I was still trying to wrap my head around what kind of situation Alessia had gotten herself into when my phone buzzed beside me on the couch.
I had just managed to get Alessia to go to sleep even though I knew she was just pretending to be asleep. I decided to let her be. I picked up my phone and tapped on the message icon that had just popped onto the screen.My eyes scanned through the properly written message in just a few seconds. I couldn't believe my eyes. I tried to take a look at the number that sent the message but the sender had hidden his or her number. How did they get my contact? How did they know about me? I asked myself, but then I remembered the news I had watched earlier. The man that had been murdered in that alley last night was the only son of Antonio Cappello, a ruthless gang leader that controlled some underground businesses in Verona.So Yes! Alessia had gotten involved with some really big shots.I swallowed hard as I read through the message again. Whoever this person is or who he is working for, they sounded like they know about me and they are offering to pay me a large sum of money to tell them where Alessia could be hiding.I felt my heart pounding loudly in my chest, with the amount they are offering, I could finally leave this wretched town and move to New York. It has always been my dream to live in New York and to study at NYU. I glanced at my screen again, absentmindedly counting the amount of zeroes that were in the message, I licked my lips and ran my fingers through my hair.I can't let this opportunity slip past me. I bit down on my lip as I glanced towards the bedroom where Alessia lay, asleep or pretending to be. I took a deep breath and got ready to reply to the message,"How would I get the money?" I replied. A few seconds later, the sender replied as if he was waiting for me to reply."When she is delivered, you get your money in cash." I licked my lips again, nervous about the whole thing. It doesn't bother me what they would do to Alessia. After all, she was the one that got herself wrapped up in this mess in the first place. I have waited for many years for any opportunity at all that would bring my dreams closer to reality and now that it's finally here, it doesn't matter what it takes, not even Alessia can stand between me and my happily ever after."Get the money ready and come to my apartment tomorrow by 8am. If you can get my contact, then get my address." I replied swiftly and turned off my phone on impulse.My heart wouldn't stop racing. What if this was all some sort of sick prank, I thought, but then, Alessia doesn't have anyone in Verona other than me and her uncle.I could barely sleep throughout the whole night. I kept turning and tossing around. At one point, it got so bad that I had to get out of bed and head to the kitchen for a glass of water. I gulped it down in one go. I picked up my phone from the couch where I had tossed it earlier and turned it on, hoping to find a message from the mysterious sender, but there was none.I was about to return to bed when an email popped up. It couldn't be the mysterious sender, he had only sent text messages last night. I clicked on the email and scanned through as quickly as I did with the text message from last night.I almost dropped my phone in astonishment. What am I getting myself into?The email was from another sender whose name was literally anonymous. He claimed to know that I had a deal with someone last night and offered double the amount if I would hand over Alessia to him. My brows arched in confusion.What's going on? Who are these people and what are they up to?At that moment, an idea popped into my head. If they want Alessia so badly, then why not exploit them as much as I can for that. I decided to reply to the email."Come to my apartment with the money tomorrow by 7am. Don't be late! If you can get my email address, then you can find my apartment address." I replied with a smirk. I would beat these men at their own game.I had a plan. My plan is to take both offers. First, I would deliver Alessia to the first person that would arrive, which is the fellow offering double the price, and then wait for the second. After I gain possession of the cash, I would give them a fake address for Alessia's whereabouts or tell them she is in the room or something. When they are out of sight, I would escape with both bags of money.I grinned widely as I took my seat on the couch. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, so I didn't bother. Instead, I turned on the TV as I waited for my appointment.I kept myself entertained with some movies until it was 6am. I have less than an hour left before the first person arrives. I got up and headed to the kitchen to make something for Alessia to eat. I intended to slip something into it that would leave her unconscious until the men arrived and took her away.I got the food ready and left it on the counter, I went to my room, packed a few clothes in a bag along side my passport and some other documents that I would need. I stuffed whatever cash I had left in my purse, grabbed my checkbook and took everything to my car outside. That's my escape plan and I am simply ensuring there are no loop holes.I went back inside to find Alessia in the kitchen. She had taken a large bite of the toast and drank the coffee half way."Good morning Bianca, I hope you don't mind? I woke up really hungry and decided to help myself." She said while rubbing her eyes."No! Of course not." I replied with a smile, she makes it so easy to do this, I thought. "Feeling better?" I asked, she nodded in reply."Where were you? When I woke up, you were not in the house and it sounded like you were coming in from outside.""Oh! I just took out the trash. I was so worried about you and I couldn't sleep so I had to keep myself busy. I was up all night watching TV." I replied, pretending to look really tired. She was about to say something but she stumbled backwards instead, she kept