The Devil Who Claimed Me

Valentina stepped into the dungeon. The woman still lay unconscious on the cold floor.

"You bitch," she muttered. "Wake up."

She kicked her, but the woman didn’t move.

"Playing dead? Fine... let’s see how long that lasts."

Valentina grabbed a bucket from the corner and splashed water over her.

"Uh..."

The woman jolted awake with a gasp. Her eyes darted around wildly. She found herself in a cold, dimly lit room. She tried to move and realized her hands and legs were tied.

Fear gripped her instantly.

She remembered someone hitting her on her head and passing out.

"Where am I?" she wondered weakly. When her gaze landed on the tall figure, she froze.

"You?" Her blood ran cold. "Why did you bring me here?"

Valentina snorted. "What do you think?"

The woman’s face paled. She understood Valentina had learned everything about her.

"I know you are a spy," Valentina said in an icy tone. "Working for Marco."

She crouched down and yanked the woman’s hair back, forcing her to look up.

"Now talk. Who else is involved? I want every name."

The woman trembled in fear. But she refused to open her mouth.

Clenching her teeth, she muttered, "I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m just a janitor. My husband works as a guard. We are loyal to Mr. Russo. We would never betray him."

"Don’t lie!" Valentina snarled, tightening her grip. "Your partner has already confessed everything."

Partner?

The woman stilled. Her thoughts spiraled. ’Who is she talking about?’

Her husband?

Fear flashed across her eyes, but she quickly masked it.

"What partner?" She pretended to be clueless. "I don’t know what you are talking about. Let me go. My son needs me."

"Your son is under my control," Valentina snapped. "If you don’t talk, he will die."

The words struck like lightning.

"No!" The woman broke instantly. "Please—don’t hurt him. He is innocent."

Valentina chuckled. "You should’ve thought about that before betraying Dominic. You sided with a traitor and went against your king."

Tears streamed down the woman’s face. "Please... I’m begging you... don’t hurt my son..."

"You are a spy, working for the enemy gang." Valentina’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "You know what happens to spies. And their families."

Her blood ran cold. The woman’s last shred of resistance shattered.

She knew. She had always known about the consequences.

"Please... show mercy... he is only seven..." she sobbed. "I’ll tell you everything. I’ll give you the names."

Valentina’s eyes gleamed. This was what she wanted.

"Good," she said, releasing her hair. "Talk. Maybe I’ll convince Dominic to spare your son."

The woman sobbed. She knew there was no escape. She couldn’t save herself or her husband. But if she could ensure her child’s safety, that would be enough.

The woman’s shoulders shook as she broke down.

"There are five more..." she whispered, revealing the names one by one.

Valentina’s eyebrows furrowed as she listened to her carefully.

"And last..." the woman choked, "Mila."

There it was. Her grip on the phone tightened a bit.

The name she had been waiting for.

She now had solid proof against Mila. This time, Dominic wouldn’t stop them from punishing the traitor.

"Mila was specially appointed by Marco to get secrets from Mr. Russo," the woman continued. "To gather information from Mr. Russo. Recently, she passed me intel about a secret mission."

Valentina’s spine went rigid.

Secret mission?

She remembered Dominic mentioning this.

He had already left with his team. But Mila had already leaked the information.

Cold dread flooded her veins.

She lunged forward, grabbing the woman by the throat.

"Did you pass it on?" she demanded. "Tell me now, or your family dies."

"I—I called someone..." the woman gasped. "He must have told Marco already..."

Rage exploded inside Valentina.

"You worthless traitor."

She slammed the woman to the ground and began beating her—punch after punch, kick after kick.

The woman cried in agony, curling into herself, but Valentina didn’t stop.

She kept hitting her until the woman went limp again. Only then did she step back, breathing hard.

"You filthy bitch," she spat. "Death would be too easy for you."

She wiped her hands and glanced at her phone.

Everything had been recorded.

"First, I’ll alert Dominic. Then I’ll clean out every traitor." Her mouth twisted in fury. "And I’ll start with Mila."

She stormed out of the dungeon. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dialed Dominic’s number. But the call didn’t connect. She called him again.

It didn’t connect again. ’The number you have dialed is out of service,’ came an automated voice.

"No, no, no... Come on..."

She grew restless and tried to reach out to him yet again. But this time also, the result was the same.

"What is going on? Where are you?"

Her pulse quickened with nervous energy. Every second counted. Since the information was leaked, the mission was bound to fail. She was afraid Dominic would get hurt.

"Come on," she muttered as she dialed him again.

This time, the call was connected. Her eyes lit up with hope.

"Hello?" Dominic’s voice came through.

"Dominic!" she burst out. "Listen carefully. Abort the mission. The information has leaked. You are in danger."

"What? The network is poor. I can’t hear you properly."

Valentina pressed her hand on her head, feeling helpless. "Abort the mission. Can you hear me?"

"Nothing is clearly audible. Your voice is breaking."

Tears pricked her eyes in desperation.

"Dominic, there are moles here," she said, her voice faltering. "It’s Mila. She leaked everything to Marco. Stop the operation and come back. Okay?"

This time, Dominic heard every word loud and clear. He stilled, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Wait, Valentina. Don’t do anything reckless. Let me explain first."

There was only silence on the other end of the phone.

"Hello? Valentina?"

Nothing.

Dominic stared at his phone. The call was already disconnected.

"Damn it..." he muttered. His chest tightened as he thought Mila was all alone there, and she was in danger.

’Valentina learned that Mila was Marco’s spy. But no one knows she is working for me."

Chills crawled down his spine. "I have to save her. I need to go back."

He turned to leave.

Lucas appeared. Seeing his troubled look, he frowned. "Where are you going?" he asked, sensing something was not right.

"I need to head back to the island," Dominic said. "Hold the operation. No one moves until I say so."

"But..." Before Lucas could say anything, Dominic was already gone.