Chapter 3

Hearing this, Ms. Greco roared and lunged to snatch my phone.

I instinctively turned sideways to dodge her and frantically hung up the call.

But the very next second, another slap landed hard across my face with a loud smack.

Ms. Greco's face twisted with fury.

"You've gone and made a mess this big, and you're still trying to keep it from your family?"

Mr. Rossi slammed his fist against the wall and jabbed a finger right at my nose.

"Don't think you can get away with this just by hiding it from your family! Let me tell you something—I'm the one who runs things in Norburg! I've got connections in the police department! You mess with Giovanni, and I'll make your whole family of nobodies disappear in a heartbeat!"

Giovanni limped out to mock me as well.

"You're probably so poor that your family can barely put food on the table, so where'd you get the audacity to push me? What a joke!"

I lowered my head, my voice barely a whisper as I said, "My sister really can't come. I'm sorry, Giovanni, I was wrong. I shouldn't have pushed you. I can apologize to you in front of the whole school, be your errand boy for a year, or you can hit me back. Just don't call the police, okay? I don't want to be expelled."

Giovanni let out a scornful laugh. But Mr. Rossi roared and reached to grab my phone.

"Now you're trying to bargain? Give me your sister's number! I'll talk to her myself!"

Ms. Greco immediately chimed in, "Dante, hand your phone over to Mr. Rossi so he can call your sister! Don't be stubborn. You need to show that you're willing to resolve this!"

Ms. Greco lunged forward to snatch it, but I clutched my phone tightly and kept backing away.

In the end, I dropped to my knees in sheer desperation. My knees slammed against the cold tile floor, the pain so sharp that it sent tears streaming down my face.

I kept slapping myself in the face while begging, "Please don't call my sister. Giovanni, please. I'll apologize and make it up to you. You can hit me back—whatever you want. Just please don't call my sister, okay?"

My face grew redder and more swollen from all the slapping. It wasn't until blood trickled from the corner of my lips that Giovanni's face finally twisted into a smug grin.

He stopped Mr. Rossi and said in a raised voice, "Alright, fine. But a public apology isn't enough. You're going to have to slap yourself in front of everyone tomorrow, and you won't stop until I'm satisfied. Only then will I not call the police."

"Fine." Clenching my fists, I agreed to all of his terms.

The humiliation cut deep, but it was all worth it—so long as my sisters weren't dragged into this.

That evening, when I pulled my cap low over my face and dragged my exhausted body back to the small apartment my second sister, Giulia Bianco, had rented for me, I found my 66th, 79th, and 93rd sisters bustling away in the kitchen.

The moment they saw me walk in, they immediately surrounded me, their faces lighting up with joy.

"Dante, you're back!"

At the dinner table, my 66th sister, Martina Bianco, smiled as she playfully pinched my cheek.

"Dante, I heard you're getting an award at school. Why didn't you let us come pick it up with you? By order, it should be my turn now, right?"

My 79th sister, Chiara Bianco, skillfully massaged my shoulders and shot back, "As if! It's mine this time!"

My 93rd sister, Valentina Bianco, pushed a bowl of soup toward me. "Drink up. It's good for your brain and will help you get into a good college."

A lump rose in my throat, and I almost broke down, but I managed a strained smile and said, "It's just a minor award. There's no need to go to any trouble. I'll call you when I win something big next time."

"Alright. We won't fight over it. Eat up first."

They excitedly filled my bowl with food. But as we were eating, Martina's expression suddenly sharpened. She then stood up and took a phone call.

I faintly caught a few words.

"That shipment's been flagged again… Threw himself into the river… Ugh, this money doesn't come easy."