CHAPTER 2 — THE LITTLE GIRL WHO STOPPED THE MAFIA BOSS
They were pink sneakers, once decorated with tiny white flowers. Now the color had faded, the fabric near the toes was torn, and the sole of the left shoe had begun separating from the upper part.
Elena had tried everything.
She had sтιтched the edges with black thread, covered the holes with fabric from an old shirt, and even used school glue to keep the sole attached.
But every time Sofia walked, the shoe made a soft slapping sound.
Elena hated that sound.
It reminded her of everything she couldn’t afford to give her daughter.
Around eleven thirty, Mrs. Lombardi placed a small plate of pasta and sliced apples in front of Sofia.
“Eat, sweetheart.”
Sofia looked up politely.
“Thank you, Mrs. Lombardi.”
The older woman smiled.
“Such good manners. Your mother must be proud.”
Elena, who was polishing silverware nearby, forced a smile.
Sofia ate slowly, carefully saving half an apple for later.
“Why aren’t you eating everything?” Mrs. Lombardi asked.
“I’m saving some for Mama.”
Elena immediately turned away.
She couldn’t let anyone see her crying.
For the next two hours, she worked harder than usual. She cleaned the dining room, changed the flowers in the hallway, and carried fresh towels upstairs.
She had almost forgotten that Sofia was sitting in the kitchen when the sound of heavy footsteps came from the main corridor.
Mrs. Lombardi froze.
“He’s back.”
Elena’s stomach тιԍнтened.
Don Luca Marchetti had returned earlier than expected.
She hurried toward the pantry.
“Sofia, sweetheart, stay here. Don’t come out until I get you.”
Sofia nodded.
Elena had barely reached the kitchen door when three men entered the mansion.
The first was Don Luca.
Behind him were two bodyguards, both dressed in dark suits. One carried a leather briefcase, while the other spoke quietly into an earpiece.
Luca removed his black overcoat and handed it to a waiting attendant.
“Where is everyone?”
“Mrs. Lombardi is in the kitchen, sir.”
“Tell her I want coffee.”
“Yes, Don Luca.”
He continued toward his private dining room.
Then something unexpected happened.
A small pink shoe appeared from behind the pantry door.
Sofia had heard the unfamiliar voices and stepped out to see what was happening.
She wasn’t trying to cause trouble.
She was simply curious.
Unfortunately, she walked directly into the path of the most feared man in the city.
One of Luca’s bodyguards immediately moved forward.
“Stop!”
Sofia jumped.
Her little coloring book slipped from her hands.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Luca raised one hand, stopping his bodyguard.
He looked down.
A little girl stood before him, wearing an oversized pink sweater and two worn-out sneakers.
Her dark hair was tied into uneven pigtails.
She looked frightened, but she wasn’t crying.
“Who are you?” Luca asked.
Sofia swallowed.
“My name is Sofia.”
“Who brought you here?”
“My mama.”
Before Luca could ask another question, Elena appeared.
“Don Luca!”
Her face had gone completely white.
She hurried forward, immediately kneeling beside her daughter.
“Sofia, I told you to stay in the kitchen.”
“I’m sorry, Mama.”
Elena gently took her daughter’s hand.
“Please forgive me, sir. The daycare closed unexpectedly this morning. I had nowhere else to take her. She hasn’t caused any trouble. I’ll take her home immediately if you want.”
Luca didn’t answer.
His attention had shifted to the child’s feet.
One sneaker had a loose sole.
The other had a hole near the little toe.
He looked at Elena.
“Those shoes.”
Elena lowered her eyes.
“Yes, sir?”
“How long has she been wearing them?”
The question was so unexpected that Elena didn’t know how to respond.
“They’re still usable, sir.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Elena swallowed.
“A few months.”
Luca looked down again.
“Why haven’t you bought her another pair?”
The words struck Elena harder than he intended.
She felt humiliation rising into her cheeks.
“Because I couldn’t afford them.”
The room became silent.
One of the bodyguards glanced toward Luca, apparently expecting him to become irritated.
But the mafia boss said nothing.
He simply studied the little girl.
Sofia suddenly tugged at her mother’s sleeve.
“Mama, don’t be sad. I can fix them again tonight.”
Luca’s expression changed.
“Fix them?”
Sofia nodded seriously.
“I have glue.”
A strange silence followed.
Then the five-year-old added something that made Mrs. Lombardi turn away and wipe her eyes.
“I don’t need new ones. Mama needs her medicine more.”
Luca slowly looked toward Elena.
“What medicine?”
Elena stiffened.
“That’s personal, sir.”
For the first time, someone had refused to answer Don Luca Marchetti directly.
His bodyguard shifted uncomfortably.
But Luca didn’t react with anger.
Instead, he asked another question.
“How old is your daughter?”
“Five.”
“And you?”
“Thirty-one, sir.”
He nodded once.
Then he looked toward Mrs. Lombardi.
“Bring me my coffee.”
“Of course.”
“And call Signor Bellini.”
Mrs. Lombardi stopped.
“Which Signor Bellini?”
