Roselle’s POV
As I stepped out of the car with the children and walked toward the entrance, I noticed Sylvester and Eva standing there together, waiting to receive us.
The moment we approached, they both bowed.
“Welcome, Madam, Young Master, and Young Mistress,” Sylvester greeted before straightening.
“The head chef informed me that lunch will be ready in a few minutes.
She wasn’t aware of your preferences, but Eva was kind enough to provide us with both yours and the young mistress’s.” He paused briefly before asking, “Will you be dining in the formal dining room, or would you prefer somewhere else?”
Before answering, I turned to Eva.
“Eva, take the children upstairs and get them changed. Once lunch is ready, bring them to the dining room.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” she replied with a bow.
She took the children with her, and Jasmine immediately began waving at me.
I smiled and waved back.
I kept my eyes on her until she disappeared into the house.
Only then did I turn back to Sylvester.
“Do you have a few minutes?” I asked.
“I need you to come with me. There are a few things I want to discuss with you.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
We began walking into the house together.
At first, I followed the direction I had instinctively chosen, but after a few moments, I realized where I was heading.
The master bedroom.
I stopped.
Wasn’t that inappropriate?
That room was shared between Silas and me.
It didn’t feel right to keep bringing people into our private bedroom whenever I needed to discuss something with them.
I turned toward Sylvester.
“Is there an empty office I can use?”
“Yes, there is.” He nodded.
“There are two offices in this building.
One is reserved for the Master, while the other is reserved for the Madam.” He paused before asking, “Would you prefer that we go there instead?”
“Lead the way.”
“Yes, Ma’am. This way.”
Sylvester took the lead, and I followed behind him.
We took a different route through the house, although parts of it looked familiar.
It was similar to the path he had taken me through when I first arrived at the estate.
We passed the doors to Silas’s office and continued down the long hallway until we reached the very end.
There, I saw a large set of double doors.
Sylvester opened them, and we stepped inside.
At first glance, the office looked remarkably similar to Silas’s.
The space was almost the same size, and the arrangement of the furniture gave it the same sense of authority.
Dust.
A thin layer covered most of the furniture.
I was about to comment on it when Sylvester spoke.
“Since this building was constructed, this office has never had an occupant. As a result, it was eventually neglected by the workers responsible for maintaining it.” He looked around the room briefly.
“While you are having lunch, I will instruct them to clean and prepare it immediately. It should be ready for you to use very soon.”
I looked around the office again.
So this place had been waiting for someone to occupy it all this time.
And now, apparently, that someone was me.
“That’s fine. I’m not in a hurry to use it right now,” I said, taking one last look around the office before turning back to Sylvester.
“I only brought you here because I don’t think it would be appropriate to keep having these discussions in the master bedroom.” I paused, gathering my thoughts.
“It has come to my attention that I am completely unaware of my duties and responsibilities as Silas’s wife and as the current Madam of the Belladonna family.”
I folded my hands in front of me.
“At first, I assumed that, just as it was in the DeLuca family, my responsibilities would mostly involve taking care of the children and overseeing the estate. But today, I realized how wrong that assumption was.”
I took a breath.
“Earlier, while we were on our way to the school, Jeremy mentioned the Belladonna rules. That was when it struck me that I don’t even know something as basic as the rules governing the people of this estate. And if I don’t know that, then there are undoubtedly countless other things I am supposed to know.”
I looked directly at him.
“I don’t know where to begin or how to properly rule a house when I don’t even understand what is expected of me. That is why I called you here. As the butler, I believe you are in the best position to help me understand these things.”
Sylvester studied me for a moment before speaking.
“There are certainly things within my authority that I can explain to you, Madam. But before we begin, there is something I would like you to understand.” He paused, making sure he had my full attention.
“The DeLucas are not the Belladonnas, and the Belladonnas will never be the DeLucas.” His voice became more serious.
“Therefore, I would advise you to forget everything you knew or thought you knew about being a Madam.”
