Katie continued “I was raped by their Mafia Lord, became pregnant, and was tossed aside like a used condom. I didn’t tell my friends, Josephine and Ava, about the rape because they judged me when I shared the news of my pregnancy,” Katie explained calmly, capturing the attention of both men.
“That’s why I left, disappearing from my friends’ lives. The Moore family had a huge reputation in the Mafia world. The leader, Don Alex, was wary of his father, the former Don. He respected and feared him. I did my research during my pregnancy and went straight to the old man, reporting everything. Alex tried to deny it, but I had evidence. Since Alex had no wife, I became his until I gave birth to Gideon.
Alex’s father gave me a chance to return home. I went back to my friends and saw how well they had been doing. I never told them about the Moore family because I wanted to keep my identity a secret, even though they wouldn’t stop asking.” Katie paused to take a sip of her wine and clear her throat.
“When Gideon turned fifteen, everything changed. My backbone, Alex’s father, died. Alex seized the opportunity to try to throw me out of the family. I stood my ground, enduring maltreatment, curses, and a harsh existence for three years… until I couldn’t take it anymore.
Alex got into a fatal accident. Of course, I had my own army-a gift from Alex’s father. We managed to take Alex down; he’s in a coma and has a limited time to live. As his legitimate wife, I became the guiding force, the Dona, also known as Void. Those who dared to cross me are the ones Simon and his men are helping me eliminate,” Katie said.
Klaus hadn’t expected such a detailed explanation, but he needed to understand how he was connected to all this.
“What do you need me for? Obviously, I’m not going to help you take down your enemies,” he said.
“The Moore family is looking for a new leader and wants to overthrow me like before. They claim I’m a woman who forced my way in, but I want to prove I’m more than that. I want power, wealth, and influence that will make me unstoppable, especially now that Alex is dead,” she stated firmly.
“That’s why you want the empire my mother built,” Klaus said, finally piecing it together.
“The Eterna company is one of the biggest worldwide, worth three trillion dollars,” Katie continued, pressing her lips together. “I’ve wondered how Josie amassed so much wealth in just a few years. I know Finn helped, but it’s mostly on Josie’s side.”
“Then why didn’t you just kill me? You’re married to Finn; you could have ended both of us and taken it all,” Klaus replied sarcastically.
“Yeah, I would have loved to do that. But your mother didn’t make it easy. Without you, there’s no wealth. You can’t transfer it, and if you die… the wealth goes to waste. No one- not even Finn-can possess it. That’s why I’ve been protecting you,” Katie responded, and Klaus’s mind drifted back to what his mother had said.
_
‘I won’t lie to you, Klaus. I know you’re not interested in this business world, but you’re the only son. I mostly worked for this because of you and the generations to come. You’ll be the president, and no one-absolutely no one-will stop you. Promise me you’ll take over no matter what.’
_
Klaus paced around the study room, hands running through his hair as he tried to digest Katie’s words.
“So you got married to Katie because she threatened you?” Klaus threw the question at his father, who sat around the corner.
“She said she would kill you if I didn’t marry her. I can’t believe she was lying,” Finn ran his fingers through his hair too.
“But how come you couldn’t fight her? You’ve got an army too and a lot of men.”
“You mean the Mafia’s shits? I’m not deep into that. I only have people who dig and help me take down my rivals, but bloody stuff like Katie’s… I’m not into that. I’ve seen Katie do things, Klaus, and you mean a lot to Josephine. I can’t let her hurt you, especially when she can do that with the snap of her fingers since she holds you as her puppet.”
Klaus groaned, still pacing. “They’ve got to be a way. She wants to use me and I can not let her do that.”
“Yes, you can, son. All I want is for you to survive. Please, I promised Josie I’d do anything to protect you,” Finn said.
“Do what? I can’t be under her, having her give me orders. You know I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” Finn stood. “Break up with Morticia, marry Tasha, and just live your life. All she needs is your backing…”
“I can’t do that!” Klaus snapped at Finn, approaching him. “I can’t leave Bunnie. I love her, and I promised to be by her side… I can’t do this…”
“I loved Josie too.”
“Oh please, don’t give me that crap,” Klaus cut him off.
“But I had to let her go to protect the one I love. To protect you.”
“Was the divorce because of Katie?” Klaus asked.
“No. That was Josie’s choice to let everything go, even me,” Finn replied, and Klaus sat in the chair opposite him.
“She killed her. She killed my mom.” Klaus ruffled his hair frustratingly.
“That I don’t know. Katie was genuine in saving her,” Finn replied, and Klaus cast him a skeptical look.
“That she-devil killed her. I can’t believe you’re believing her words. If I had known all of this, I wouldn’t have made her have that surgery.”
“Either way, it was inevitable. We tried, Klaus. You need to let go and face what we have ahead. You need to break up with Morticia… And if you think of telling Vincent or anyone about Katie, she will kill them. So you need to get that thought out of your head,” Finn added.
“What?”
“I told a friend of mine about her. Someone I thought could help. The next morning, I found his dead body on my bed… A gift, Katie claimed it was meant for me.” Finn’s voice was heavy with emotion. “She is everywhere, Klaus. Just give her what she wants before she destroys so much.”
Clenching his jaw, Klaus stood and dashed out of the room.
Finn took a deep breath, eyes tearing up as he began to sob.