Stuck in a Mafia Romance

No One’s Pov

Meanwhile, far across the border, away in a dusty corner of a small countryside town, Amelia and her father had been forced to move into a tiny house. It was the only roof they could still afford with the meager scrap of cash they had left.

All of Amelia’s luxurious designer dresses, diamond necklaces, and five-star lifestyles were completely gone. The poor, struggling people she used to look down on and hate the most- she had ironically become one of them now.

Standing inside a cramped, dusty grocery shop, Amelia stared at her reflection in a cracked, dirty mirror hanging on the wall. She looked unrecognizable. She was wearing cheap, shady clothes that felt rough against her skin. Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes were bloodshot and red, and cheap mascara was smudged all over her pale cheeks from hours of bitter crying. Her personal assistant, along with all their loyal servants, had resigned the exact moment they heard about the Laurent family’s absolute downfall.

"It’s all because of that bitch... it’s all Vivien’s fault!" Amelia whispered frantically to herself, her fingernails digging into her palms.

She felt a deep rage in her chest. "I hope that bitch rots to death! I hope she burns in hell!" she huffed loudly, gripping a small, dry piece of bread she had just bought with her last few coins.

Wiping her smeared face with the sleeve of her sweater, she turned and walked out of the shop onto the quiet, isolated road. But she couldn’t even continue her angry cursing.

Before she could take a third step, the heavy screech of tires echoed right in front of her. A battered black van came to a stop blocking her path. The side doors flew open and before Amelia could even open her mouth to scream, a thick black cloth bag was slammed tightly over her head.

"Mmgh- ! Let go- !"

Strong hands grabbed her arms, lifting her off her feet. They threw her body brutally into the back of the van, slamming the doors shut behind her. The engine started, and the vehicle sped off into the distance.

Left behind on the quiet dirt road, the dry piece of bread rolled into a puddle, completely forgotten.

The moment the black cloth was yanked off Amelia’s face, her eyes squinted and watered against the sudden harsh light. She blinked rapidly, her heart thumping loudly as her vision slowly cleared.

She looked around frantically, realizing she was tied securely to a wooden chair in a cold, damp room. Standing a few feet away in the shadows was a tall figure, their face entirely hidden behind a dark hood. But as Amelia’s eyes darted to the right, she froze in absolute shock.

Sitting in an identical chair right next to her was... her dad?! His hand was hastily bandaged, and he looked exhausted and terrified.

"Daddy! You’re here too?!" she gasped, her voice cracking with surprise and fear.

Her father’s head snapped up at the sound of her voice. When he realized it was his daughter sitting next to him, his face distorted into a furious, bitter sneer.

"What else did you cause, Amelia?!!" he shouted at her, his voice shaking with pure rage and frustration. "Look at us! We lost everything, we were kicked out of the country, and now we are abducted again??!! Who did you offend this time?!"

"Trust me, I didn’t do anything... this time!" Amelia screamed back loudly, tears of frustration spilling over her cheeks. "I’ve just been hiding in that stupid house! I don’t know who these people are!"

"Are you both, father and daughter, done with your little chit-chat?"

A sharp cold female voice came cutting through their conversation. The tone was smooth and completely devoid of any warmth.

Amelia immediately stopped talking, her head snapping toward the hooded figure standing in the center of the room. Her breath hitched in her throat. So... it was a female?

Amelia watched in sheer terror as the figure slowly took a step forward into the light.

"W-who are you... what do you want?" Amelia’s voice stuttered her teeth chattering as she stared at the hooded figure.

The girl didn’t answer. Instead, she slowly reached into her jacket and took out a long knife. "You talk too much," the girl murmured, her voice flat and deadly. "Maybe I should silence you first."

Amelia completely lost her mind. She started panicking, thrashing against her ropes, and screaming at the top of her lungs. "Help! Somebody help me! Let me go!"

In one swift motion, the girl stepped forward and pressed the icy flat of the blade directly against Amelia’s neck. "Be obedient," she warned softly, her dark eyes locking onto Amelia’s. "Or I will make this much more painful than it needs to be."

Amelia choked on her breath and froze, completely paralyzed by the cold metal on her skin.

Her father watched the scene with absolute horror, his chest heaving. "Let her go! Leave my daughter alone!" he shouted, trying to kick his legs against the chair.