I remained silent.
“This family is very different. And it isn’t merely a matter of having different responsibilities. If you truly intend to take on this role, you will have to get blood on your hands.” He paused again.
“So, Madam, forgive my impudence, but I must ask you something before we continue.” His eyes remained fixed on mine.
“Are you willing to stain your hands with blood?”
“Try me.” The answer left my mouth without hesitation.
I wasn’t offended by his question.
In fact, with the rumors already spreading throughout the estate about how I reacted to the blood I had witnessed, I wasn’t surprised that he felt the need to ask.
Sylvester seemed to accept my answer.
“There are many things you need to learn,” he began immediately.
“If we tried to explain all of them at once, you would be overwhelmed. So I will teach you gradually, starting with the most important things.”
He straightened slightly.
“First, every wife of a Belladonna is also a Belladonna. That means you are not merely expected to manage the household. You are also expected to have authority over both the legitimate businesses of the Belladonna family and its affairs in the underworld.”
My eyes narrowed slightly.
“But just because you are supposed to rule does not mean that authority will simply be placed in your hands.” He continued.
“You will have to prove yourself worthy before the Commission. They must be convinced that you are capable of carrying the title and responsibilities of Madam Belladonna.” He paused.
I nodded, allowing him to continue.
“First, there is the Boss of All Bosses.” He spoke slowly, making sure I understood.
“In simpler terms, the Don of all Dons. Every family under the Belladonna name has its own Don who presides over that particular branch and controls the businesses belonging to it.”
His expression remained serious.
“But currently, Silas, as the head of the main Belladonna family, is the Boss of All Bosses.
He is the one who presides over the other Dons governing the various branches of the Belladonna family.” He paused before adding, “Those Dons also make up the Commission.
You can think of them as the individual bosses of the individual Belladonna families.”
I absorbed the information silently.
“I want you to understand this hierarchy first,” he continued.
“If you intend to take on the role of Madam of this family, you will eventually meet every one of them.” He took a breath before continuing.
“Next are the Underbosses.”
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
“The wives of the Dons,” he explained.
“As Silas’s wife, you are his Underboss.” I wasn’t sure whether I liked the sound of that title, but I didn’t interrupt.
“After the Underbosses come the Lieutenants. They serve as the commanders beneath the bosses. They oversee operations and ensure that the orders of their superiors are carried out.”
He paused, then looked directly at me.
“If you want my honest opinion, Madam, you will eventually need to form your own team of people you can rely on.”
I frowned slightly.
“The people in this estate are all loyal to the Master. Every person here, from the highest-ranking worker to the lowest, ultimately answers to him.” His voice remained calm, but his words carried weight.
“Anything you say to them, anything you ask of them, and anything you discuss with them can eventually make its way back to him. Their loyalty belongs to Silas and Silas alone.”
I thought about that for a moment.
“So you are suggesting I find people who are loyal to me?”
“Exactly.” He nodded.
“Every wife of a Don eventually forms her own personal team. People she trusts, people who answer directly to her, and people who can carry out her orders without constantly looking over their shoulders for the Master’s approval.” He paused.
“I assume you will want to do the same.”
I remained silent, allowing him to continue.
“Then there are the soldiers.”
“The foot soldiers?” I asked.
“Yes. They are the ones who carry out the orders of their commanders and handle the physical side of the family’s operations.” He gestured slightly as he explained.
“You can choose to build your own group of soldiers as well, but I would advise you to make use of the ones already assigned to you.”
“Why?”
“Because building an effective force takes time.” His expression became slightly more serious.
“You would have to train your own soldiers, teach them how you operate, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and make sure they are capable of serving you effectively.”
He shook his head slightly.
“That process takes time, Madam. And if you are trying to establish yourself within the Belladonna family, time is not something you should waste.”
I stared at him.
There was something unsettling about how casually he had just explained an entire structure of power to me.