At the Mafia Alliance Academy, reputation is the only currency—and mine was bankrupt in a single morning.

One planted file, one flawless performance, and a few crocodile tears from Elena Rossi, the “fragile” scholarship student, were all it took. Overnight, I fell from the heights of the elite to a pariah branded a cruel bully.

The ultimate betrayal?

My fiancé, Luca Valenti—the future Don who once swore to be my blade—stood by her side, looking at me with nothing but cold contempt.

They called me cruel.

Entitled.

A rich girl bullying someone who had nothing.

What they didn’t know was that I could hear the venom dripping from Elena’s mind.

While she played the victim, her thoughts laughed—mocking the Academy’s stupidity, sneering at how easily she had Luca wrapped around her finger.

I stayed silent… until the Truth System awakened.

Now I can broadcast her twisted thoughts to anyone I choose.

And without hesitation, I linked her mind to Luca’s.

So while Elena clings to his arm, crying about her “shattered dreams,”

Luca hears everything—

her plans to destroy his family,

her contempt for his protection,

and her disgust at being touched by him.

The girl he chose is already tearing his world apart.

During our mid-morning break, our class president—Elena Rossi—suddenly announced that her Model UN keynote draft had gone missing.

The room erupted immediately.

Desks were opened, backpacks dumped, even the recycling bin overturned.

And then the shredded pages were “found” in my desk.

Elena went pale on cue, her voice quivering just enough to sound honest.

“Sofia… did I do something to you? Why would you tear up my draft?”

I froze. None of this added up.

Then she lowered her gaze, her tone shrinking into something wounded—almost intimate.

“I know you’ve always looked down on charity students like me.”

Her lips trembled.

“That speech might’ve earned me a full travel scholarship. I was counting on it for the fees… for my mom’s treatment…”

Tears collected on her lashes like she practiced them.

“For you, it’d be nothing. For me… it was everything.”

“People don’t get to choose where they’re born,” she choked out.

“I don’t steal, I don’t cheat, I work harder than anyone, and I was recruited into the Mafia Alliance Academy as a model student. So tell me—what did I do wrong?”

The entire class had already decided I was guilty.

“So this is the real Sofia—rich and cruel.”

“Having money doesn’t give you the right to humiliate a poor student.”

“If she’s so tough, why not pick on the daughter of Italy’s richest man?”

Their anger rose fast—fed by Elena’s fragile shaking, the way she folded in on herself like someone who had just been stepped on.

Every student in the room seemed to mirror her fear, her pain—

never questioning whether it was real.

I steadied my breath.

“Elena, I’ve never looked down on you. I didn’t touch your draft. I don’t know how it ended up in my desk. There has to be a mistake.”

But then—

I heard her.

Not her voice.

Her thoughts.

“Oh please. Of course you didn’t touch it—I shredded it myself.”

“Unbelievable how fast they take my side. One tremble in my voice and they’re ready to throw her off a cliff.”

“And Luca? God, what an easy mark. Future Don, zero brain.”

My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

I had been able to hear her thoughts since the day she transferred—

but I never expected this… venom.

Elena Rossi put on the act flawlessly—her eyes flooded with tears, her voice cracking with feigned despair, every gesture designed to make hearts ache.

“So now you’re accusing me? I tore up my own draft and hid it in your desk?”

Her friends rallied instantly.

“Get real, Sofia. The evidence is literally in front of us.”

“You’re still denying it? That’s just pathetic.”

I forced the words out.

“Elena, you know what you did. Why are you lying? Why are you framing me?”

That was when the crowd split—

and Luca Valenti stepped forward.

My Luca.

My childhood best friend.

My fiancé.

The Valenti Famiglia’s future Don.

He didn’t even look at me first.

My smile died in my throat.

He leaned in, murmured something soothing to her, then turned to me with eyes as cold as cut glass.

“That’s enough, Sofia.”

He didn’t ask a single question—he just took Elena’s side, trusting her without hesitation.

“Funny how Elena’s draft ended up in your desk, not anyone else’s. Care to explain that?”

