Helen’s POV“Don’t scream.”

A hand covered my mouth before I could even turn.

I struggled, trying to pull away, but the man behind me was too strong. He pushed me against the wall behind the café, and my head hit the brick, making my bag drop to the ground.

“Please,” I tried to say, but his palm pressed harder against my mouth.

His breath smelled of alcohol, and I instantly knew that he was one of the drunk clients that had followed me from the bar where I worked.

“You think you’re too good for me?” he hissed.

“You're always walking past like you can’t see me.”

I pushed at his chest, but he only laughed. My body started shaking, and I could feel his fingers trying to pull down my uniform as he exposed the upper part of my boobs.

My heart was beating fast, and I couldn’t breathe. Then with all the strength I could gather, I bit him hard.

He yelled and pushed me so hard that I almost fell.

“You little—”

But before he could finish, someone grabbed him from behind.

I froze as the drunk man was lifted into the air like he weighed nothing. He tried to talk, but his voice broke into gasps.

The man holding him was tall, dressed in a black suit, and the look on his face was very cold.

He said quietly, “Touch her again, and I’ll kill you.”

The drunk man started crying. “I–I’m sorry...”

The man let him go, and he ran off, stumbling down the street.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. My body felt weak, and when I tried to speak, no words came out.

The man turned to look at me and spoke with a calm voice.

“Miss Rossi. You should be more careful.”

My heart skipped. “Who are you?” I asked.

“Mr. Romano sent us,” he said. “He wouldn’t want his property damaged.”

“Property?” I repeated, confused. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

He pulled something from his pocket. It was a black envelope with a red seal. He handed it to me.

“Tomorrow, by eight p.m. The address is inside.”

I didn’t take it. “What do you mean? What is this?”

“Your father made a deal,” he said. “You’re part of it now.”

Then, just like that, he walked away, and the other two men followed him until they disappeared into the night.

The rain started falling slowly, and I stood there, staring at the envelope.

My hands were shaking as I tore it open. Inside was a paper with an address, a time, and a photo of me walking home earlier that day.

Someone had been watching me.

My stomach turned as I ran home as fast as I could.

When I reached our small apartment, the door was open.

I pushed it wider. “Mama?” I called as soon as I got inside.

My mother was sitting on the floor, crying. Her face looked swollen, and she held a cloth against her cheek.

“Mama, what happened?” I rushed to her side.

She didn’t answer. She just looked at me with red, tired eyes. It seemed like she had been crying for a very long time.

“He did it again,” she whispered. “He came home drunk and shouted at me. He said they’re coming tomorrow.”

I turned toward the couch. My father, Marco, was lying there, drunk and sleeping. Empty bottles were scattered all around.

“Coming for what?” I asked.

Mama shook her head, her voice weak. “For you, Helen.”

I frowned. “What are you saying?”

She looked down at the floor. “He sold you,” she replied, trying very much to avoid my eyes.

I froze. “What?”

Tears filled her eyes. “He sold you to pay the debt, and they’re coming tomorrow night.”

The room felt cold. I couldn’t speak for a while, then I whispered, “Sold me? To who?”

Mama covered her face, crying. “To Dante Romano.”

I almost choked at the name my mother had mentioned. Everyone in the city knew that name. The Romano family was dangerous, rich, powerful, and feared.

I looked at my father again. He slept like nothing was wrong, and my chest burned with anger, like I should just walk up to him and stab him to death.

I walked closer, shaking him hard. “Wake up, Papa!”

He opened his eyes slowly, frowning. “What is it now?”

“You sold me?” I shouted. “How could you do that to your own daughter?”

He rubbed his forehead. “You’ll live in a mansion, Helen. You’ll have food, money, clothes. It’s better than this life.”

“I’m not a property!” I yelled.

He sat up, eyes dull from drink. “You think I had a choice? They were going to kill us all. At least this way, you’ll survive.”

“So you chose yourself,” I said.

He stood, his voice rising. “I chose to live! You don’t understand how these people work.”

“You didn’t even try!” I screamed.

He slapped me. The kind of slap that makes you go deaf for about a minute or two. My lip started bleeding.

Mama cried out and pushed him away. “Enough, Marco! Enough!”

He pointed at me. “You’re going tomorrow, Helen. It’s already done. So don’t make it worse.”

I ran into my room and locked the door. My hands were shaking so hard that I dropped my phone twice.

I sat on the floor, searching his name: Dante Romano.

Articles came up that read:

“Billionaire Businessman Opens New Hospital.”

“Romano Family Expands Real Estate Empire.”

But further down, I saw another headline:

“Romano Family Linked to Mafia Violence.”

And then one more:

“Massacre in Palermo; No Survivors.”

My breath caught as I clicked the photo. It was him. A man in a dark suit. He was handsome, but his face was cold.

My stomach turned as I stared at the picture. I thought about running. But if I ran, they would hurt Mama. Maybe even kill her.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I whispered, “What am I going to do?”

Then I heard knocks from my window. I froze and slowly turned.

A man in a black suit stood outside. He didn’t speak. He just held up a phone, and on the screen was a picture of my mother sitting in the kitchen — it had been taken just now.

I covered my mouth, and all he did was give me a small nod, then disappeared into the night.

I sank to the floor, crying quietly.

There was no escape now. Tomorrow, they were coming, and I couldn’t even say no — because I wouldn’t dare put my mother on the line.

Soon, my life would never be mine again.