Page 87 of Mafia Daddy's Christmas Bride

Whatever Isabella's endgame is, whatever she and Blackwood are planning, it ends now. No more letting my guard down. No more believing her tears or her touch.

From this moment on, Isabella Ferraza is nothing more than a threat to neutralize.

I drop into my desk chair and pull out a fresh notepad, needing to organize the chaos in my head. This isn't just about Isabella anymore. There's a bigger picture I'm missing.

I writeERNIE ABRUZZOat the top of the page and circle it twice.

That piece of shit is dead, but he's still causing problems.

How did Mrs. Ferraza even know him? What would drive a Mafia wife to associate with a wannabe like Ernie? One who was talking to the Feds?

She had to know how dangerous that was.

I sketch a quick timeline, marking Mrs. Ferraza's death and Ernie's "overdose" just days apart. Not a coincidence. Never is in our world.

Why trust Ernie?I write and underline it.

Mrs. Ferraza was smart. She had to be to survive as Leonardo's wife all those years.

She wouldn't risk everything by meeting with Ernie unless she was desperate. The photos Sal showed me confirmed multiple meetings.

I tap my pen against the paper. She wanted to keep Isabella from an arranged marriage. Was she planning to run? Take Isabella away from this life?

If so, Ernie was the worst possible choice for help. The man was a parasite, always looking for an angle. He'd sell out his own mother for a chance to get in with any of the families. Fuck, he was probably selling them to traffickers.

Unless she chose him because he was connected but not respected.

Who’d believe him over a respected Don’s wife?

As an informant, if she knew about that, he’d have access to the Feds to help her escape, which is what Isabella was hoping for when her attempt to find out about her mother backfired.

I wonder why Agent Blackwood didn’t share the photos of her mother with Isabella? He only shared so-called evidence against the Calabresi family. Why?

I again focus on Mrs. Ferraza and Ernie, feeling like they’re the linchpin. That if I could find out what happened between them and to them, everything would make sense.

I write,Mrs. F using Ernie? Or Ernie using her?

And below that,Who benefited from both deaths?

I stare at the question, feeling like I'm circling something important. The pieces are there, but I can't see the full picture yet.

I push the notepad away and lean back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. The whiskey's burn has faded, but I don’t pour more. Not yet.

Leonardo killing his own wife? The thought keeps circling back, but it doesn't track. Not in our world. Not with our rules.

In all the years I've served the Calabresi family, one principle has remained sacred.

La Corona operates on trust.

The four families maintain peace precisely because we don't move against each other without consensus. It's what separates us from the chaotic street gangs and upstart organizations that rise and fall practically daily.

If Leonardo had wanted his wife dead, he would have brought it to La Corona. He would have made his case.

And if the other families agreed, it would have been handled cleanly, quietly, not with shell casings left behind and witnesses who could place a Calabresi car at the scene.

No. Leonardo didn't kill his wife.

Not without approval from Marco, Dominic, and Antonio.