“My personal physician.”
Elena immediately became alarmed.
“Please, sir. Sofia is fine. She doesn’t need a doctor.”
Luca looked at her.
“I wasn’t talking about Sofia.”
Elena stared at him.
He turned toward his office.
“Bring the child something warm to eat. And don’t let anyone send her away.”
Twenty minutes later, Elena was sitting in the kitchen with Sofia on her lap.
She still couldn’t understand what had happened.
Mrs. Lombardi placed a bowl of chicken soup on the table.
“Eat, sweetheart.”
Sofia looked at Elena for permission.
Elena nodded.
“Go ahead, baby.”
While Sofia ate, Mrs. Lombardi leaned closer.
“You should know something about Don Luca.”
Elena glanced toward the hallway.
“What?”
“He doesn’t usually notice people. Not the staff, not the visitors, not even the men who work for him.”
Elena frowned.
“Then why did he notice Sofia?”
Mrs. Lombardi lowered her voice.
“Because he has a little girl of his own.”
Elena stopped stirring her coffee.
“I didn’t know that.”
“His daughter died many years ago.”
The older woman’s expression softened.
“She was about Sofia’s age.”
Elena looked down at her daughter.
Suddenly, the way Luca had stared at those little shoes made a little more sense.
But before she could ask anything else, the kitchen door opened.
A tall man in a charcoal suit entered, carrying a medical bag.
“Where is the patient?”
Mrs. Lombardi pointed toward Elena.
“She’s over there.”
Elena immediately stood.
“Sir, I’m fine.”
The physician gave her a professional smile.
“Mr. Marchetti requested that I check your condition. Nothing more.”
Elena hesitated.
Then she looked at Sofia.
Her daughter was eating quietly, completely unaware of the strange attention surrounding them.
Elena finally sat down.
The physician checked her blood pressure and asked about her medication.
When he learned that she had been skipping doses to save money, his expression became serious.
“That’s dangerous. You need to follow your treatment.”
Elena looked embarrᴀssed.
“I know.”
He wrote something in his notebook.
“Mr. Marchetti asked me to arrange a proper medical consultation. You should not have to choose between your medication and your daughter’s basic needs.”
Elena stared at him.
“Why would he do that?”
The physician paused.
“That is something you’ll have to ask him.”
At three in the afternoon, Luca summoned Elena to his private office.
She entered nervously, leaving Sofia with Mrs. Lombardi.
The office was enormous, with dark wooden shelves, expensive paintings, and a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the estate gardens.
Luca sat behind his desk.
He didn’t look up immediately.
“Sit.”
Elena sat on the edge of the leather chair.
“Yes, sir.”
He closed a folder.
“How long have you worked here?”
“Two years.”
“Any complaints about your work?”
“No, sir.”
“Have you ever stolen anything?”
Elena looked startled.
“No!”
He studied her reaction.
“Relax. I’m asking because I need to know who I can trust in this house.”
She lowered her hands into her lap.
“I have never taken anything that doesn’t belong to me.”
“I believe you.”
That answer surprised her.
Luca leaned back.
“Why are you raising Sofia alone?”
Elena’s expression changed.
“My husband left when she was two.”
“ᴅᴇᴀᴅ?”
“No.”
“Then where is he?”
“Somewhere he doesn’t have to care about us.”
Luca didn’t ask another question.
Instead, he opened a drawer and removed a small envelope.
“There’s an apartment above the east guesthouse. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a private entrance. You and your daughter can stay there.”
Elena stared at him.
“I can’t accept that.”
“It’s not a request.”
Her heart began racing.
“Sir, I appreciate your kindness, but I don’t want special treatment.”
Luca’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Special treatment?”
He placed the envelope on the desk.
“Your salary will remain the same. Your employment conditions will remain the same. The apartment is an accommodation for an employee who has worked here for two years without causing problems.”
Elena shook her head.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
For several seconds, Luca remained silent.
Then he looked toward the window.
“Because I once had a daughter who thought a broken toy was the most important problem in the world.”
His voice became quieter.
“Her name was Isabella.”
Elena didn’t move.
“She died when she was six. A car accident.”
He paused.
“She used to save pieces of bread for the birds. She believed every living thing deserved something good.”
For the first time, the terrifying man seemed almost human.
“I couldn’t protect her.”
Elena’s eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry.”
Luca nodded.
“Don’t be. Just take care of your little girl.”
At five thirty, Elena went to collect Sofia from the kitchen.
She found her daughter standing beside Mrs. Lombardi, holding a small paper bag.
“What’s that, sweetheart?”
Sofia opened it.
Inside was a pair of brand-new pink sneakers.
They had tiny white flowers embroidered along the sides.
Sofia gasped.
“Mommy!”
Elena felt her throat тιԍнтen.
“They’re beautiful.”
“Can I wear them?”
“Of course.”
Sofia sat down immediately, pulling off her old shoes.
But before she could put on the new ones, she carefully placed the torn sneakers back into the paper bag.
Elena smiled.
“Why are you keeping those?”
