The Mafia King's Virgin Healer

Meeting Vicky

Maya had just returned from the hospital as she decided to spend some time in her father's garage before going to her work, which started in the evening. She was grateful to be able to retain her job at the bar; well, the owner was her father's friend, and it was easy for her to quickly get the job. Also, she had paid attention to see if she would hear news about what had happened last night—about someone being shot or something—but nothing. She had underestimated the power of the Mafia; obviously, that news wouldn't make it to the headlines.

Walking into her dad's small mechanic workshop, Maya looked for her father but saw no sign of him. She knew he was around, probably under one of the cars, nursing another hangover. She just needed to shout his name.

"Hey, Dad?" Maya called out, her eyes scanning the vehicles.

"Right here, sweetheart," Allen pulled out from under one of the cars. He looked at least a decade older than a man in his early fifties; his once-muscular frame had grown soft, his dark hair peppered heavily with gray and thinning at the temples. His work-roughened hands shook slightly as he wiped them on his oil-stained coveralls, and deep lines etched his face, telling stories of too many late nights with a bottle. Despite the early hour, his eyes were already bloodshot, though they still crinkled at the corners when he smiled at his daughter. The ever-present flask peeked out from his pocket, and Maya pretended not to notice the slight sway in his movements.

"Want me to assist with anything?" Maya asked. This was where she usually passed her time during the day before heading to boxing matches at night. She was conversant and very efficient with fixing cars, having learned everything from her father during his increasingly rare sober moments.

"Nothing much to fix today, dear. Just this one, and I'm almost done with it," Allen slurred slightly.

"Then, you come and sit down while I finish the rest," Maya said, and without waiting for her father to protest, she quickly changed into her working outfit. The familiar scent of motor oil and metal helped ground her, even as worry for her sister gnawed at her insides.

Allen just sighed, knowing he couldn't stop her. He took another swig from his flask, the sharp smell of cheap whiskey cutting through the garage's mechanical odors. Maya's heart ached seeing him like this, but she pushed the feeling aside. "Did you visit your sister?" he asked, though they both knew he hadn't bothered to visit Mara himself in weeks.

"Yes. Mom's still at the hospital with her. Mara's looking healthier than before," Maya replied, giving her father a questioning look before slipping under the car. It was a partial lie – her mother's constant presence was helping, but Mara wasn't getting better. Still, it was easier than watching guilt flicker across his face before he drowned it in another drink.

"After this one, I won't take another one," the man quickly said, referring to both the car and the drink. They both knew he was lying about both.

"That's what you keep saying all the time," Maya shook her head, the cold concrete floor seeping through her clothes as she worked.

Allen was just about to say something else when Maya's phone caught his attention.

"Sweetheart, your phone has been ringing non-stop," he told Maya, his words slightly slurred.

"Just let it be, Dad. I will be done soon," Maya replied, focusing on the mechanical problem in front of her rather than the many problems surrounding her life.

But the buzzing from the phone persisted.

"I think you should just take the call, dear. It's Vicky," Allen announced.

She suddenly paused and, with gritted teeth, pulled out from under the vehicle.

"I'll just take the call, Dad," she smiled tightly at her father before taking the phone from his hand.

She walked away from her father as she decided to give the snitch a piece of her mind.

"Vicky, what the f**k do you want from me?" Maya's voice boomed with lethal venom oozing from it.

"Just calm down, Maya. I know what I did is wrong but—"

"If you know that what you did is wrong, then you should know better than to keep calling me," Maya fumed, cutting Vicky off. "Don't make me fish you out from wherever the f**k you're hiding and give you the beating of your life."

"Would that make you happy?" Vicky asked.

"Then drop the address if you dare," Maya challenged.

"I'm dropping it now, and please, after the beating, give me a chance to redeem myself," Vicky said, and without waiting for Maya's reply, the call ended.

"Hey—" Maya tried to speak but was met by the sound indicating that the call had ended.

In the next second, a message popped up. Maya quickly opened it and was shocked to see that Vicky had actually sent the address just as she'd said.

"What's this lying snitch trying to play at?" Maya blinked confusedly.

She quickly changed back to her normal clothes.

"Oh, heading out?" Allen asked, seeing that his daughter had changed, his words more slurred than before.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I have to rush somewhere. I'll see you later," Maya breathed out before rushing out of the garage, ignoring the irritating sight of him reaching for his flask again.

"Is everything okay?" Allen shouted behind her, a rare moment of paternal concern breaking through the alcoholic haze.

