Before I could say anything, I froze at the sight of Laura's wrist. She lifted her arm, pointing directly at us. The diamond bracelet sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight. I had seen that same bracelet in Aldo's shopping cart before.

If I hadn't noticed it today, I would still be foolishly waiting for his surprise.

"What's with the silence? Are you simply too scared to answer?"

Laura's dazzling smile seemed to pierce right through me.

I released Carla and slowly rose to my feet. Snow soaked my boots, chilling me to the bone, yet it wasn't nearly as painful as the pang in my chest.

"The reports said Aldo's wife's last name is Fontana. She has a beauty mark near her eye, and she doesn't resemble you at all," I said calmly.

Laura's smile faltered for a moment.

I stared directly into her eyes and continued, "How dare you, a mistress, act so arrogantly here? Call Aldo here right now. I want to hear how he explains this."

Her expression shifted entirely. It wasn't guilt, but pure, seething anger.

"What does she even mean to him?" Laura snapped, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Aldo loves me, not her!"

She snatched her phone from her pocket and swiped across the screen. "When he gets here, you can ask him yourself!"

She called him, putting on a sickly-sweet tone. "Aldo, I'm being harassed by two women at the ski resort. You need to come right away."

After hanging up, she raised her chin and looked at me triumphantly.

"He'll be here in half an hour. You're done for."

Carla saw the bracelet and immediately put the pieces together.

"Aldo is such a jerk! He's just like my awful father! Novella, don't worry! My mom will definitely teach him a lesson!" Carla said fiercely.

Years ago, Aldo's father had cheated, leaving Aldo's mother to raise both Carla and Aldo alone and build their family from the ground up. She despised unfaithful men above all else.

If she found out about this, Aldo would lose his position as the Don of the Rossi family.

I wanted to see what excuse Aldo would come up with.

Since Carla was trembling, I hugged her and headed for the locker room, only for Roberto to shove us both to the ground again.

We fell hard, landing face-first in the snow.

Laura scoffed and swung her ski pole against my back. "You can't even stand, and you want to ski? If you love skiing so much, just stay down there!"

She then turned to Roberto and said, "Roberto, take care of them. Make them stay down a little longer…"

Every time Carla and I tried to get to our feet, Roberto shoved us back down. The snow had sapped our strength, and our body heat was dropping fast. Carla's face had turned a dark purple, and her breath was short and rapid.

"Carla?" I called out softly.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She seemed woozy and weak all over.

"She's having an asthma attack! We need to get her to the hospital!" I shouted.

Roberto hesitated for a beat.

A cruel smile twisted Laura's lips as she raised an eyebrow.

"What's with the act? You were hopping around on the slopes a minute ago, and now you're playing dead? Roberto, take off her ski jacket. Let's see how long she can keep pretending!"

Laura tilted her chin at Roberto, and he walked over.

My anger surged. "If anything happens to her, you'll go to prison!"

Laura laughed coldly, as if she feared nothing in the world.

"Prison? I'm Don Rossi's fiancee. Which cop would dare touch me? If she dies, it's her own fault. If you want to leave, you'll have to beg me."

Carla had just gotten over a cold, and now she was shivering violently. Her face was as pale as iron. I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. I couldn't let anything happen to her.

"Right…"

She grabbed my sleeve, shaking her head. "Novella, don't even listen to her. Wait until Aldo arrives, and she'll regret this. I'm fine. I can hang on. Once we get home, I'll tell Mom what happened. She'll make Aldo pay."

Since we refused to apologize, Laura waved her hand in annoyance. Roberto then began dumping bucket after bucket of ice water on us.

Our clothes were soaked through, and we were freezing so fast I could feel it crawling under my skin. My teeth rattled, and Carla slipped into unconsciousness.

"She's going to die! Call a doctor! If Aldo sees you hurting his sister, he won't forgive you!"

Roberto, who was a ski instructor, immediately noticed Carla's condition.

"Ms. Ferrari, that younger one is really in danger. Maybe we should let her go. If something actually happens to her at the ski resort, it would look bad. Negative publicity would make Don Rossi furious, and I could lose my job."

Laura's smile widened. "I'm not a cruel person. I just want them to apologize. If they still have the energy to refuse, it's obvious they're not dying yet. Unconscious? Don't make me laugh. She's faking it."

Roberto towered over us. "Ms. Ferrari is the future Donna of the Rossi family! The entire resort belongs to her. Apologize now, or you'll never leave. If you keep resisting, no one can save you."

I didn't have time for anger or argument. All I knew was that if I waited a second longer, Carla would die.

"I'm begging you," I said, biting my lip until it bled. "Please, let Carla go back to the room. I'm begging you."

Laura tilted her head, savoring the moment. "You just called me a mistress," she said, smiling triumphantly.

My nails sank into my palms. With each passing second, Carla's breathing grew weaker and slower.

I bent low, choosing my words carefully. "I'm sorry, and I sincerely apologize. I shouldn't have said that. Please don't be angry."

Laura fixed me with a sly, victorious smile.

"What should I do? I'm still mad," she said. "I'm not letting you go."

A surge of fury hit me instantly.

"She's Aldo's sister! If anything happens to her, you'll all regret this!"

Carla lay in my arms. Her breathing was so faint I could barely feel it.

"Help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Is anyone there? Help!"

A middle-aged man in uniform ran up from the ski resort entrance. It was the hotel manager, Bosco Romano. He froze when he saw Carla's pale face. Panic flashed across his features.

"What… what happened?"

"She's having an asthma attack!" I shouted hoarsely. "She needs a doctor. Let us out, now!"

Bosco looked from Carla to Laura. "Ms. Ferrari, you should let them go. If something happens, how will this resort operate in the future?"

Laura simply nodded.

I supported Carla, stumbling toward the locker room. Laura followed at her own slow, measured pace.

I stormed into the locker room and dug through Carla's bag until I found the inhaler.

As I turned, a foot shot out, knocking it from my hand. The inhaler hit the wall and bounced to the floor.

Laura crossed her arms and tilted her head, watching me. "It fell," she said. "Pick it up."

Rage surged through me.

I lunged at her and slapped her.

The sharp smack echoed in the locker room. Laura clutched her face, staring at me as if she couldn't believe what had just happened.

"If anything happens to Carla," I said, my voice trembling but not from fear. "I'll make sure you pay for it."

She let out a scream. "Roberto! Bosco! Hold her down!"

Roberto and Bosco stepped forward, grabbing my arms from behind to hold me back.

Laura lunged at me, slapping me across the face. Pain flared through me.

Slap after slap rained down on me. She landed a dozen blows. Blood filled my mouth, and my ears rang.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth onto my collar while I pulled myself free.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Aldo's number again.

This time, he picked up.

"Aldo," I gasped. "Carla is having an asthma attack at the ski resort. You must send help now. If you wait, it will be too late."

He sounded impatient. "She has asthma, and you brought her to a ski resort? I'm busy. Call the family medical team yourself."

After ending the call, I seethed with rage.

His sister was the one with asthma!

In the next moment, Laura let out an excited squeal.

"Aldo!" she exclaimed.

Her voice was disgustingly sweet. "You're finally here!"