Chapter 6

The wind in the alley died in an instant.

I watched as my sisters silently surrounded me, their eyes burning with barely restrained fury and heartache.

All the grievances, fear, and humiliation of the past few days came crashing through my frayed nerves at once.

"Sofia!" I threw myself into her arms and burst into violent sobs, choking out everything between ragged breaths.

"It was Giovanni. His dad is Antonio Rossi, and he owns the mines. Giovanni says his family owns the whole of Norburg. He bullies me every day, and he even recorded a video today."

The brand-new phone in Elena's hand let out a sharp crack. She had crushed the screen with her bare grip.

"The nerve of a mere mine owner!"

"That bastard Antonio! When I put him in power back in the day, he was still groveling at my feet!"

"This is outright rebellion! How dare he lay a hand on Dante!"

My sisters' furious curses rose one after another as I listened in stunned confusion.

Sofia, however, just gently patted my back. Then, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Tell everyone to drop what they're doing and assemble in Norburg within the hour. Dante's been hurt," she ordered icily.

The next morning, Sofia told me to go to school as usual.

I nodded and went alone.

As expected, at the school gate, Giovanni was already waiting beside Mr. Rossi's flashy luxury car.

The moment he saw me, he raised his voice deliberately, his face dripping with mockery.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the lapdog who was on his knees, slapping—"

But before he could finish speaking, I walked right past him calmly, as if he were nothing but air.

Giovanni froze, stunned.

"Dante!" Humiliation flaring into rage, he lunged forward and grabbed my backpack. "Did I say you could leave? Yesterday's lesson didn't stick, huh? You worthless piece of trash!"

He raised his hand, ready to slap me across the face.

"I'll teach you some goddamn manners!"

But remembering Sofia's words, I felt a surge of confidence I'd never known before.

A second later, I seized his wrist in midair, my grip like iron.

Staring into his startled eyes, I said emphatically in a cold voice, "I said, let go."

"You little bastard! Have you lost your mind?"

Beside him, Mr. Rossi stormed out of the car and shoved me hard.

I stumbled backward, and my back slammed hard against the school wall with a heavy thud.

"You miserable piece of shit! Still haven't learned your lesson, have you?" Mr. Rossi grabbed me by the collar, spittle flying into my face. "I'm going to kill you today if it's the last thing I do, or my name isn't Rossi!"

But the next moment, a deafening roar came from the sky.

Dozens of helicopters suddenly hovered over the school, a dark swarm blotting out the sky.

Then came the heavy, grinding rumble of tank treads crushing over asphalt.

Three dark-green tanks, their cannons aimed squarely at the school gate.

And swarms of reporters armed with cameras and microphones surged forward, their flashes erupting into a blinding storm of light.

Mr. Rossi stood frozen in place. Then, from the armored helicopters, figures began dropping down in waves.

One hundred and nine women emerged from every corner, converging into an impenetrable wall of bodies, surrounding him completely.

Then, right before Antonio's petrified eyes, all one hundred and nine voices thundered as one, crashing across Norburg like a storm.

"Try laying a hand on Dante again—we dare you!"