Spoiled by the Mafia King Chapter 03

Spoiled by the Mafia King Chapter 03

“Give it back to me.”

I struggled to sit up.

“Give it back?” Reynolds sneered, gripping both edges of the paper.

The paper tore with a sharp rip.

“No!”

My scream came out hoarse.

Reynolds ignored me completely.

“Always hiding behind men,” she muttered as she walked toward a nearby metal trash can. “You’ll never grow up.”

She tossed the shredded pieces of paper into the trash.

My mind went blank. Whatever was left of my reason snapped.

Strength came from somewhere I didn’t understand. I staggered to my feet and stumbled toward the trash can.

“Valentina!” Sophie called behind me.

I dug through the garbage, feeling around in the filth for scraps of paper. Tears blurred my vision as I pressed the stained pieces tightly against my chest.

It was ruined beyond repair.

“My letter,” I sobbed, my face buried in the dirt. “My brother’s letter.”

Reynolds stood in front of me with her arms crossed.

“Pick it up. Take your time. No one eats until you’re done.”

Another wave of complaints crashed over me. Everyone hated me.

That night, Sophie carried me on her back to the barracks.

My entire body felt like it was on fire. My fever spiked to 103°F.

My cheeks were unnaturally flushed, and my lips were cracked and bleeding.

“Valentina, you need a doctor!”

Sophie leaned over me and pressed a damp towel to my forehead.

I could no longer say a word. All I could see in my mind were my brothers’ faces.

With trembling hands, I fumbled beneath my pillow and pulled out the backup phone I had hidden there.

“I need my brother,” I whispered. “I have to call my brother.”

A hand snatched the phone away.

“How many times have I told you? Phones are not allowed.”

Reynolds stood at the foot of the bed, disgust written all over her face.

“Ma’am, I have a fever. Please,” I said, my voice barely audible. “I just want to call my brother. Please.”

She rolled her eyes and slapped my hand away.

“A fever? Drink some water.”

She shoved the phone into her pocket. “You think you’re special? There are hundreds of cadets here. There are no exceptions.”

“You want to get out of training tomorrow? Dream on.”

She turned and slammed the door shut.

“My brothers said I would never have to suffer.”

“They’ll come get me.”

I drifted in and out of consciousness, murmuring the same broken words over and over.

In the darkness, I heard a faint click.

Curled beneath her blanket, Sophie pulled out the flip phone she had hidden.

With shaking hands, she dialed the number I had once mentioned offhand.

It rang three times. Then there was a click.

“Hello?”

A deep, icy male voice answered.

Sophie stammered, “A-are you Valentina Rossi’s brother?”

She choked back a sob, trying hard not to cry.

There was silence on the other end of the line. Then the man’s voice dropped.

“Where is my sister?”

At dawn the next morning, the wake-up horn blared across the entire campus.

I leaned against Sophie, barely able to stand as she half-supported me on the way to the drill field.

The fever had left my whole body weak, and my legs would hardly obey me.

Reynolds stood at the front of the formation, a riding crop tapping lightly against her thigh.

“Last night, someone violated regulations by using an unauthorized electronic device.”

Her gaze swept over Sophie and me, and a cruel smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

“To prevent further acts of disobedience, the entire company will complete additional drills today—”

Before she could finish, a violent crash ripped through the morning air.

The heavy iron gates of the training field collapsed, torn clean from their frame.

Twisted metal shrieked as it hit the ground, throwing dust into the air.

The entire formation froze.

Every pair of eyes turned toward the entrance.