The Mafia Princess Who Lived In A Bubble Chapter 03
Over the next two days, the villa never got its power back.
I tried searching my phone for how to start the backup
system, but the manual was full of complicated words I
couldn’t understand.
I never got the full education Livia did. After the accident, my..
parents only had private tutors teach me the simplest things,
on and off. Later, when the internet was cut off completely, I
could only wander the villa in confusion.
When I got hungry, I went to the serving hatch for a meal tray.
Running on emergency batteries, the conveyor belt made
strange grinding noises, and many buttons no longer responded.
I could only eat cold food.
The meal trays tasted stranger every day, and the milk was starting to turn sour.
On the third day, a sickening smell rose from the serving hatch.
I couldn’t eat anymore. My stomach cramped with hunger, so
I pressed every intercom button on the wall again, hard.
Luckily, this time Dad’s line went through.
“Dad, I’m hungry…”
The moment I heard his voice, I started crying, too hurt to hold it in.
On the other end, there was music and Livia’s laughter.
“Fiore? Why are you calling again? The pantry is stocked with so much food. How can you be hungry?”
Tears kept falling.
“The power has been out this whole time. The conveyor belt moves sometimes, but what it brings me is rotten, and the hatch smells sour. I can’t eat it.“
tried my best to describe what was happening in the villa.
Impossible. Every meal is vacuum–sealed and refrigerated by the chef.”
Dad asked with strained patience, “Did you press the wrong button? The blue button at the far left of the dining room. Did you press it?”
“I’m not stupid.” I wanted to burst into tears. “All the buttons are about to break. Believe me.”
If every button failed, how did you get through to me? How
is the conveyor belt still working? Fiorella, at least make your lies believable.”
When Dad got angry, he was as terrifying as I was when I smashed things.
I suddenly thought of all the caregivers I had driven away, and wondered if they had ever felt this helpless.
“I don’t know…”
“The house is dark.”
I sobbed, “The milk and juice went bad. I want water, but
there’s none from the tap either.”
The line was quiet for a moment.
Dad’s voice softened a little.
The villa has no water? Wait, I’ll have the family contact the
water company.”
He quickly called another number.
A moment later, his tone sank again.
The water company says North Bellacosta has normal supply, and the master meter outside the estate still has pressure.”
“But there’s really no water in here.”
‘Fiorella!” Dad’s voice suddenly turned harsh. “Yesterday the power, today the water. Are you making up stories to trick us into coming home because we didn’t take you along?”
I sobbed, “No. I’ve tried many times.”
Mom took the intercom.
“Fiore, Mom knows you’re upset. But every time we have
someone check from outside, everything looks normal. How
can you expect Mom to believe you?”
“I’m not lying…” My voice grew quieter and quieter.
“That’s enough. There are two bottles of water in the cabinet by the dining table. Drink those first. We’ll be home in a few days,”
I nodded obediently.
Livia’s voice drifted over from far away.
“Mom, stop letting her lead you around by the nose. Power putage yesterday, water outage today. Is it an attack on the estate tomorrow? You finally get to spend a whole trip with me, so why does everything still revolve around her?”
Mom didn’t answer. The line was quiet for a few seconds.
Dad sighed.
Fiorella, you’re disappointing your father. Eat your meals like,
a good girl and stop lying, understand?”
But I’m really hungry. I want to go out and find you.”
When she heard me say I wanted to leave. Mom’s voice turned urgent at once.
Fiorella, you dare set one foot past that security door! Have
you forgotten the last time you snuck out and nearly got taken by men from a rival family?”
My body jolted.
In my memory, I had once slipped past the guards to find Mom and gotten lost in the streets of Bellacosta. Several
strange men followed me until the family bodyguards showed up.
When Mom found me, she slapped me hard.
“If you run off again, I’ll leave you out there and never take care of you again!”
That was the first time I’d seen her that angry. The sting of
that slap still seemed to linger on my face.
sank into a nightmare, my whole body rigid, my breath coming fast.
I won’t go out… don’t do that to me.”
Then stay put in the villa.”
With that, Mom cut the call.
The speaker let out a dull dial tone.
I stared in despair at the dark room, and my stomach let out
a loud growl.
So hungry. So thirsty.
I felt my way to the dining table, opened the cabinet Mom
had mentioned, and reached inside.
Empty.
There was nothing in it.
I felt around again, my fingertips touching the wood at the
very back. Still no bottled water.
I stood there stunned for a long time, then turned to the
hatch and pressed the button.
The conveyor belt rattled, with heavy metallic clunks from time to time.
Several times, I thought it would never work again.
But in the end, the panel slid up.
nearly cried with joy.
A wave of putrid rot hit me, and I gagged over and over.
reached in, grabbed a fistful of spoiled food, and shoved it into my mouth.
Slimy, sour, bitter. It tasted so awful I wanted to throw up.
But I was too hungry.
I forced myself to swallow the whole rotten meal, then picked up the milk beside it.
The moment it reached my lips, the sour stench hit my nose.
I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and I threw it all up on the floor.
Soon after, a violent pain tore through my stomach.
I clutched my belly, curled up next to the fridge, and broke
into a cold sweat.
I bit my lip and forced every whimper back down my throat.