Chapter 2 - It's not what it looks like.

V E L I N A

He strides across the floor, his fists clenched at his sides as his body vibrates with anger.

"You insolent girl." He calls out, drawing closer to me just as I stare up at him fearfully. 

"F-Father... th-this isn't what it looks like..." I say, my voice coming out muffled through the gas mask.

"Restrain her." He then orders and in seconds, the men around us rush towards me, lifting me off the ground roughly as they begin dragging me out of the burning warehouse just as my family follows behind us.

I glance back and watch as my mother and brothers go to Kyla's side, comforting her as they too begin pulling her out of the warehouse.

Rolando, our oldest brother and the next in line to become Don of the family, moves swiftly and takes out a handkerchief from his pocket, placing it on her arm quickly to stop the bleeding before he picks Kyla up and carries her bridal style, rushing her past all of us as if she's in the most danger here.

In seconds, we are out of the warehouse as firefighters rush past us and into the burning building. The men holding onto me continue dragging me forward until we are far from the warehouse, where a convoy of our family's vehicles are parked.

There, they toss me to the ground and I gasp sharply as my hands break my fall, scraping against the rough concrete just as I turn and face all of them... 

And as soon as I do, I am met with... a set of guns... pointed right at me...

Adrenaline floods my body, suddenly giving me the strength to move much more freely than I was able to before. I raise my hands up and watch all of them, before turning to my father and watch as he continues to approach me, but instead he doesn't seem to stop.

He finally reaches me and that's when he rips the gas mask off my face, grabs me by my throat and pulls me to stand to my feet.

"You destroy my property, my merchandise, and then you try to kill my daughter?!" He roars, his hand squeezing around my throat making me choke out as my hands grip his forearm.

His daughter... that's all he can say... when I am his daughter as well...?

"Father.. p-please... I didn't-..." I try to say.

"Be silent!" He booms and that's when he releases me, but only for a few seconds. Suddenly, I feel pain shoot through my body as air leaves my lungs sharply. He's punched me... right in the gut, with all his power, making me hunch over and grunt out loud, my muscles still feeling numb from whatever Kyla gave me earlier as I sway back and forth, coughing roughly as my hands grip my abdomen.

"Let me kill her right now, so we can be finally rid of her!" I hear Carmelo, the second-born, shout and that's when I feel him grab my hair, right before I feel a sharp blow to my cheek, making me cry out again just as I collapse onto the ground, not being able to keep myself standing anymore.

"No. We will deal with her accordingly." My father then calls out just as I remain kneeling on the ground, tears burning in my eyes and  streaming down my face.

“You are absolutely useless.” he says, his voice becoming quieter but still having the same venom as it did before. “And you will pay for what you have done.” He then says as he looks over me.

My body trembles as I continue clutching my abdomen, and what makes the pain worse is the memory that arrives with it.

He punched me square in the gut, the same stomach that once took a bullet for him...

Years ago, he brought all of us to a meeting with another family, where people pretended to talk business while everyone quietly watched each other’s hands under the table. Then, a man burst into the room with a gun... and before I had time to think about it I stepped in front of my father... and the shot hit me instead.

I remember the sound of it and the look on his face.

He never looked back. 

Then I remember him grabbing Kyla and running out of the room as my brothers took cover. It was only one of our men, 

Johnny, that showed any concern for me. He's the only reason I even made it out of that room and I'm still here today.

He carried me outside and pressed his jacket against the wound while we made our way to the infirmary.

I spent weeks recovering after that. And my family? They only bothered to visit once, and that was only to make sure I was still alive, and when they did they stayed less than an hour before leaving again because Kyla said she felt sick.

"Look at what you've done to her!!" My mother screams once she finally catches up to us, her short blonde bob a mess now as she stands beside Rolando who keeps Kyla in his arms. 

Kyla's eyes are shut and her body appears to be limp, as if she's passed out... That's what I'd like to believe, until I notice her open her eyes faintly just to look at me, before a ghost of a smile appears on her lips...

Of course she's still faking it...

"Put her in the car. We are leaving." My father suddenly orders, and that's when the men that seized me before grab hold of me again, beginning to haul me towards the car once again.

 "N-no... no... please listen to me...!" I try to say as they continue to pull me forward up until the car doors open and they throw me inside.

 

 "Please... it's not what it looks like... please... This is all Kyla's doing! Please!" I cry out, my voice burning as I shout even louder, but it's all pointless. 

My body crashes onto the car seat and the door behind me slams shut immediately after, with no way for me to open it. 

There is a tinted car partition between the front and backseat, and as far as I know, it is shatterproof and bulletproof, so even if I wanted to reach the driver, I couldn't.

I'm stuck here, until we reach the house... and when we do, I'll have to face whatever it is that they're going to do to me...

.  .  .  .

I eventually grow tired of screaming and trying to fight my way out of the car. It's useless, especially when I know the only time they're going to let me out is when we finally arrive back at the mansion. 

The drive feels endless, but eventually I notice the familiar gates of our estate as they open and we make our way through. The Merrano mansion stands before us, magnificent and a symbol of my family's power. We had earned our place in the Underground and my father made sure to show it with how he would spend his money. I used to think this place was so beautiful. Now, all I can think about is how trapped it makes me feel.

My body is still trembling by the time the car stops, right in front of the mansion. I don't know what's waiting for me once that door opens, and that fear makes it nearly impossible for me to think straight. 

Eventually, the car engine shuts off and I glance out of the tinted windows, at all the other cars we arrived with, at the cars my family travelled in since they chose to ride in separate vehicles rather than share one with me...

The car door soon opens and before I even have time to object, I am dragged out of the car roughly and pulled towards the entrance of the mansion, my fear rising by the second as my heart thumps harshly in my chest.

Soon the large front doors swing open before we even reach them, the men holding onto me hauling me forward as I try my best to fight them.

"No, please, please let me go!" I exclaim as they continue to pull me forward, my feet dragging across the floor as they pull me deeper into the house.

We pass the wide staircase, the hallway that leads to my father’s office, the long corridor that opens into the main living room where most family meetings happen when guests are not present.

My legs still feel weak from the drug Kyla used on me earlier, but the numbness is slowly fading now, my body beginning to wake up again in small, uncomfortable bursts.

And with it comes the panic.

“What are we going to do with you now?” My father’s voice travels across the foyer as we move further into the house.

“Father… please… please listen to me…” I say, my voice shaking while they continue pulling me forward. But no one responds.

By the time we reach the living room my lungs still burn from the smoke, and the mask that once helped me breathe is long gone, leaving every inhale harsh and painful as the men finally shove me forward.

I stumble before collapsing onto the polished floor. The drug is wearing off faster now as my strength slowly returns to my arms and legs just as I push myself up slightly, trying to pull away from the men who still have hold of me...

“Let me go!” I shout while struggling against their hold but they tighten their grip immediately.

My gaze moves around the room in desperation and that is when I see him...