The woman rose slowly, the scrape of her chair against marble cutting clean through the room.
She was tall, elegant in a way that felt sharpened rather than soft, dressed in silver and black like she'd planned to draw blood without lifting a finger.
"Since we're being clear tonight," she said smoothly, eyes fixed on Lucas, "I have a question."
The room stilled.
Lucas didn't react. He only inclined his head slightly.
"Lady Moreau," he acknowledged.
Moreau smiled. It didn't reach her eyes.
"You brought someone new into the heart of the familia," she continued, circling the table instead of staying in place. "A personal assistant. Not vetted for years. Not blood. Not legacy."
Her gaze flicked sharp, deliberate to Neo.
"And suddenly he's everywhere."
Neo felt it then. The heat. The pressure. Like the room had decided he was the next thing to dissect.
"That has never been your way, Lucas," Moreau went on. "Even your brothers had distance at first. So tell us-" she stopped, palms resting on the table, leaning in "what is so special about him?"
A murmur followed. Low. Dangerous.
Neo's fingers curled against his thigh. His pulse roared in his ears.
Lucas answered calmly. Too calmly.
"Neo is capable," he said. "Loyal. Efficient. I don't bring dead weight into my orbit."
Moreau tilted her head."That sounds rehearsed."
A few people chuckled under their breath.
"And loyalty?" she pressed. "From someone who hasn't bled with you? Who hasn't paid debts? Who hasn't lost anything for this name?"
Neo's jaw tightened. And Lucas' eyes darkened. "Watch your tone."
Moreau ignored it.
"Or is this another emotional decision?" she asked lightly. "Like Dar—"
The chair scraped back.Sharp. Sudden.
Neo stood.
The sound echoed louder than a gunshot in that room.Every head turned.
Lucas' hand shot out, brushing Neo's knee to stay down but Neo didn't sit.
He couldn't.
"I'm sorry," Neo said, voice shaking at first, then steadying as something fierce settled into his chest. "But you don't get to talk about him like that."
Moreau blinked, surprised.
"And who," she asked slowly, "gave you permission to speak?"
Neo smiled once. Short. Bitter.
"Funny thing about loyalty," he said. "You don't need permission to prove it."
Lucas' expression froze not anger, not pridebsomething far more dangerous.
Neo turned fully now, addressing the room.
"You want to know why I'm here?" he asked. "Because these people-" he gestured, wide and unafraid now "they didn't treat me like a tool. Or a pawn. Or an expendable statistic."
His eyes met Elijah's first. Then Kellan's. Ethan's. Matteo's. Elena's. Kayla's. Aiden's.
"They taught me," Neo continued. "They watched my back. They corrected me when I messed up and protected me when I didn't deserve it."
Moreau scoffed.
"You've barely been here."
"And yet," Neo snapped, "I've learned more loyalty from them in months than some of you show after decades."
The room erupted into murmurs.
Papa leaned forward now, interest sharp in his gaze.
Neo's chest rose and fell hard, but he didn't stop.
"You think betraying them would ever cross my mind?" he said, voice cracking with fury. "Elijah would kill me before I even finished the thought. Kellan would bury the body. Matteo would erase the evidence. Ethan would pretend he didn't know me. And Elena—" he swallowed "Elena would look at me like I was already dead."
A beat.
"And Lucas?" Neo turned to him finally, eyes blazing. "Lucas would never need to lift a finger. Because I would rather burn than betray him."
Silence slammed down.
Moreau's smile was gone now.
"You're emotional," she said tightly.
"Yeah," Neo shot back. "Because I'm human. And if that scares you, maybe that's why your heart keeps bleeding from the inside."
Cealen let out a low whistle, impressed.
Ethan's lips curved, proud and dangerous.
Mama's gaze softened just a fraction.
Lucas stood.
Slow. Controlled. Lethal.
"That," he said, resting a hand on Neo's shoulder, "is exactly why he's here."
He looked around the table.
"Anyone else want to test that loyalty?"
No one spoke.
Neo sat back down, heart pounding so hard it hurt.
Lucas didn't remove his hand immediately.
And somewhere across the table, Moreau realized far too late that she hadn't cornered Lucas at all.
She'd just handed him a weapon that chose him willingly.
Papa rose slowly, the scrape of his chair echoing like a verdict.
Then he applauded.
Once.Twice.Then louder steady, deliberate claps that filled the room and forced every murmur into silence.
His gaze settled on Neo first.
Not cold.
Not calculating.
Warm.
Then it shifted to Aiden, who straightened instinctively under that attention.
"I never allow new people into my kingdom," Papa said, voice deep and carrying authority that didn't need to shout, "until they have gone through a series of tests."
He paused, lips curling.
"Tests you wouldn't even believe you were passing."
Neo's throat went dry.Aiden held his breath.
Papa nodded once.
"Yet here you are."
He turned his head slightly, eyes cutting toward Seraphine.
"Truly remarkable," he said pointedly. "Don't you think, Serafina dear?"
Serafina smiled, then inclined her head, nodding sharp and quiet.
"Truly remarkable."
Mama stood then.
Elegant. Controlled. Untouchable.
She smiled small, knowing and looked at Lucas.
"Truly remarkable," she repeated softly. "You played by the rules, Lucas. And you played them well."
Lucas dipped his head, respect etched into every line of his posture.
Papa clasped his hands behind his back and addressed the room one final time.
He spoke of the gains and losses, of borders tightened and territories secured. Of mistakes acknowledged and corrected. Of loyalty tested and proven. His words were brief now, efficient, sealing everything that had been debated, challenged, and bled over that night.
Then he turned back to his wife.
"Do the honors," he said.
Mama stepped forward, heels clicking once against marble.
The room rose as one.
Her voice carried calm, sharp, absolute.
"Blood builds the name, but loyalty keeps it breathing.
"We stand as one house, one bond, one shadow.
What is earned is protected.
What is threatened is erased."
She lifted her chin slightly.
"The meeting is adjourned."
The gavel of tradition fell without sound.
And just like that, the familia shifted
sealed tighter than before.
By the time the last fleet of cars rolled out of the estate, their engines fading into the distance, the grounds finally exhaled. The tension that had weighed the air all night loosened its grip, guards relaxing back into routine positions, voices dropping from calculated tones to something almost human. Cealan lingered just long enough to offer Lucas a final nod sharp, respectful then turned to Neo and Aiden with a slow, approving smirk. "You both survived," he said lightly. "That's not a small thing." With that, he slid into the SUV already waiting for him, the door shutting with a quiet finality as the vehicle pulled away into the night.
Neo and Aiden soon found their own cars waiting at the foot of the steps, headlights cutting through the dark. Before they could leave, Lucas and the others closed in around them not overwhelming, but solid, grounding. Words of praise followed, low and sincere, acknowledgment of their boldness, their restraint, the way they'd stood their ground without losing themselves. It wasn't loud, and it wasn't ceremonial but it mattered more than any speech. When Lucas finally nodded, stepping back to let them go, it was clear. They weren't guests anymore. They climbed into their cars with hearts still racing, the estate gates closing behind them as they headed home officially, undeniably part of the familia.