My Cousin Tried to Steal My Place as the Don's Heir

I was the only granddaughter of Don Elias Colin. From the day I was born, I was the Colin family's sole heir. But I'd loved art since I was little. I had no interest in the arms trade or drug deals. My grandfather had no choice but to ask my cousin Ron to run the family business for me. Every year on January first, I personally renewed his appointment as underboss with the family seal. For ten years, I shut myself away in my studio and painted. I never once looked at the books. I just stamped whatever he brought me without a second thought. Eventually, everyone thought the family seal was just a toy to keep me happy. Then Ron said he wanted to marry Morwen Locke. The Locke family opposed the match until I sent them a complete set of one-of-a-kind jewels. I was happy for Ron. As wedding gifts, I gave the couple jewelry and assets worth tens of millions, and on top of that, I gave Morwen ten properties around the world. The day after the wedding, she sold every one of them. She also froze my bank card. Then she threw a file at me. "Here are all the bills you've run up over the years. Ninety million euros in total. "Write me an IOU. "You'll leave the Colin family sooner or later. You can't expect your cousin to support you forever." I looked at the IOU and gave a cold laugh. Seriously? She doesn't actually think the Colin family belongs to Ron just because he's run things for me for ten years, does she? His position as underboss existed only because I renewed it with the family seal, one year at a time. What a coincidence. January first was just around the corner. This year, I didn't feel like stamping it for him. Chapter 1 My mother was Don Elias Colin's only daughter, and he adored her. My grandfather was so happy when I was born that he threw parties for an entire month and invited every powerful family to celebrate. Before I'd even opened my eyes, he'd named me the heir in the family's official records. Too bad I hadn't inherited the Colin family's hunger for power. When I was ten, my grandfather took it upon himself to teach me the rules of the game. I stared at the book for an hour, then doodled stick figures in the bottom right corner of the page. My grandfather was so angry he could barely hold his cane. The next day, he brought my cousin Ron into the business. Ron was four years older than me, smart and levelheaded. While I still couldn't tell one gun from another, he could pick up any weapon in the warehouse and tell you everything about it. At 15, he was already mingling with ease at the casinos alongside the family's advisor. At 16, he was going to the docks alone to negotiate drug deals. I couldn't have been more relieved. From then on, whenever I wanted to paint, he checked the casino books for me. When I went out sketching, he dealt with family traitors. Even when my grandfather scolded me for being lazy, I hid behind Ron. So my grandfather simply set a rule. The underboss would serve one year at a time. His appointment would expire every December 31st, and on January first, the family heir would renew it with the family seal. Ron was still young back then. My grandfather just tapped his cane on the floor. "Go through the renewal with Sorrel every year, right on time. Whatever keeps her happy." So every year for ten years, Ron brought me his annual report. I'd be nodding off before I even finished reading the arms inventory that came with it. "Last year went fine, didn't it?" I'd yawn and stamp his renewal papers. Ron would always laugh and shake his head. "You don't even know how this year went, and you'll still stamp it?" I'd sit up and smile at him. "Isn't that what you're for?" Over time, the only person anyone knew was Ron Colin, the underboss. Every capo in the Colin family respected him. Whenever something went wrong with the business, legal or otherwise, they reported to him first. I thought it was great. Then, last summer, Ron said he wanted to marry Morwen, the daughter of the Locke family. But the Locke family saw him as a poor relation who just ran errands for us, so they kept turning down the match. For the first time, Ron came to me and asked for help. I was preparing an art show at the time. After hearing him out, I asked, "Do you really love her?" He nodded. The very next day, I sent a complete set of one-of-a-kind jewelry I'd won at auction to the Locke house. They changed their minds that same day. To make the match look even more respectable, I picked out ten of my own villas around the world and gave them to her outright. When Morwen heard, she was even nicer to me. She shopped with me, helped me choose jewelry and handbags, and even hired a chef whenever I casually mentioned a dish I wanted to try. Before the wedding, she held my hand and smiled. "Sorrel, from now on, we're family. "Whatever you want to do, I'll be right there with you." I was thrilled. On their wedding day, I also gave her a couture gown. The next day, I went to see her with a set of solid-gold dinnerware. Ron had gone to meet with the capos, so Morwen was alone in the villa. She welcomed me in with the same smile as always. But the moment the door closed, she slowly let go