I've gotten abandoned by my parents one week after my birth.

In order to survive, I quickly call whoever picks me up "papa".

The bigshots who are here for the gathering swap glances with each other.

"Whose child is this? If no one wants her, then I'll adopt her."

"Put her down! She called me 'papa' first!"

Since then, I have 99 dads. Other than the fact that I have an extremely boisterous family, I make sure to keep to myself for the next dozen years or so.

That is, until I get bullied during my high school times.

Viola Mariani, the most popular girl in school, and her lackeys corner me in the washroom. Then, they start ripping my clothes off me.

"So, you're the one seducing my boyfriend, hmm? Since you want to be a whore that badly, you might as well show everyone your nudes!"

Since the beating I've received is a lot worse than I thought, I subconsciously shove Viola down the stairs just to protect myself.

When I wake up in the infirmary, my teacher, Marianna Pagani, lashes out at me immediately.

"So what if she berated you? Are you really going to kill her for that? I want you to call your parents here! I'd like to see who on earth is capable of raising an idiot like you!"

Panic seizes me by the senses as I cry and plead to her, "Ms. Pagani, please don't tell my dad about this!"

"You can dream on!"

It wasn't long before then that someone slapped me hard across the face.

Viola Mariani's boyfriend, Ettore Bianco, raised his hand and slapped me, his eyes brimming with sinister rage. "You filthy trash! How dare you lay a hand on my girlfriend!

"You'd better call your parents and tell them to get here and pay for what you've done; otherwise, I'll have my father see to it that you're driven out of Mirthaven for good!"

I fell straight to the floor from the force of the slap, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

Marianna Pagani, the teacher, stood right there and saw it all, yet she ignored it completely. She hurried over to Ettore, bowing slightly with a fawning expression. "You don't have to get your father involved over such a trivial matter, Ettore.

"You can rest assured that the school will deal with this severely; Vittoria won't be escaping the consequences."

Having said that, Ms. Pagani turned to me and yelled, "Get your parents on the phone this instant to apologize to Viola and pay for the damages, Vittoria!"

I lowered my head, my nails biting into my skin until it stung. I was being framed. "Viola accused me of seducing Ettore, which I never did. She still refused to believe me and gathered people to harass me, Ms. Pagani."

I was interrupted by Viola's crying from the hospital bed before I could even finish defending myself. "You're lying, Vittoria! You're just bitter because I have everything—the money and the looks! I was minding my own business when you shoved me down the stairs.

"You couldn't get Ettore to look at you, so you took it out on me!"

I tried to defend myself again, saying, "You were clearly the one who—"

Ms. Pagani, however, didn't give me a chance to get a word in. "I've heard enough! It's perfectly clear what happened here—you clearly attacked Viola on purpose, Vittoria!"

She caught me by the arm and yanked me out of the infirmary after saying that. She then rifled through my pockets once we were in the hallway.

She took out my phone and shoved it hard against my face, yelling, "I'm done listening to your excuses! Get your parents on the line this second and tell them to get down here and make this right!"

Those teachers and students who were passing through the hallway all stopped in their tracks, their collective gaze heavy on me. Their expressions ranged from curiosity to the voyeuristic thrill of a scandal, with plenty of blatant gloating mixed in.

I gripped the phone that felt like ice in my hand and stared at the familiar names in my contact list, but I couldn't bring myself to call any of those numbers. I had 99 fathers, each from a different walk of life.

They used to constantly push black cards on me, ruffling my hair while saying, "If anyone ever bothers you, just tell me, Vittoria. I'll always have your back. If anyone makes life hard for you, I'll take care of them personally."

I recalled how they would head out before the sun was up and only return in the dead of night. I would sometimes see them come home with blood on their shirts and the unmistakable scent of gunpowder on their bodies.

They would just chuckle and tell me it was wine or that they had been lighting fireworks back when I was still a child.

I didn't dare cause them any trouble, nor could I afford to; after all, Ettore's father, Enrico Bianco, was a man of great influence locally.

I lifted my gaze and pleaded one last time, "It's just that my father is working in another state right now, Ms. Pagani. It's a long way away, and there's no way he'll be able to drop everything and come here."

I looked at her imploringly and asked, "Is there any way I can just write a letter of apology? I'll apologize however you want, so please don't make him come here, Ms. Pagani."

Ms. Pagani let out a derisive snort. "You can forget about that! You're a mere minor! How exactly do you plan to pay for this? You should quit stalling, get on the phone, and tell your parents to come here right now!"