The hooded girl slowly turned her head to look at him. "Don’t worry," she whispered smoothly. "You’ll be joining her soon enough."

"Why are you doing this?!" the older man begged, sweat dripping down his face. "Who are you working for? Did Dominic send you?! Is he the one behind this?!"

The girl let out a chilling smirk behind her mask. Dominic? She didn’t need anyone to order her around, especially not a Valente.

Without a word, she reached into her pocket with her free hand, pulled out a thick stack of printed photographs, and threw them across his face.

The papers scattered onto his lap and the floor. Before he could look down, the girl grabbed a fistful of his thinning hair from behind, brutally forcing his head down so his eyes were pinned to the images.

"See them?" she hissed, her voice dropping. "Look at them closely. These are the innocent lives you and your corrupt company destroyed over the years. The families you ruined, the people you had silenced just to build your wealthy empire."

She tightened her grip on his hair, making him groan in pain, before violently throwing his head back. "And you honestly think you can just run away to a quiet countryside, live in hiding, and enjoy nature after everything you’ve done? Tsk, tsk. How pathetic."

Amelia was shivering so hard the wooden chair was rattling against the concrete. Hearing the girl’s words, a selfish survival instinct took over her mind.

"Why are you punishing me?!" Amelia suddenly shrieked, tears streaming down her face as she looked at the hooded girl. "It’s my dad’s fault! He did all of those things! Punish him, not me! I had nothing to do with his business! Please, just let me go!"

Her father froze, turning his head to look at his daughter in absolute shock and heartbreak. His eyes grew wide. This was the same daughter he had doted on her entire life, the one he had protected, spoiled, and even lost his finger for in Dominic’s basement. And now, without a second thought, she was pushing him straight into the pit just to save her own skin.

"See what a disobedient child you raised..." the hooded girl murmured, a mocking tone bleeding into her cold voice. "A selfish brat like this deserves a proper lesson."

With a careless flick of her wrist, she tossed the knife onto a metal table. She turned around, grabbed a thick leash from the wall, and handed it to one of her muscular guards. "Give her fifty lashes."

Amelia’s eyes widened, the blood draining completely from her face. "No! No, please! I’m sorry! Daddy, help me! Please don’t do this!" she screamed frantically, thrashing wildly against her restraints. But her desperate begging was completely ignored.

The guard stepped forward, raising the heavy strap, and the cold concrete room was instantly filled with the brutal sound of the first strike.

The girl didn’t even blink at the sound of Amelia’s painful screaming.

Instead, she slowly turned her dark pupils back toward the older man, who was trembling in horror. She leaned down close to his ear and whispered, "Now, as for you... how exactly should I torture you, hmm...?"

Twenty minutes later.

The dark hallway outside the torture room was quiet, except for the muffled groans echoing through the metal door.

Suddenly, a ring interrupted them. The girl reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and quickly accepted the call, pressing it to her ear.

"Yes, Master," she said, her voice instantly became firm.

"How is Vivien? Did she wake up yet?" a familiar, commanding voice demanded from the other end of the line.

"She is recovering faster than expected," the girl replied smoothly, her face completely expressionless. "And yes, Master, she did wake up briefly a little while ago. But her body is still very weak from the injuries, so she fell unconscious shortly after."

Just as she finished her sentence, a loud scream pierced through the door behind her

"What is that noise?! Aren’t you at the house?!" an angry voice barked over the phone, the tone instantly changed.

The girl stayed completely silent for a split second, her eyes darting toward the door. Her expression didn’t change as she calmly lied to her master. "I am at home, Master, do not worry. It was just a careless maid who dropped some heavy porcelain plates and injured herself. I will take care of it immediately."

There was a long pause on the other line. "You better not be lying to me," the voice warned coldly, and with that, the call was abruptly cut off.

The girl lowered her phone, staring at the blank screen for a brief second before tucking it away. She turned around, opened the door, and looked back at her men, who were standing over the bloodied, ruined figures of Amelia and her father.

"Finish it soon," she commanded flatly. "And make sure there is absolutely no trace left of these two bodies when you are done."

The guards nodded silently, and she turned on her heel, walking away into the darkness to return to her master’s house....or somewhere else.

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TO BE CONTINUED