3. Click Clack
1195 Words
Raine POV
Zariah waved down a taxi, and I swear my stomach lurched at the sight of it rattling up to the curb. I actually pressed a hand against my lips because.....God help me......I thought I was going to throw up.
Never in my life had I boarded a taxi. Never. Those weren’t cars, they were background noise. A blur of yellow you ignored while your chauffeur pulled up in a tinted black SUV. In fact, I’d never even considered taxis as real vehicles. They were for the desperate. For people without names. For people who didn’t matter.
And yet here I was.
“So… we’re taking this?” I asked, pointing at the taxi as if it might bite me. “Can’t you call the driver or something? From the way you describe my father, he doesn’t seem poor or middle class.”
Zariah leaned closer and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead like I was a child. Her brow furrowed. “Raine, for the last time....you are not in favor in that house. You don’t have privileges because your father doesn’t grant them. You’re wolfless. That puts you at the bottom. Understand?”
I squeezed my brows together so tightly I gave myself a headache. Unlucky. That was the only word for it. In my past life, I’d been untouchable. A mafia princess, pampered and spoiled and feared. And now? Now I’d been thrown into some backwards world where hierarchy was carved into your very blood and apparently I had none.
We climbed into the taxi. I held myself stiff the entire ride, as though the sticky leather seats might swallow me.
By the time we pulled up to the mansion, I almost gasped at the sight of it. It was undeniably luxurious, tall gates, sprawling gardens, a grand façade that screamed wealth and power. It should have felt familiar, comforting even. But the illusion shattered as soon as the guard ambled up to open the gates.
He didn’t bow. He didn’t smile. He didn’t even greet me.
In fact, he looked like opening the gate for me was a chore. His mouth pressed into a thin, sour line, and his eyes lingered on me with clear annoyance before he finally swung the iron open.
I nearly choked on my outrage.
Back in my world, a mere security guard wouldn’t dare look me in the eye. If he did, he’d regret it permanently. And now? I couldn’t do a damn thing. At the hospital, I’d already learned the hard way that my new body didn’t come with the same power my tongue used to carry.
The taste of humiliation was bitter in my mouth.
At least the butler had some manners. He bowed, though only slightly, as we stepped inside. The maids, however, were another story. They scattered through the hall like mice, whispering and snickering as they glanced my way. Some didn’t even bother hiding their disdain.
Each giggle, each side eye was a slap.
My fists clenched at my sides, nails biting into my palms. What kind of pushover had the old Raine been that even a maid felt free to sneer? The realization burned through me. If she’d been weak, if she’d been timid… then no wonder everyone treated her like dirt.
But I wasn’t her. I wasn’t weak.
I opened my mouth to snap when the air shifted.
Click. Clack. Click. Clack.
The sharp sound of designer heels echoed against the marble floor. Slowly, a girl stepped into view, her every move oozing entitlement. Head high, lips painted in an expensive shade of red, her clothes dripped with brands that could pay off half a district. Her hair was perfectly styled, her expression perfectly smug. She didn’t walk.....she glided, as if the whole mansion belonged to her.
For a split second, old instinct kicked in. The Mafia part of me wanted to smile, to acknowledge another predator in fine clothing. This was someone who understood status. Someone who knew how to use beauty like a weapon.
But before I could say a word, Zariah leaned close, her voice barely above a whisper.
“That’s Bella Knight.”
My smile froze.
Then, slowly, it died.
I felt the anger hit first in my chest, then rise hot into my face. The air around me sharpened, my vision tunneling until all I saw was her....Bella, the so called jewel of this household.
Every ounce of my blood boiled.
Because if this was the girl my so-called father had chosen over his real daughter… then I already hated her with every fiber of my being.
~~~~
“Oh, look who’s back. The runt of the litter!” Bella sneered, her voice sweet as poison and sharp as glass.
Her tone grated against my ears like nails on metal. I wanted to glare, to put her in her place right then and there. But no. Not yet. I couldn’t expose myself too early. I had no power here, no leverage. In the Mafia, timing was everything and right now, patience was my best weapon.
So instead of snapping, I walked toward her. Slowly. Each step deliberate. Her brows knitted together in confusion, her smirk faltering just slightly. Good. She wasn’t expecting this.
When I stood right in front of her, I reached out and grabbed her hands. My smile was sharp, my voice loud enough for every maid and servant in the hall to hear.
“I missed you, Bella!” I announced like I’d just reunited with a long-lost sister.
Gasps rippled through the room. Bella’s face twisted in shock as she tried to yank her hands free. She pulled hard. And just when she thought she had the upper hand, I let go.
She tumbled backward and landed flat on her butt.
The sound echoed like music to my ears. The maids snickered behind their hands. Bella’s cheeks burned crimson, humiliation written all over her face.
But the victory was short-lived.
Because the air shifted, heavy and sharp.
An older man stormed down the grand staircase, his steps like thunder. His jaw was set, his eyes blazing, and the second he entered the room, everyone bowed their heads. Every servant, every maid… even Bella scrambled to her feet and lowered her gaze.
I didn’t need an introduction. This was him.
The Beta.
My so-called father.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Raine?!” he roared, his voice shaking the walls.
I could see it in his eyes anger, disappointment, the urge to strike me down right then and there. He had a hundred words ready, a thousand punishments sitting on his tongue.
But if there’s one thing the Mafia taught me, it’s this: If you can’t win the game… end the game.
So before he could speak again, before he could decide my fate, I let my knees buckle. My body crumpled to the floor.
I fainted.
“Raine!” Zariah screamed, dropping to my side in panic. She shook me gently, her voice trembling.
And as the darkness pulled me under, I heard the Beta’s sharp intake of breath… and Bella’s hateful hiss of triumph.
- Writer
