The Devil Who Claimed Me

The dinner ended peacefully, and they stepped out of the restaurant.

"Let me drop you," Max offered.

Mila turned him down politely. "Don’t bother. I’m going with Valentina."

Max glanced at Valentina, disappointment flickering in his eyes. But he didn’t argue.

"Alright. Then I’ll leave. Good night."

He stepped into his car and drove away.

Valentina looked down at her and asked, "Why didn’t you go with him?"

"I don’t have any desire to stir jealousy in Dominic," Mila said sarcastically.

Valentina smirked. "He is not here. And I’m not going to tell him anything."

Mila rolled her eyes. "As if you don’t know him. He might have someone watching me sneakily."

Valentina laughed. "You understood him quite well."

They walked toward their car. But before they could reach it, a man stepped in front of them, blocking their path.

Mila froze.

His gaze crawled over her, making her skin prickle with discomfort.

She instinctively stepped back.

Valentina moved forward instantly, shielding her. "Move. Or you won’t like what happens next."

The man let out a mocking laugh. "Trying to scare me? Woman, you clearly don’t know who I am."

He pointed lazily at Mila. "I’m not here for you. I want her."

"As long as I’m standing here, you won’t touch her," Valentina replied, her voice edged with warning.

The man chuckled again. "A woman threatening me? That’s new."

He waved dismissively. "Step aside. Or you’ll get dragged into her trouble."

Valentina didn’t move. "I’m not leaving anywhere. If you have confidence in yourself, come and try to touch her."

The man’s smile faded instantly. Irritation flickered in his eyes. His ego was stung, and he wasn’t going to tolerate it.

"I gave you a chance to walk away," he growled. "You should’ve taken it. But you dared to challenge me. Now, you are in trouble."

He lunged forward, fist raised.

Valentina caught his fist in the air.

His expression shifted instantly, shock flashing across his face. Before he could react, she drove her knee into his abdomen. The air rushed out of his lungs as he dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach.

A second later, her fist slammed into his jaw.

His head snapped sideways, blood spraying from his lips. He barely had time to register the pain before she grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, delivering another powerful punch to his face.

A sickening crack followed. His nose broke instantly, blood gushing down his face.

"Ugh..." A broken groan escaped him.

He had never imagined he would be beaten like this by a woman. Fear crept into his eyes. Before he could even think of escaping, Valentina pressed a gun against his forehead.

"Now tell me," she said dangerously. "Who is in trouble?"

The man trembled violently. "D-don’t kill me," he stammered. "I was wrong... I won’t come near you again. Please, let me go."

Valentina’s lips curled into a satisfying smile. His fear fed her pride.

"Let you go?" she sneered. "You were so arrogant just now. You were confident that you would defeat me easily. You didn’t believe a woman could fight and beat you."

"I was wrong. I am sorry," the man’s voice faltered. "Someone paid me to kidnap her."

He jerked his chin toward Mila. "I took the money. I had to do my job. But now I realize my mistake. I won’t harm her. Just spare me."

Valentina knew it already. It was the man Bianca had hired to hurt Mila.

She could have let Mila leave with Max and dealt with this man sneakily on her own. But she wanted Mila to see what kind of family she really had.

But to Mila, it was shocking. She stepped forward.

"What did you say?" she demanded. "Who sent you?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The man hesitated.

"Speak." Valentina pressed the gun even harder.

"I don’t know her name," he rushed out. "I met her once at a bar. She gave me your photo and the money. That’s all. I don’t ask my client’s name. I’m only interested in my target’s details."

Mila’s eyes hardened. "I’ll pay you more," she said coldly. "Bring her to me."

The man nodded frantically. "As long as you don’t kill me, I’ll do anything."

Mila squared her shoulders. "You have one hour. Bring her to the Vega mansion. I want to see who it is."

Valentina added, her tone lethal, "Try to trick us, and I’ll hunt you down myself."

"I won’t betray you," he said quickly. "I swear. I’ll bring her."

Valentina released him.

The man scrambled up and ran.

Mila stood still, her fists clenched. Her thoughts were racing. She doubted that Bianca or Camilla might be behind this.

They had not stopped trying to conspire against her. This time, they had planned her kidnapping.

It was too much.

Throwing them out of the house wasn’t enough to teach them. She had to give them even harsher punishment. But before that, she wanted to confirm her doubt.

"Are you okay?"

Valentina’s voice drew her back to the present.

Mila shrugged and turned to her, forcing a smile. "I’m fine. Let’s go."

They got into the car and drove away.

An hour later...

The man didn’t break his word. He dragged Bianca to the Vega mansion.

"Madam, I brought her to you." He shoved Bianca down.

Bianca crashed onto the floor. With her hands bound behind her back, she had no way to shield herself, and the impact sent a sharp jolt of pain through her body. She winced, her face tightening.

Fury, hatred, and helplessness flickered in her eyes as she glared at Mila, who sat calmly on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other. Rage burned through her, but though she longed to scream at her, the tape sealing her mouth left her voiceless.

"You did a great job," Mila said calmly. "You will be rewarded."

The man’s face lit up with excitement and joy. "Thank you, Madam."

"Now tell me, what exactly did she ask you to do?"

The man’s face paled. He swallowed, hesitating.

"She asked something," Valentina roared. "Speak."

The man flinched. By now, he realized that these two women weren’t ordinary. Going against them could put him in grave danger.

"She told me to force you to give up everything you own," he said quickly. He swallowed. "And then... she said to sell you to a brothel."