Page 75 of Brutal Crown

“We can’t kill her!” My voice tears through the room. “If she dies, we all go down. Everything gets exposed. Her death would detonate something far worse than her life ever could.”

I study their faces, then focus on Marco. While the others look panicked, he appears calm. Too calm for everything I’ve just revealed.

“How?” I ask quietly. “How are you planning to marry her when the Elders already marked her for death?”

The calm look on Marco’s face tells me everything I need to know.

While I was out desperately trying to save her, trying to find a way to fight back—he was doing the same.

And he got there first.

Olga steps forward, her voice carefully controlled. “Where is this journal now?”

“I gave it to the Elders,” Marco says. “In return, they agreed to one condition—that Lia be spared, and that I be allowed to marry her, since she’s carrying my child. I provided information that changed their perspective entirely.”

Dante’s eyes narrow dangerously. “What information?”

“I told them about the prophecy and convinced them I could use it to their advantage.”

The blood drains from my face. Marco looks directly at me. “While La Mano Nera forbids mixing blood with outsiders, I gave them a reason to spare Lia’s child by binding its fate to the prophecy.”

He pauses, letting the weight of his words settle.

“The prophecy speaks of a child born of unsanctioned blood—one who, upon turning eighteen, will either dismantle the Society from within… or lead it into a new era of dominance.

“I made them see that the answer lies in their own division. Some believe the child will be their downfall. Others believe the child is the key to their future. I argued that killing the child would guarantee the very outcome they fear. But raising it—shaping it—gives them control.

“Why destroy what could be weaponized?

“Why fear the prophecy… when they could own it?”

Dante slumps back, suddenly looking older. “And the Elders accepted that?”

Marco’s voice carries a weight I’ve never heard before.

“I didn’t give them a choice. I laid it out clearly—killing her would trigger Adriano’s dead man’s switch and eliminate the only child connected to the prophecy, the same child that could secure their power for generations. I didn’t ask them to believe. I gave them a decision: Risk everything… or control what could one day belong to them.”

“But why claim the child as yours?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Marco’s expression hardens as he meets my gaze without flinching.

“Because the child is mine, brother.”

He smiles, daring me to contradict him.

“They could only agree if the child was conceived by an outsider and someone uninitiated. If the father were initiated, it would shift the balance of power—threatening the structure the Elders have fought to preserve. It could spark division, disobedience from other families, fractured loyalties—a ripple effect they can’t afford.”

The implications crash over the room like a wave.

“So you revealed your relationship with Lia,” Dante says slowly, the realization settling in.

“Exactly. They know I haven’t been initiated yet. The child was conceived before that ever happened. That’s how they’ll safeguard their authority—by maintaining the illusion of order among those who’ve already been initiated and are expected to obey without question. They can’t risk allowing anyone to cross the boundaries they’ve sworn to uphold—because if one does, others will follow… and the entire foundation will begin to crack.”

Olga nods slowly. “It’s actually quite clever. But what did you promise them in return?”

Marco’s jaw tightens.

“To keep full control over the prophetic child, they need my loyalty. They want me to become one of them—and that can only happen through my initiation. Since the child was conceived before that, it doesn’t violate the structure they’ve sworn to protect. But to claim the child’s future as their own… they need me bound to them first.”