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 and opened a trap door that led to the underground room.The tunnel I went down into was dimly lit. I walked down with the aid of the flickering lights mounted on the tunnel walls. Shortly after, I stood before a large metallic door. It buzzed open to reveal an empty room with a single chair and a yellow bulb dangling from the ceiling. On the wall, weapons were arranged according to how dangerous they were."Marco!" I called out when I spotted him standing at the far side of the room with his back on the wall, "please tell me you got her." I said, eager to get this over with. He nodded and pushed himself forward. His assistant, Luke, stepped out of the darkness of the far side of the room and pulled a girl after him. She had a sack over her head and her hands tied behind her back.Marco took over and dragged her to the center of the room, directly under the light bulb, and then pulled the sack off her face. Her smooth hair had scattered all over her face, obstructing my view. Marco pushed her hair away backwards and the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes stared right back at me.She sputtered before I noticed the tape over her mouth. "Take it off." I ordered and luke pulled it off sharply, causing her to hiss in pain. I stepped into the light. She squinted her eyes for a while but when she got a good look at me, she gasped. She tried to scramble backwards but she bumped into Marco, who shoved her forward roughly."So you saw me that night," I said with a grin. I was expecting this reaction."No... No... I didn't see anything." She tried to sound convincing but with the way her eyes darted around the room nervously, I could tell that she was lying."We both know that's a lie." I bent down to get a good look at her. She is beautiful, I must admit. "What were you doing there?" I asked."I was looking for my cat. I swear I wasn't looking for anything other than my cat. When I saw it, I ran out and didn't mention it to anyone. Please let me go." She pleaded.I remembered the footage I had seen, she looked like she was searching for something when she first walked in. "I promise not to mention it to anyone, please let me go, please don't harm my uncle, he doesn't know anything about this." She continued but I wasn't listening anymore."Should we handle it?" Marco asked, watching me with his hawk-like eyes. I knew he could read me, he knew I was contemplating on what to do with her. "The best option is to get rid of her to avoid any problems later on.""No! No! Please!" She screamed as she began to cry."What's your name?" I asked."Alessia." She replied in between sobs."Well, Alessia, you saw something you shouldn't have and now you are a liability to me. I can't afford to let them get their hands on you. That simply means I can't let you out of here. I would be risking everything if I did that.""I promise I won't breathe a word to anyone. Please don't hurt anyone, don't hurt my uncle and don't hurt my friend please." She continued to plead."Friend?" I asked, looking up at Marco in confusion. "You mean the same friend that sold you out for some cash?" My eyes never left hers and I could see how she struggled to comprehend what I had just said."You don't know what you are talking about." She said.At that moment, I realized the kind of person we were dealing with. She is one of those naive young women that simply refuses to wake up to the harsh realities of life. Killing her would be a waste of her life. She is obviously unaware of the whole thing."Look, I am not interested in whatever you have going on with your best friend, but I can't let you out of here because you are the only thing that can link me to the murder, so I suggest you don't get on my nerves until I decide what to do with you.""But..." She stammered, trying to compose her words, but before she could, Marco interrupted her."But boss, she is a problem. If she stays alive, we would always have a problem waiting to erupt. Antonio will never stop searching until she is found and if she remained alive, then that would always be a possibility." He sounded really pissed but I didn't care, I make the decisions here."Take her to Rosa, she will know what to do." I said to Luke and he sprang into action. She kept screaming, pleading and sobbing, but no one paid any attention to her. Luke flung her over his shoulder easily and walked out."That was a mistake, boss," Marco said."What about her friend? Did you take care of her?" I asked, ignoring his question and that pissed him off because he scowled at me, but that was the intention, so I don't care.Marco worked for my father till he died. He kept a close eye on me when I was growing up and, due to his vast knowledge of the mafia world, I held onto him when I finally found my foothold."We left her at the house," he replied."Take care of her. She is a loose end. If she could betray her best friend, then I am certain that she would switch to Antonio's side in a heartbeat and the men that were with me the night of the murder, find them and bring them to me." I ordered and walked out the door with Marco following closely behind.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
It felt weird trying to adjust to the new house. I mean, I loved the environment; I spent most of my time in the garden, but I noticed Dante has been keeping an eye on me. I could feel his eyes on me anytime I was in the garden, but whenever I turned around and looked up at the balcony, no one was there.Had he gotten under my skin so bad that I was now imagining things?Gabriella, on the other hand, has been an awesome host. She cooks three square meals a day and would usually invite me over to help out in the kitchen. Most of the time, I don't end up doing anything; I just engage in some light conversations with her.Dante stuck to his study and room like glue. He never came downstairs, not even for dinner. Gabriella usually had to take his food upstairs, and even though our rooms were directly beside each other, I couldn't hear a single word from him. It was as if no one was next door."You'll take his lunch to him today," Gabriella said softly as she sliced up some onions for din