Page 42 of They Found Us
“Vanna. My daughter. This is too much.” She cries.
Vanna moves us out from behind us to stand in front of her mother, uncle, and the guards.
“I am Giovanna Martelé. The organisation was left to me when my father was murdered. This is my birthright, my destiny. I am the heir, the last of the true immediate bloodline. You will bow to me.”
“Never!” Uncle Joe shouts and lunges for Vanna, but this time, it’s the Martelé guards that get to Vanna first, grabbing her uncle by the arms and throwing him to the floor.
“How dare you lay your hands on me. You will pay for that!” Joe shouts.
“Oh, but they won’t.” Vanna nods in thanks to the guards.
Van appears from behind me and hands Vanna a bag.
She takes it and reaches inside. “Here are your phones. If you’d like to check your bank balances, I think you will find it very interesting.”
Both of Vanna’s relatives take their phones, as do the guards. After a moment, the guards look very pleased with what they see, showing one another their devices.
“I can’t get on it. It says ‘account suspended.’” Bea continues to put in her password as though it might change.
“Mine too.”
“Yes, dear uncle—yours too. Both of your accounts have been closed. Your access to all of the Martelé businesses, legit and underworld, have been terminated. You have nothing. Guards, you have been paid a well-overdue bonus. Every worker has. If you comply with the future changes, you will again be compensated and continue to be while working under my reign,” Vanna continues.
Marco and I look at each other. I had no idea the takeover was already in progress. This must have been what Alex and Vanna wanted to sort out before they came. I’m annoyed I wasn’t told about this before we came. I thought it would be Alex making all the decisions and that he was the one who I would have my work cut out with, but it looks like it’s actually Vanna who is pulling all the strings. Vanna is taking over the Martelé as a Martelé, and my brother is at her side. I cannot get my head around what is happening.
“Vanna, please, can I speak to you alone?” her mother asks gently.
“No. You cannot. I will be arranging meetings with each of you, but at my convenience. For now, you can return to your homes. But I own the houses, and I will be using them how I decide.”
“Bitch!” Uncle Joe goes for her again, and this time he is met with crack to the face by a Martelé guard. He drops to his knees, holding his face. It looks like Vanna has them under her control already.
“Make no mistake. This is happening, and unless I have your complete cooperation, you will be out, completely cut off.I’ll give you twenty-four hours to get your head around it or to try and find a way to stop me, which you can’t. Then we will meet back here, and I will go through my plans.”
The Martelé guards help Uncle Joe to his feet and escort him and Vanna’s mother out of the building.
When they have gone, Vanna breathes a sigh of relief, and her persona relaxes slightly. I’m still in shock over what I have just witnessed. The Vanna I have seen here tonight is a completely different version of the one I met on the island.
“You were amazing.” Alex kisses Vanna’s head.
“Hold on a minute. What the fuck was that?” Marco booms. “Why were we not told this information before we came?”
“We weren’t sure how we were going to play it. But when I saw my uncle and mother and how they reacted, I thought, fuck it, I’m taking it all.”
“So, you are now the head of the Martelé, our arch enemy?” Marco scoffs.
“Yes, Marco I am.” Vanna smirks proudly.
What the hell is going on here?
“Scotch, anyone?” Van asks. He has a habit of appearing out of nowhere.
“Give me that.” Marco takes the bottle from his hand and grabs a glass from a nearby cabinet. He pours himself a shot, downs it, then pours himself another and downs that too. “What are these plans that you are going to go through with them tomorrow?” Marco is very agitated. He doesn’t like not being kept in the loop. It makes him not trust people.
“How the structure will change, what deals we will be terminating, and the different connections we will now be working with.”
“Connections, what connections?” I ask, confused as to how they have any new connections. It seems Katie was right. Alex may be my brother, but I do not know him or his wife at all. “Actually, don’t answer that. I’ve had enough surprises for one day. Come on, Marco. Let’s go home.”
Van appears again out of the darkness. “There’s some trouble outside. Don’t leave yet.”
