Chapter Two: The mysterious boss

“Miss Humphrey, we haven’t the whole day”, the guard spoke reminding her of his duty.

Betty’s heart raced as she follows the man, her mind puzzled with questions.

“Who is this boss person? What does he want from me?, why can I see a home painting on the wall or would it be? No….” She waves that thought off her mind trying to remain focused.

They walked through the mansion’s winding corridors, passing ornate paintings and lavish furnishings. Betty’s eyes darts around, taking in every detail, searching for an opportunity to escape, she noticed that inside the building was shaped like a circle with many hallways, all angles fully guarded, almost impossible to make a run for her life.

They reached a red door, the man stops, Betty’s heart almost dropped of fear of what might be awaiting her at the other side of the door, he knocked twice and a deep voice responded “enter”.

Betty’s escort pushes open the door and she steps inside. He took only a few steps close, bow his head and left the room. She could feel her heart racing as he shut the door.

“Welcome Betty”. The man said in a deep cold voice, she could only hear his voice but couldn’t see the person talking, the room was dimly lit with only a single lamp at the center of the room hanging from the ceiling, leaving a faint light, she walks slowly towards the voice.

As she approached, before her was a desk and behind it sat a figure shrouded in shadows.

Betty’s eyes adjusted slowly to the dim light, she saw the outline of a strong jawline piercing eyes and chiseled features. The boss leaned forward and the light Illuminated his face. Betty gasped, she had seen this man before, in newspaper headlines and on the television at home. Mateo de Carlo, the notorious mafia boss.

He looked at her knowing exactly her thoughts.

“I know you’re wondering why you’re here” looking into her eyes, Betty swallowed hard trying to find her voice seeing his eyes shine admist the dim light.

“Yes” she responded faintly.

Mateo leans back in his chair, playing with a poker card in his left hand.

“Betty Humphrey, lives in Splinter town block 10, would you want me to go further and tell you about your family?” Betty remained mute, surprised how a big mafia boss as Mateo de Carlo would ever know her name and her little family.

Oh God, I’m in trouble” she thought within herself.

“I have a proposition for you”

Betty’s mind racing, she wondered what kind of proposition this mafia boss could possibly have in mind.

“I’ll let you go” Mateo continued “if you can stay calm and do what I say before the time, just be obedient and feel at home, I’ll give you everything you need and you’ll be safe.”

Betty’s eyes narrowed “what time?”

Mateo raised an eyebrow giving Betty a cunning look. “You’ll know about the time when I see you’re ready to know.”

You said it’s a proposition right? Then there must be a catch”.

Mateo smiles mischievously, Mateo turned his gaze into her eyes, locked in, she felt an inexplicable fear.

Of course, There’s always a catch”.

He leans back on his chair and rang the bell on his table, her escort came into the room, she knew she didn’t have a say and was dismissed. He led Betty out of the room, she was back to her little prison, that was how she pictured the room she was given.

As she left Mateo’s presence, Betty’s fear turned to panic, she knew she was a prisoner despite the freedom promised to her by the Mafia boss, she had to act fast to plan her escape before it was too late, besides he was her captor so she couldn’t trust him. Betty stayed up that night, she rejected her dinner, her mind worked overtime plotting and scheming, thinking of ways to escape. She paced around her room, thinking of various ways to escape. Finally, she came up with a plan and smiled.

With a new found determination, Betty began to put her plan into action. She knew she had to be careful, that one misstep could mean capture or worse.

“No, there must be no mistake”. She’d wait for the right moment, the perfect distraction and then she’d make her move.

As the days went on, Betty couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. She was trapped in this mansion with a notorious mafia boss, the famous Mateo de Carlo.

The guard, a tall dark man with a mean countenance showed her around the mansion just as the boss instructed. Betty followed taking notes of the security cameras, the guard’s patrol routes and the layout of the rooms. She was determined to find a way out, no matter what it took. As they walked the guard pointed out various rooms. Betty’s eyes widened as she saw the extent of the mansion’s luxury, she had never seen anything like it, but there was something else that intrigued her, all the rooms, hallways, every corner seems to have the same painting of the bear.

Betty's eyes were fixed on the painting, her mind racing with memories. Suddenly, a flashback hit her - her sister's dream. The one she'd told her about, where a black bear in the painting came to life and devoured everything on its part, it’s eyes filled with despair and rage.

She remembered the look of terror on her sister's face as she described the dream. And how they'd all laughed it off, telling her it was just a silly dream with no meaning. "It's just your imagination," they'd said. "Don't worry about it."

But now, staring at the painting, Betty wondered if they'd been wrong. If that dream had been more than just a figment of her sister's imagination. What If it had been a warning, or a prophecy.

The bear in the painting seemed to be staring back at her, its eyes filled with destruction. Betty felt a chill run down her spine as she realized the painting was the exact painting in her house.

What if it wasn't just a dream? What if it was a sign of something to come?

Betty's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps of the guard. She turned to see him standing with a look of concern on his face.

“Are you okay?" he asked, noticing the look on her face.

Betty hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. "I...I just remembered something," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes narrowed, his expression intense. "What is it?" he asked, taking a step closer to her.

Betty's heart pounded in her chest as she debated whether to share her sister's dream with or not. But something held her back. She wasn't sure if she could trust him yet.

“filled with rage and terror it devoured everything on its part, blood filled the streets, with blood shot eyes, it growled in anger feasting on every living thing it saw, tearing humans in part”. She repeated her sister’s words that night in her mind.

Could this dream really have a meaning? She thought to herself?. She thought of the painting to be sure it’s the same painting and it exactly was the painting, everything seemed off to her even when she tried to make sense of it, her kidnap, the painting, The time”, that word had been in her mind since her meeting with the mafia boss, what exactly did he mean by that?.

When the tour ended, the guard led her back to her room “you’re free to roam the mansion, but don’t try to leave”, he said with a firm voice. Betty nodded, her mind racing with plans. She waits till the guard leaves then begin to explore the room more thoroughly.

Days and days after building her plan she decides to finally take actions, she knew every route, corners and underground basement, now she was ready to maker her escape.