They picked up the documents and signed their names quickly, without a second thought, as if eighteen years meant nothing at all. As if everything I had given them could be erased with a few strokes of a pen.
Then they walked over to Nico and Giada, their movements light, almost celebratory.
The four of them stood together, smiling at one another like they had just won the lottery. Like this was the ending they had always wanted. Finally, they didn't have to pretend anymore. No more sneaking around. No more lies. They could play happy family out in the open, right here, under the Valente roof, surrounded by men who had once kissed my father's ring.
"Great," I said, smiling as well.
I had given them a chance. Even at the very end, I had hoped, just a little, that they might show a trace of humanity. A sliver of gratitude. Something.
But human nature is blinding. Like staring straight into the sun. Look too long, and you lose your sight completely.
Around us, people whispered in confusion, unable to understand how things had come to this. No one could quite grasp how someone like me, a Valente by blood, a woman who had built an empire worth billions through the Family's legitimate operations and the darker channels beneath them, could end up raising another woman's children like some tragic fool.
"Seraphina," Nico said coldly, his tone stripped of all pretense now. He tugged the cuff of his left sleeve down over his wrist. "This party has nothing to do with you anymore."
He glanced around as if already claiming everything in sight. The estate. The soldiers. The name.
"You can leave," he added. "And while you're at it, tell your parents to pack up too. The mansion is in my kids' names now."
I tilted my head slightly, a slow, knowing smile spreading across my face.
My thumb traced along the inside of my ring finger, where a wedding band once sat.
"Not so fast," I said lightly.
"This is still my children's graduation party," I continued, my voice steady, almost playful. "The celebration hasn't even started yet."
I paused, letting the words sink in. Somewhere behind Nico, one of his men shifted his weight. The room had gone very quiet.
"Why would I leave now?"
Then I turned my gaze toward the entrance, my expression calm but unreadable.
"Kids," I called out clearly, my voice carrying across the silent hall. "Come on in."
Every head in the room turned toward the doors.