"But the alliance with the Marcellos—"
"Is over," Papa states flatly. He walks to his desk and pours himself a drink with hands that aren't quite steady. "I won't marry my daughter to a man who can't protect her when it matters."
"Then what?" Mama asks, worry evident in every line of her face. "What happens now? What about our position?"
Papa looks at me, studying me for a long moment with those sharp, assessing eyes. "Now," he says slowly, deliberately, "we do what we should have done from the beginning."
"Which is?" I ask, afraid to hope.
"We make you stronger. We give you the tools you need. Liana, I was wrong. About everything."
I blink, certain I misheard. "What?"
"I thought the way to protect you was to marry you to a powerful man. Someone who could take over the family operations when I'm gone. Someone who could keep you safe." He shakes his head, and I see genuine regret in his expression. "But I was wrong. You don't need a man to protect you. You need to be strong enough to protect yourself."
"Papa—"
"You proved that tonight beyond any doubt." He walks over and puts his hands on my shoulders, his grip gentle despite his intensity. "You were kidnapped. Tied up. Held at gunpoint by dangerous men. And you got yourself out using everything I taught you. Because you're smart. Because you're strong. Because you're a Costa."
Tears prick my eyes, threatening to fall.
"So that's what we're going to do now," he continues. "We're going to keep making you stronger. You and Gia both."
Gia straightens, surprise evident on her face. "Both?"
"Both." Papa turns to her. "I've been a fool. I have two brilliant daughters. Why would I hand everything over to a stranger when I have you two?"
"You mean—" I can barely breathe, afraid to believe what I'm hearing. "You want me to take over the family?"
"I want you to run this family." Papa's voice is firm and certain. "Not someday when you're older. Not eventually when I retire. Now. Starting tomorrow, you're my second-in-command. You'll sit in on every meeting. Handle negotiations. Run operations alongside me."
This is what I wanted. What I've been fighting for since the engagement was announced.
"And me?" Gia asks quietly, hope creeping into her voice.
"You'll learn too. Everything Liana knows, you'll learn." Papa looks between us with something like pride. "Both of you will be ready. Both of you will be capable. And when I'm gone, you'll run this family together."
Mama makes a small sound of protest. "Dominic, this is—"
"The right thing," he finishes firmly. "I should have done it years ago instead of looking for a husband to take over." He walks back to his desk and pulls out a thick folder. "But," he says, and my heart sinks at the word, "after tonight, things have changed in ways we need to address."
"What do you mean?" I ask warily.
"The Benedettis tried to take you once. They'll try again—they can't let this failure stand." He opens the folder, revealing documents inside. "We called off the alliance with the Marcellos. Which means we've lost their protection and their military strength. We're vulnerable right now in ways we haven't been in years."
"We can handle ourselves," I argue immediately. "You know we can."
"I know you can. You proved that tonight without question." Papa's voice softens slightly. "I'm not taking any more chances with either of my daughters. Not after what almost happened."
"Papa—"
"I'm assigning you bodyguards." His tone makes it clear this isn't up for discussion. "Two of them. They'll be with you at all times, everywhere you go."
"No." I stand abruptly. "Absolutely not. I don't need babysitters—"
"Yes, you do." Papa's face is stern, his Don face. "Liana, I'm proud of you. I'm proud of how you handled yourselftonight. But you got lucky in some ways. If things had gone differently—"
"They didn't."