Sofia looked up.
“Because they’re my first school shoes.”
Elena kissed her forehead.
“Then we’ll keep them.”
At that moment, a voice came from behind them.
“Let me see.”
Luca stood in the doorway.
Sofia immediately looked at him.
“Thank you, Mr. Luca!”
The bodyguards exchanged startled glances.
Nobody called Don Luca by his first name.
Nobody.
But Luca merely looked at the child.
“Do they fit?”
Sofia stood and took three small steps.
Then she smiled.
“They’re perfect!”
For the first time in many years, Don Luca Marchetti smiled without forcing it.
It lasted only a second.
But Elena saw it.
And so did everyone else.
That evening, just as Elena was preparing to leave, Luca received a phone call.
He listened without speaking.
Then his expression hardened.
“Repeat that.”
A man’s voice came through the phone.
“Boss, we found the woman who has been asking questions about the girl.”
Luca stood.
“Which girl?”
There was a pause.
“Elena Rossi’s daughter. Sofia.”
The room seemed to lose its warmth.
Luca looked through the office window toward the garden.
Elena was helping Sofia put on her little jacket.
“Who sent her?”
“We’re still checking. But there’s something else.”
“What?”
“The man who approached our driver this afternoon had a pH๏τograph of the child.”
Luca’s fingers тιԍнтened around the phone.
“Did he say anything?”
“Yes, boss.”
“What?”
“He said the girl belongs to her father.”
Luca went completely still.
He slowly lowered the phone.
For two years, Elena had worked inside his estate without asking for anything.
She had never discussed her past.
Never mentioned her husband.
Never asked for protection.
And now someone was searching for her five-year-old daughter.
Luca turned toward his chief bodyguard.
“Find Elena. Bring her to my office.”
Elena entered a few minutes later, holding Sofia’s hand.
“Don Luca? Is something wrong?”
Luca looked at the little girl.
Then at Elena.
“Who is Sofia’s father?”
Elena’s face lost its color.
“Why are you asking?”
“Because someone came looking for her today.”
Elena immediately pulled Sofia closer.
“Who?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Her breathing became shallow.
“Did he hurt anyone?”
“No.”
“Did he take a picture of her?”
Luca didn’t answer immediately.
That silence told Elena everything.
She looked down at Sofia.
“Sweetheart, go sit with Mrs. Lombardi for a moment.”
But Sofia refused to let go of her hand.
“Mama, are we in trouble?”
Elena knelt.
“No, baby. You’re safe.”
Then she looked at Luca.
“You promised she could stay here.”
“I don’t break promises.”
“Then please don’t let anyone take her.”
Luca stepped closer.
“Tell me who her father is.”
Elena’s eyes filled with tears.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then she whispered a name.
“Antonio Bellandi.”
Luca froze.
His chief bodyguard looked up sharply.
Even Mrs. Lombardi, standing near the doorway, covered her mouth.
Antonio Bellandi wasn’t an ordinary man.
He was the leader of a rival criminal organization, a man who had spent the last fifteen years fighting for control of the city’s underground operations.
And according to the police records, Antonio Bellandi had disappeared three years earlier.
Luca slowly turned toward Elena.
“You’re telling me your daughter is Antonio Bellandi’s child?”
Elena nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was trying to give her a normal life.”
Her voice broke.
“Antonio never wanted a daughter. When I refused to help him with his business, he threatened to take Sofia away. I ran. I changed my name, moved from one city to another, and spent two years making sure he couldn’t find us.”
Luca’s expression became unreadable.
Then he asked the question that made Elena’s knees weak.
“Does Sofia know who her father is?”
Elena shook her head.
“No. She believes he works somewhere far away.”
Luca looked through the window again.
Outside, Sofia was standing beside Mrs. Lombardi, showing her the new pink sneakers.
She was laughing.
Completely unaware that her father was one of the most dangerous men alive.
Luca turned back.
“Elena, listen carefully. From this moment forward, your daughter will not leave this estate without security.”
Elena nodded through her tears.
“And you?”
“I will make sure nobody touches either of you.”
His chief bodyguard stepped forward.
“Boss, there’s one more thing.”
Luca turned.
“What?”
The man placed a pH๏τograph on the desk.
It showed a black SUV parked across the street from the estate.
Beside it stood a man wearing a gray coat.
The pH๏τograph had been taken that morning.
On the back, someone had written a message.
DON’T THINK YOU CAN HIDE SOMEONE WHO BELONGS TO ME.
Luca stared at the words.
Then he looked at Elena.
For the first time that evening, his voice carried something colder than anger.
“Antonio Bellandi knows where your daughter is.”
He picked up his phone.
“Lock down every entrance. Double the security. Nobody enters this estate without my authorization.”
Then he made one final call.
A call to the man he had sworn never to contact again.
Because protecting Elena and Sofia was no longer simply an act of kindness.
It was about to become the beginning of a war.
And this time, Don Luca Marchetti had something far more precious than territory or money to lose.
He had promised a little girl that she was safe.
And he intended to keep that promise.
