The Viper Stepmother’s Mafia Justice Chapter 24
The Blood Red Crown
The smoke finally cleared over Vegas.
Vincent was dead. Isabella was gone. And the Morettis owned the city.
Mia knelt beside Shadow in the garden, laughing into his fur.
Shadow’s front leg was still bandaged, but he didn’t care. He strutted across the grass like he was carrying a queen.
Leo sat under the tree with Bullet across his lap. Bullet’s tail never stopped.
Leo pretended to shove him away. “Get off me. You weigh a ton.”
But he was smiling.
Mia slid off Shadow and ran toward me. Her small hands held something behind her back.
“Close your eyes, Mommy.”
I closed them.
Something light settled into my hair.
“Open.”
I touched it. A paper flower. Crooked petals. Too much tape. Perfect.
“Mommy, does your injury still hurt?”
My throat tightened.
“Not anymore, baby.”
She climbed into my lap. Shadow pressed against my leg. Bullet wandered over and collapsed at my feet.
Leo stayed under the tree. But his eyes were on us.
I remembered the plane out of New York. Mia’s little face pressed to the window.
“Mom, can we get a dog?”
“We’ll get two.”
Two dogs. Two children. One promise kept.
Dominic appeared in the doorway. Not watching the guards. Not the city. Us.
His eyes found mine.
The contract had been paper. The ring had been metal. But this family was real.
Mia tugged my sleeve.
“Mommy, will we stay here forever?”
“Yeah, kid. We’re home.”
Dominic walked closer.
“Then let’s make it official.” He looked at me. “A real wedding. This time, I show up.”
The news traveled fast. Dominic Moretti was throwing the biggest wedding Las Vegas had ever seen.
Within forty-eight hours, every florist, caterer, and designer in the city was on our payroll. Within seventy-two, the vultures arrived.
My stepmother came first. Then cousins. An uncle. An aunt. People who sold me off, ignored me, or wished me gone.
Now they stood at my gates with gift bags and fake tears.
“Sloane, baby! We heard the news! Family should be together now!”
I watched from the study window. My hand reached for the intercom.
But Leo got there first.
He walked out in a suit jacket, hands in pockets, Bullet at his heel. Mia followed in white, Shadow beside her.
Two children. Two dogs. Guarding me from my past.
Leo looked at my stepmother the way Dominic looked at enemies.
“You’re not on the guest list.”
My stepmother laughed. Nervous. “Sweetheart, I’m Sloane’s mother—”
“No. You’re not.”
Mia stepped forward. Her voice was small but clear.
“Our mommy doesn’t want you here. She never talks about you. That means you hurt her.”
My stepmother’s smile cracked.
The uncle stepped forward. “Now listen here, little girl—”
Bullet growled.
Leo didn’t blink.
“I’m the Moretti heir. This is our land. Leave, or security removes you. They don’t carry gift bags.”
The guards stepped forward. My stepmother stumbled back to the car. The doors slammed.
Mia waved. “Bye-bye!”
Leo turned and walked back inside. Bullet trotted beside him.
I stood at the window, hand on the glass. My children had guarded me back.
The cathedral stood north of the Strip. Every window was bulletproof. Every rooftop held a Moretti sniper.
This wasn’t just a wedding. It was a fortress in white flowers.
The doors opened. I stepped through in blood red.
Not white. Never white.
Darker than the first dress. Deeper. Like wine in firelight. Red lipstick. Donna ring. Chin high.
Every head turned. Three hundred guests stood. Judges. Casino kings. Senators. Old money. New fear.
Dominic waited at the altar. Black suit. Black shirt. And this time, he smiled before I reached him.
He took my hand. Then he turned to face the room.
“This is my wife. The Donna of the Moretti Family. If anyone objects, speak now. Or stay silent forever.”
Silence. Absolute.
“Good.”
The priest opened his book. Before the vows, Leo and Mia stepped forward. Each carried a ring. Shoulder to shoulder.
The priest smiled. “Do you, Dominic, take Sloane—”
“She’s our mom,” Mia said.
“And our forever Donna,” Leo said.
The priest paused.
Dominic looked at me.
“What they said.”
I laughed. For the first time in months.
He slid the ring onto my finger. I slid one onto his. Then he kissed me. Not for show. For real.
The cathedral erupted in cheers.
Mia grabbed my hand. Leo stood at my shoulder. Shadow and Bullet waited at the doors.
I looked at my husband. My children. My city.
This time, the groom showed up. And the Viper finally had her crown.
The End