EMILY
My heart was pounding so fast that I could barely breathe. Those eyes I could comfortably look at in the past, were the same eyes I couldn't even stare at for a second. The look on his face made me wonder if he had completely forgotten me, or was it my imagination again? “Matteo Romenetti,” I said, feigning boldness I didn't know where it came from. “I wasn't expecting we'd meet this sooner.” He let out an almost invisible smirk. “You haven't changed, have you?” “As long as I don't have reasons to, I don't see myself changing for any man.” He nodded, as if amused by my words. “You should know by now your name is everywhere in my world. I must have had the chance to meet you here, doesn't mean I will some other time, because I ain't the only one who wants you dead. You've gone too far, that you acted way beyond what you are called for. You were meant to serve your country, and bring people like you to justice, not people like me. We make the rules, we don't follow them. So, I believe you should know by now the consequences of not minding your damn business.” “You asked me to stop digging, and I did. What else do you want from me?” He smiled, this time, it almost reached end to end. “I want you out of the picture for good. Because people like you always come back twice stupid and annoying, thinking they can do whatever it takes to bring my empire down.” He stands up, “Maybe it is time, I show people like you what people like me do to disobedient citizens.” As soon as he said that, two of his men came to grab me. I tried running, but they were too fast to catch me. I yelled, struggling to break free, but they held me so tight that I couldn't find my way out. While I struggled, another of his men covered my nose with a small cloth. I sniffed so hard while struggling that I didn't know when I sniffed the drug. Suddenly, I felt my head grow heavy, the world around me blurred, and everything went black. **** Waking up, I found myself in a room twice larger than mine. The atmosphere of the room smelled rich, filled with lavender and a flavour I couldn't quite place. I tried to sit up, but the pain in my head didn't let me. Stephanie. I forced myself to stand up, ignoring the pain. One step, and I was on the floor. My head still felt heavy, and I couldn't get myself to do anything other than to sit still and wait for whoever would walk in. The door opened, and a young lady of my age walked in with a tray of food. She had the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, but that didn't change the fact that I was in an enemy's home. “Where am I?” I queried. “You're in Romenetti's manor,” she answered. “Is there any way I can get out of here?” I asked again. Her eyebrows raised, then relaxed. “It's impossible,” she dropped the tray on the table. “A lot of people have tried, they either end up dead or…” she paused. “Or what?” “I bet you don't want to find out. If I were you, I'd play cool, and try not to act otherwise.” She walked her way towards the door. “Wait,” she turned to me, still wearing the same smile. “Yes?” “Can you take me to your master?” I requested. “Mr Romenetti isn't open to visitors right now,” she answered. “He's having an important meeting right now. I'll advise you to exercise a little patience.” With that, she left the room. After what felt like eternity, the door opened. Two guards, the same who had grabbed me back in my apartment, walked in again, wearing a fierce look that made them twice as scary as Romenetti. Without saying a word, they grabbed me forcefully, dragging me like I wasn't even a human. “Hey,” I yelled. “I'm a human, okay? At least try to be careful, and not drag me like I'm a trash bin.” They didn't seem to be listening to me. “I'm talking to you two, okay! You have no–” They tossed me to the ground. My body slid through the tiled floor, my back hitting against the wall. I winced, the pain vibrating all over me. They grabbed me again with every strength in them, that I almost thought I was going to break a bone. We got to a certain room, and they seemed a bit gentle on me. Prerenders. The guards at the door opened it for us to enter. Matteo was engrossed with something on his desk that he didn't notice us walk in. “Boss, we have her.” He raised his eyes at us, his gaze falling right at me, like he already knew my direction. “I wasn't expecting you'd wake up this soon.” He said so casually that it irritated me. “By the way, I hope you were served? Because, that'll be the last meal you'll ever get to taste.” “Take her to the cell,” he ordered. “Her punishment starts tomorrow.” “You changed so much,” the words slipped out of my mind. “You were never like this. You never hurt, you protected. Why? Why did you change this much, Matteo?!” “Change, you say?” He chuckled, standing up, and walking towards my direction. “Everyone changes, Miss Thompson.” Stopping before me, he squatted, so our eyes met. “Except you must have mistaken me for someone else.” “Don't act like you don't know me, idiot!” I snapped. “I know you do! You remember me as much as I remember you. You haven't forgotten so soon, have you?” He looked at the men behind me, they laughed at me like I was stupid. I knew what I was saying, and there was no denying it. He was the Matteo I fell in love with. Why would he act like he doesn't know me? Like he doesn't even remember anything about me? He raised my chin, staring at me right in the eyes. “You wanna know the only thing I remember about you? You remind me of those bitches who think they can walk up to my face and tell me more than I know about myself. I've met your kind a lot of times, you aren't the first, and definitely won't be the last.” With a deep frown, he ordered. “Take her out of my sight!”MATTEO "Sir, you have a guest." I was distracted by the voice of one of my men as he stepped in.I frowned. "A guest?""Yes, sir," He answered. "She calls herself Vivian."Vivian. That name sounded familiar to my ears, a name I never thought I'd forget so soon. I felt Micheala's eyes on me, waiting for an explanation to who the guest was, and why she was here."Tell her I’ll be there in five minutes," I instructed and he left."Why do I feel like Vivian is more than just a mere guest?" She asked. I knew she had said that to get words out of my mouth, and she wasn't going to let go until she got her answer."She's just a friend," I told her. "We'll have this conversation later." I placed the gun down on the table and walked out of the room, leaving her behind.I walked down the stairs slowly, trying to get over the whole incident. At this point, I didn’t need more problems. I just wanted to breathe. But as soon as I reached the bottom step, I saw her.Vivian.She stood in the living r