of my hand. Morwen folded her arms and watched me as her smile faded. "Sorrel Colin. "You didn't really think I was nice to you all this time because I liked you, did you?" Chapter 2 I stood there with the gold dinnerware in my arms, stunned. "What do you mean?" Morwen gave a soft laugh. "Of course I had to keep you happy before I married into the Colin family. "Everyone knows Ron treats you like his own sister. If I'd upset you, a few words from you could've killed the whole match." She casually took the box from my arms and dropped it on the table. "But it's different now. "I'm married to the Colin family heir now." I raised an eyebrow. "So?" Morwen seemed amused by my reaction. "So? "Ron runs everything in the Colin family, from the money to the men. "Every man in the family listens to him. When something goes wrong, they go to him. What do you have besides the Colin name?" She leaned down to look at me. "Do you really think using that seal every January first makes you the Colin family's heir?" I looked up. Morwen laughed even harder. "Ron told me everything. "The Don spoiled you. He didn't want you feeling ashamed that you couldn't do anything, so he made up a little ritual to keep you happy. "And you actually believed it?" I opened my mouth, but for a moment, I didn't even know where to start. So that was what Ron had thought the seal meant all these years. Morwen mistook my silence for humiliation. She pulled a card out of her bag and waved it in front of my face. "I'll hold on to this for you." I looked closer. It was my bank card. Worried I'd have trouble paying for things when I was out, my grandfather had a custom card made for me that worked all over the world. With it, I could buy anything, anywhere. "Why?" Morwen leaned back on the couch. "A single girl like you blowing tens of thousands a month? That's way too wasteful. "Ron works hard for his money. From now on, you'll get an allowance of 1,000 a month. That's plenty for makeup." Now I was even more confused. "I'm spending my own money." The smile on Morwen's face turned into a sneer. "Your money? "Have you ever been part of a single deal all these years? "Without Ron smoothing things over for you, the Colin family's name would've been mud a long time ago." I scoffed. Morwen had barely married into the Colin family, and already she thought she could order me around as the heir's wife. She'd even convinced herself that Ron had earned every cent we had. I was about to say so when she brought out another file. It was page after page of itemized expenses, with a figure marked in red on the last page. Ninety-three point two million euros. "From the antique porcelain you broke when you were five to the art show you held last year, here's every cent Ron has spent on you. "Forget the loose change. "Ninety million." I flipped through a couple of pages. It wasn't just my everyday expenses. It also included the Colin family's arms purchases, its annual informant relocation costs, and even the cost of setting up the safe houses two years ago. It was so absurd I almost laughed. Then Morwen produced a business card from her bag. "He's the Kellis family heir. I asked around for you. "He's willing to pay ninety million to marry you. "If you agree, that covers the debt in full." I looked up. "Who said you could make decisions for me?" "This is all for your own good." Morwen touched her stomach and gave me a knowing smile. "Once you're married, it'll be time for Ron and me to have kids of our own. "Ron can teach them to shoot and check the books while they're little. "That's better than leaving the Colin family to someone who can't even find the casino." Now I understood. She didn't just want to control my money. She wanted to push me out of the family and have her own child take my place. I picked up the business card and tore it in half in front of her. "Morwen. "I am the only heir to the Colin family. "You don't get to run my life." Morwen's face darkened. "Heir?" She advanced on me slowly. "How many informants do you know? How many contract negotiations have you sat in on? You can't even name the capos. "You only have that title because your family spoils you." The butler called from the doorway, "Mrs. Colin, watch what you say!" Graham, the butler who'd cared for me since I was little, saw the bills on the table and the torn business card. His face hardened. "Ron works on the Princess's behalf. What you're doing is completely out of line." Morwen gave him a cold look. "On her behalf? "How long are you people going to keep telling that bedtime story? "Ron has carried the whole Colin family for ten years. What kind of heir is a princess who can't do anything?" Graham frowned and stepped forward. "Ron only gets to serve as underboss every year because..." "Shut up." Morwen cut him off. "Guards, throw this old man out." I immediately stepped in front of Graham. "Nobody touches him." Morwen stared at me, and the last of her smile disappeared. She grabbed my wrist and slapped the IOU onto the table. "Sorrel Colin, have I been too nice to you? "You're going to sign this today." She forced my hand toward the ink pad. Just as I tried to wrench my wrist free, an angry voice rang out