stumbling around for a few seconds until she slumped.I walked over to her with a smile on my face, things were going so well and I hope it stays that way. I dragged her back to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. I was contemplating if I should take a shower or not when my alarm rang out. It's 7am.I headed to the living room immediately. I stood beside the window, watching for anyone that would pull up in my driveway. I didn't have to wait long when a black car pulled up in front of my house and two men stepped out. They were dressed in black suits and looked like they meant business. The second man pulled a briefcase after him and I sighed in relief.I can't believe this is really happening! I am finally going to live my dream.Shortly after, the doorbell rang. I took a deep breath and opened the door."You must be Bianca. Where is she?" The first man said.Down to business, I like that."Give me the bag first," I insisted, and they handed it over without a fuss. I took a quick look at the contents and the neatly stacked dollar notes. "She is in the bedroom," I said, and stepped aside for them to step inside.I waited for them to come back out. The second man had the unconscious Alessia slung over his shoulder. They walked out without a word, placed Alessia in the back seat, got themselves into their car and drove off. I stepped outside and placed the bag in my car, then walked back inside to wait for the second person.I can't believe I have successfully pulled off the first deal.It wasn't up to an hour when I heard a car pull up the driveway. I peeked out the window and found four men alighting from the car. They looked similar to the first men that arrived earlier, in terms of their outfit and the color of the car.I waited for the doorbell to ring but it never came. Instead, I heard a loud bang on the back door. I rushed to the back door just in time to see them kick open the door."The plan was for you to use the front door," I said with a frown."Where is the girl?" One of them asked, his voice husky. They didn't sound, neither did they act like the first men. Those ones acted more dignified while these ones sounded more like thugs."Not until I get the money," I replied. I wasn't going to let them scare me out of my money."Listen, you really don't want to mess with us." The first man said as he stepped inside and gripped my arm, he twisted it and I yelped in pain. "Now, where is she?""In... In.... In bed... Bedroom." I stammered. I could hear my own heart beating loudly in fear. The reality of the kind of dangerous situation I had gotten myself into began to dawn on me, but I had more than enough money in the car, so I decided to escape with just that.The men began to head towards the bedroom. The man that held onto me didn't let me go. Instead, his grip tightened and he dragged me towards the bedroom. If they find out that Alessia isn't in the bedroom, I knew they would hurt me.I had to think of something and fast!"Let me go!" I yelled as I tried to get out of his grip, but it was too tight. "This wasn't the plan." I hissed."Cappello does not take orders from a girl." The first man replied with a scowl and kicked open the bedroom door.The bed was empty, the other men stepped inside and began to look around the apartment. When they couldn't find her, the first man who was holding onto me turned to me with a hard stare."How dare you!" He yelled and hit me hard across the face. I heard a loud ringing in my ears and the pain shot up my face. "Where is she?" He bellowed, obviously losing his patience."I can get you to her. Please just... Just listen to me. I can fix this." I fumbled with my words as I tried to come up with another plan. Fear gripped me as he pushed his coat aside to reveal a gun in it's holster."No... No! Please don't. Please just..." I cried out, tears threatening to spill down my face, but he wasn't even listening. He pulled out the gun. I pushed him aside roughly and tried to scramble away.I heard a loud bang and then everything went dark.I tapped my feet impatiently as I waited for Marco to arrive. He had left early this morning to finalize the deal he had made with a friend of that girl. According to the update I received from Alexio, the girl only had one friend other than her uncle in Verona. With her uncle missing, then her best friend must know where she is.Alexio got information that Antonio had found out about her friend and reached out to her. They made a deal but Marco was quick to offer double the price and the girl had agreed without a fuss. It wasn't surprising in any way, it was how the world worked. Even a family would betray you for money. Marco knew that and used it to our advantage.I was waiting in my study when my phone buzzed, it was Marco informing me that they had arrived and were in the underground room where we conducted certain businesses. I was still dressed in a sweat shirt and trousers since it was still early in the morning.I hurried downstairs and went outside. I went past the garden
I sat on the bed with my hands wrapped around my legs. I looked like a mess; my hair was all tangled up, and my face looked puffy. I stared into the large mirror in front of the bed; my reflection was a replica of my emotions.I had screamed my lungs out when that man had flung me over his shoulders and brought me here. I had heard him turn the lock the moment he stepped out so I knew that there was no getting out of this one.They had not mentioned anything about my uncle, and that is even scarier. I just need someone to tell me that he is alright; that would at least prevent me from going crazy. I couldn't stop wondering about where they could be keeping him and what they could have done to him. I would never forgive myself if anything happens to him.How did I get tangled up in all this? I asked myself. How did they find me? The last thing I remember was when I was in Bianca's kitchen; I had something to eat and then... and then...I couldn't believe it! It was all beginning to m
