do you even understand what this means? If you marry her, every enemy the Sterlings have will become ours.”

I shrug. “They already are.”

“Victor will lose his fucking mind.”

My jaw tightens. “Good.”

Dad stares at me for a long second. “People won’t accept her.”

I take another step toward him. “They will if you and I tell them to and enforce it.”

He looks so surprised that he just keeps shaking his head. “You're serious about this? You want to marry Audrey Sterling?”

“I’m going to marry her, Dad. She’s the one I’ve chosen, and if you want me to be the head of the company and everything that entails, I get to choose the woman that stands beside me.”