Ms. Pagani eyed me from head to toe, making no effort to hide the contempt in her gaze.

I was on the verge of telling her I could afford it. I still had every black card my fathers had ever handed me, completely untouched. "How much is it? I can cover—"

It was then that Ettore walked out of the infirmary and went straight to Ms. Pagani, handing her a bank card.

"I have two million dollars in here to pay for some upgrades to the school's facilities. I only have one condition—get her parents down here to pay for what she did and confess. If not, I'm calling the police and pressing assault charges right now!"

Upon hearing that, Ms. Pagani's eyes instantly brightened. She whipped around to face me, snarling, "You heard him, Vittoria! You've been warned!

"You can either call your parents to come here and pay for your actions, or I can hand you over to the authorities. You ought to know that a criminal record means your dreams of getting into Harwick will be over, Vittoria!"

I felt a jolt of panic shoot through me the moment I thought about getting the authorities involved. I had to stay away from the authorities for my fathers' sake.

I looked at Ms. Pagani's hideous, greedy face as tears gathered in my eyes. I reached for my phone with a shaky grip and said, "Please don't get the police involved, Ms. Pagani! I'll call them right now!"

I opened my contacts with unsteady hands and pressed the first name on the screen—"Don Corleone."

Papa—Vito Corleone—picked up the phone almost immediately. He spoke in a gentle voice, marked by his distinct Sicerian accent and a trace of laughter. "Hey, Vittoria."

I pursed my lips before I gathered my courage and asked, "Do you think you can come to my school now, Papa? I—"

Papa sounded ecstatic on the other end. "You want me to go to your school right now? You must have won some commendation again! You're finally inviting me to your school to see you get an award! I'll be right there in half an hour, Vittoria!"

"It's not that, Papa…" I felt a sharp ache in my chest after hearing his reaction. I wanted to tell him that he had it all wrong, but at that exact moment, the distinct sound of a gunshot came through the phone. I then heard a shriek of pain, followed by several heavy thuds.

I froze, my grip tightening on the phone. I then barely caught a low-voiced command. "Get rid of the mess."

I could feel my heart hammering against my chest, terrified that he was in the middle of something life-threatening. I choked back what I was about to say. "It's fine, Papa. You should finish up what you're doing. I'll just collect the honors on my own. I'm in a rush, so I'll talk to you later, Papa."

"How could you hang up before they agreed to show up, Vittoria?" Ms. Pagani shrieked as she overheard me from the side, lunging to grab the phone out of my hand.

I reflexively dodged her attempt to grab it and swiftly hung up the phone.

It was then that I felt the stinging impact of another hand striking my face.

Ms. Pagani's face contorted with rage. "You committed a major offense, and you still have the nerve to keep it from your parents!"

Ettore punched the wall and pointed at me, yelling, "You ought to know that my father is considered a bigshot in this city! He's got connections in the city hall! If you lay a hand on Viola, he can wipe your family off the map in no time, Vittoria!"

Viola hobbled out of the infirmary, propping herself up against the door as she sneered at me. "You're such a coward that you don't even dare to call your parents! Your family must be absolutely dirt-poor! How a nobody like you had the guts to lay a hand on me is beyond me! How pathetic of you, Vittoria!"

I lowered my head, my voice barely a whisper as I said, "I'm sorry, Viola. I shouldn't have pushed you, but my parents truly can't make it. I'll give you a public apology in front of everyone, and I'll let you get even with me however you like, so please don't get the police involved in this matter."

Viola let out a contemptuous smirk, while Ettore lunged for my phone again, yelling, "Do you think you actually have a say in this?"

I held onto the phone for dear life as he lunged at me to snatch it again, scrambling backward. I ended up falling onto my knees, looking completely disheveled.

I slammed into the cold tile with a heavy thud, the sharp pain sending tears streaming down my face.

I remained on the floor, groveling and pleading for mercy. "I'm begging you, Viola. I'll do whatever you want—I'll apologize, I'll pay for everything, and I'll even allow you to hit me back. I'll do anything, so please don't get my parents involved."

I felt numb to the pain as I beat my head against the floorboards. I didn't stop until my forehead was a bloody mess, which was finally enough to make Viola smirk with satisfaction.

Viola reached out to stop Ettore. She then raised her voice, saying, "I suppose I can forgive you if that's the case, but I want more than an apology. I want you on your knees, crawling to me and barking like a dog—right in the middle of the graduation ceremony!"

"I'll do it," I replied, agreeing to her terms while digging my fingernails into my hands. I felt utterly degraded, but I didn't care as long as my fathers stayed safe. I was willing to do whatever she asked.