EMILYI stood there shaking, my back pressed against the cold wall of Matteo’s office. His eyes were full of rage – the kind of rage that could burn down an entire building. I’d seen him angry before, but not like this. This was different. This was deadly.He stepped closer. His breath hit my face, warm and bitter. His hand moved to his side, and my heart stopped when I saw him pull out his gun.“Matteo… please…” I said, almost like a yell. It was now I realized why people get terrified when a gun is being pointed to their face. The fear that comes with it wasn't a mere feeling."Please..." I begged, but he didn’t answer. His grip on the gun was firm. His eyes didn’t blink, he just stared at me like I wasn’t even human anymore.“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” His growled so dangerously that I almost thought I was going to die way sooner before the bullet even got to my weightless skull. “You wanted to play games with me? You wanted to make me look like a fool?”“No! I never–”“Sh
EMILY The next morning came too fast. I hardly slept all night. My mind kept replaying everything that happened at the party — the way Matteo looked at me, the way Victor stared like he was reading my soul, the way those women whispered and laughed. And now, I was here, in this giant house, feeling smaller than ever.I tried to stay out of sight. I cleaned my little space, helped Krystal with a few things, and kept hoping no one would call for me. Maybe if I stayed quiet, Matteo would forget I existed today.But that hope didn’t last long.By afternoon, I was already in the kitchen, sitting down while I watched the chef make fried rice. We were discussing a lot of things, but what I didn't expect was her to raise the topic about Matteo and I."For quite some time now," She started. "I've been hearing rumours and whispers about you and the Master. I've always thought of ways to discuss it with you, but you've been busy on your duty. Since you are here, I think it's the perfect time to
KENT I didn’t know how many days had passed since they threw me down here. Time felt strange in this place. There was no sunlight, no sound except for the dripping water and the rats that sometimes ran across the floor.The room — no, the cell — was cold, damp, and smelled of metal and dirt. My hands were sore from trying to pull the chains off the wall. My throat burned, dry from lack of water and food.And Emily… Emily’s face haunted me. Was she still alive? Were they hurting her? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. And it kept me breathing.A noise broke the silence. The sound of keys turning in the lock, my head shot up. The heavy door creaked open, and light from a small torch fell across the floor.It was her again — the young woman who brought food. She didn’t say much. Just came, dropped the plate, and left. But today, she leaned by the door longer than usual.“Micheala,” I said in a rough and weak voice. I didn't need anyone to tell me who exactly she was. I remembered h
EMILY I couldn't breathe too comfortably anymore. Not because I was with Romenetti as an acting girlfriend, but the fact that the environment wasn't the kind I was used to. Romenetti was doing so well to keep up with the act, like we were actual lovers.His friend on the other hand, has been silently watching me ever since, like we've known from somewhere or something. As much as I didn't want him to feel too comfortable staring at me that way, I couldn't get myself to look at Romenetti.Even though he noticed how Victor was staring, he didn't seem to care a bit. I made it obvious that I wasn't comfortable here anymore. Rather than finding a better solution, Matteo Romenetti grabbed my hand to a corner, staring at me with this look that gave me the death vibes.“What's wrong with you?” He asked. “I don't feel comfortable here anymore,” I explained. “Why?” he queried. “Met someone you know?”“If I did, I would have raised an alarm already. I just don't like this place, that's all.”
MATTEO Seeing her face was like a slap to my face. I had mentally concluded she was completely out of reach. I hated the fact that I couldn't do way more than I already have to her. I hated that she was the only person that made me feel less aggressive to my prey.She was different, and I didn't know why.As if that wasn't enough, she was ready to offer herself as my sex slave? At first it felt stupid, but then… I found myself replaying those events over and over in my head.“What… did you just say?”“Let me be your slave instead.” She repeated, slightly trembling. “No, the other one.”She hesitated.“Say it,” I demanded.“Let… me be… your sex slave.”If I really wanted to use her, I would have done that a long time ago without seeking her permission. I wasn't like other Mafia who think jumping from one lady or the other was what makes them what they are.I have girls, ladies, women, both single and married who are dying to have me on their bed, but no, I wasn't into that. At least