Chapter 5
A red sports car screeched to a halt in front of a big mansion.
Arianna and Hannah alighted the red sports car.
“Welcome to New York City and welcome to my home, your home,” Arianna said and Hannah smiled at her. Hannah was a very calm person, she wasn’t the kind of person who talks much, and all she knew how to do was smile.
They both walked inside the house and Arianna could see lots of maids running to and fro like they were trying to put things in order.
“Welcome ma'am, welcome ma'am “ the maids kept bowing their heads as they saw Arianna, she just smiled and waved at them and they smiled at her in return. Hannah stared at Arianna, she was probably the nicest woman she's met in these few days.
“Ma’am Arianna” An advanced woman called as she walked towards Arianna and hugged her.
“Oh!! Mama Luciana. How are you” Arianna asked in the most caring tone ever.
“I am more than okay. I miss you a lot and I'm glad you are finally home. Who is she?” mama Luciana asked and Arianna smiled.
“Hannah, this is mama Luciana, my cook, and mama, this is Hannah, my daughter,” Arianna said and mama Luciana smiled and turned to Hannah.
“Hola, mi Hija Bonita. Dame un abrazo” Mama Luciana said and Hannah stared at her weirdly. She didn't understand what she was saying. She only smiled at her.
“Mama, she does not understand Spanish, she's from Atlanta,” Arianna said and Mama Luciana smiled.
“I'm so sorry, my daughter. I thought you were Spanish. Welcome home and you are beautiful mi Amor” Mama Luciana said and Hannah smiled at her.
“Thank you, mama Luciana,” Hannah said and Mama Luciana moved towards her and hugged her. Hannah smiled at Arianna and hugged her in return.
“Mama, Hannah needs to rest. It's been a long trip” Ariana said and mama Luciana nodded and with that, she walked away.
“I'll show you to your room, come with me,” Arianna said and Hannah nodded, trailing behind her.
“Mama Luciana is nice, I like her,” Hannah said as they climbed up the stairs.
“I knew you would like her. She’s a nice woman” Arianna said as she opened the door to a room and they both walked in.
“Wow, this is so beautiful, “ Hannah said admiring the room.
“It’s yours. You should rest. I’ll ask one of the maids to go shopping for you and I’ll introduce you to the maids later. You should rest and also come downstairs for dinner” Arianna said and Hannah nodded in response.
She smiled broadly as she moved towards the beautiful wardrobe and opened it and surprisingly she saw female clothes, there were a lot of them.
“Woah! These clothes are beautiful. Why do you want to go shopping, I could use this' ' Hannah said and turned to Arianna then she noticed the sad look on Arianna’s face.
“What’s wrong?” Hannah asked
“I asked the maid to get rid of these clothes, but they didn’t. They must have forgotten” Arianna said sadly.
“But why do you want them to get rid of it?” Hannah asked
“Because it belongs to my daughter,” Ariana said and paused.
“Your daughter? Where’s she? I would love to meet her” Hannah said smiling.
“She's dead,” Arianna said and Hannah opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“Oh my goodness!! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you had a daughter. I’m so sorry” Hannah said and Arianna smiled.
“You shouldn't apologize, it isn't your fault. Her name was Cinderella McKenzie. She's so beautiful like you. She has your eye colors and everything” Arianna said and sat on the bed in the room.
Hannah stared at her with pity in her eyes. The woman had been through a lot. There was a lot of pain in her eyes. Now Hannah could see the reason she named her after her daughter, she loved her so much.
“She was pregnant when she died. The Mikelsons killed her. Rosa and her son killed my daughter “ Arianna said as tears welled up in her eyes.
She tried her best not to break down in front of Hannah but she couldn't hold back her tears. It was really painful for her. The tears she's been holding for a long time, she finally let go.
“I'm so sorry,” Hannah said and she nodded in response and wiped her tears.
“It's in the past now” she managed to smile.
“You can tell the maids to come to get rid of the clothes. I'll use the new ones you'll buy for me” Hannah said and Arianna smiled.
“No, it's fine. You can wear them, besides the clothes would look so good on you. You have somebody statue as my daughter” Arianna said and walked towards the wardrobe and brought out a blue gown from it.
“This is my daughter’s favorite gown. You can wear it and join me for dinner later” Arianna said and Hannah nodded and took the gown.
“I'll leave you to rest. If you need anything, I'll be in my room. And my room is close to yours” Arianna said and kissed her on her cheeks before walking out of the room.
Hannah sighed softly as she walked towards the mirror and stood in front of it. She put the gown on her body, staring at it. Lots of thoughts going through her mind.
Seeing how happy Arianna looked, one would think she's never been through anything but she has. Losing someone dear is so painful. She understood the pain. She knew how it felt like to lose someone close to one's heart.
She felt that pain when her mother died of cancer. She felt hopeless and almost felt like she was going to die. She dropped the gown on the bed and sat on the bed.
She knew the Mikelson family to be so cruel and heartless but she never knew they could kill people too and still act like everything is okay.
