Claimed By The Ruthless Don

Chapter1

Valentina’s POV

Palermo in July was not built for people who had to work in it. The heat at two in the morning was suffocating, sitting heavily on my skin like I had not suffered enough today.

Standing for six hours at the bar, smiling at people I didn’t know and mixing drinks I would never touch, my feet were killing me so badly but the good thing that came from it was I had gotten in enough tips for groceries, and maybe I would be able to treat myself to something good that wasn’t leftovers later on.

I pulled my bag strap higher on my shoulder and kept on walking, allowing my mind to drift to my best friend Serena. Thinking about her alone brought a small smile to my face.

She was the only good thing left in my life, and we had been trying to find a day that works for both of us for weeks now so we could meet up.

She would send me a voice note in her dramatic ways saying, “Valentina, I am begging you, I need to see your face” and I would laugh no matter how I felt because that was just what Serena did. Whenever she was around, effortlessly, everything felt lighter.

Briefly, thoughts of my mother surfaced and as quickly as it came, it passed.

She had loved Palermo’s summers, or so my father used to tell me before he stopped telling me anything worth hearing, before grief swallowed him whole and left something bitter and broken in his place, making him an abuser and a manipulator. I pushed thoughts of him aside before it could settle.

The house was dark when I got home, which was either a good sign or a very bad one depending on the night. I stood at the door for a while, just listening out of habit before I let myself in.

The living room was empty, there was no sound of the television, no bottles lined up on the coffee table, no sound of my father around the house and I exhaled slowly, feeling relieved.

I quickly made my way to the bedroom and quietly locked the door behind me. Looking around my room and making sure nothing was out of place, I stripped and ran myself a warm bath, staying in longer than I intended.

After changing into my oversized shirt I had been sleeping in since forever, I took out the takeouts and settled into my bed and in that quiet moment I wasn’t jumpy or bracing for anything. It almost felt nice.

Barely halfway into my food, I heard my father’s loud voice and the low murmurs of some other people responding to him.

My whole body went still, but only for a second before I caught myself and wondered who it was because my father had never had a guest over for as long as I can remember.

I sat there for a moment telling myself it was nothing, that it wasn’t my business, that the smartest thing I could do was stay exactly where I was and lock the world out the way I had learned to do a long time ago.

But the unease crawling up my spine was so strong it wouldn’t let me sit still, and before I could think, I was already moving and found myself creeping towards the part of the staircase that was deep enough to keep me hidden.

The voice was deep, but it wasn’t one I could recognize;

“She’s young, isn’t she? How old?”

My stomach turned so fast that I almost lost my footing on the staircase and felt the urge to throw up.

“She’s young enough,” my father replied in such a casual and unbothered tone, as if the words coming out of his mouth were the most common thing in the world.

“And she’s actually worth it, right? You’re not wasting our time.”

It was the voice of another man, and I felt sick just from listening to their conversation.

“She’s beautiful.”

Something in me felt cold just hearing my father say that, with no hesitation, like he was describing something he owned instead of someone he raised.

“Alright then, just one night with her and we're done.”

“The debt will be canceled”

It felt like my heart had stopped for a few minutes and I couldn’t breathe. So many emotions hit me all at once, from the rage to the hurt and then panic.

I was already backing away when the front door swung open and the atmosphere of the entire house changed immediately, making me wonder who had just come in.

“Sergio” The voice was very calm, but there was an edge to it.

“You really thought you could hide for long?”

“I was going to reach out please, I just needed more.“ I had never heard my father’s voice sound so small before, so who was this man?

“You’ve had enough time, don’t you think?” The man said, but he sounded amused.

Immediately, I found myself back at the railing. Looking down, I saw three men who were tall, huge and buff, but they were all strikingly handsome.

I forced myself to focus, gripping the railing tighter as my eyes found my father below. Standing next to these men, he looked small and for a brief moment I almost felt sorry for him.

“Eighty thousand euros, Sergio,” the man said, looking my father in the eyes,

“The Don has come to collect, and you know what that means.” c*****g his gun, he pointed it at my father, who looked pale.

“Wait! I don’t have it.” My father’s voice cracked slightly.

“But I have something else. Something worth more than that.”

“And what would that be?”

“My daughter.” There was no hesitation in his voice, and it broke something in me.

“She’s young and she’s beautiful. Take her instead, I promise she covers every cent.”

The staircase creaked under my foot and all heads in the room turned to where I was standing. My fight or flight mode kicked in, and I started running, but I didn’t get far.

Someone caught me, pulling me back with a grip that made it clear fighting was a waste of time, but I fought regardless because I refused to allow them to take me without a fight.

“Enough.” The voice of the man speaking earlier boomed, making me still against my will and I hated myself for it.

Through the tears blurring my vision, I made out my father’s face. He didn’t move or speak or make any moves to stop them from taking me away.

He watched them drag me out of the only home I had ever known and when the night air hit my skin and the door closed behind me, I realized he hadn’t even said goodbye.

My whole life I had loved a man who had never once loved me back, and it took being sold like I was nothing for me to finally accept that.