What the actual fuck.
That's the first clean thought in my head as I stand at the top of the stairs, looking down at a table full of people who look like they're deciding my entire existence like it's a business expansion plan.
I feel something inside me click.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Control.
The kind Adrian taught me without ever saying a word about it.
The kind that doesn't shake even when everything around you is trying to.
So I breathe in once.
And I walk down.
Every step feels deliberate.
No hesitation.
No weakness.
No "recovering patient."
Just Luna Gambino.
I take my seat beside Adrian without asking, like I belong there more than the table itself.
No one stops me.
Interesting.
Adrian doesn't even look surprised. Of course he doesn't. He probably already expected this version of me.
I lean back in the chair.
Cross my legs.
And finally look at them.
The Genovese family.
Zane.
His father.
His grandfather.
His mother.
Zade, who looks like he regrets having functional eyesight right now.
Perfect audience.
I let the silence stretch just enough to make it uncomfortable.
Then I speak.
"I know we were enemies once," I say calmly. "The whole nation knows this arrangement was never love. It was a deal. A settlement."
My gaze shifts slightly.
Not at Zane.
At the table.
"I did my part," I continue. "I agreed to the marriage with Zane Genovese because my brother asked me to."
A pause.
Then I tilt my head slightly.
"But now whatever strategy you are planning… involving me…"
My voice sharpens.
"I am not a puppet."
Silence drops heavier.
Even the air feels like it stiffens.
I lean forward slightly now, resting my forearms on the table.
"I am a Gambino," I say clearly. "Do not decide for me."
No shaking.
No softness.
No apology in my tone.
Just authority.
The kind Adrian has drilled into me since the day I learned what this world actually is.
I glance sideways at him for half a second.
He doesn't react.
But I know what that silence means.
Approval.
Maybe even pride.
My eyes move back to the Genovese side.
Zane is quiet.
As always.
But this silence is different.
Not absent.
Contained.
Like something is being held back very carefully.
His father watches me like he's reassessing something.
His grandfather doesn't look impressed.
His mother looks… calculating.
And Zade—
Zade looks like he wants to be anywhere but here.
Preferably a math exam.
Honestly, I don't blame him.
I lean back again, calmer now that I've said it.
Because that's the rule.
Speak once.
Make it land.
Don't repeat yourself.
"I will attend what I choose to attend," I add. "I will act how I decide to act. If there is a plan involving me, I will be informed. Not managed."
A slight pause.
Then I tilt my head toward the table again.
"That is not negotiable."
The room stays quiet.
Too quiet.
Even Adrian doesn't interrupt me.
Which says enough.
Then I finally look at Zane.
Properly.
Not emotionally.
Not like before.
Just direct.
Like an equal.
"We are not discussing ownership," I say evenly. "We are discussing alliance. Don't confuse the two."
A beat.
My tone stays steady.
"I am not the weak point in your structure."
I lean back fully now.
Exhale slowly.
And for the first time since I walked in—
I feel the room adjust to me instead of the other way around.