Anger was an ugly emotion. She was accustomed to constant bullying at her old school, which never affected her. But, the sudden incident was unexpected. It hit her like a hurricane. The safety net she felt around her brothers in her new home was shaken.

"Brother...," she whispered slowly, her brain reeling from the comfort he bought her.

A look of concern and worry was blatantly displayed on Vincent's face, as he looked down inspecting her wounds. His stance was rigid, a cold fury wrapped around his body, all the while his eyes remained soft looking at his sister.

"It's alright. We won't let anything happen to you, hereafter. I promise," he whispered soothingly, while carrying her trembling towards the medical bay.

Juliette was stuck in a frenzy of overwhelming emotions. Her body ached all over, with her eyes glazed over. Tears continuously fell from her eyes, with the comfort of her brother's arms around her.

Is this what it feels like for someone to be there and caring for your wellbeing? Her mind clouded in relief, confusion and overwhelming sense of comfort.

Looking at her continuous tears, Vincent immediately quickened his pace towards their medical unit.

"Please bear with the pain, little one. We will get you treated immediately. No one can harm you when you are with me. Don't cry," he told her softly.

Feeling totally overwhelmed by the turn of events, Juliette threw her arms around Vincent's neck, silently thanking him for the comfort his presence bought her.

Vincent stilled. He wasn't used to hugs. His whole childhood was surrounded by constant violence with a pressure to grow up fast, to step into the shoes of being the underboss and cold-hearted Don. Raking his fingers over her reddened cheeks, he gave a small smile

A soft hum shook Juliette from her reverie, as she glanced at her brother.

"For being such a tiny thing, you indeed attract more danger than you should" he commented. A look of concern and worry was seen on his face with an underlying sense of anger.

"Um..I did.n't know the way to ki..tchen," she replied while looking down at her palms.

Shaking his head slightly, "You should have come to us little one. Our rooms are right beside yours. Never hesitate to reach out to us," he said softly.

"But, it w...as ea..rly in the mor..ning," she stuttered out trying to explain.

"Juliette, it could be middle of the night or we can even be in a meeting with some president, if you need help call us out and we will be there," he instructed strictly.

"How did your ankle get hurt?" he asked suddenly, while his eyes kept staring at the ankle twisted in a weird angle.

"I-. fell," she squeaked out with a bewildered look in her eyes.

The lie fell through her lips easily, while Vincent just replied with a hum. His eyes stared ahead, while his body became rigid with a cold expression in his eyes,

The conversation drifted into an awkward silence, as they reached the medical wing. Two tall guards stood on either side of the door with an icy look on their face.

With a small respectful nod, they opened the door while Vincent calmly walked inside the wing. The smell of antiseptics and cleaning solutions hit all her senses, while she alarmingly glanced around the room. A sense of panic creeped into her bones, racing at the numerous possibilities that could occur.

'OH NO! They took me to an actual medical wing. What if they find out?'

The wing was lined with around a dozen beds on either side. The minimalist white walls and white beds had a few patients along with the staff , all dressed in black.

"Dr. Neir, report in the Main room along with a senior nurse, immediately" Vincent's sharp voice cut through the silent air.

Julie slowly looked up and peaked at the room through her eyelashes, her eyes gazing across the staff, all of whom had their eyes casted down. None looking at them. Even the patients who were lying down on the bed, sat up straight with their heads bowed down.

Vincent kept walking to the end of the aisle, and opened the huge double door.

"You ha...ve a hos...pital here?" she questioned curiously as he laid her down on the large bed at the center of the room.

"Shh, you can ask your questions later, little one. Let's get you checked first," he whispered slowly.

Vincent's grip tightened on the bed frame at her question. He never planned on bringing her to the medical wing, but her ankle needed immediate attention and this was the only option. Their property was originally divided into three parts- the main wing, which was solely their private abode. No one was allowed entry unless and until they were given explicit permission stating otherwise.

The second part had their office, hospital and meeting rooms, Anything remotely legal would take place there. Running a mafia on royalty level, posed a lot of danger. Hence, they built a medical wing with expert doctors and equipped it with instruments and tools needed for any circumstance, in their own estate.