from the doorway, "Morwen! What are you doing?!" Chapter 3 Ron strode over. When he saw Morwen gripping me, his expression darkened. "Let go." Morwen hesitated, but she let go. I immediately held up my wrist so he could see the red marks her fingers had left. "She froze my bank card. "And she says I owe you ninety million and have to marry someone to pay it off. "And that's not all. She wants one of your future children to be the Colin family's heir!" When Ron heard that last part, he frowned. "Morwen, did you say that?" Morwen's eyes welled up at once. "Ron... let me explain." She pointed at the bills on the table. "I only did it because I can't bear to watch you sacrifice so much." Ron didn't say anything. The tears spilled over. "For ten years, you've protected the family's reputation and settled every fight. Whenever something goes wrong, who fixes it? You. "And Sorrel? "She can't even follow the money through the Colin family's illegal businesses. Every year, she just stamps a document for you, and we all have to play along with her little heir game." I said calmly, "I've always been the only heir." Morwen whipped around. "See! "She actually believes it!" When she'd finished, Ron looked torn. Morwen grabbed his sleeve. "Isn't that what you told me? "The Don spoiled her. He was afraid she'd be embarrassed because she didn't know anything, so he made up this stamping ritual. "You play along once a year, and now she thinks she's the one who puts food on your table." Ron's expression settled. Clearly, he thought the same thing. I looked at him. "So all this time, you thought the stamping was just you humoring me?" Ron was quiet for a moment, then sighed in resignation. "Sorrel, that's how it is. "You never learned to shoot. The Don spoiled you and didn't want to hurt your feelings. "He let you stamp my appointment papers every year so you'd feel involved." He reached out to pat my head the way he used to when I was little. I dodged. Ron's hand froze in midair. "When have I ever stopped you from wasting your time on those hobbies of yours? "But you don't know what it takes to be a Don." I stared at him for a while. For ten years, I'd thought I was granting him another year in power each time. And all along, he'd thought he was just playing along with my little game. With Ron on her side, Morwen regained her confidence. "What did I tell you? "Ron is the Colin family's real heir." Scoffing inwardly, I asked Ron, "So she was right to freeze my bank card?" Ron frowned. "Morwen went a little too far, but you do spend money like water. It wouldn't hurt to let her manage the household spending and help you rein it in." "And Graham?" "He disrespected my wife. He deserves a little punishment." "And the marriage?" Ron paused. "It's just dating, nothing more. "The Kellis family is rolling in money. You'd hardly be getting a bad deal." I nearly laughed out loud. The Colin family's heir never married for money. Whoever married the heir always took the Colin name. Ron was a Colin too. There was no way he didn't know that. But now he clearly thought it was just another old rule that could be bent for him. I didn't want to argue with him anymore. Finally, I asked him, "So what about January first?" Ron froze. "What?" "The seal that renews your appointment as underboss." I asked, enunciating every word, "What if I don't stamp it?" Morwen was the first to laugh. "Princess, you're still trying to scare people with that?" Ron's face darkened too. "Sorrel, stop throwing a tantrum. "It's just a formality. "Do you think everyone in the Colin family will walk off the job the next day if you don't stamp it?" I didn't say anything. Ron seemed to think he'd silenced me, and his tone softened. "If you're that upset, I'll go through the ritual with you one more time. "But once it's stamped, don't bring this up again. "Morwen is my wife. From now on, she'll handle the family's internal affairs. You're grown now. You can't expect everyone to cater to you forever." Morwen finally smiled. She went to Ron and slipped her arm through his. "Did you hear that? "That seal was only meant to keep you happy as a child, and now you're using it to order your cousin around." I looked at the two of them and smiled. "Fine. "We'll talk on January first." Ron took that to mean I'd finally decided to behave. Before he left, he added, "Dock Graham three months' pay. That'll teach him. "And your bank card stays with Morwen for now. "Behave, and I'll put in a good word for you in a few days." I didn't stop him. When I returned to the main house, I summoned Vincent, the advisor in charge of the family's personnel. "On January first, I want every capo from around the world here, along with everyone in charge of the family's businesses." Vincent paused. "Don't we usually just have a few representatives come?" I opened the personnel roster. "This year, we're choosing from scratch." Chapter 4 Morwen must have really thought she'd won. The very next day, she docked Graham three months' pay. Then, in Ron's name, she fired the head of finance in charge of the family's main accounts and replaced him with her own brother, Vesper. On his very first day, Vesper Locke transferred out five million