Milan

The wind was whipping my tousled hair into my face, my heart was racing, and my breath was labored. However, the adrenaline was still at its peak. I felt deep in my gut that I needed to get away if I wanted a chance to live, far from a cage and out of a monster's bed.

The truck parked on the sidewalk and stopped. In the distance, I could see the police car approaching. I had no choice but to run.

I looked at the sidewalk; it was high, but there were no stairs. I had to jump. I leaped with all the adrenaline rushing through my veins, felt the impact, and my knees buckled to prevent me from rolling. When my body cooled down, I was sure I would feel a lot more joint pain.

I looked at the police car, coming closer and closer, and I fled. I dashed into a clothing store and kept running. One of the security guards spotted me and came after me, and I had to dodge him, slipping behind clothing racks.

"You need to get out of the store!" 

I didn’t respond. That was exactly what I intended to do, but not through the same door I had entered. I saw another exit on the other side and made my way to it. A guy at the door tried to intercept me but ended up letting me go when he realized I wasn’t stealing anything.

I stepped outside, took another street, and continued to run. I bumped into a woman laden with bags who shouted at me, but I didn’t stop to help her pick them up.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry!" I shouted without stopping. 

I ran until the last drop of breath was in me, as my life really depended on it. When I could run no more, I leaned against a wall next to what looked like an ATM and took a deep breath. My diaphragm ached, just like my knees.

I needed to stop, to rest, but I couldn’t. 

I started running again until I stopped in front of a massive shopping mall. It was a gigantic gallery, and I thought it would be much harder to get caught by the police inside, plus I needed to buy new clothes.

As I passed through the automatic doors, I ran a hand through my messy hair and tried to look reasonably presentable. All I needed was for the police to be called again. 

In the first store to my right, I spotted a mannequin in beachwear with a huge white hat and sunglasses. I thought about buying the hat, but that could end up attracting even more attention, though the glasses could be useful.

"Hello." I approached the saleswoman.

"Yes?" She looked me up and down with a disdainful expression.

"I want those glasses, please."

"That’s a hundred euros."

"Okay." I opened my bag and took out the money, which made her widen her eyes and pay attention to me.

"Do you only have beachwear or something more casual too?"

"Come to the store, please. I can show you other styles."

"Thank you."

I followed her into the store, and the saleswoman showed me several pieces ranging from casual to more festive styles. I bought two dresses and shoes, as the ones I was wearing were well-worn from my frantic running. If I wanted to keep this pace, I would need to find running shoes to spare my joints.

Then, I went to the food court and changed in one of the public restroom stalls. I figured that with different clothes, it would be harder to be found by the police, who were probably still looking for me.

I needed to find a place to shower. Preferably one that didn’t ask for documents or who I was, not to mention calling the police on me. 

When I ran away on a whim from my marriage, I didn’t think it would be so hard to stay free. It was as if everyone wanted me to become that woman again, the one told what to do and what not to do.

At the convent, I was always told to obey and serve. Going against that could be much more complex than I had imagined.

---

### MARCO'S POINT OF VIEW

"The cargo that arrived from Bolivia—has it already been distributed on the streets?" I asked the man standing before me, looking at me sternly.

"Yes, sir. It’s already being sold by our men all over Rome."

"Excellent."

"That’s not what worries me."

"And what is?"

"The gypsies' territory is expanding."

"What do you mean by the gypsies' territory?" I frowned and gritted my teeth.

The man before me leaned back, pressing his back against the chair. I had always been a lion, and there was no point in teasing me. Besides, I wasn’t having my best days. My fiancée had not only given me a massive headache but also a cold war with the Costas.

"All of Rome is Bellucci's territory," I emphasized, reminding him who was in charge.

"Yes, sir, but they’re pests. They’re trading weapons and drugs right under our noses and think they can get away with it."

I noticed a mosquito buzzing between us. It had been in my office since the man entered, but at that moment, I paid attention to it. I moved my hand and caught it, crushing it between my fingers.

"Do you know what we do with parasites, Martino?" I opened my hand, showing the crushed mosquito as he said nothing.

"We eliminate them. Find a good pesticide and remind them who governs Rome and all of Italy."

"Yes, sir." He nodded several times in an irritating manner.

I heard a knock at the door, and then my younger brother Mateo entered.

"What is it?" I grabbed a tissue and wiped my hand.

"Do you have a minute to talk? I have news."

"Get out, Martino. We’ll continue this conversation later. Talk to Theo about the gypsies' problem; my brother will know what to do."

The middle-aged man with gray hair nodded, bowing briefly, and left the room.

