Chapter 2

I opened the door the following morning and found Silvia sitting at the dining table, dabbing at her tears.

She shot me a look full of grievance when she spotted me before swiftly averting her gaze downward.

Papa lowered his newspaper and glared at me. "You're being far too paranoid, Rosina! You're at home, not a battlefield! What kind of contraption do you have on your door?

"Silvia went to your room last night out of the goodness of her heart to give you a massage pillow. Instead of being grateful, you locked her out and left her standing outside alone!"

Carlo, sitting beside Silvia, gave me a freezing glare. "It seems like some people are just rotten to the core. You should refrain from interacting with such people from now on, Silvia."

I walked over, picked up a piece of bread, and said calmly, "If she just wanted to give a massage pillow, why was she forcing the lock? If I hadn't secured that door, I'd be in a morgue right now, not waking up in my bed."

Upon hearing that, Silvia cried even harder. "How could you think of me that way, Rosina? You didn't respond when I knocked. I was worried that something might have happened to you, so I tried to use the key to unlock the door. I won't do it again if you really don't like it."

Mamma pulled Silvia into her arms and shot me a look of pure disdain. "That's enough, Rosina! Silvia was only trying to help! Do you see how much you've upset her over such a trivial matter?

"Carlo, Silvia, and I will be going on a shopping trip to help settle things between all of you. You're coming along as well. I'll be buying a few clothes for you so that you can finally change out of that hideous bulletproof vest!"

I wasn't going to do whatever she said. I didn't bother taking off the bulletproof vest, choosing instead to layer a loose sports jacket over it.

Upon arriving at the shopping mall, Mamma linked arms with Silvia, while Carlo carried her handbag attentively. They were walking in front, while I was left behind, walking alongside the bodyguards.

Silvia suddenly slowed down just as we got on the escalator. She purposely lingered a half-step behind, positioning herself on the step right at my back.

I immediately knew what was coming for me. I recalled the second rule of "How to Survive the Mafia". If I got close to a staircase, I would definitely get pushed down the stairs.

I took a deep breath and secured a firm grip on the handrails. I then planted my feet wide and dropped my center of gravity to ensure maximum stability.

Just as the escalator reached its midpoint, a forceful shove was directed at my back. Silvia had acted on the assumption that I'd tumble down defenseless, but she was utterly mistaken.

I didn't budge. Instead, the force of her own shove bounced right back at her, knocking her off balance and sending her reeling.

Silvia shrieked as she lost control and tumbled down the escalator.

"Silvia!" Mamma shouted, turning back in terror.

Carlo sprinted over in a frenzy and managed to catch her at the bottom of the escalator.

Silvia fell into Carlo's embrace, her forehead scraped and bleeding. She pointed up at me and yelled, "How could you push me, Rosina? I was only trying to pat the dust off your back!"

In that instant, the onlookers gathered, pointing fingers and whispering about me.

"How can that woman be so cruel?"

"How could she push that young woman? That counts as attempted murder, doesn't it?"

Carlo made sure Silvia was safe, then bolted up the escalator toward me with his eyes turning completely bloodshot. He then shoved me and yelled, "I'll make you pay with your life if Silvia is scarred, Rosina!"

I didn't fight back, allowing the momentum to take me down. I then opened my phone, ticked off the "Staircase Murder" entry, and added a note. "In the end, the enemy suffered the consequences of their own actions. I successfully employed my tactic as well."

It was then that the manager in charge of the shopping mall appeared. I requested a review of the surveillance footage. Though the footage was slightly blurry, the angle captured everything.

It showed that my hands never left the handrail of the elevator the entire time—and there was no pushing involved. Instead, it revealed Silvia reaching out suspiciously before she went flying backward by herself.

It was then that the truth was laid bare.

Having reviewed the surveillance footage as well, the manager in charge of the shopping mall directed a peculiar look toward Silvia. "It appears that that young lady lost her balance and fell of her own accord."

Though the surveillance footage showed that I hadn't moved my hands, Carlo's reasoning remained irrational. He pointed at the monitor and made up a ridiculous excuse, yelling, "Your defensive posture was excessive, even if you didn't push Silvia!

"If you weren't braced like that, Silvia wouldn't have tumbled when she reached out. You're responsible for this injury! You'd better apologize to Silvia now, Rosina!"

I slipped my phone into my pocket and regarded my so-called fiance, whose understanding of the law was nonexistent.

"So if someone tries to stab me and I dodge, resulting in them striking a wall and injuring their hand, I'm the one at fault here?" I asked.

Carlo was rendered speechless. He could only glare at me.

Silvia, despite having only a minor scrape, made a scene by using a wheelchair. The entire famiglia acted as her devoted entourage on the way back home.

In order to comfort Silvia, Mamma retrieved the famiglia heirloom from the safe. It was a red diamond necklace that was meant to be for me, her biological daughter.

She fastened it around Silvia's neck in front of me and said, "You've been through so much, Silvia. You see, this necklace is said to bring good luck. I'll give it to you to alleviate your trauma."

Silvia toyed with the necklace, throwing me a taunting look before glancing at Carlo. She looked as if she was telling me that she would eventually take everything that belonged to me, including him.

I observed the sparkling red diamond necklace and quietly added a new entry to my "How to Survive the Mafia" guide. "The necklace will likely be utilized as a fabricated piece of evidence against me."