euros. He said it was an advance for a partnership with the Locke family. The accountant didn't dare challenge him, but quietly sent me the bank receipt. I only glanced at it. "Let him move it." The accountant panicked. "Miss Colin, that's five million!" I tapped the screen. "Print every document related to this and send it straight to Silas, our lawyer, as evidence. He'll know what to do." The accountant hesitated, then caught on. "Got it." That afternoon, Morwen sent people to clear out my studio. She said it got good light. It would make the perfect nursery once she and Ron had a baby. Graham called me, his voice trembling with anger. "Princess, now she's taking over your studio too." I was picking out new paints with a friend, perfectly calm. Only a few days earlier, I'd still had some reservations. After all, Ron had run my businesses for ten years. As long as he remembered his place, I would've simply thrown Morwen out, no matter how foolish she got. But now, it wasn't that simple. That evening, Ron came to me himself. He was carrying a new document. "Sorrel, I've been thinking. "Going through the renewal process with you every January first really is a hassle." He set the contract in front of me. The term of appointment had been changed to indefinite. I looked up at him. Ron spoke as if it were obvious. "When you were little, your grandfather spoiled you, so playing along with your little ceremony was no big deal. "But you're 24 now. "A family as respected as ours can't keep following such a childish rule. "I'll go through the stamping ceremony with you one last time tomorrow. "After that, let's drop it." I smiled and asked him, "Do you really think I stamped it every year just to make myself happy?" Ron got a little impatient. "What else? "Sorrel, think about it. "For ten years, the Don has put all the power in my hands. "Everyone knows who the real heir is." Just then, Morwen walked in. When she saw I wasn't reacting, she exchanged a look with Ron. Then she stepped close and whispered in my ear, "Sorrel, you'd better think this through. "We're being nice about this for old times' sake. "If you keep refusing to do as you're told, don't blame us for what happens." Her face was cold and vicious, like a snake about to strike. "Everyone in the family takes orders from us now. "We could even make certain people disappear without anyone noticing." I looked at her for a moment, laughed softly, and closed the contract. "All right. "Tomorrow, January first, I'll call a family meeting and say it in front of everyone." Ron visibly relaxed. "That's more like it." Morwen hugged me sweetly, her cold fingertips brushing my throat. Once the two of them were gone, Vincent came out of the next room. He held two boxes. One held the underboss's seal Ron had used all year. The other held the Colin family seal. "Princess, it's already December 31st. "By the rules, Ron's term as underboss ends at midnight tonight." I nodded. "Are all the underboss candidates here?" "They're all waiting at the hotel." Before sunrise on January first, cars lined the drive to the old Colin house. Every capo from around the world, everyone who ran one of the family's businesses, and several respected family members had come. Ron arrived late. He clearly hadn't expected such a turnout. He even joked, "Sorrel went all out with the ceremony this time." Morwen was on his arm. "We're finally getting rid of an old rule. The more people here to see it, the better." When they came in, Ron took his usual seat, first on the left. Morwen, however, went straight for the seat at the head of the table. Vincent stiffened. I stopped him with a look. Once Morwen was seated, she smiled at me. "Come on, Sorrel. "Stamp this contract today, and nobody will have to waste time playing along with you every year." Not a single capo in the room laughed. Ron seemed to sense something odd, but he brushed it off. He put the contract on the table. "Let's start." Then, out of habit, he held out his hand to Vincent. "Bring me this year's list of capos in every territory so I can stamp it." Vincent ignored him. Ron frowned. "Didn't you hear me?" Only then did Vincent stand, but he didn't hand Ron the list. He picked up Ron's underboss seal in both hands and carried it over to me. "Princess. "Ron's term as underboss ended at midnight last night. "By the rules, the underboss's seal comes back to you." The smile froze on Ron's face. Morwen didn't even try to hide her frown. "What's that supposed to mean?" Vincent didn't even look at her. More than 100 capos and family members stood at once across the reception hall. The capo at the front bowed to me. "Princess, please review last year's books from every territory before choosing this year's underboss." That was when Ron finally looked shaken. He shot to his feet and looked at me. "What do you mean, choose this year's underboss?" I didn't answer. I picked up the family's appointment roster and turned to the page for this year. The space after Ron's name was empty. I looked up at him. "Didn't you always think the stamp was just a formality?" Ron's lips moved. I put the family seal back in its box. "Good. "This year, we're skipping that formality."