Chapter 6 - The Shadows of the Syndicate
Three days later, the grand cathedral of St. Jude in central Valecroft was draped in black silk and white lilies.
The Syndicate Council—a gathering of the seven most powerful crime families in the region—had convened under the pretext of a memorial service for the late Isabella Varric. But everyone in attendance knew the true purpose of the meeting: to witness the public unveiling of Matteo Varric’s new power structure.
Liana stood before the grand arched mirror in the cathedral’s private dressing room.
She no longer looked like the grieving, rain-soaked maid who had knocked on the mansion gates four nights ago. She wore a stunning high-necked gown of emerald green silk, her dark hair styled in an elegant chignon held together by diamond-encrusted pins. A heavy gold necklace—a Varric heirloom—rested against her collarbone.
Beside her, sitting in a velvet pram guarded by two plainclothes soldiers, was Nico, dressed in a tiny black silk suit.
The door opened, and Matteo stepped inside. He wore a crisp black tuxedo, his hair slicked back, looking every bit the sovereign ruler of Valecroft. He stopped in his tracks as his eyes fell upon Liana.
"You look breathtaking," Matteo admitted, his voice genuinely quiet.
"I feel like an actress playing a role in a play that could end in an execution," Liana replied honestly, adjusting her silk cuffs.
Matteo walked over to her, pulling a small silver ring set with an emerald from his pocket. He took her left hand. His touch was warm, surprisingly gentle for hands that had spilled so much blood.
"This belonged to my grandmother," Matteo said, slipping the ring onto her finger. "It signifies protection. When the Capos look at you today, they need to see a woman who commands respect, not fear. Can you do that, Liana?"
Liana looked at her reflection, then down at the emerald ring, and finally into Matteo’s dark eyes. She reached up, adjusting his silk tie with a practiced, steady hand.
"I spent five years nursing sick patients in emergency rooms, Matteo," she said calmly. "I have stared into the eyes of dying men and desperate criminals. Your Syndicate Capos do not intimidate me."
A subtle, approving smile touched Matteo’s lips. "Good. Because Donati’s brother, Lucian, is leading the opposition today. He will test you."
He offered her his arm. Liana took it, holding her head high as Marcus opened the double doors leading into the main sanctuary of the cathedral.
The moment they stepped into the nave, fifty heads turned in unison. Armed guards, syndicate bosses, corrupted judges, and high-society figures stared in stunned silence as Matteo Varric walked down the central aisle with his new bride on his arm.
At the altar stood Lucian Donati—a slick, sharp-featured man with predatory eyes and a white streak through his dark hair.
"Matteo," Lucian purred, his voice echoing through the vaulted ceiling. "We came to mourn your late wife, yet you bring us a celebration? And who is this charm you’ve brought from the gutters of Valecroft?"
Liana stopped directly before the altar. She didn't wait for Matteo to speak.
"I am Liana Varric," she announced, her voice clear, resonant, and completely devoid of fear. "Wife to Don Matteo, mother to Nico Varric, and the woman who shot your brother’s lead doctor when he tried to betray this family."
A murmur of shock rippled through the gathered crime bosses.
May you like
Lucian’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "You dare speak in the Council—"
"She speaks with my authority, Lucian," Matteo interrupted, his voice dropping into a lethal, quiet register that made the surrounding guards tense up. "And if you open your mouth to disrespect my wife again, you will not leave this cathedral on your own two feet."
