Chapter 156. Something Big Is Coming

Chapter 156. Something Big Is Coming

Katarina’s POV
“Are we there yet?”
Papi’s voice shot through the car like a firecracker. He was bouncing on the leather seat, shoes tapping against the floor. His little fists clutched a toy car he must have smuggled in from the villa.
“Papi, sit still,” I said, holding his knee.
“But it’s a car race!” His eyes glowed. “I wanna see them go zooooom—” He dragged the sound, making Suzy laugh.
Suzy clapped her hands. “Zoooom!”
Their giggles filled the car, light and sharp against the silence of the adults. For a moment, I almost let it warm me.
But the yellow dress clung too tight, and the bracelet on my wrist throbbed like a pulse that wasn’t mine.
Valentino drove in silence. Fiorella sat up front with him, one hand folded over her lap, the other still wrapped in a neat white bandage. She leaned against the window, sunglasses perched low.
“Kat,” Papi whispered, tugging my arm. “Did you know Uncle Tino doesn’t smile?”
Valentino’s jaw flexed. “I can hear you, Papi.”
The boy froze, then hid his face in my arm. “Told you he’s scary,” he whispered, muffled.
Suzy leaned over, her curls brushing my shoulder. “My mama smiles a lot. Especially when—” She stopped. Her eyes darted to Fiorella.
Fiorella’s head snapped around. “Suzy.”
The little girl’s lips pressed shut. Too tight.
I narrowed my eyes. “Especially when what, Suzy?”
The girl looked between me and her mother. Then she whispered, “When we make people believe things that aren’t real.”
My skin prickled, my heart tripping over itself. I could see Fiorella’s reflection in the window—still, calculating. Suzy’s hands twisted in her dress, her small voice barely a whisper. My fingers found the bracelet on my wrist, and for the first time, I felt it throb without touching it.
Fiorella laughed, sharp and quick. “Children talk nonsense. Stories, games.” She reached back, patting Suzy’s knee. “Don’t mind her, Katarina.”
But Suzy looked at me with wide eyes, like she wanted me to know she wasn’t lying.
The car filled with silence, heavy and sour.
Valentino broke it. His voice was low, careful. “Strange, isn’t it?”
Fiorella turned her head. “What is?”
“You always liked the back seat.” His eyes stayed on the road. “Said it made you feel like a princess. Now you sit in front.”
Her smile was quick, too quick. “People change, Valentino. Maybe I got tired of the back.”
“Hmm.” His hand tightened on the wheel.
She reached over then, brushing her bandaged hand against his thigh. “Don’t be angry. I only wanted to be closer to you.”
He moved her hand off, gentle but final. His voice was flat. “Keep your seatbelt on.”
The air went colder.
I shifted, my stomach churning. At first, I thought it was the pregnancy — the nausea rising sharp and sour. But then the bracelet on my wrist vibrated harder, buzzing like a warning bee. My skin burned under it.
I pressed it with my thumb, trying to calm it, but it pulsed again.
Ombra’s dark eyes flicked to me. She leaned close, whispering in broken English. “Listen… to your blood. To your gift. Magic… inside you. Bracelet warn.”
Her breath smelled like mint leaves and iron.
I swallowed. “Ombra…”
She nodded once, serious. Her presence, her words — she reminded me of Aunt Malva.
I looked down at the bracelet. No vision came. No trance. Just the warning, hot and restless.
I missed Malva. Missed her calm hands, her chants, the way she never looked afraid even when everyone else did.
But Malva wasn’t here. Ombra was. And her words made my spine ache.
The convoy of cars roared down the road, bodyguards in front and behind. Engines loud, tires hissing against asphalt.
“Kat,” Papi whispered again, tugging me from my thoughts. “Do you think they’ll let me drive a car today?”
Suzy laughed. “You’re too small!”
“I’m not!” He puffed his chest. “I’ll stand on the seat and reach the wheel.”
“Then you’ll crash,” she teased.
He gasped. “I won’t! I’ll win.”
Their little voices tangled together, pulling smiles out of them both. For a second, it almost felt normal. Almost.
Fiorella twisted in her seat, looking back at us. Her sunglasses slid low, showing sharp eyes. “Children, enough noise. Sit down.”
Papi stuck his tongue out at her.
I smothered a laugh, patting his head.
Valentino’s lips twitched, like he wanted to laugh too, but he kept his eyes on the road.
The cars slowed. The smell hit first — oil, burning rubber, and too much perfume.
The closer we got, the heavier the air felt. The convoy snaked through wide roads lined with billboards and flags. Crowds pressed against metal rails, cheering, phones flashing. It looked like celebration, but to me, it felt like walking into a stage built for blood. Even Papi grew quiet, staring wide-eyed at the blur of color outside the window.
When the doors opened, heat poured in, thick with smoke and sweat. The sound of engines roared across the open air, loud enough to shake the ground.
We had arrived.
The racing center stretched wide — sleek cars lined up, glittering under the sun. The crowd was a sea of silk and gold. Billionaires, politicians, mafia bosses. Everyone wanted to be seen. Everyone wanted power.
I stepped out of the car, the yellow dress bright under the sunlight. The bracelet burned against my wrist. Eyes turned immediately — whispers spilling through the crowd. Valentino De Luca, Fiorella at his arm, and me in a dress that looked like a target.
Papi tugged at me, his face glowing. “Look, Kat! Cars! So many cars!”
“Stay close,” I whispered, gripping his hand.
Ombra came behind us, lifting Suzy onto her hip. Her other hand clutched Papi’s shoulder, firm as iron.
As she passed me, her voice dropped low, her accent thick. “My master just say…  one word.. I repeat….one word  I will get rid of her. For you.”
I froze.
I forced a laugh. “Ombra, don’t joke like that.”
Her face didn’t change. “I am not joking.”
Then she walked away with the children, leaving me standing there with my stomach twisted and my bracelet buzzing like a storm waiting to break.
And somewhere in the middle of the roar of engines and cheers of the rich, I knew something bad was coming.
Something big.
And there was no stopping it.