Arnold's expression darkened. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly pushed it down.

He snapped, "First, you pretended to be Erica's assistant, and now you've brought people in here to wreck my place. Do you really think I'm someone you can just walk all over?"

Bruce shoved his way through the crowd, and the cruelty in his eyes was palpable. He shouted, "You had better think twice, kid! No one in this city's brave enough to mess with Mr. Tucker!"

Bonnie crossed her arms. A mocking smile played on her lips as she said flippantly, "So what if you barged in with all these people? Just don't be surprised if you end up crawling out later."

Victor laughed instead of getting angry, yet his gaze was as cold as ice.

"Arnold, I showed you respect only out of consideration for Ms. Erica. Do you really think you matter?"

Victor walked forward slowly. The sound of his shoes on t

As cold sweat beaded on Arnold's forehead, he continued to pretend to be calm.

Betty laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. Then she said, "Ms. Erica, you really must not know. Things in Jedo have long changed!"

Bruce dusted the sleeve of his tailored suit, pride written all over his face. He said, "With the Eight Families joining forces, crushing the Costellos would be as easy as squashing an ant!"

He dragged out his words on purpose. "Oh, right. I should say 'what used to be' the Costellos."

Bonnie covered her mouth as she laughed theatrically. "Just wait till the others show up. I want to see the two sisters beg us for mercy!"

I gently pried Grace's fingers off my sleeve. Her palm was already marked with deep cuts from her nails.

"Take Ms. Grace for a full examination," I instructed my medical team. My voice was soft but firm. "Make sure there's not a scratch on her."

I said 

"Arnold!" Grace's eyes lit up, and she said, "Tell them to let Erica go!"

Arnold's icy gaze swept across the hall and finally landed on Betty. He asked, "What's going on?"

Betty immediately gave him a helpless look. "Arnold, it's Grace—she brought a fake Tempest Seal and someone pretending to be Erica."

Arnold finally looked at Grace, his eyes full of disgust.

"Grace Costello, how much longer are you going to make a scene? Bonnie gave in at every turn, but you're still pushing your luck?"

"She gave in?" Grace trembled with rage. "They humiliated me in front of everyone! They also claimed Erica's seal is fake, but you're saying I'm the one who's misbehaving?

"You promised Erica you would take care of me! And now you're helping an outsider bully me?"

"An outsider?" Bonnie smugly looped her arm through Arnold's. She said, "I'm his real sister! And who exactly are you?"

My face was bloodied as I stared coldly at Arnold, but he only focused on soothing Bonnie.

Looking anxious, Grace pointed at me. She said, "Erica's back. How are you going to explain this to her?"

Arnold finally glanced at me. The moment he recognized my face, surprise flickered in his eyes. But it quickly faded into cold indifference.

He said, "Grace, Erica died long ago. You actually hired a stand-in to put on an act? How pathetic."

I barked out a laugh. So the man my father raised turned on us the moment we weren't looking.

"Arnold Tucker, you really think you've become something, huh?"

Arnold's eyes widened at my voice. He swallowed, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing.

With a trembling hand, he lifted my chin and studied me for a long moment. His eyes were heavy with emotion.

After a while, he lightly touched the wound on my face and sighed heavily.

"She looks a lot like Erica. What a shame, though. If it weren't for this cut, I could've kept you by my side," Arnold said. "But now, you're useless."

Sadness clouded his expression. It was as if seeing me brought back memories of someone he loved but lost.

He added, "No matter how much you look like Erica, she's gone."

With that, he closed his eyes and said, "Betty, take care of this."

A mocking smile spread across Betty's face, as if she thought I were a joke.

She snapped her fingers, and a few burly men tore open my collar. Grace was slammed roughly onto the poker table, chips scattering with a clatter. 

Just then, the gilded doors of the hall burst open with a thunderous crash. 

Victor stood tall against the light, and a dark wave of men stormed in behind him.

The cuts on his face were evident as he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ms. Erica. I ran into some trouble along the way."

Arnold's expression darkened. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly pushed it down.

He snapped, "First, you pretended to be Erica's assistant, and now you've brought people in here to wreck my place. Do you really think I'm someone you can just walk all over?"

Bruce shoved his way through the crowd, and the cruelty in his eyes was palpable. He shouted, "You had better think twice, kid! No one in this city's brave enough to mess with Mr. Tucker!"

Bonnie crossed her arms. A mocking smile played on her lips as she said flippantly, "So what if you barged in with all these people? Just don't be surprised if you end up crawling out later."

Victor laughed instead of getting angry, yet his gaze was as cold as ice.

"Arnold, I showed you respect only out of consideration for Ms. Erica. Do you really think you matter?"

Victor walked forward slowly. The sound of his shoes on the marble echoed sharply. Each step seemed to grind against Arnold's already tense nerves.

"Ms. Gra

Chapter 5