"Absolutely, Dad," she replied without looking back as she boarded a cab.

Well, nothing had been okay since he started drinking, but Maya loved him anyway, broken as he was.

******

"I knew you would come," Maya's stomach churned at the sight of Vicky's excited smile across the dimly lit restaurant. That expression, once so familiar and comforting, now felt like a dagger to her heart.

Maya's eyes surveyed the upscale establishment. The soft jazz music playing in the background did nothing to calm her rising anger. "So now you're inviting me to places like this," she said, her mouth curled up in a mocking smirk. "Tell me, just how much did they pay you to betray me?"

"More than enough to afford this place," Vicky smirked back. But her smugness evaporated in the next instant as Maya's hand shot out, pinning her against the textured wallpaper. Maya's clenched fist hovered inches from Vicky's face, trembling with obvious rage.

Her anger warred with a decade of memories: shared laughter, midnight confidences, shoulders to cry on. How could money transform someone she'd trusted like a sister into this stranger before her?

"Why did you do that, Vicky?" Maya's voice cracked. "I thought we were more than just friends. We were sisters!"

Vicky's eyes, which had been squeezed shut in anticipation of the blow, fluttered open. "A-are you crying?"

"I'm not!" Maya released her grip and hastily wiped her face, the leather chair creaking as she dropped into it.

"I really saw tears streaming down your face," Vicky pressed, sliding into the seat opposite Maya as she took a sip of her cocktail.

"Just shut the f**k up before I really mess up that makeup-soaked face with my angry punches," Maya warned, her glare sharp enough to cut glass.

Vicky dropped her glass on the table. She pulled her glossed lips inward, blinking with exaggerated innocence. The gesture, once endearing, now made Maya's blood boil.

"Since you dared to invite me here, I'm ordering their most expensive drinks," Maya smirked, waving a bartender over.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you," Vicky's voice wavered, her hands fidgeting beneath the crisp white tablecloth. "I didn't think before acting. All I saw was the money. I never considered how this would affect you."

"How much did she pay you?"

"More than enough to betray one of the most important people in my life," Vicky replied, guilt and sadness threading through her words like a dark ribbon.

"I hope you're happy with your choice," Maya scoffed. The bartender arrived with her drink, and she welcomed the bitter bite of the cold beer as it slid down her throat.

"Where did Gummy get the money? It couldn't have been from underground fighting," Maya mused, her brow furrowing.

"Shocking, right?" Vicky's smile returned.

"Wipe that smile off your face before I do it for you," Maya snapped. Vicky's expression crumpled into a pout.

"She met this wealthy guy who's been spoiling her. He told her to quit the underground fighting. The fight with you was meant to be her last."

"If it was her last, why target me specifically?"

"I guess she wanted the bragging rights of beating you before leaving, plus keeping you away from fighting for a while." Vicky shrugged.

Maya fell silent, her shoulders slumping as the weight of everything pressed down on her. The ambient chatter of other diners seemed to fade into a distant buzz.

"I'm so sorry, Maya. Your silence is killing me. Please, can't you forgive me? Huh?" Vicky pleaded, her voice thick with desperation.

"You should have thought about that before selling me out," Maya's words dripped with venom. "Don't expect to have your cake and eat it too."

"I can share the money with you, Maya. How about that?"

"Keep your filthy money." Maya drained her beer, the glass clinking sharply against the table as she set it down. She stood, her chair scraping against the hardwood floor. "Don't call me again. This is the last courtesy I'm extending to our years of friendship."

Vicky jumped up. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Nothing! Stay away from me. You made your choice when you picked the money, knowing my situation. You chose comfort while risking my sister's health. I'll never forgive you."

After settling her bill, Maya turned to leave, refusing to accept anything bought with blood money. And Vicky rushed after her.

"If you won't forgive me, at least consider this job interview I found online. I forwarded you the details," Vicky called out, her voice echoing in the quiet entryway. "It's a live-in nanny position, and they specifically require the candidate to be a virgin. The benefits are incredible, and I know you qualify."

Maya stopped abruptly, her shoulders tensing. "Virgin nanny?" she muttered suspiciously.

"Just look at the listing," Vicky persisted, taking a tentative step closer. "Unless you're no longer a virgin—"

Maya whirled around, her eyes flashing with such intensity that Vicky stumbled backward.

"My personal life is none of your business anymore," Maya snapped. "What kind of sketchy job posting even asks for that?"

"Just take a look at it," Vicky pleaded. "The salary could cover all your sister's medical bills, and then some. You need this opportunity, Maya."