“If you tore it, apologize and stop turning this into a spectacle.”

“Your family didn’t raise you to punch down at someone who has nothing.”

The words hit like blows.

The whispered speculation vanished, replaced by blunt, unfiltered voices as the room broke into loud discussion.

“If Luca doesn’t believe her, why should we?”

“Who destroys someone’s scholarship chance? That’s sick.”

“Sofia always acted perfect. Guess it was a mask.”

Through it all, Elena’s thoughts purred with delight:

“Yes, good. Fall for it, you idiots. Every last one of you.”

“Look at him defending me like I’m porcelain. Hilarious.”

“Sofia, you’re so easy to ruin it’s almost boring.”

I caught her smirk—quick, sly, poisonous—just before she tucked herself behind Luca’s shoulder again, trembling for effect.

I’m not letting anyone dump their lies on me and walk away clean.

“If you think I did it, check the cameras. That’ll clear everything.”

A couple of students who weren’t completely swept up by the drama whispered,

“Sofia doesn’t look like she’s lying. There’s got to be more to this.”

“She sounds… really sure.”

“Maybe she’s telling the truth—”

But Elena immediately leaned into Luca’s side, tiny and breakable.

Then he laughed.

A low, humorless sound.

“How much did you pay the security office, Sofia? Just be honest.”

It hit me like a punch to the gut—my face burning, my mind blank.

The more I looked at him, the more alien he seemed.

The boy who once promised he’d always have my back…

was now siding with her, leaving me stranded and alone.

Elena tugged lightly on Luca’s sleeve, her voice soft enough to melt steel.

“It’s fine… Let’s just go check the security room. It won’t take long.”

At that moment, I actually believed seeing the cameras would clear my name.

I was naïve.

The guard in charge of the surveillance room didn’t even look up when he said,

“Sorry, kids. Cameras on that hallway were down since this morning.”

My mind blanked.

Luca exhaled sharply, lifting one shoulder in a lazy shrug as if to say See? I knew it.

He leaned casually against the railing in the crowded hallway, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Sofia Colombo, you really went all out to make Rossi look bad, didn’t you?”

“Afraid she might somehow threaten your place in my eyes?”

I hadn’t done anything—and yet, shame and helplessness washed over me in a sudden, suffocating wave.

My nose burned.

Tears blurred my vision.

I hadn’t touched Elena’s keynote draft.

I hadn’t even been near her desk.

Yet humiliation wrapped around me like barbed wire.

Luca and I had been promised to each other since childhood.

The Valenti and Colombo families lived in the same private compound.

He was older by a year, and he used to shield me from every danger—every scraped knee, every insult, every childish fight.

He used to say I was his principessa, the girl he would protect no matter what.

That one day, I would be his Donna.

For ten years, he never let anyone lay a hand on me.

Not even scold me too harshly.

And I… grew used to that version of him.

Until Elena Rossi arrived.

Valenti voice low and laced with concern.

“Rossi’s always been small, fragile… her father’s a drunk, her home’s no place for a girl. If it weren’t for her grades, teachers and even the authorities would have stepped in long ago. She’s been surviving on her own, juggling school and work just to get by. She’s had it rough… ”

Then he looked at me, frustration carved on his face.

“Not everyone grows up like you—carefree, spoiled, protected. If I don’t look out for her, no one will. Try using a little compassion.”

And with Elena, he had plenty of compassion.

Now she sniffled twice, perfectly timed, and Luca’s expression hardened even more as he turned back to me.

“What are you crying for?” he said, voice sharp as broken glass.

“You think tears are going to make me soft? You screw up and still play the victim—Sofia, it’s pathetic.”

Right then, Elena’s thoughts brushed my mind again:

God, this man is useless. Even if he doesn’t believe his precious childhood fiancée, he really didn’t need to go this far. If I were Sofia, I’d be bleeding inside.

And he dares to call her his favorite princess? Pathetic. This moron—wave a finger, and he’s prancing around like a trained dog.

