Bound by Destiny: A Mafia Tale

1

Sarah Jane Reyes's POV

After enjoying dinner with my family and completing my chores, I made my way upstairs to my room. Changing into comfortable clothes, I diligently followed my nightly skincare routine, ensuring my skin stayed healthy. Once done, I settled at my desk, surrounded by my laptop, notebooks, pens, and books. Being in my second year of college at City of Portsmouth College studying medicine, I focused on writing reports about long-term disorders and completing other homework before the looming deadlines.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I completed my tasks for the day. Stretching my arms and legs while seated at my study table, I stood up and grabbed my phone to set alarms for my upcoming class tomorrow and a timer for an hour of reading. This routine was familiar to me, as I preferred solitude and was a bit of an introvert. Placing my phone on the bedside table, I picked up the book series I was currently engrossed in, "Sins of the Fathers" by Cora Reilly, recommended by my best friend Alisha Begum. To be honest, the genre of the book didn't matter much to me; I only read it to escape boredom rather than for specific preferences. Despite knowing it was a mafia romance, I continued reading, intrigued by the portrayal of the mafia lifestyle and business operations.

Getting comfortable in bed with my book, I turned the pages, the only sound in the room being the gentle rustling of paper. As I delved into the story, a headache slowly crept in, causing my vision to blur. Struggling to focus, I rose from the bed and made my way to the desk to fetch some medicine and water. The sudden dizziness and headache made it challenging to concentrate, and as I neared the desk, I stumbled and fell to the ground, my vision fading to black as I passed out. In that moment of distress, all I could manage to utter was a feeble "Help."

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As I stood up from the soft bed, confusion and disbelief washed over me. Where was I? This room was nothing like mine. The luxurious surroundings, the tall buildings outside the window, it all felt surreal. I walked towards the curtains, hesitated for a moment, then pulled them open. The bright sunlight flooded in, revealing a bustling cityscape that I didn't recognize.

"Where am I?" I whispered to myself, my heart racing. Everything felt so unfamiliar, so out of place. I turned away from the window, my eyes landing on a full-length mirror. As I approached it, my reflection stared back at me, but it wasn't the reflection I expected. I was... 10years old again.

"No, no, no," I muttered, panic rising within me. How was this possible? I couldn't comprehend what was happening. I needed to get out of here. Ignoring my surroundings, I dashed out of the room and found myself in an opulent apartment that screamed wealth. But I didn't care about that. I needed to leave.

I located the elevator, pressed the button for the ground floor, and descended rapidly. Stepping out, I made my way to the reception area, my mind racing with questions. The receptionist greeted me with a smile, mentioning a note that had arrived for me.

Confused and anxious, I accepted the note and walked away. With trembling hands, I opened it to find a message that would perhaps shed light on this bizarre situation.

Welcome Sarah, did you have a good sleep? I know you have so many questions in your mind right now and I will answer them. But at this moment this is your new life now.

After reading the words on the paper, I flipped it over to see if there was more, but to my dismay, there was nothing written on the back. "Damn it," I muttered to myself. I quickly walked back to the reception and asked the receptionist who sent me the note. She only gave me a fake smile, the kind they use when they're just doing their job. "I apologize, my lady, but I only received the note this morning when I arrived. It was already there," the receptionist explained, leaving me standing there speechless. Now, what should I do? I don't have my phone with me, and I don't know where I am. I feel so helpless at this moment.

"My lady, is everything alright?" the receptionist asked as she approached me. But before she could reach me, I ran in the direction where there were many people walking back and forth. As I finally got out of the building, I continued running, not caring about the people I accidentally bumped into. I was too sad and angry to pay attention to my surroundings, tears starting to form in my eyes.

I kept running, wiping my tears away, feeling a little tired but not stopping until... I bumped into someone and fell to the ground.

"Owww," I groaned, rubbing my head where I had bumped into someone's chest that felt as hard as a rock. "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?" a deep voice asked me. "As you can see, I'm not alright, it felt like I bumped into a boulder, but I'm uninjured," I replied, still not looking at the man standing in front of me, reaching out his hand to help me up, which I eventually took. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for bumping into you," I apologized as I let go of his hand. "It's fine," he said. When I finally lifted my head to look at him properly, my face turned pale. "H-how is this possible?" I whispered to myself, not loud enough for the man to hear. "Hey, little miss, are you okay?" he asked, looking at me with a puzzled expression. Suddenly, I started shaking and breathing heavily... and then my vision began to blur, everything turning dark.

But one question kept repeating in my mind. What was 'Luca Vitiello?' doing there?