Chapter 10: Bonfire

Chapter 10

Anna watched him leave, her hands flew to her chest to hear her rapid heartbeats. How had he found out about Rocco?

She’d rather die than let any harm befall him because of her. That was why she had hidden him from her family and kept her true identity away from him. But this… this demon had found out about him somehow.

Her head throbbed, her heart ached. The worst part was that she didn’t have a phone to reach him, to know that he was okay.

She had left things in a rough manner. She had been trying to adjust, to accept what life had given to her, but how long could she do that? Philomena was the only reason she was still here. If she managed to rescue Philomena somehow, she could leave the country with Rocco. She at least hoped he was okay.

She finished her treatment and finally got discharged. There were guards stationed at the front of her ward—did they think that she would try to escape?

Different thoughts clouded her mind as they led her to the sleek black car. If it hadn’t registered before, it did now—she was a prisoner.

……………..

The Don’s Mansion, 10 p.m.

Now back in her room, her thoughts trailed in different directions. Her eyes burned from the tears she had been holding in. She had been trying to be strong, her emotions had been welled up inside, but the sudden thought of Rocco had it all bursting out.

Tears streamed down her eyes, and then she rushed out of her room, headed for Leone’s room. Without knocking, she pushed the door open and stepped in.

Her eyes scanned everywhere. She checked both the bathroom and the closet. He wasn’t here. She turned to leave, and she gasped when she saw him standing in front of her.

“Came to show me your moles again?” he teased.

Anna never bothered to wipe her tears before coming here to search for him. Her heart clenched, and her throat felt so tight that even air might not be able to pass through.

“How do you know about Rocco?” Her blue eyes glistened with tears, and Leone suddenly felt like he was staring into the ocean.

His brow tipped up. “Who?”

Anna swallowed, trying to muster every bit of self-control she had, but it all slipped away.

She marched towards him, fisting his shirt as she glared at him.

A whirl of amusement danced in his eyes, the corner of his lips pulled up as he stared into her eyes, fascinated.

She glared hard at him, and if it were possible, she’d have set him ablaze. “Leave him out of this,” her throat tightened, because even if she was putting on a brave front right now, she was powerless against this man. If he decided to harm Rocco, she wouldn’t be able to do anything to save him.

Anger coursed through her veins, her eyes boring into his metallic gray orbs. “You all are the same,” she seethed. Him, his brother Domenico, and even her father—all of them from both mafia clans were cut out from the same tree. Killing was in their blood; they all lacked empathy.

Staring back at him, the usual annoying smile wasn’t on his lips as he stared down at her with a passive expression.

Her grip on him tightened more, and even if it would take a millisecond to break her dainty wrists, he let her do whatever she wanted. After all, it wasn’t every day someone dared challenge him like this. Where else would he get such priceless entertainment?

Her eyes watered, and even if she firmly held on to him, she could barely see him—everything looked blurry.

“It wasn’t my fault I was born into your world, where the likes of you dictate how a person’s life should go. I never meant to be there when you committed the murder, nor did I ask to be an element of the peace treaty.” Her voice came out broken, like her restraint, and her tears fell freely. “I didn’t ask for any of this, yet you want me dead, Domenico hates me, and he is going to have sex with me. I’ve never kissed a guy before, and now I’m doing this with someone who hates me and who I don’t like either just because—”

Her breath hitched when she felt the cold metal pressed on her head, cutting off whatever she wanted to say next. She shakily looked up to see Leone’s gun pressed on her temple, and she immediately let go of his shirt.

“Now what did I say about running that little mouth of yours, hm? Anna.”

His voice was cool, but his action the very opposite. She had been so overwhelmed that she had lost her senses.

“Get out.”

She didn’t need to be told twice before dashing out of his room, and she headed straight for her own room, locking the door before getting on her bed.

She just wanted to forget what had happened and cling to the tiny hope that Rocco wouldn’t be dragged into her mess.

A knock on her door disrupted her thoughts, and she stood up, her feet padded softly against the floor. She wondered what the butler wanted this time—or perhaps the Don wanted to see her.

She opened the door, and her heart dropped when she saw him standing in front of her. Her face paled—Domenico!

She had hoped he had left for whatever business trip he had been talking about and she wouldn’t have to worry about him for a few days at least, but she had been far from wrong.

He had a grim look on his face, his eyes flickered with annoyance. “Get out of the way,” he said, snapping her from her thoughts.

She then realized she had been in a daze and hadn’t made way for him yet. She quickly got out of the way, and she watched every chance to avoid becoming intimate with this man slim to nothing as he shut the door.

Her legs began to weaken, and while he looked annoyed, she looked utterly petrified, which he didn’t miss, and it fueled his anger even more.

His eyes scrutinized her from head to toe, and Anna nearly shrunk to the floor. While Leone had been a full-blown devil with her, something told her this man was way worse.

“What are you waiting for? Strip!” he commanded, his patience wearing thin.

Anna prayed for someone or something to interrupt this moment, but nothing was forthcoming. Her hands trembled as they reached out for the belt of her robe.

She tried to slow it down, but nothing was happening. No one was coming to save her, and the more she delayed, the more visibly angry he became.

The robe fell from her shoulders, forming a small puddle on the floor.

Now she was left in the light silk fabric that barely covered her from his wild eyes. Anna felt like she might collapse at any moment.

Seeing her not make any attempt to rid the last fabric from her body, he began taking daring steps toward her. Anna felt her heartbeat violently against her ribcage.

He came to stand only inches away, and although he was a man of average height, he still managed to tower over her since she was short and petite.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, making her skin crawl, ready to discard the last piece of clothing and bare her to his sight. But then, a knock interrupted him.

Anna saw how annoyance washed over him due to the interruption, and she could only silently thank whoever it was. She quickly picked her robe from the floor and wore it.

“What is it?” Anna could see the male guard standing in front of her door. “It’s your weapon vault. It’s on fire, boss.”

“What?!!” Domenico yelled, rushing out of her room.

Anna looked from her window, and she saw the thick black smoke. She quickly rushed to her balcony, and indeed, she saw the chaos—people rushing in to put out the fire that only grew with time.

She turned and gasped sharply when she saw him standing in front of her. His back leaned on the wall while he sipped from his mug of coffee.

He flashed a sinister smile at her. “Nice bonfire, is it not?”.