Chapter 6: A Dark Beginning

★Sienna’s Point of View★

I woke up to the shocking sensation of cold water splashing across my face, jarring me from the blackness of unconsciousness. I gasped, but the sound was muffled—the sharp sting of tape stretched across my mouth kept me silent.

“Hey! Wake up already! The boss wants to meet you,” a harsh voice barked. The man’s face was hidden behind a black ski mask, only his eyes visible. Did he seriously have to use ice-cold water? What happened to waking someone up with a shake or a shout?

I groaned and tried to sit up, my limbs aching and stiff. My wrists and ankles were tied tightly with coarse rope. The floor beneath me was hard and damp, maybe concrete, and reeked of mold and rust. My head pounded, and my cheeks stung from lying sideways on the cold floor.

“Get up! Don’t be so slow,” he snapped, his voice rising with irritation. I shot him a glare, struggling to lift myself upright. How did he expect me to get up when I was bound like a damn mummy? Was he stupid, or just blind?

Still, I stayed still. Screw him.

“I said get up!” he barked again, more forcefully. Panic began crawling through my chest. His voice—his whole presence—reeked of danger. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself up into a sitting position, my muscles protesting every move.

“God, Raul, you’re such an idiot,” another man muttered as he entered the room. This one had a deeper voice, colder. “Why didn’t you help her up so the boss could see her already?”

The one called Raul finally decided to grow a brain cell and moved toward me. He grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. I winced as pain shot up my legs—probably from lying on the cold floor for so long.

But I still couldn’t walk. My ankles were bound tight.

“Move!” Raul barked again. I didn't. I couldn’t. And even if I could—I wouldn’t. He glared at me as if I were the problem.

“What are you waiting for? Walk!” he yelled, almost growling. I just glared at him, defiant and silent.

“Goddammit, Raul! The boss is already mad. You’re taking too long!” the second man snapped as he reappeared. He stormed toward us with frustration burning in his eyes.

“She won’t move. Her feet are still tied,” Raul admitted, finally recognizing the obvious. I almost laughed through the fear boiling in my stomach. Genius.

“I’ll do it. You’re useless,” the second man growled, shoving Raul aside. He crouched, untied my ankles, then roughly pulled me down the hallway, not even bothering to check if I could keep up.

We entered a larger room—some kind of abandoned warehouse, judging by the rusty metal drums lining the walls and the echo of dripping water in the distance. My heart pounded.

In the center of the room stood a woman with her back turned to us. She was wearing a sleek, black, backless dress that clung to her figure like it was painted on. Her heels clicked on the concrete floor as she turned to face us.

My stomach dropped.

Lisha.

The one woman I’d hoped to never meet in this lifetime—or any other.

The man shoved me down into a cold metal chair. My ankles were retied, and I winced as the rope bit into my skin. If the tape wasn’t on my mouth, I would’ve already cursed every one of them to hell.

“Boss, she’s here,” the man said, stepping back.

"Delighted to see you—the woman who stole my fiancé’s heart… or should I say, the gold digger," Lisha said with a venomous smile as she approached. She was beautiful, sure—but it was the kind of beauty that came with poison beneath the surface.

She strutted toward me like she was on a runway, her perfect face mere inches from mine. But mine—if I may say so myself—was just as beautiful. Maybe that’s what pissed her off.

Without warning, she yanked the tape from my mouth.

“OW!” I shouted, my lips burning.

“Well… well… well,” she cooed mockingly. “I want to know, how did you meet my fiancé, Denver?”

“That’s none of your business,” I said, boldly and without hesitation. The words just flew out.

Her response? A loud, vicious slap across my cheek.

“Who are you to speak to me like that? Don’t you know who I am?” she screamed, voice sharp as a blade.

“Who are you, too?” I shouted back, eyes blazing. “I don’t care if you’re the President’s daughter! Let me go!”

Another slap. My other cheek burned. I grit my teeth.

“You’re really testing my patience, aren’t you? Listen up, you bitch. I’m the only daughter of the Villanovans. I can do anything I want,” she snapped, yanking a fistful of my hair.

I hissed in pain, but I wasn’t going to back down. “Are you deaf? I said I don’t care who you are! What do you want from me? Why did you kidnap me?”

She released my hair and crossed her arms. “Since you asked—I want you to leave Denver. If you want, I can give you a large sum of money.”

She twirled a strand of my hair like I was a doll. I sneered.

“You think I’d do that? For your information, I’m not for sale. Keep your money. I won’t give you what you want.”

“You’re stubborn!” she screamed, grabbing my hair again. “Jave!” she called out.

A man stepped forward and handed her something. My blood ran cold when I saw it.

Brass knuckles.

Dear God. Please protect me.

“So? Still not going to obey me?” she taunted.

“Why are you so obsessed with Denver anyway?” I muttered, swallowing thickly.

Her eyes softened for a split second. “He’s the only man I’ve ever wanted. He was my knight in shining armor when everyone else bullied me. He stood by me when no one else did.”

Her voice wavered, but then it turned steely. “We were inseparable as kids. He’s mine. Denver belongs to me—no other woman can have him.”

She leaned close, pinching my cheek. “So break up with Denv—”

“No,” I snapped. “I’m not breaking up with Denver.”

“You really are stubborn,” she growled. Then her brass-knuckled fist slammed into my face.

Pain exploded across my cheek. Blood poured from my lips.

“Hold her still!” she shrieked. Two men gripped my arms like vices. Then came another punch. And another. My vision swam. My head slumped.

Was this it? Was I going to die here?

Would I finally see my brother Simon again?

Lisha raised her fist again. “If you won’t do as I say, then you’re better off dead!”

“LISHA! That’s enough!” a voice thundered.

Police sirens wailed in the distance. Closer now. A rush of shouts and footsteps echoed around us.

Before I could turn toward the voice—before I could even take a breath—everything faded into black.