𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 | ✓

𝐗𝐋𝐕𝐈 - 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐞

(edited)

The moment I screamed, all my brothers barreled into my room. I was struggling for air, caught in the cruel grip of an asthma attack, tears streaming down my swollen, flushed cheeks.

"What the fuck just happened this time?" Dylan's voice cracked, raw with panic and anger, while Vince pulled me close, pressing my head hard against his chest. I could hear the pounding of his heart beneath me as I sobbed uncontrollably.

I pointed shakily at the video playing on my laptop, unable to bring myself to meet their eyes. In an instant, all heads snapped toward the screen, their eyes widening with the same horror reflected in mine.

It was Valeria!

Tied to a cold, metal chair far too small for her, her head slumped back helplessly. She was barely clothed, her ribs bruised purple and black, the rest of her torso a map of pain. Her hair was tangled, soaked with sweat and blood dripping slowly from her cracked lips.

Watching her was like staring straight into my past. The bruises on her body mirrored mine... Exactly how I looked after my parents' cruel fists battered me into silence. How I once lay broken, blood dripping from my mouth and nose after their final, merciless blow. The exhaustion, the desperation, the utter helplessness... all reflected in Valeria's trembling form.

Two men loomed over her, masked, their cold eyes the only visible parts of their faces. One held a small knife, gripping her chin to keep her still. Tears glistened on her cheeks, but she tried so hard to swallow her sobs, to smother her screams, her heart hammering in terror.

"Okay, ascolta Augustinos, il nostro capo vuole il tuo intero impero, altrimenti questa ragazza incontrerà i tuoi genitori morti e perderai la custodia della tua preziosa Nefeli!" the first man sneered, his voice dripping with cruel amusement, sending a shiver crawling down my spine. (Okay, listen Agostinos, our boss wants your entire empire, otherwise this girl will meet your dead parents, and you will lose custody of your precious Nefeli!)

I didn't understand the words fully, but I knew. I knew it was a threat so vicious it made my blood run cold.

"You better give it to him" he hissed, "or you'll never get back her custody papers... And I'm sure you know exactly what that means."

But what shattered me most, what tore my heart to pieces and let loose a flood of silent, muffled screams, was the other man dragging slowly his knife, cruelly, carving letters into Valeria's cheeks.

H-E-L-P M-E

Blood and tears mingled, staining her pale skin as she gasped and shrieked, the sound raw and broken. My sobs soaked Vince's shirt, my fingers trembling as I clutched at him, desperate for some anchor in this storm.

The video ended with a shattering crack... glass breaking on her head... and Valeria's scream, piercing and heart-wrenching, as darkness claimed her.

"W-what did he say?" I cried out, slamming the laptop shut and spinning toward my brothers.

Their faces were furious, veins bulging, faces flushed with rage, yet beneath the anger, I saw something else... fear, worry, uncertainty.

'What the hell did that bastard say?'

"Call Enzo. Now" Noah commanded, his voice steel, before storming out with Aiden and Chris.

Cole and the twins exchanged a brief glance and followed silently, leaving me trembling in Vince's arms.

I looked up at him, my eyes pleading for some hope, some comfort, but he said nothing. Instead, he smiled gently, pulling me closer, resting my head against his shoulder.

"Don't worry, cuginetta. Everything's going to be alright. She's going to survive!" he whispered, his hands rubbing soothing circles on my arms. (Baby cousin)

I snapped upright, panic raging through me. "What do you mean she's going to survive? Is there even a chance she won't?"

Vince's smile faltered, his breath hitching as he pressed me back against him. "No, no, no... of course she will. She has to," he lied so quickly it made my heart twist with pain.

But I knew. I knew he didn't believe it either.

Lies. So many lies!

Valeria was trapped in a nightmare, and I was helpless to pull her out.

--Aiden's P.O.V--

I paced the length of Noah's office, my fists clenched tight enough to bleed. How the hell had we forgotten?

The box. The box with her custody papers inside! Our most precious shield, stolen, and now a weapon pointed straight at us.

The thought of Valeria, my sister's best friend, trapped and hurt, and us powerless to help was eating me alive.

Noah's plan was clear: save her without being caught by the MS Mafia.

Our ruthless enemy.

They wanted our empire, our lives. But they'd never gotten close... until now. Now, with our baby sister back, they'd found our only weakness. I was itching to rip them apart with my bare hands, to make them regret the day they crossed us!

"Can you stay still for one second?" Chris asked from behind me, his voice low but edged with frustration.

"How the fuck do you expect me to stand still when our baby sister's life is on the line?" I shouted, slamming my fist into the table.

Noah spun his chair around, his glare sharp enough to cut steel. When Noah glares like that, you don't argue. I dropped into a chair, my breath heavy with defeat.

Then the door burst open. Enzo stormed in like a hurricane, shutting it hard behind him. His usually calm demeanor was shattered, replaced by wild fury and desperate fear. He loved this family like his own, he had to.

"How the hell did you all forget the papers were stolen?" he roared, glaring at every one of us, his voice raw with disbelief.

We swallowed hard. All of us. He was right. We had forgotten.

Enzo cared more than any of us. More than Nefeli's own brothers. And I felt it, deeply. The way he came rushing in, the urgency in his voice, the worry in his eyes. He wasn't just concerned. He was genuinely shaken. Protective. Focused. And meanwhile, we had let it slip. We forgot about the one thing that mattered most, the one piece of paper that could tear her away from us. We failed her. That realization settled in my chest like a weight I couldn't shake. I felt embarrassed. Guilty. Useless. We were supposed to be the ones keeping her safe. But in the end, it was Enzo who stepped up when it counted. And that truth hurt more than I expected.

We were the worst brothers imaginable...

Chris, Noah, and I exchanged looks, regret carved deep in our eyes.

Noah, though, was a fortress. Cold. Emotionless. Like he'd swallowed all pain to shield us. But I knew the truth. Noah was hurting more than any of us. Punishing himself for failing us all.

"Stop the blame game..." Noah said, voice hard, arms crossed. "What's the plan? We can't let Valeria die."

"Nefeli will never forgive us. And she's not even involved..." Chris muttered, rubbing his temples.

"There's only one option" Enzo said, locking eyes with us.

My heart stopped. Yet, he was right...

"We go in. Into their building."

___________________________________________

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you are enjoying the book so far, too!

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Pleeeeeease!!

Lots of love, Nefeli 💕