BLOODBOUND: HEIRESS OF THE MAFIA

A mother’s voice rang out, sharp and trembling as she faced them. “I will never…I will never sacrifice her!”

A cold and commanding voice of an old man, cut through the room. “For two hundred years, our family has fed on female blood. It is tradition. It is necessary.”

The mother’s hands shook as she gripped the tiny figure of her daughter. “No… this is not her fate. she’s just a child! How can you all be so cruel?!”

A faint whisper came from the little girl, barely three, clinging to her mother. “Mama… mama…”

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Isabella never saw the slap coming. One moment, she was standing in the kitchen with a tray in her hands. The next, her head snapped to the side as pain exploded across her face.

“How dare you!” The sound of Rihanna’s voice, rang louder than the slap itself.

Isabella lost her balance and crashed to the floor. The tray slipped from her hands and shattered, broken glass scattering across the tiles. A sharp sting shot through her palm, followed by a warm, wet sensation of blood. She sucked in a breath, but before she could move, Rihanna’s heels clicked closer.

“How dare you blame my daughter for your stupid mistake?” her stepmother yelled again.

Isabella pushed herself up slightly, her hand trembling as blood dripped onto the floor. Tears blurred her vision, but she forced them back. Crying only made things worse.

“I—I didn’t mean to—” she started.

“Shut up!” Rihanna bent down suddenly and grabbed a fistful of Isabella’s hair, yanking her head back. Isabella cried out, her scalp burning as she was forced to look up.

“Know this,” Rihanna said coldly, her face inches away, “you are beneath my daughter and everyone in this household. Even the maids.”

Isabella’s lips shook in pain. “You are still in this house because I allow it,” Rihanna continued. “The day I decide otherwise, you’ll be out on the streets like the useless thing you are.”

She shoved Isabella backward. Isabella’s head hit the cupboard with a dull thud. Stars danced in her vision as pain spread across her skull.

Rihanna straightened her clothes as if nothing had happened. “Clean this mess,” she said calmly. “I don’t want to see a single stain when I return.”

She turned and walked out of the kitchen. Two servants followed behind her without a word, their eyes lowered as none of them dared to help.

Isabella stayed on the floor, her body aching and her ears ringing. She heard footsteps approaching and stiffened.

Stella watched as her mom left the kitchen and then she took a few steps and stopped in front of her as she crouched down slowly with a mischievous smile dancing on her lips.

“Like my mom said,” Stella whispered, her voice sweet and cruel at the same time, “you’ll always be under me.”

She laughed softly and stood up. “Oh, before I forget,” she added casually, turning back, “clean up this mess quickly. Before my mom comes back.” Her smile widened. “Or maybe I will.”

Then she walked out, laughing. The kitchen finally fell silent as Isabella finally let the tears fall. Her chest tightened as sobs threatened to escape, but she bit down hard on her lip, tasting blood. She refused to cry loudly. She had learned long ago that tears only brought more punishment.

Slowly, she forced herself to stand. Her knees trembled as she walked to the sink and turned on the tap. She held her injured hand under the running water, hissing as the blood washed away, revealing a shard of glass buried deep in her palm.

Her breathing grew uneven. “One… two… three,” she whispered. She pulled the glass out.

Pain tore through her hand and she cried out despite herself. She leaned against the sink, waiting for the pain to pass, then washed the wound again until the bleeding slowed. She wrapped her hand in a torn piece of cloth and turned back to the kitchen floor. She cleaned every stain. By the time she was done, the kitchen looked spotless. Isabella had lived like this for as long as she could remember.

The same house that now felt like a living nightmare… had once been her only place of happiness.nThere was a time when laughter lived within these walls. Back when she was five, her mother had gotten married and Isabella had been too young to understand what marriage truly meant. All she knew was that a new man had come into their lives. a man her mother smiled at, trusted, and eventually called her husband. At first, Isabella believed he was her biological father because he had acted like one, at least in the beginning. Those small moments had meant everything to a little girl who didn’t know any better. So she accepted him.

And for a while… everything seemed fine until, the day her mother died. Even now, Isabella couldn’t remember it clearly how her mother died and sometimes, she wondered if her mind had buried it on purpose.