Viola, however, went back on her word before graduation ever came. She texted me to meet at our usual spot after classes were over.

I followed her instructions, and looking back now, it was the one thing I regretted more than anything else.

Viola wasn't alone in the alleyway—she had brought five or six of her lackeys with her, who fanned out in a semi-circle to back me against the wall. She looked like she had been crying, her eyes bloodshot and puffy. She then rasped, "Do you really think you're that attractive, Vittoria?"

I didn't have time to respond before she shoved a phone into my face. It was still on, displaying a message from Ettore. "I've had enough, Viola. I'm leaving forever, so please don't bother looking for me."

I saw the photo attached to the message, which showed a safety rail overlooking a cliff. There were a pair of sneakers, a school jacket folded with care, and a phone resting on top of it. There was the sea stretching out in a hazy gray at the bottom of the cliff, with white foam churning where the surf hit the boulders.

I stared at the photo, a sudden chill running down my spine. "Is this—"

"You can drop the innocent act now!" Viola barked, striking me so hard her nails left three bloody welts on my face. "Ettore is dead! He would never have jumped if you hadn't been stalking him and wouldn't leave him alone!"

I was absolutely dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe that Ettore was dead.

I couldn't believe that Ettore, the one who had slapped me outside the infirmary just yesterday and threatened to have his father kick my family out of Mirthaven, was dead. I instinctively backed away, my back hitting the cold, rough brick wall. "I had nothing to do with this. I never even made a move on him…"

"Who else would it be if not you?" Viola shrieked. She seized me by the hair and shoved me hard into the brickwork, causing my vision to swim. "You ought to know that the police had gone through his phone—and you were the last person to message him!"

She shoved the phone right in front of my eyes, forcing me to look at the screen.

I noticed the message right away, which was sent from my phone three days ago at 2:00 am. "I'm really into you, Ettore, so much so that I think about you every day. I'd like to meet up with you in the woods behind the school tomorrow; I have something I need to tell you."

I never sent that message. I shook my head desperately. "I didn't send this. I swear I didn't send this, Viola. I mean, three days ago, I was—"

Viola didn't give me any room to explain myself, as her lackeys swarmed around me, pinning me to the ground.

I heard Viola above me, her voice dripping with malice, just before the ice-cold water fell. "You enjoy throwing yourself at guys, don't you? I'm going to make sure you understand the consequences today, Vittoria!"

I was dragged into an old, deserted gym locker room. Viola was holding a baseball bat she had found somewhere.

She then used the tip to force my chin up and hissed, "Go on—spit it out. What were you planning to do with him in the woods? Did you plan on making a move on him? You slut! You should have been taught a lesson long ago!"

I remained on my knees, shivering and drenched, my voice trembling with every word. "I never asked him to meet me. I swear I didn't—"

I was instantly struck on the back with the baseball bat, producing a sickening thud. I sprawled onto the floor, the impact driving every bit of air from my lungs. I gasped with an open mouth, but I couldn't draw a single breath.

"What did you just say?"

"I didn't—"

I got hit in quick succession. I curled into a fetal position, desperate to disappear. I tried to shield myself, but it was useless; the blows never stopped landing on new parts of my body.

I didn't even have the energy left to scream after receiving dozens of hits to my stomach. I finally gave in and whispered, "I'm the one who did it. I seduced him."

It was only then that they stopped hitting me.

Viola crouched down, her fingers digging into my chin as she forced me to look at her. "If you had just said that to begin with, we could have skipped all this, Vittoria."

She then asked one of her lackeys to bring her a utility knife. "Your admission alone isn't enough, though. You need a permanent reminder of what you've done."

She held my left arm still, rolled my sleeve up, and began slicing into the skin of my forearm repeatedly.

I felt the initial chill of the metal, then a sharp, fiery sting, while blood began to ooze from the cuts, running down my arm and dripping onto the ground.

Viola etched three letters into my skin—M, U, and R. She then stood up, tossed the bloodied utility knife away, and dusted off her hands. "You're a murderer, Vittoria. You'll never be rid of your crimes even when you die and end up in hell!"

I was left alone on the cold concrete of the locker room after they walked away.

I stayed where I was, staring at the flickering fluorescent light on the ceiling as it buzzed. I was aching all over, and the cut on my left forearm kept bleeding until my sleeve turned dark crimson.

I was drifting in and out of consciousness when I caught the sound of people talking nearby. I recognized that it was Viola talking with Ettore. I was momentarily stunned, as Ettore was supposed to be dead.