She was going to take them down, starting from her best friend to her ex-husband Jeff, to her mother-in-law. They would all pay and go down one after the other.
TBC
Lucas had left the room to make some calls, leaving Hannah and Teresa alone in the dimly lit space. The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, with grief and frustration too heavy to voice.Teresa watched Hannah closely. She looked hollow—her eyes distant, her shoulders sagging under a weight no one could carry for her.“You okay?” Teresa finally asked.Hannah blinked and turned her head, forcing a weak smile. “Yeah.”Teresa hummed in response, clearly unconvinced. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a practiced ease. Smoke curled in the air between them.“Do you smoke?” she asked, offering one toward Hannah.Hannah shook her head. “No. I never have.”Teresa chuckled, taking a long drag before exhaling. “Figures.”Silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the silence of two women who understood each other—different, yet bound by shared pain.“My mother-in-law used to hate me too,” Teresa murmured suddenly, he
Teresa sat in the back of a dimly lit bar, the scent of cigarette smoke and aged whiskey thick in the air. The place was quiet, the kind of underground haunt where no one asked questions, where secrets were currency, and where a person could disappear if they weren’t careful.She checked the time on her phone. Her contact was late.Across the table, Hannah fidgeted with the glass of water in front of her, her expression distant, lost in thoughts she wasn’t ready to speak out loud. Lucas sat beside her, his gaze locked on the entrance, his tension palpable.When the door finally creaked open, Teresa’s eyes narrowed as a tall, wiry man entered, his leather jacket scuffed and his face shadowed with stubble. He scanned the room before spotting her and sauntering over.“You’re late, Marco,” Teresa said, her voice edged with impatience.The man—Marco Ruiz—grinned as he slid into the seat across from her. “Good to see you too, Provenzano. You know how it is—hard to stay alive in this busines
Hannah stood in the dimly lit warehouse, her fingers clenched into fists at her sides. The stale scent of dust and oil filled the air, mingling with the cold fear settling deep in her stomach. The warehouse was one of many they had searched in the last twenty-four hours, but this one felt different. The moment she stepped inside, a weird sensation crawled over her skin, like a presence lingering just out of sight.Lucas moved beside her, scanning the rows of crates stacked high against the walls. His jaw was tight, his frustration barely concealed beneath his calm exterior. Teresa stood a few steps ahead, gun in hand, her eyes sharp as she surveyed their surroundings. They had all hoped—desperately—that this search would yield something more than dead ends and half-truths. But as the minutes ticked by, that hope was slipping.Brandon had vanished without a trace.Every lead they had followed led to nothing. Every whisper, every clue, every trail had been a carefully crafted illus
The night was thick with silence, the kind that felt like a living, breathing thing, pressing in on them as they stood at the edge of the abandoned docks. The stench of salt and rust filled the air, mixing with something darker—the unmistakable scent of blood.Teresa’s fingers curled around the handle of her gun as she scanned the area, her pulse drumming hard against her ribs. Her father was dead. That chapter of her life was over. But this? This wasn’t over. Not until she had him.Not until she had Brandon and brought him back to his family.“We should’ve heard something by now,” Hannah whispered, her voice tight with restrained panic.Teresa didn’t answer. She was thinking the same thing.The lead had been solid. Brandon had been held here—multiple sources confirmed it. The docks had been his prison. But as they stood here, surrounded by crates and shadows, the truth settled like ice in her veins.Brandon wasn’t here.And the blood on the floor was still fresh.Teresa crouched do
Teresa barely had a second to react before the door to her office swung open. The moment her eyes landed on the man standing there, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her father.Bernardo Provenzano. The man she had once idolized. The man she had spent her entire life trying to please.And now, the man she had just betrayed.He stepped inside with a slow, deliberate pace, shutting the door behind him. The soft click of the lock sent her heart into overdrive.“Oh, my little princess,” he murmured, his voice filled with mock tenderness. But his eyes… they were filled with nothing but hatred.Teresa’s hands gripped the arms of her chair, knuckles turning white. Fear slithered through her veins, but she refused to let it show.“How disappointing,” he continued, shaking his head as if she were a child who had misbehaved. “I thought you were different. Better. Not like your mother.”Teresa inhaled sharply.His mother.For years, she had believed the lie—that her mother had been killed by a r
The beeping of machines was the only sound filling the hospital room. Jessica lay on the hospital bed, her skin deathly pale, her chest barely rising under the weight of the oxygen mask secured over her face. Wires and tubes connected her to the machines, keeping her alive, but just barely.Hannah stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move. The doctor’s words still rang in her ears, cutting deeper than any wound ever could.“She has a five percent chance of survival,” the doctor had said, his voice clinical, detached. “She lost too much blood, and the delay in medical care worsened her condition. We’re doing everything we can, but you need to prepare for the worst.”The worst.Hannah clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. This was her fault. If she hadn’t suggested they escape… if she had just listened, just stayed put, Jessica wouldn’t be lying here, fighting for her life.And Brandon…A fresh wave of pain hit her. He was gone. Taken. She had watched him surrender himsel