The Sicilian's Obsession

The Devil in the ICU

Sophia's POV

Time passed almost imperceptibly.

At three in the morning, the ICU corridor was nearly empty. However, the silence was suddenly shattered. Not by the wail of an ambulance siren, but by the sound of leather shoes echoing on the marble floor.

I, who had been sitting leaning against the corridor wall, immediately straightened up. My instincts immediately told me something was wrong.

From the end of the corridor, the tall figure walked closer under the neon light.

Don Vittorio Greco walked towards me unhurriedly, as if the entire corridor belonged to him. This time, he was the one who came to see me. Vito arrived without any visible escort. There were only two large men in black suits keeping a few meters behind him, making sure that none of the hospital staff dared to approach or even look in our direction.

Vito stopped in his tracks right in front of me. His expensive black suit stood in stark contrast to my faded green scrubs and wrinkled white robe. The aroma of cedar mixed with tobacco was immediately felt as soon as he stood in front of me.

"You look a mess, Dottoressa," Vito's voice broke the silence between us. His voice was low and calm.

I forced my weak legs to stand up straight, maintaining my gaze even though my heart was beating faster.

"What are you doing here, Don Greco? This is a sterile area."

Vito didn't bother answering my question. Instead, he shifted his gaze beyond the glass wall of the ICU, staring at Dad's frail body, hooked up to various life-sustaining machines.

"Stubborn old man," Vito muttered softly, barely audible. "Antonio always thought his principles were enough to stand up to the likes of us."

Hearing his words, I immediately clenched my fists. "Don't you dare insult my padre!"

Vito looked back at me, one eyebrow raised calmly. "Insult? No. I'm just stating a fact. And the freshest fact right now is: This hospital will stop all supplies of life-saving medication to your father within nine hours if the deposit of two hundred thousand euros is not paid immediately."

I was stunned. That figure was even larger than the amount Signor Marchesi had mentioned just a few hours ago. "How did you—"

"I know everything about Palermo, Sophie. Especially about the people who owe me favors," Vito interrupted coldly, cutting me off.

Vito walked slowly around me. "Marchesi will never be able to get a loan from any bank on this island. All the doors are locked. And I think you already know who holds the keys."

No one spoke for a few seconds. I clenched my fists, trying my best to hold back the anger that threatened to explode from my chest.

I took a step forward. "So all this time, you were the one who destroyed my padre's company. Holding up logistics, pressuring investors... it was all your plan. You deliberately wanted to kill my padre!"

Instead of being angry because of my accusation, Vito actually smiled a thin smile, a cold grin that successfully made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"I didn't kill him, Sophie. His lousy heart did it," said Vito in a very casual tone, as if human life was just a game to him. "I'm just creating a situation where you have to realize... in the real world, your glorified scalpel can't pay the medical bills. You need more strength to keep that old man breathing."

Vito then walked slowly around my body, just like a predator admiring its prey that was cornered in the corner of a cage with no way out.

“The choice is yours. Leave your pride intact while your father rots in a coffin, or bend the knee and take what I offer.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to find strength. Behind my closed eyelids, what appeared was my father's face. He was the only family I had since my mother died. If that's the price I have to pay to save Dad, I'll pay it.

When I opened my eyes, I had already made my decision. All that was left was resignation, wrapped in the last of my courage.

"How much are you asking?" I asked, my voice now flat and icy.

Vito stopped right behind me. He bent down slightly, his breath brushing against my ear. The scent of cedar and tobacco returned. "Two hundred thousand euros to pay off this hospital. A private air ambulance that will fly Antonio to Milan this morning too. And all the costs of his treatment until he fully recovers under the supervision of the best doctors in Italy."

"And what's in it for you?" I turned around quickly, coming face to face with his strong, broad chest.

Vito straightened up, looking down at me from his intimidating height. "I don't need your money, Sophia. The Greco family has all the money in the world. All I need is your expertise. And... your obedience."

I frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"My famiglia is on the verge of a turf war with a clan from Catania. There will be casualties, and I can't keep sending my people to public hospitals where the police can easily sniff out their whereabouts," he said without looking away. "I need a personal doctor. Someone with the steadiest hands in Sicily to treat my men wounded by bullets or knives, without the need to record their names in any official documents."

"You want me to be a shadow doctor for the mafia?" I took a sharp breath, surprised by his request. All the medical principles and medical oaths that I had always held fast to were as if hit by a large hammer until they cracked into nothing.

"Not only that," Vito added. His voice shifted lower, deeper, and full of absolute emphasis. "From tonight on, your life is mine. You will live under my roof, move only on my command, and come whenever I call you. You will sign an exclusive contract as Don Vittorio Greco's property."

I held my breath. This wasn't just a regular medical contract; it was my total surrender into the gilded cage of the mafia overlord.

"How can I know you won't break your promise after I agree?" I asked, trying to negotiate for any remaining safe space.

Vito pulled a cell phone from his jacket pocket, typed something quickly, then pointed the screen right in front of my face. There, A notification of a successful bank transfer to the Palermo Centrale Hospital account for the full amount was displayed. And just below that, There is an air medical ambulance flight scheduled from Palermo to Milan that is scheduled to depart at exactly five in the morning.

"I never negotiate with empty promises, Dottoressa. The deposit has been paid. Your father will be leaving in two hours,” Vito said, putting his phone back in his jacket pocket. "Now, it's your turn to answer. Come with me now, or I'll cancel the transfer with the tap of a finger."

I stared at the now darkened screen of his phone, then turned to look at Dad's silhouette behind the ICU glass. The heart monitor inside was still beeping steadily, as if he was urging me to immediately make a decision for the sake of his life.

I really have no choice. All the doors have been closed to me, and the man in front of me is the only way out left.

I took a deep breath, gathered the last shreds of self-respect I had, then looked up to stare steadily into Vito's eyes.

"I'm coming with you," I said in a tone of certainty.

Vito nodded slightly. A cold, faint satisfaction radiated from his handsome, stern face. He turned around, signaling to his two bodyguards to make way for us.

"Wise choice, Sophia," said Vito without bothering to look back. "Welcome to the world of darkness."

I followed Vito out of the hospital.

Tonight, I realized that my life was no longer entirely mine.