Every Mafia's Favorite Girl novel Chapter 133

Chapter 133: "A Little Luckier"

Sofia was far heavier than Aren had anticipated.

Although Aren’s body had become relatively well-conditioned over the past few weeks, Sofia possessed longer limbs and more defined muscle, the product of a lifetime spent training in combat and weaponry.

Dragging that limp, waterlogged body through freezing water proved exhausting.

By the time she finally managed to haul Sofia onto the nearest platform, her lungs burned and every muscle screamed in protest.

Fortunately, this section of the chamber was less inundated than the flooded reservoir she had crossed earlier. Water pooled only around her ankles, shallow enough for her to lay Sofia flat on her back.

"Lady Sofia?" Aren called softly, gently patting her cheek.

When no response came, she immediately began CPR.

Tilting Sofia’s head back to open her airway, she pinched her nose shut, sealed her lips over Sofia’s, and breathed air into her lungs before shifting into a steady rhythm of chest compressions.

Several tense moments passed.

Then Sofia suddenly gagged.

"Cough—!"

A harsh spray of water spilled from her mouth.

Her body shuddered violently, but her eyes remained closed. She was still completely unconscious.

Aren released a slow breath of relief.

Carefully rolling Sofia onto her side into the recovery position, she began checking for additional injuries.

As soon as her fingers slipped beneath Sofia’s soaked hair and reached the base of her skull, she found exactly what she had expected — a swelling already forming beneath the skin.

’She definitely struck the back of her head against the concrete edge of the trench.’

Before Aren could examine her any further, rapid splashing echoed through the chamber.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Her head snapped toward the sound just as a dark silhouette emerged from behind one of the concrete pillars.

Whoosh!

Instinct took over.

Grabbing Sofia beneath the shoulders, Aren dragged her backward across the platform just as a man burst from the darkness, his fist slicing through the space where her head had been only a heartbeat earlier.

"Aargh!"

The man grunted as his momentum carried him past her. He staggered several steps before spinning around and lunging again.

Fatigue from the rescue dulled Aren’s reactions. She barely managed to twist aside before another series of splashes thundered through the chamber.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

She turned just in time to see a second man charging from another angle.

Whoosh!

Aren managed to dodge, but his follow-up strike still grazed her forearm.

Retreating several paces away, she studied the two tall, muscular silhouettes standing beneath the dim crimson glow.

’Ah... these must be the two men from the pipe network.’

’They must have crawled out while I was underwater and hidden behind the pillars, waiting for an opportunity.’

One of the men narrowed his eyes.

"A woman? Short hair?"

The other peered more carefully before letting out a short laugh.

"Hah! Are you Ariana Lombardi?"

Rather than answering directly, Aren raised a finger to her lips.

"Excuse me, but I’d appreciate it if you could keep your voices down a little. Both of you came from the pipes, didn’t you? Are you two... working together?"

Her voice alone confirmed the answer they had been seeking.

One of the men shrugged.

"We are. For now."

The other added with a grin,

"Sorry for the delay, I suppose. That guy you knocked out earlier was a little difficult to crawl over."

"I see." Aren nodded thoughtfully. "Would either of you happen to be on Mister Nazario’s side?"

The two men exchanged puzzled glances, even in the darkness.

"The hell’s that supposed to mean?"

"Is Mister Nazario here somewhere?"

Their confusion answered her question before either man spoke another word.

’So they’re not Natalia’s people.’

One of the men suddenly noticed the unconscious woman lying nearby.

"...Who’s that on the floor?"

His companion leaned forward before letting out an astonished whistle.

"Oh, don’t tell me that’s Lady Sofia. You knocked her unconscious? Unbelievable."

"Well..." Aren scratched her cheek awkwardly. "That was... technically an accident."

"Ha ha!" The first man laughed. "Accident or not, we don’t really care. Have you found a coin yet, Miss Lombardi?"

"Hand it over," the second added. "Then we won’t have to do this the hard way, Miss."

Aren quietly pointed toward the key dangling high above the chamber.

"Um... have you not noticed that over there? I haven’t even had time to retrieve it yet. How would I know where a coin is?"

Both men followed her finger until they spotted the suspended key.

"Ah... there’s a key."

One narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Well, maybe you haven’t gotten the coin yet, but you got here long before we did. You must know where the lock for that key is."

The other cracked his knuckles.

"So spit it out, Miss Lombardi... before we make you."

Aren let out a quiet sigh.

’Here we go again.’

"Alright," she said, planting herself between the two men and Sofia’s unconscious body. "Make me, then."

The fight erupted almost immediately.

The two men lunged through the water at the same time, fists and kicks flying as they bore down on Aren from opposite directions.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Whoosh!

’God, they’re still at full strength, and they’re relentless.’

’I’ve got to knock them out as fast as possible.’

’Come on... find an opening!’

’Oh dear... not two, but three?’

THWACK!

THWACK!

"Well... not exactly. I threw her, but she accidentally fell into the trench. I think the back of her head struck the concrete edge on the way down."

Surprise entered Rosalia’s voice.

"And you pulled her back out?"

"Yes." Aren nodded earnestly. "I performed CPR and managed to clear the water from her lungs. I believe her condition is stable now, but the impact to the back of her head seems rather serious. She should be examined immediately to make sure there isn’t any damage to her skull."

Rosalia remained silent for several long moments as she absorbed the explanation.

Stepping closer, she knelt beside her sister. Her slender fingers moved with calm efficiency, checking Sofia’s pulse before gently feeling the swelling beneath her soaked hair.

Everything matched Aren’s account.

Sofia’s pulse was steady.

Her airway remained clear.

Her head injury genuinely required immediate medical attention.

Only then did Rosalia rise.

Even beneath the dim crimson glow filling the underground chamber, she turned toward Aren and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Lady Ariana," Rosalia said quietly. "I wish to thank you for saving my sister’s life... and I also wish to thank you on Sofia’s behalf."

Aren blinked, visibly flustered by the sudden display of gratitude. She hurriedly waved both hands.

"Ah... please don’t worry about it. Anyone would have done the same."

Rosalia lifted her head, studying Aren’s silhouette through the darkness.

’You are correct that anyone should... but you are the very last person who had any reason to.’

Straightening once more, Rosalia let her gaze drift across the dimly lit chamber.

"Where were you dropped?"

Aren hesitated.

From everything she had learned so far, Rosalia didn’t appear to be allied with Nazario, nor did she seem to harbor the same personal hatred Sofia carried.

Even so, she was still another contestant.

That alone made Aren question how much she ought to reveal.

After a brief moment’s consideration, however, she decided honesty was warranted. Rosalia had done nothing but help her.

"I came from there," Aren said, pointing toward the large circular pipe protruding high from the far wall. "I was dropped into the pipe network and crawled my way here."

Rosalia followed the direction of her finger thoughtfully.

"I see. I was dropped into a chamber adjacent to this reservoir and navigated my way here."

She looked back at Aren.

"Did you have any luck finding a coin inside those pipes?"

"None so far," Aren admitted frankly. "I searched along the walls while crawling through them, but I found nothing. What about you?"

In the faint crimson glow, the slightest smile curved Rosalia’s lips as she turned back toward the forest of pillars stretching across the flooded chamber.

"I suppose I was a little luckier."

Her gaze lingered somewhere deep within the darkness.

"I believe I have an idea where the coin hidden in this chamber might be."