By My Rules - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 When Lina was dragged to the center of the hall, her legs were already giving out beneath her. Her makeup had run from crying. Her veil hung crooked, and the once-pristine white wedding dress now looked crumpled. She tried to move toward Drake, but he stepped back. That single step was enough to break her. "Why are you backing away?" She grabbed his sleeve, her voice trembling. "Drake, you said you'd protect me for life! You said as long as I played my part, once you took the consigliere's power, we could finally be together publicly!" The hall exploded. Some people gasped.

Others cursed under their breath. Drake yanked his arm free. "Shut up!" "Why should I?" Lina let out a tearful, bitter laugh. "Now you care about your dignity? Where was that when you were lying to me?" I raised a hand, and the room fell silent almost instantly. "Let her speak." I looked at Lina and told her, "Everything you say today might buy you another chance to live." She froze for a second, then clung to it like a lifeline. "He came to me first!" She pointed at Drake, her voice shaking. "He said you were getting old and had grown cold.

He said he'd spent years living in your shadow and that he wasn't willing to accept it anymore. He said if I helped him put on this show, he'd give me a name and give my child legitimacy." "You're talking nonsense!" Drake snapped. "Nonsense?" Lina stared at him, tears streaming down her face. "That blue diamond necklace, didn't you give it to me yourself? Every word I said at the winter banquet, didn't you rehearse it with me beforehand? The hidden footage from the auction, weren't you the one who told me to have it recorded?

And that olive grove, you were the one who had it cleared!" Each accusation hit hard, and Drake's face darkened with every word. I watched him and suddenly broke out into a smile because I knew exactly that he had been trying to provoke me, push me into losing control, and make me jealous and go mad. The moment I slipped, the family elders would have all the excuse they needed to strip me of power. "The child," I asked calmly. "What about the child?" Lina's lips trembled. Then, finally, she told the truth. The child wasn't Drake's.

It belonged to her ex-boyfriend, and Drake had known all along. However, he didn't care. All he needed was a convincing excuse to push her into the spotlight. This time, even the men who had been loyal to Drake the longest fell silent. It was because they suddenly realized that the man they had been loyal to wasn't a leader driven by loyalty or emotion but someone who could turn even the people closest to him into disposable pieces on a board. Drake suddenly grabbed Lina by the wrist, his voice low and terrifying. "Say one more word." She screamed in pain, turning to me in desperation.