He Thought I Was a Joke? I Hid the Heir to His Mafia Empire Chapter 04
I prepared to leave once finished cleaning, but Elena blocked my path.
“Don’t rush off. More chores await.”
She gestured toward a pile of gift boxes in the living room corner. “A banquet will be held tonight. Unpack and sort all these presents.”
I checked the time, already four in the afternoon.
I had promised to stay with Estelle at the hospital tonight.
“I only agreed to basic cleaning duties. This falls outside my job scope.”
“I’ll pay twenty thousand dollars extra.” Luca sat on the sofa flipping through a magazine, never lifting his head.
Twenty thousand dollars covered two months of Estelle’s medication costs.
I swallowed my refusal. “Very well.”
I knelt beside the gifts and began unwrapping elegant packaging.
Darkness fell as time slipped by. Well-dressed guests steadily flooded the mansion hall.
Music and chatter filled every room. I knelt unnoticed in the corner, completely out of place.
“Isn’t that Vera Moretti?”
A shrill female voice cut through the crowd.
I looked up and recognized familiar faces—former university classmates and acquaintances from Luca’s social circle.
“It really is her! Look at her shabby appearance!”
“She dumped Don Falcone for money back then, and now look how far she’s fallen.”
“Karma caught up to her eventually.”
The crowd surrounded me, staring judgmentally with disdainful expressions.
Elena walked over arm-in-arm with Luca, holding a champagne glass.
“Let’s not speak harshly. Ms. Moretti earns an honest living now.” Her words sounded polite, yet her eyes brimmed with malice.
“Since we’re all old classmates, why not share a drink with us?” She handed me a glass of red wine.
“I don’t drink alcohol.” I bowed my head and kept working.
“Are you snubbing us?” A woman in sequined attire sneered. “You’re no longer the popular cheer captain. Elena offers you respect!”
“Don’t act so arrogant!”
Someone shoved me suddenly. I lost balance and fell, my palm landing on a sharp brooch.
The piercing tip sliced open my skin, fresh blood welling up instantly.
“Ah!” I cried out in pain.
“Blood! How repulsive!” Elena stepped back dramatically. “Don’t stain my carpet!”
Luca stood among the guests, watching impassively without offering any help.
“Drink this glass, then you may leave.” He finally spoke.
Ignoring my throbbing palm, I took the wine glass shakily.
This drink meant payment, meant freedom from this torment.
I tilted my head back and swallowed the bitter wine in one gulp.
Cheers erupted around me.
“Another round!” A second glass pressed into my hands immediately.
I stumbled upright. “Mr. Falcone, only one glass was agreed upon.”
“I never promised one drink guarantees payment.” Luca raised an eyebrow tauntingly.
My phone vibrated frantically inside my pocket. Panic surged through me. I pulled it out hastily.
The anxious nurse spoke the second I answered.
“Ms. Moretti! Estelle suffered sudden heart failure and needs immediate family consent for emergency surgery. Hurry over!”
“I’m coming right—”
A large hand snatched my phone away mid-sentence.
“Luca, give it back!” I lunged forward frantically.
Luca held the phone high, watching my desperate reaction coldly. “Another wealthy lover calling? Are you that desperate for male attention, Vera?”
“This has nothing to do with men! Please return my phone!”
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. My daughter’s life hung in the balance.
“No.”
A cruel smile tugged his lips. He released his grip.
The phone crashed violently onto the marble floor, screen cracking into fragments and going dark.
My world shattered alongside it.
“LUCA!” I screamed in despair, grabbing tightly onto his collar. “If anything happens to my daughter, I will hold you accountable!”
A sharp slap struck my cheek, silencing my shouts.
Elena stood before me, glaring fiercely.
“How dare you attack Luca!”
My head whipped sideways, ears ringing loudly, metallic blood filling my mouth. Physical pain faded away completely.
All I could think of was Estelle waiting desperately for emergency approval.
I pushed Elena away with sudden strength, sending her crashing into a tower of champagne flutes.
Glass shattered everywhere, wine splattering across the floor. Elena screamed in terror.
Chaos erupted throughout the hall.
Luca’s face turned livid with rage. He seized my wrists, squeezing them painfully. “You’re asking for death, Vera!”
“Let go!”
I bit down hard on his wrist until blood filled my mouth. He released me in pain.
I snatched the broken phone and sprinted toward the exit.
“Stop her!” Luca roared furiously.
Two bodyguards blocked the doorway.
I grabbed a decorative vase and smashed it, pressing a jagged shard against my neck. Sharp glass pricked my skin, thin blood trickling down my throat.
“No one steps closer, or I will end my life here!”
The guards hesitated and stepped backward, intimidated by my feral gaze.
Luca rushed forward, eyes widening in shock. “Vera, you’ve lost your mind! Drop the glass!”
“Luca,” tears mixed with blood dripping from my chin, I stared straight at him, “If my daughter dies, I will drag every single one of you down with me.”