The third part was the community wing. All the high level advisors and soldiers occupied this wing. The garden though was isolated, it was in close proximity to the community wing, and what he didn't expect was his sister being hurt in their own estate by a self conceited bitch.

Followed by a knock, the huge doors were opened by an elderly doctor followed by a nurse. With a respectful bow towards Vincent, they immediately walked to the bed.

"Hello, young miss. I am Dr. Neir and this is Nurse Siah. She will be cleaning up the gash on your forehead, while I will inspect your other injuries," the doctor explained, as he checked the vitals.

Pulling out a few cotton sponges and an antiseptic liquid, the nurse stood in front of Juliette. Her eyes widened, while her hands stretched out towards her brother.

"I am here. Don't worry, little one," he patted her head softly

The elderly nurse pulled an orange candy from her pocket and handed it to the little girl, "Here you go, something sweet for the little princess."

Juliette smiled weakly, with a soft thank you towards the elderly lady.

The nurse slowly dabbed the antiseptic on her wound, while Juliette hissed. The pain clearly showed in her eyes, as she held back her tears.

"It's over madam, you can relax. Thankfully, the forehead wound isn't too deep. We can put a band-aid on it and let it heal. For the ankle, we need to get an X-Ray done. I can't proceed with the treatment without knowing the damage. At the same time, she seems to have a lag in growth for her age. This might occur due to restrictive food habits and lack of necessary nutrients in her body. I would suggest running some blood tests, to get a clear idea. Awaiting your permission, Don."

"Make the necessary preparations and start with the test and treatments immediately," he commanded sharply. The doctor gave a deep bow and walked out along with the nurse.

Once the door was shut, Vincent sat next to Juliette, his eyes gazed at her wounded forehead.

"How did you hurt your ankle?" he asked through gritted teeth, "And don't try to lie this time. I loathe liars. I want the truth."

"It's an old inj..ury. No..thing ser..ious" she stuttered out. Her nervousness was evident with the way her eyes darted across the room, looking anywhere but his eyes.

"I h..ave a med.ica..l co..ndition," she added nervously, trying to distract her brother from the way he was staring accusingly at her ankle.

"What is it? And, how is it related to your ankle?"

Looking at his sister hesitate to answer, he slowly walked towards the side table and filled a glass with water, passing it to the little girl.

"I don't have a lot of patience...but I'm trying. Especially seeing you hurt and lying on a hospital bed was something that I wished to avoid even in the worst of my nightmares. But I'm trying. To be patient and supportive in your hard times. I wouldn't say the same for the rest of your broth-"

The door suddenly burst open, cutting Vincent's speech short.

Talk of the devil and it shall appear, she internally laughed at her thought.

Her eldest brother Stefano entered the room followed by her other brothers Damon and Leo, a regal aura filled the entire room. A suffocating sense of pressure and power wafted around them, but all of their faces had a mixture of worry and concern painted on them.

***********************************************

The doctor ran tests on her for two hours, collecting various blood samples. At the same time a brace was also placed on her broken ankle with a lot of advice and restrictions on healing soon. All the while, her brothers remained seated in her room gazing steadily at her.

A sense of trepidation washed over Juliette. She internally winced at the results that her brothers might find through the blood tests. She wanted to forget it all. Forget her pain-filled past. Forget the fact that her ex-father used to inject drugs in her body to make her high and numb to any kind of pain. Forget the fact that she was just a toy that they wished to sell.

The door click open softly, as Dr. Neir entered the room. A cautious and alert look on his face.

"Mr. Ricci, we need to talk."

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(1600 words)

Hello guys!

It's been quite a long time. But, I've FINALLY UPDATED. Woohoo! Cheers to finishing up this chapter finally. The story is going to pick it's pace from now. A huge thanks to Rj00006 for supporting my book.

Thanks to everyone for reading, voting and commenting my book. I thoroughly enjoy reading through your comments. We are close to hitting 25k! Whoa! ( ∩╹□╹∩)

Show all your love and support. -'ღ'-

Comment down your thoughts about this chapter.

Also, a quick question. Would you guys love seeing the Character Aesthetics/ Mood boards of Juliette, Stefano, Vincent, Damon and Leo? If yes, do you know any good graphic designers?