Before Isabella could even begin to understand that loss, her Stepfather brought another woman into the house barely a week after her mother’s death.She remembered standing at the top of the stairs, her small fingers gripping the railing as she watched them walk in together with a girl that was three years younger than Isabella. And that was when her nightmares began.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You shouldn’t let them bully you.” Heaven’s voice carried quiet anger. Just watching someone you cared about get hurt over and over again and not allowed to do anything, stirred her anger more.

Isabella kept her eyes on the table, her fingers tracing the edge of her plate. “What do you expect me to do?” she finally said, her voice soft but steady. “ And if they throw me out… where would I go?”

“You can stay with me,” Heaven said firmly. “I mean it.”

Isabella looked up at her then, sighed and shook her head. “You and I both know that’s not possible,” she said gently. “You already have your own problems to deal with. I can’t come and add myself to it.”

“You’re not a burden,” Heaven shot back immediately. Isabella gave a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Maybe not to you,” she said. “But life doesn’t work that way. One day, it would weigh you down and I don’t want that .”

Heaven leaned back in her chair, clearly frustrated, but she didn’t push further. She knew Isabella well enough to understand that once she made up her mind about something, it was hard to change it. Still, it didn’t stop her from worrying.

After that incident at the kitchen, Isabella had been sent out on an errand by her stepmother. But as always, Isabella had taken the opportunity to make a small detour as she went straight to the broadcasting company to see Heaven.

The moment Heaven saw her, she didn’t even hesitate. She wrapped up what she was doing, made a quick excuse to her colleagues, and dragged Isabella out of the building like it was the most natural thing in the world. Now, the two of them sat in a small but cozy restaurant just a few streets away from the company building having the conversation earlier.

Heaven had been nothing short of a miracle in Isabella’s life. They had met years ago, back in high school when she was bullied by her stepsister and her friends. Heaven had stood up for her and shielded her from the bullies. And ever since then, they had become friends and Heaven kept on standing up for her. But after graduation, Heaven disappeared. At first, Isabella thought it was temporary but, five years passed and slowly, Isabella convinced herself that maybe… that chapter of her life was over. Until one day while running errands, she bumped into Heaven. They were both happy to see each other again and shared an heartfelt conversation between themselves. Now, sitting across from each other in the restaurant, it felt almost normal.

“So,” Isabella said suddenly, pushing her thoughts aside, “don’t you have any juicy gossip for me before I run off?”

Heaven’s mood shifted instantly. A bright smile spread across her face, her earlier frustration fading.

“Oh, I do,” she said, leaning forward slightly. “Remember I told you my boyfriend’s parents didn’t like me?”

Isabella nodded. “How could I forget? You complained about it for weeks.”

Heaven laughed. “Well… guess what? They called me last night.”

Isabella raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“They apologized,” Heaven said, her smile widening. “Like, properly apologized. Said they were wrong about me and everything.”

Isabella blinked. “Apologized?” she repeated slowly. “Just like that?”

“Yes!” Heaven said excitedly. “And they want to meet me again. This time, properly.”

Isabella leaned back slightly, studying her. “Isn’t that… a little strange?” she asked.

Heaven waved her hand dismissively. “You’re overthinking it.”

“Am I?” Isabella said.

“Yes,” Heaven replied. “People change their minds all the time.”

Isabella didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t argue further. Instead, she gave a small nod.

“Well… I’m happy for you,” she said sincerely. Despite everything in her own life, she was genuinely happy for Heaven. At least one of them deserved something good.

“But let me finish this food quickly,” Isabella added, picking up her spoon again. “I don’t know if I’ll be given dinner tonight.”

Heaven’s smile faded slightly.

“You say things like that too casually,” she said.

Isabella shrugged. “It’s just the truth.”

Heaven watched her for a moment, her expression softening. Then she forced a smile again, not wanting to ruin the moment.

“Eat,” she said. “And don’t worry—I’ll order more if you need.”

Isabella shook her head. “This is enough.”

She focused on her food, eating quietly but quickly.

Across from her, Heaven kept talking about work, about random office drama, about her boyfriend to keep the mood light.