Mateo locked the door as the man left the room and approached me. He ran a hand through his short black hair, pulled out the chair that Martino had previously occupied, and sat down. My relationship with my brothers had always been very good. I could easily say that I relied on their help to run this empire, and it would be much more difficult if I didn’t have them by my side. My mother always told me that family was everything, and that was one of the few things I wholeheartedly agreed with.

"What do you know?" I brought my hand to my neck and loosened my tie. It was tight, and the fabric was starting to annoy me.

"I used our contacts with the police to search for her on the city cameras. I got all the footage from the public cameras over the last twenty-four hours. I never imagined we’d use our IT team and the best facial recognition software to find a runaway bride."

"Get to the point, Mateo."

My brother had always been passionate about technology and computer-related topics. It was often practically impossible to contain his excitement about these matters. At thirty, he still looked like a boy thrilled with a new toy.

"She's no longer in Rome. She took a train to Milan."

"What?!" I slammed my hands on the table. I admit I was losing control of the situation because I hated being challenged.

"Explain to me how a woman dressed as a bride took a train out of Rome without any money?"

"She had help because on the camera, she's wearing a different dress."

"Who? How?"

"I still don’t know. We're still scouring Rome for clues, but whoever it is, they don’t want to say."

"I want everyone who had contact with her at the convent to be questioned. Someone must know something."

"Already done. No one knows anything." – I sighed. – 

"Do you want me to go to Milan? I’ll drag her back by her hair."

"No."

He raised his eyebrows, surprised by my response.

"Are you going to let her go? If she dies at the hands of the Portuguese, it will be entirely her fault."

"No, I’m going to Milan. You and Theo keep an eye on everything that’s happening here. The girl is my problem, and I will handle her myself. I want the help of some of your men, the best and most discreet, to find her."

"As you wish." He nodded. Mateo knew me well. There were things I liked to do with my own hands.

"Get everything ready. I’m leaving in two hours."

"Right."

"Martino has problems with the gypsies. Send them a message. Remind them who the boss is in Rome."

I stood up from my chair and left the office, leaving my brother alone. I crossed the vast hallway and climbed the stairs leading to the rooms on the third floor.

I entered my suite, took off my blazer, and removed my shirt and pants. I changed into jeans, a polo, and a leather jacket. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on that girl. She must be really naive to have no idea of the huge problem she had caused, not just for herself but for everyone depending on this marriage.

I grabbed the sunglasses from the dresser and went to the safe at the back of my closet. I pulled out some bundles of euros and dollars, a semi-automatic pistol, and several magazines. I hoped I wouldn’t have to shoot anyone to get my fiancée back, but I needed to be ready for anything.

I placed the gun in its holster alongside the other one already there. I grabbed a bulletproof vest, my phone charger, and left the room.

"Marco." I was surprised to see my mother in the hallway.

"I don’t have time to talk right now." I was harsh. The truth was, I didn’t want to engage in small talk. My head was pounding. I was irritated.

Deep down, I even hoped to find a Costas. It wouldn’t hurt to unload a magazine on one of them.

"Where are you going?"

"To Milan."

"An important matter?"

"My stupid runaway fiancée ended up over there."

"How?" Her green eyes widened.

"That’s what I want to know. Now I have to go."

"Marco." – My mother grabbed my wrist, stopping me from walking down the hallway and making me face her. – 

"Don’t kill her. She’s young and scared. She doesn’t know what she’s doing."

"I’ll bring her back here, but I hope she doesn’t cause me any more problems."

The truth is, despite all my anger, I wouldn’t kill the girl. If that were my intention, I would let the Costas get their hands dirty instead.

"Now I have to go." I removed my mother’s hand from my arm and let it drop.

When I arrived in the room, the men my brother had assigned to me were already waiting, along with three others who would ensure my safety. As risky as it might seem, I’d better not mobilize an army for Milan; otherwise, I’d end up attracting too much attention.

"Let’s go." I motioned for them to follow me.

We descended to the garage. As soon as we entered the large space where we kept the family cars, the sensors immediately turned on the lights. I headed towards my black Venon. While my brothers showed off their Ferraris, this one was my favorite, not just for its design but also for the speed it could reach. It was a real airplane without wings.

"Sandro, you’re coming with me." I pointed to one of them, who nodded. "You guys follow in the SUVs. I want to get to Milan as soon as possible."

"Yes, Mr. Bellucci."

I opened the driver’s side door and settled into the seat. I lightly touched the steering wheel, feeling its texture before wrapping my fingers around it. I removed my right hand to start the car and pull it out of the garage.

On the way to Milan, I could think of nothing but sorting everything out as quickly as possible, but thinking that she wouldn’t cause me any more problems was underestimating Lais. As naive and harmless as she seemed, she could still give me another massive headache.