Chapter 41: The Route

Chapter 41

Anna didn’t wait a second longer before walking away from him, but that didn’t prevent his cold, shrewd eyes from lashing on her back.

She saw no use in him calling her that—a special name—when they were nothing. Taking a deep breath, she got into the car, and then he followed suit.

Anna was queasy, anxious, and nervous. The Don had only told her they were here for business, and the thought of what kind of business they were here for had been haunting her mind.

It was no secret that the top mafia clans engaged in sex trafficking. Was Vicenzo part of them? From what she knew, the Lorenzo mafia clan never engaged in such, so was it possible that the Vicenzo, being the king of other mafia clans, engaged in it?

Anna couldn’t watch such atrocity being committed right in front of her eyes, and she doubted she would be able to control herself if that were to be the case.

Having never been to Madagascar, Anna’s eyes remained fixed outside the window, staring at the large skyscrapers they passed. It was a beautiful country.

Part of the reason she occupied herself with different thoughts was because she didn’t want her mind trailing off to the person sitting right next to her.

Even without looking, she could feel his gaze on her, and Anna wondered if this man truly had no shame to stare at her that way when he was clearly in love with someone else. Well, she didn’t care though, and she wasn’t going to let him have her wrapped around his fingers.

Minutes later, they arrived at the 5-star hotel they would be staying in. By this time, Anna was beyond exhausted, and all she desperately needed was a good rest. Thankfully, she was shown to her suite, which she had all to herself.

Her back rested on the soft mattress. Right now, she didn’t want to think about anything else. What she wanted right now was a good night’s rest.

…….

Anna stood in front of the mirror. She was now draped in a white floral gown, her blonde hair falling down her back. She checked her suitcase to pick a piece of jewelry to match the gown, and her eyes fell on the necklace Leone had given her—or better still, replaced—because he had charred the one Domenico had given her.

Her lips twisted into a frown, her eyes gauging it. She really felt like discarding it, but she had to remind herself how much it cost.

She picked up another neck chain and a bracelet, and she wore it before brushing her hair one more time. She let out air through her parted lips. According to Leone’s guard, she would be going somewhere with Leone, and Anna easily deduced they were going to see the Don’s acquaintance.

She was very much glad that she would be opportune to take a look around the city and plot her escape plan, but it was the idea of spending another day with Leone that made the air on her nape stand.

The sound of the alarm disrupted her thoughts. It was the guard. Anna sighed. She was led to the VIP parking lot of the hotel, where a sleek G-Wagon sat waiting for them.

Surprisingly, it was Leone who sat on the driver’s seat. This made her even more anxious, and she debated sitting at the back rather than beside him.

She’d have gone with the latter if the guard who had accompanied her hadn’t opened the front door for her. Anna gulped, taking one step before the other, and then making herself comfortable on the seat.

The drive began, and Anna’s heart hammered violently in her ribcage. She could only pray this ride wouldn’t take long.

A thick air of silence sat amidst them, and Anna avoided looking at Leone, who leisurely drove with just one hand.

He had on a white, fashionable long-sleeve shirt, where the first two buttons were left undone for his toned chest to peek out. He coupled it with stylishly tailored black pants. Even the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up a bit to reveal his tattooed hand.

“How was your night, Anna?” He made sure to stress the ‘Anna,’ and her breath caught in her throat.

She tried to calm herself down, and with her eyes remaining fixed on the window, she replied dully, “Fine.”

Anna couldn’t pinpoint it, but something felt off with this man. His usual psychotic self had suddenly turned serious, which she was very much thankful for.

Suddenly, he began driving at an insanely high speed—so high that he dusted his bodyguards who tailed behind them.

Anna was sure she didn’t have a weak heart, but with the speed at which he was going, she nearly had a heart attack, her heart drumming in her ears.

She clutched the seatbelt, her face pale, her heart racing. What the hell was he doing? Was he planning on killing them both?

It didn’t sound possible, but he increased the speed once again, and at this rate, Anna was sure the car would soon begin flying.

Her eyes flew wide. “Leone,” she called sharply, but he never said one word as he continued the crazy driving—like the devil was chasing them.

Anna didn’t know about him, but she certainly didn’t have any plans of dying. And what made her heart nearly skip a beat was the fact that they were now driving through a lonely, deserted road, with forests on both sides of it.

Was he planning on murdering her and dumping her body here? She desperately wanted to scream for him to stop, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to abandon her here, because she knew very well that his mind worked in crazy ways.

Suddenly, the car came to a slow halt. Her brows arched in confusion, seeing clearly that they were still in the middle of nowhere. Unless the Don’s acquaintances were wild animals, there was no reason to be stopping here.

She watched him unbuckle his seatbelt, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief as she watched him get down from the car.

What the hell was going on? She looked around—no sign of civilization anywhere. Just a thick forest that stretched for miles.

Was this where the business meeting was taking place? Or had she upset the Don so much that he ordered Leone to get rid of her?

Despite the cold air, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, her hands a trembling mess as she watched Leone walk to her side of the car.

He flung the door open. Her breath seized as she watched him, a grim expression on his face, his eyes hardened as he stared at her.

A brief moment of silence passed between them, one where Anna wished she could disappear from the place, and Leone kept staring at her like he had terrible plans for her.

And then his voice, gruff: “Get down, Peach.”