His Mafia Prince
Chapter 53: Show Us The Mark

Chapter 53: Show Us The Mark

(TYLER)

"Did he?" Angelo sneers. "I’m here to prove today that Sasha tricked us all. He took us all for fools, hell, he even tricked his own father. The truth is with Mother and Jericho’s help, he entered into a sham marriage just so he could deceive Father and the rest of us. Just so he could hijack me and take over as head of the Triple Triads."

The murmuring grows even louder.

"You are a shameless liar, Angelo. The lengths you’d go to lie are sick. You’re the one trying to steal Sasha’s rightful place."

"No. You’re the liars. All of you."

Alessandro takes a step forward, sensing the exchange is about to heat up. "Angelo, your accusations are very dire. Are you sure of what you are saying? Can you prove your allegations?"

"Yes." He blurts out instantly.

"That’s impossible, Angelo. You’re lying and you know it."

"I’m not lying, Mother. We both know that." He shakes his head. "You and I both know that the men of the Triple Triad warned Father before his death. They made it clear in the warning that they would only accept Sasha as their leader if he claimed an omega. It was supposed to be a show of good faith. They also demanded that I take Father’s place if Sasha refused."

I glance around nervously at the heads bobbing and the murmurs increasing by the second.

"Okay," Alessandro says. "Sasha did claim an omega though. So, what’s the problem?"

"He didn’t." Angelo rasps. He did it for show. He only pretended to claim an omega because he knew Father chose me for the role. Sasha was relentless in keeping me out." He turns to Sasha. "I know it hurts for Father to hand-pick me over his own flesh and blood, brother. It must be painful."

"You’re sick," Jericho says.

"No," Angelo’s attention shifts to him. "I’m only setting the record straight."

Lucia’s face looks enraged. "How could you do this to us, Angelo? On the day of your Father’s burial? What height of disrespect is this? I’ve done nothing but accept and love you as though you were my own since your father brought you in."

"That’s a lie, mother. I always came after Sasha. Father is the only one who truly cared for me and treated me with genuine love and respect. Once Father became ill, your disrespect went a notch higher. How desperate were you all to help Sasha wield a fake marriage?"

"I can’t believe you, Angelo." Mother says. "And the marriage is real. He claimed Tyler and deserves the leadership role just as much as you think you do. He’s trained for this his whole life and always put the syndicates’ interests before his own."

Angelo laughs loudly and in a mocking manner. "No mother. He’s scheming so that he can steal what Father wanted me to have."

"Is that true?" a womanly voice exclaims from the crowd. "Are these accusations true, Sasha? I your marriage fake?"

"Of course, it’s a lie." Sasha growls.

"No," Angelo jerks. "It’s true, and I can prove it to you all, right now."

Lucia turns to the crowd. "No, he is lying. This is all a made-up story. He’s just trying to make you all doubt Sasha’s abilities. I knew my husband better than anyone and if there’s something I must confirm to you all, it’s that he always wanted Sasha to someday step into his shoes." She points at Angelo accusingly. "You’re the greedy, scheming one, Angelo. You went behind us to try and get my husband to term you his successor instead of Sasha. You think he didn’t tell me?"

Angelo grimaces. "Father knew that you and your sons were scheming. He didn’t tell you everything."

"Liar." She yells. "He was my husband. You best believe I know everything you did. There wasn’t any part of it that he left out."

"See, you’re letting your emotions get in the way. I don’t think we can reason." He says.

Sasha laughs gruffly. "I knew about you planning to steal my inheritance all along. What I didn’t know is that you’d stoop this low and disrespect yourself in front of this entire crowd, brother."

The crowd seems conflicted about whose side to take. They huddle in little groups and whisper to each other while simultaneously stealing glances at us. Most of them look suspicious, except for a few who look sympathetic. Some are gawking at me and I begin to become uncomfortable. They can’t trust me because they don’t know me.

"No. You stooped low." Angelo barks.

Sasha laughs mockingly. "You know, disrespecting my father’s memory just to pull this kind of stunt I too low, even for you. That shows just how unappreciative you are of the Adonis family."

"Why should I appreciate scheming liars? I’m Father’s chosen heir and I don’t care about any of you."

Miles finally speaks. "This is total bullshit and too dramatic, Angelo. You’re acting like a baby embarrassing the family in front of other people. Stop. You know as well as we do that Sasha wouldn’t pretend to claim an omega."

I notice that Miles is certainly trying to paint a good picture for his boss. It’s only fair, anyway. Granted, he seems to worship Sasha, and he will do anything to make sure he holds on to the power. That’s the reason he even threatened my life alongside Sasha. Sure, I prefer Sasha to Angelo. But still, they are cut off the same cloth. Both are entitled and power-hungry.

"Sasha takes marriage and claiming a mate quite seriously." Miles continues. "That’s why he took his time to search and find himself a perfect omega. It’s dumb of you to try and sully the reputation of an Adonis."

Miles’ speech makes me almost burst out in laughter. The very idea of Sasha thinking I’m his perfect omega sounds hysterical. Almost impractical. I’m the best bait, sure. I wouldn’t even blame Angelo, because he is a hundred per cent right about this marriage being a crock of shit. But I will play along to Sasha’s version. I’ll be damned if I enlighten anyone because I’m looking forward to seeing Angelo crash. After all, Sasha is the lesser of the two evils.

"Why are we arguing when there’s a way to prove what I’m saying is true?" Angelo averts his gaze to mine, grinning sheepishly. "Show us the claiming mark on your neck, Tyler. Let’s lay this to rest. Once and for all."

My body stiffens as I hold his gaze.

"You wound me, Angelo" Sasha shakes his head.

Angelo presses his palm to his chest dramatically. "It pains me too, brother. Trust me, I find no joy in revealing your malice. We’ve all heard rumours and ramblings among the men of desertion. It’s only right that we set the record straight now. Our loyal men need to trust that they’re index led by an honourable man."

Angelo is indeed an asshole, home and away. The performance is just staged and deserves an award. I look up to Sasha and meet his unworried gaze. My stomach does that weird somersault thing as we look into each other’s eyes. His eyes are soft. Looking into them has always made me have weird reactions, but ever since he claimed me, it feels more intense than before.

He wants my attention and I can’t look away. I shouldn’t trust him. But how can I do that when the idea of not trusting him makes me feel more lost and scared?

"Sasha," a voice calls from the crowd. "I see no reason why your omega can’t show us your mark. If this is what it will take to put the matter to rest, then let him show us the mark and be done with it."