Mafia's Princess(Under Editing)

Chapter 6

Anastasia Rose

A week had passed since I arrived at the university—and a week of the Romano twins, my so-called brothers, keeping a close watch on me. I honestly didn't know why I kept giving them a fake name. I could have told them the truth at any moment, yet fear held me back. Fear of what? Rejection? Confusion? Overwhelm? All of it, probably.

But why were they watching my every move? Could they have guessed the truth? I didn't know. All I knew was that I had been avoiding them as much as possible, and thankfully, they had been keeping their distance too. That, at least, I was glad for.

This morning, my stomach reminded me that I had skipped breakfast—again. Why? Because I had ignored the multiple alarms I'd set and gotten up far too late. My lazy self was paying the price now.

I headed to the cafeteria, ready to grab something to eat. But just as I was about to reach the counter, someone collided with me. The instant drink in my hand flew upward and spilled—not on the floor, but all over the person who bumped into me.

I looked up—and froze.

Standing before me was none other than the queen bee of the university, Mackenzie, followed by her entourage. She wore a gaudy white dress—way too short and barely covering anything. The spilled drink left large, sticky stains.

"Oh! How dare you!" she shrieked, glaring down at her ruined outfit.

"You ruined my expensive dress, you scholar girl! Do you even know how much this costs?" she sneered.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the twins heading toward me—but I had no intention of letting them handle this one. I could take care of myself.

"Oh darling... the last thing I remember is you bumping into me, not the other way around," I said, lips tight in a fake smile.

"How dare you accuse me! Do you even know who I am?" Mackenzie snapped.

I smirked. "How would I, when you don't even know your own name?"

The entire cafeteria erupted into laughter. Some students gawked in disbelief—apparently, they weren't used to someone talking back to Mackenzie.

"Shut up!" she screamed, trying to quiet everyone. Then, turning back to me, she added, venom dripping from every word: "You're going to regret this... you filthy, stinky girl... you're so ugly."

I raised an eyebrow, amused. "Well... that's probably because you're staring at your reflection in the mirror."

Her jaw dropped, rage coursing through her. "You... go to hell!"

"But that's your residence, sweetie," I replied nonchalantly.

Before she could respond, the twins arrived. Federico's eyes were sharp, Niccolò's expression icy.

"Enough, Mackenzie. We don't want any trouble—if you do, there will be consequences," Federico said, a hint of anger flickering across his otherwise stone-cold face.

"Why are you defending her? She's the one who started it!" Mackenzie shouted, pointing at me.

I simply raised an eyebrow.

"Enough! We saw exactly whose fault it was. Leave before we act," Niccolò commanded.

Mackenzie stomped her foot in frustration and left, her minions trailing behind her.

"Wow... they really does have influence around here," I muttered under my breath, impressed despite myself.

Federico glanced at me. "You okay?"

"Ah... I'm fine, thank you," I said quickly, rushing out before either twin could insist I stay. My stomach growled, but I didn't care. Something about the way I ran—it wasn't just hunger or embarrassment. I should probably just tell them the truth at this point.

Soon... very soon.

⸻

Federico Romano

A week had passed since the first encounter with Anastasia—not officially confirmed as our sister yet—but every piece of evidence pointed toward it.

Niccolò and I had been keeping tabs on her, carefully observing while maintaining distance. Yet somehow, she managed to avoid us, seemingly aware of our suspicions.

"She's avoiding us again," Niccolò muttered, eyeing the empty cafeteria table.

"Yeah... I noticed. I wonder why," I replied, slurping my noodles.

Then she appeared. Instantly. Anastasia—Laura, as she called herself—entered the cafeteria. Her presence commanded attention yet she didn't let that get to her head. The previous day, I had seen her helping a girl carry registers to the staff room, and earlier, we saw her handing a lunch box to the university guard. She was kind, polite, genuine... and beautiful.

But then Mackenzie, the university's notorious bully, collided with her, spilling her drink over Anastasia's dress. We both rose from our seats instinctively.

"Oh! How dare you!" Mackenzie shrieked.

"You ruined my expensive dress, scholar girl! Do you even know how expensive this is?"

Anastasia didn't flinch. "Oh darling... the last thing I remember is you bumping into me, not me."

"How dare you accuse me? Do you even know who I am?" Mackenzie hissed.

"How would I, if you don't even know your own name?" Anastasia smirked.

Laughter erupted around the cafeteria. Niccolò chuckled softly. "I've never seen Mackenzie this red."

"She really is something else," I murmured, smiling at her sharp comebacks.

"You... go to hell!"

"But that's your residence, sweetie," she shot back.

But we couldn't watch it anymore and intervened.

"Enough, Mackenzie. We don't want any trouble—if you do, there will be consequences," I said coldly, not liking her tone.

"Why are you defending her? She's the one who started it!" Mackenzie shouted.

"Enough! We saw exactly whose fault it was. Leave before we act," Niccolò commanded.

Mackenzie stomped her foot in frustration and left, her minions trailing behind her.

I turned to Anastasia. "You okay?"

"Ah... I'm fine, thank you," she said quickly, rushing away.

As she left, something caught my eye. When she blinked, I noticed it—a flash of grey in her right eye.

"Niccolò... look," I said, nudging him.

He followed my gaze, eyes narrowing. "What?"

"I think... that's not hazel. Her eyes... the hazel moved. She's wearing lenses."

Niccolò's jaw tightened. "She's hiding her eyes... She's Vincenzo's exact copy. It confirms it—she's our baby sister."

"Why would she hide them... unless there's a reason?"

"There's only one way to find out." Niccolò grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the cafeteria.

What is he planning now?

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