Chapter 96: Betrayed
Vito
The first thing I realized upon waking up was the feeling of pain. It was dull, but it seemed to spread around every inch of my body. I had just pushed my eyes open when I gasped.
I was in a hospital room, and there were machines. Lots of them.
How did I get here?
But the thought had barely settled in my mind when the memories came rushing in through the pain.
My body shook, and still it wasn’t enough as I glanced at my left arm, like I was stuck in a dream I was desperately trying to escape from. But I couldn’t, not when the evidence was staring right back at me.
At my shoulder, where my arm should have been, was a huge bandage.
No arm.
"What the..." I gasped, right before I began to scream. I could still feel my arm, but why the hell couldn’t I see it?
I jerked up, and the machines began to rapidly beep, but I didn’t care. I tore the wires off my body as fast as I could, even as anger surged through every pore in my body.
Doctors came rushing in, but I didn’t care as I continued to shout.
"Where the hell is my arm!" My voice was hoarse, but I still didn’t care.
"Please, Mr. Vito! You need to calm down!"
"Calm down, you’re in the hospital!"
"This is only temporary. You can always get another arm!" one of them said, and I launched myself at him before I had even processed the words that had just left his lips.
I was mad. I was furious, and I raged.
I was a Mafia Don. It was fine to have missing fingers, but what kind of Don was disabled?
I jerked up again, only to pause.
My entire body shook as I threw off the covers, only to feel a wave of dizziness pass through me. I looked down, only to see that half of my right leg was missing.
It was all I could do not to scream, even as I felt people pressing me down, but I refused. How could I?
A sharp pain hit my arm, and suddenly the world began to darken. My entire body went limp.
They drugged me.
These fucking doctors drugged me... anger fuming inside of me with nowhere to go as sleep washed over me.
Still, the next time I opened my eyes, I was much calmer than before.
The room was the same, and when I opened my eyes, I was in no rush to get up.
My arm and leg were gone. That much was obvious.
And as much as I wanted to rage, whosoever this king was had fucked me over. I had already transferred more than half of the shares of all my companies to him as a gesture of goodwill, and he took my...
I gritted my teeth hard enough to taste blood as I stared at the door, trying to maintain a calm I didn’t feel, when suddenly there was a knock.
A young nurse poked her head in with a smile.
"Oh... you’re awake! You have visitors!" she said, pushing the door wider for me to see.
"They are your friends. They asked that I inform them the next time you woke up!" she beamed as I glared at the door, watching Nico walk right in with that Castilo bitch right beside him.
"Thank you, Laurel," Nico said with a charming smile to the young nurse, who seemed to blush even harder as she nodded before retreating.
My men should have been by the door, making sure I was not disturbed. But the fact that Nico was able to enter meant that my men’s loyalty was slowly starting to shift. Now that I was vulnerable, one or two of them were bound to see if there was a chance to take me out.
The door slammed softly behind them as both of them made their way towards me. My gaze was on Nico, and I couldn’t give two fucks about Carmen.
"They got me! They fucking got me!" I snapped with all the fury I could muster.
"They killed my men, and I lost an arm and a leg! I want fucking revenge!" I screamed, shocked to realize that I actually meant it.
Cutting my limbs was never part of the deal I agreed to.
"I understand," Nico said calmly, dressed in his usual black tuxedo that covered his tattoos and made him look like a respectable CEO.
"I understand your pain," he continued, as I watched Carmen Castilo, who stood right beside him, subtly roll her eyes the moment she looked at me.
A folder was in her hands, which she opened as she stepped closer to my bed, placing it on the small table in front of me before she began to speak.
"We also understand that most of your companies are involved in a new government contract, building offshore oil rigs and importing excavation equipment," Carmen said, her voice cold, as I glanced at the documents with visible confusion on my face.
Staring at the documents, it was clear that my companies had gotten a lot of contracts, which was good, since I didn’t manage them myself. Unlike Nico, I had a managing director for that.
"He doesn’t know," Carmen suddenly said, glancing at Nico, who had moved over to the farthest wall to lean on it. His eyes scanned the entire room. Clearly, he wasn’t fond of the antiseptic smell that seemed to cover every part of the room.
"He doesn’t. He doesn’t manage his companies himself," Nico pointed out with a shrug that showed he wasn’t invested in the conversation.
But clearly, Carmen was.
"We know you’re the rat working with the enemy. You sold half your empire for protection, and they still cut you into pieces," she said, her voice laced with a sharp edge.
"Give up most of your territories without a fight, and we’ll give you a hefty parting gift. You can still hold some shares and..." she was still talking when I began to chuckle.
God, was she funny.
I glanced at Nico with a stunned look on my face.
"Look at this bitch... she gets some money from her dead father, and she thinks she’s big enough to speak?" I spat, staring at her with all the hatred I could muster.
Not sure how in the hell Castilo, who I thought was like us, would give all he owned to a woman whose only use was for fucking.
"Are you going to accuse me of cutting off my own limbs too?!" I raised my voice enough for it to echo across the room in anger.
"...so what of it? We all have our contacts for government contracts!" I said, turning to Nico.
"...what? Is this a ploy to take over my territory because I’m beaten and bruised?" I snapped, waiting for him to speak.
But he simply stared at me.
Those blue eyes boring right into mine with utter calm, even as I tried to steady myself. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.
I was betrayed.
And somehow, they found out.
But as long as there was no evidence, I should be fine.