Rich, stupid suck-ups are always fun to have around, anyway.

A bitter laugh escaped me, even as my tears burned my cheeks.

It suddenly hits me—what if he ever got a peek into Elena Rossi’s mind?

done with arguing, done with hoping.

But Luca grabbed my wrist, his grip cold and unforgiving.

“Going somewhere?”

“Apologize to Rossi.”

“No.” My voice trembled, but I forced steel into it.

“I won’t apologize. I have no reason to. I didn’t touch her keynote draft, nor did I tear it up.”

I straightened up, lifted my head, and blinked back the tears, keeping my gaze fixed on him with unyielding defiance.

Around us, the academy students—children of various Mafia families—whispered like a pack circling blood.

“Obviously Luca’s into Elena now. Sofia’s just jealous she’s being replaced.”

“Yeah, jealous enough to destroy Elena’s project? That’s low—even for her.”

“I’m not getting involved with Luca anymore. What if Sofia snaps and comes for me next?”

“Make her apologize. It’s the least she can do.”

No one heard me.

They heard what they wanted.

Every accusation fell like another stone on my chest, crushing the breath out of me.

And Luca… he was the first stone.

He slammed his fist against the wall beside my head, the sound cracking through the corridor.

“Fine,” he spat, fury twisting his features. “If you won’t apologize, then from now on—don’t come to me. Don’t say my name. Don’t pretend we’re anything.”

Elena gasped dramatically, grabbing his hand as if she were the one in pain.

“Luca, please—don’t hurt yourself. It’s not worth it.”

Her voice wavered, perfectly fragile.

“Even if she apologized, my keynote is gone… I have to rewrite everything…”

Luca looked like he wanted to keep fighting, but the class bell rang and the hallway emptied quickly.

Leaving me standing there, swallowed whole by a crime I never committed.

I kept my head down as I walked back to my seat.

The next class was Corporate Strategy & Leadership—a mandatory course for heirs of Mafia families.

Our instructor, Professor Moretti, was formidable across campus.

Students called her the Dragon Lady behind her back.

Last week she’d assigned a Management Competency Sheet.

All we had to do was hand it in.

Simple.

Mine, which I knew I placed in my bag, had vanished.

“Front. Now,” she ordered.

“Ten push-ups. Go.”

By the third, my arms were trembling.

By the tenth, I was shaking, every movement a struggle, but she didn’t flinch or offer a word of mercy.

“Failure to comply reflects failure in discipline. Stand in the back. And pray you learn.”

At the Valenti-Colombo Academy, instructors held full disciplinary authority.

Punishment wasn’t just humiliation—it became part of our official assessment.

A stain on one’s record meant jeopardizing graduation…

or the family’s trust.

I had never been punished before.

Not once.

Forty-five minutes dragged like forty-five years.

By the time class was over, Luca had made his way to me, moving with that infuriatingly lazy confidence.

He lifted the Management Competency Sheet carelessly between two fingers.

My sheet.

Then he tore it straight down the middle.

“You were out of line earlier,” he said with cold, deliberate calm.

“Consider this your punishment. A taste of what you put Rossi through.”

He tossed the shredded pieces at my desk.

“If you want this to end, go apologize to her. Do that, and we move on.”

My throat closed.

By lunchtime, the cafeteria was nearly empty.

I ordered braised short ribs—my favorite—but the smell alone made my stomach churn.

I sat by the window, food untouched.

I didn’t even notice Elena Rossi approaching until she slid gracefully into the seat across from me.

Her eyes sparkled with that pathetic, rehearsed innocence she always wore when she was about to stir up trouble.

“Sofia,” she purred, eyes glittering with fake innocence, “aren’t you curious? How my competition keynote ended up in your desk? Or who ripped it?”

I felt my patience snap—not in anger, but in pure exhaustion.

The pretending.

The way she acted all innocent while clearly trying to get under my skin.

I stood up, brushed my hands off, and without a second thought, tipped my warm seaweed–egg soup straight onto her perfectly powdered face.

