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8

Vivienne's pov

Carlo spat at the ground “You’re not fit to run this family. You’re just a little girl playing at being boss.”

I let out a slow breath, my anger was rising, but I didn’t let it show. Losing control here would defeat the purpose. Instead, I knelt in front of him“You think I’m weak because I’m a woman?” I asked softly. “You think you can betray me and get away with it?”

He didn’t respond, but the silence was enough.

Tomas, one of men, handed me a metal rod. It was cold and heavy in my hand. I stood back up, holding it slowly between my fingers as I took a few steps back.

“You thought you could cross me and live,” I continued, walking in slow circles around him. “You thought because I wasn’t my father, you could do whatever you wanted.”

I slammed the rod down onto Carlo’s left hand, crushing the bones beneath it. He screamed and the sound of the bones cracking filled the air. The men flinched, but no one stepped forward. They knew this had to be done.

“Your father would never have let it come to this,” Carlo gasped, his voice filled with pain. "You’re weak You don’t belong here.”

I struck him again with the rod his time on the other hand, silencing him immediately. He shouted in agony, his hands were useless now but still he managed to glare up at me. The pain was starting to wear down his stubbornness but his pride hadn’t shattered yet.

I put the rod down and signaled to Tomas. “Bring the chair.”

Tomas nodded and brought over a simple wooden chair. I had chosen it for a reason—it wasn’t a quick death Carlo was going to receive. Not after everything he’d done. Tomas and another man forced Carlo into the chair, tying him down so he couldn’t move.

I stepped forward again, this time holding a pair of pliers in my hand. “You seem to think that I need to prove myself,” I said forcing him to look at me. “So let me show you how wrong you are.”

Without another word, I used the pliers to grip one of his fingers, yanking one of the fingers off. Carlo’s scream echoed across the docks, a sound that sent a shiver through the men watching. He struggled against the ropes, but it was no use. He was tied too tight to get free.

“You see,” I continued, moving to the next hand“what you’ve done is much worse than betray me. You’ve made a fool of this family. You’ve put everything we’ve built at risk. And for what? Money? Power?”

“Respect,” Carlo gasped. “I deserve respect, not to be ruled by a woman like you .”

I tore another finger free, watching him shout in pain. “ I agree,Respect is earned,” I said, my voice cold. “And you? You’ve earned nothing but this.”

The third fingers came off slower, blood dripping from his fingertips as his screams grew weaker, his strength was draining with each passing second. I knew the pain was becoming unbearable, but I wasn’t finished. Not yet.

I grabbed the pliers again, this time gripping his ear. The ear cracked as I slowly began to tear it from his head. Carlo’s eyes widened as he struggled to desperately try to escape the torture. But there was no way out.

“You wanted to be a part of this life,” I said “You wanted power, respect. This is the price you pay when you cross me.”

By the time I ripped the ear fully from his head, he was barely conscious. Blood poured down the side of his face, his body was shaking uncontrollably. The men watching were stone-faced, but I could feel their unease. But I had to make sure they knew I wasn’t afraid to do what had to be done.

I dropped the bloodied piece of flesh onto the ground in front of him, watching as Carlo struggled to lift his head “You thought I was weak?” I asked“Does this seem weak to you?”

He didn’t answer, he was breathing very weakly.

I picked up the rod again, walking slowly around the chair. “You thought you could question my authority just because I was a woman?” I slammed the rod into his ribs, hearing the satisfying crack of bones. Carlo screamed again, louder this time,

“I gave you everything” I snarled “I treated you better than my father did and you sold me out like I was nothing.”

Another blow again and body slumped forward as he coughed up blood. But I wasn’t done.

I knelt down beside him, grabbing his chin again and forcing him to look at me. “This is what happens to traitors. You thought I wouldn’t find out? You thought you could just walk away after betraying me?”

Carlo’s voice was barely audible, As blood dripped from his mouth. “You’ll never be your father,” he muttered. “You’re just a scared little girl.”

That was the last straw.

I raised the rod one final time and brought it down on his head. Blood sprayed across the floor and his body fell limp in the chair.

I stood up, breathing heavily.

“Clean this up,” I ordered Marisol, tossing the rod aside. Then I looked around at my men “Let this be a lesson to all of you. No one betrays me. Not without paying the price.”

I could sense the change in the air—the uncertainty, the respect slowly building among them. I didn’t want just fear; I wanted loyalty, and this was how I would earn it. Step by step as the Ruler of this family.

Marisol stepped forward, a look of determination was on her face as she began to clean up the blood, not flinching at the gruesome task. “You did what needed to be done,” she said quietly, not looking up from her work.

I nodded but said nothing. This was my world now, and I would not shy away from the darkness it required.

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