Marco pulled up in my Audi RS7 to pick me up from work. I stepped out of the building where I had just finished my last meeting for the day. One of my security men ran up to the car and opened the door for me; I stepped inside, and he closed it gently. Marco, who was in the front seat, turned on the ignition and drove out immediately.I picked up my tablet to check my messages and mail; an email notification popped up on my screen. It's from Alexio.That's weird, I thought. I clicked on it and scanned through, I frowned at the content."Why did Alexio send me a police report?" I asked out loud."The men we sent to Bianca's house were arrested," Marco replied, his eyes glued to the road."You mean Alessia's friend? What about that? Why... Why were they arrested?""When they arrived at her place on your orders, they found her dead. Someone killed her, and before they could get out, the police had already surrounded the place. Apparently, the neighbors had called the cops when they hear
"He is a murderer!" A voice yelled inside my head as I paced back and forth in what is now my room, chewing nervously on my nails. He had shot those men without a second thought and had easily asked Marco to get rid of the bodies without hesitation.What am I still doing here? I can't keep living like this; one day, he might wake up and decide to kill me too. Marco had mentioned that his generosity doesn't last long, and I don't want to be here when it wears off.I have to get out of here. It's bad enough that I witnessed the murder in the alley, but now that I've seen this one, he might not let me walk out alive. I've seen too much. My heart rate increased, and my palms turned sweaty."Oh, Ally! What have you gotten yourself into?" I cried out. The image of Dante with a gun kept flashing before me. The fact that he could easily kill me and dispose of me like he had done with the others terrified me. I can't just wait around for him to decide my fate.Looking around, my eyes settled
I had been in my room for hours now. No one came in, and I couldn't go out even if the door was unlocked. The maids had not brought me anything to eat, so I was expecting them to show up very soon.A loud bang erupted from downstairs. It startled me, but I dismissed it as nothing. Then it came again, louder, closer, and more frequently. I stood up from my bed and hurried to the window. I pushed the curtains aside and was about to put my head out when the door opened, and Rosa rushed in. She spotted me at the window and protested vehemently."No, Ally, stay away from the windows," she pulled me away and quickly escorted me to the bed, "just stay put until I come back, do you understand?" I nodded."What's going on?" I asked."Nothing! It's just the usual, but don't leave this room, okay?""Okay," I replied, and she hurried back out, this time she turned the lock. I sat on my bed, waiting for any sound or anything that would signify what's going on, but nothing. Suddenly, I heard the
I paced around in the hallway nervously as I waited for Rosa to come out of her room; she had been in there for the past hour with the unconscious Alessia. Alessia didn't look like she was hurt when I brought her to Rosa, but she appeared so pale, and that scared the hell out of me.We had been in a meeting with the board members of the new company I had successfully merged mine with, when Marco rushed in with news that Antonio's men were attacking the house. Normally, I wouldn't have been bothered; I would have just asked them to get rid of them and stay somewhere else for the next couple of days. But this time, I jumped to my feet and rushed out."Where is Alessia?" I asked him immediately. Marco assured me that Rosa would ensure she remained in her room. We had barely made it to the car when Rosa called from the panic room that Antonio's men had made it past the gate, and our men couldn't hold them off much longer.I ordered the driver to step on it, and when we arrived and fou
Marco wouldn't stop nagging about how I had suddenly gone soft when it came to the girl. He claimed it would cost us dearly if we didn't get rid of her. I tried to calm him down while we waited in the living room for Rosa to assist Alessia downstairs. She had just woken up, and I had ordered Rosa to get her ready for the trip."Where are you going to take her?" Marco asked. I didn't respond, and that only aggravated him more."This is bad, Dante. Really bad. You're not even paying attention to what is important. The Bianca case has not been settled; the police are trying to pin it on you because your men were at the scene. Alexio is the only reason they haven't asked you to come to the station for questioning." I looked up sharply at him."Why has no one mentioned this to me before?" I asked, and he glared at me."Because you are not paying attention. When was the last time you checked your emails? If you had checked them recently, you would have seen Alexio's report on the matter."
"Mom?" I looked at him, surprised. He gave a sarcastic reply, but I wasn't even paying attention to him. Gabriella had totally caught my attention, just like I had caught hers.I wasn't expecting this, and I definitely wasn't expecting a bubbly woman with auburn hair, hazel eyes, and a bright smile. She looked so young, yet age had left some significant marks on her. She was so full of life, and when she wrapped her arms around me, I had never felt such warmth from a person except my uncle.The thought of him made me sad; Dante had not told me anything about where he could be and if he was in danger."Come on, let's go inside. I made cake," she announced with pride as she led me inside. Dante followed behind with our bags, his expression was tight and unapproachable.She led us into a cozy living room; the whole house looked so comfortable, modest yet beautiful. Dante sat down heavily on the sofa, and she led me to the dining area where she had arranged our dinner."I hope you like