HER LIFE

A Formal Step

It had been a week since the garden incident, and Valentina hadn't had a moment to breathe. The weight of her responsibilities, compounded by the ever-looming presence of Klaus, kept her constantly on edge. Sleep, when she allowed herself a few hours of it, had become a fleeting luxury, haunted by the same recurring nightmares that made her dread closing her eyes. Her nights were filled with the vivid recollections of being tied up, Klaus's sinister grin seared into her memory, the scar on her back a constant, painful reminder of his cruelty.

But there was no time to dwell on the past. Valentina was back to managing her mafia, dealing with the endless challenges that came with being the leader of such an organization. On top of her own responsibilities, she had taken on the task of helping Andre, whose own mafia was tangled in its own web of problems. They had been working together tirelessly, both knowing that any mistake could bring everything crashing down. 

The most pressing problem on Valentina's mind, however, was the search for moles within both the Italian and Russian mafia. It had been a delicate and exhausting task. The deeper she and Andre dug, the more elusive the truth became.  Every lead they chased either evaporated into nothingness or tangled them deeper into the maze of deception. It was a frustrating cycle of suspicion and dead ends, and Valentina's patience, already thin from her lack of sleep, was wearing dangerously thin.

She had poured over records, interrogated trusted lieutenants, and even resorted to surveillance on those she thought she could trust. Nothing yielded the answers she sought. Either everyone was guilty, or no one was, and the paranoia was driving her to the brink. She had learned from past mistakes, knowing that trusting the wrong person could be deadly, but the longer she waited, the more likely Klaus would make his next move. And that thought terrified her. The memory of him, of what he had done, was too fresh, too raw. She couldn't afford to lose herself in that fear, but it clung to her like a shadow.

Despite the lack of progress, Valentina refused to give up. She had survived worse, she reminded herself. The fatigue weighed her down, but she wouldn't stop. Not until the moles were found. Not until Klaus was dealt with. This was her life now—constant vigilance, endless planning, and a burning desire to protect her people. She hadn't chosen this path, but she walked it with grim determination. 

She was Valentina, and she didn't break. Not for Klaus. Not for anyone. Yet as the week dragged on, with no clear direction and no answers, Valentina knew that something had to give. Sleep was a distant memory, and the nightmares that lurked there would only grow stronger the longer she stayed awake. But for now, she pushed through, driven by the need to uncover the truth—whatever the cost.

VALENTINA'S POV

I was on the phone with my father's right-hand man, discussing the latest developments in my mafia. There had been some new movements—nothing significant, but still worth monitoring. My attention was split between his words and the endless sea of information on my laptop. Names, faces, and details of my gang members scrolled past my eyes, each one a possible suspect, each one holding a potential secret.And then the door slammed open, breaking my focus.I didn't need to look up to know who it was. Only one person had the audacity to barge into my room without knocking. Tristan. I cut the call quickly, not wanting him to  embarrass me on the phone. I barely had time to hang up before he plopped himself down on my bed like he owned the place.

Typical Tristan.

I tried to ignore him, keeping my eyes glued to the screen, scanning through the profiles of my gang members. I needed to focus—there had to be something here, some clue, some connection I was missing.