“Elena,” I said, voice low, flat, and utterly uninterested, “before you try another cheap stunt with me, think very carefully.”

“I’m not interested in your games. I don’t have the time, and I certainly don’t have the patience. So let me make this simple—get out of my way.”

“I can make you disappear from this academy without lifting a finger.

I can make sure no school touches your name again.

I can make your whole family unemployable overnight.

So tell me—where exactly did you find the courage to act superior in front of me?”

Her eyes filled instantly—big, glassy, perfect tears.

“Fine—yes,” Elena choked out, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“I admit your family has more money, more influence, more everything than mine.

But does that mean you get to do whatever you want?

Does having money give you the right to ruin someone’s entire future?”

Her thoughts, however, dripped like poison:

"All that cash and she thinks she’s some kind of queen. Newsflash: she’s just a spoiled little leech riding on her parents’ name. Totally useless. Can’t even keep her childhood sweetheart in line."

"Honestly, he’d jump through hoops for me—do whatever I wanted. And she’s acting like she’s better than me? Give me a break."

I crossed my arms and let out a cold laugh.

“Yes,” I said. “Money does let me do whatever I want. If you don’t believe me—try provoking me again.”

She rushed out, wet and seething.

After the first afternoon class, our group chat exploded.

A recording was leaked.

The conversation from the cafeteria.

My words—my threats—every sentence blasted publicly.

Elena ran up to me, blocking my path, her eyes crimson and watery.

“Sofia, please, it wasn’t me! I don’t know who recorded it—I swear! Please, don’t hurt me—or my family.”

And then Luca appeared.

“Sofia, what exactly are you so proud of?” His voice boomed across the room.

“Your family used to be a small arms dealer. Now you’ve got some money and think you can terrorize people?”

“If I’m here, Rossi is off-limits. Touch her again and you’ll answer to me.”

He took a breath—slow and lethal.

“And starting today, I’ll make sure my parents cut all ties with the Colombo family. All agreements. All cooperation.”

Elena shot me a smile.

Triumphant. Predatory.

Her Heart-Voice:

Sofia, you will never beat me. I’ll take everything from you piece by piece. Luca is only the beginning.

“Apologize. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Before I could even move, he shoved me with all his strength, and I hit the wall with a sickening thud.

A sharp pain shot through my skull, and a thin line of blood ran down my forehead.

His eyes flickered with something—guilt?

And then—

A mechanical voice echoed in my mind:

“Host Sofia, you have unlocked the Heart-Voice Sharing System.

Please choose the person who will receive shared thoughts.”

My breath caught.

The system…

shared other people’s inner thoughts with whoever I chose.

If I selected Luca…

Luca Valenti would hear Elena Rossi’s real thoughts.

My hands trembled.

“Host, please confirm the shared recipient: Luca Valenti.”

I exhaled.

“Confirm.”

The world didn’t change.

Luca was still standing in front of me, jaw set, eyes cold.

“Apologize,” he said again. “Last chance.”

Then—he stiffened.

To Elena.

She was still crying softly, clutching her sleeves, voice trembling as she spoke first.

“Luca… I know Sofia hates me,” she said gently.

“She’s always been sensitive about you and me being close. I understand it must hurt—seeing your attention shift.”

She lowered her head, painfully considerate.

“If she targeted me out of jealousy… I don’t blame her.”

But Luca wasn’t listening to her voice anymore.

Because inside his head, another one slid in—smooth, mocking, unmistakable.

God, he really believed that.

One sob and he threw away his precious childhood princess.

Future Don, my ass. I played him with three sentences.

Luca’s fingers curled slowly.

Elena continued, unaware—

“I just hope you won’t be too hard on her,” she whispered.

“She’s always been protected. Losing you must feel unbearable.”

And her thoughts followed, razor-sharp.

So easy.

Men like him were born to be led by the nose.

Luca turned fully toward her.

“Who exactly did you think was stupid?”

His eyes locked onto hers.

“And who,” he continued,

“did you think you were playing in the palm of your hand?”