NADIA'S POV
In a presidential suite, the dark brown curtains were drawn lightly, limited light seeped into the room, making it hard to see the faint rays of sunlight. My pounding head spins as I look around my surroundings, and I instantly regret drinking so much. Panic curses through me, as I can't immediately recognize where I was. I can tell I'm in a room, but who's room? The last thing I remembered was Sophia bringing me to a club and leaving midway our conversation. I groan, rubbing my eyes and hoping I'm seeing things properly– the alcohol burning in my system is still making me confused. I tried to roll over, suddenly I became aware of the heavy arm draped around my waist. My head quickly whipped to the side and I prayed that the heavy hand belonged to Sophia, maybe she came back for me and brought me to a room. But my worst fears were realized, and I brought my palm to my lips, trying to contain the scream of horror, when I found a naked man lying beside me. He's not just a naked man, his body is embedded with different drawings of tattoos. “Fuck!” I cursed, looking down to find myself also naked. The slight discomfort between my legs makes me painfully aware that I tossed my virginity out of the window and had no memory of it. I immediately gasped, palming my face, as some memories from last night flooded my head. “No, no..” My eyes stung and I glanced at him, he was still sleeping, his sturdy chest heaving up and down in rhythm to his breathing. Truth be told, he was handsome, his jaw outline carved out perfectly, like that of a professional sculpture. But I need not be told they are just looks, he was a man and has a dick, just like Logan, so they are just the same. “I need to leave -” I said, searching for my clothes, but they were already damaged. I paused my lips into a deep thin line, praying I wouldn't wake him up. I slowly lifted his huge arm that was draped around my waist, replacing it with a pillow and slowly climbed down from the bed. I hurriedly went to the wardrobe and changed into a polo and long pants that looked very big on me. I also found a baseball cap, which I wore to cover half of my face. As fast as one could blink, I stumbled out of the room. Gosh, I really feel sore between my legs. Was he that huge? 'I'll attend to that later, first I need to leave this place’ I mumbled, walking faster, along the long passage with different rooms. Finally, I was out of the club's building, with my head lowered and steps hastened, I walked to the direction of my adoptive parents house, it's a few blocks from here. The sting of their betrayal was still fresh, but I'm not going to let myself be a weakling in front of them. I'll go grab my bags and items, then I'll leave their lives for good. Reaching closer to the house, my heart tugged with emotions, which I ignored and went head on. I didn't have to knock or use the doorbell, as the door was slightly opened, I slowly pushed it open and went inside. The deafening silence indicated that no one was around, but who would leave their house open and go to work? I shrugged as it wasn't my business and went upstairs to get my stuff in the room, which once belonged to me. As I got closer to the room, I heard muffled groans and moans, which could only come from people who were fucking themselves. My heart race picked up immediately, as curiosity got the better of me and I hastened my steps. In a swift swing, the door was flung open, and my eyes met with Logan's, who was busy giving it hard to his wife. I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat, my heart panged with pain and I looked away immediately. They could've found another spot to do it, not in my room, although the room doesn't belong to me anymore. They brought the sheets to their chest, their eyes burning with anger, especially the girl's and I swear I can predict the next thing she was going to say. “You?!” She barked, glaring daggers at me “What are you doing here? Which part of leave did you not understand last night? Oh wait! You think my parents will take you back, if you came to plead with them? Delusional, aren't you?” She sneered, letting out a mocking laughter. “Calm down love, don't get so worked up because of her.” Logan said, his gaze eyeing me in a disgusting manner, as he pulled her shoulder and kissed her. The same bed where we shared our kisses, wishes and cuddles, I smiled, grateful that we didn’t do anything more than kissing and cuddling. “She's still standing there, my gosh! leave here, you just interrupted our time. Weren't you thinking about how to knock when entering a house or room that doesn't belong to you, how on earth did you get in?” Vanessa frowned, her hatred and resentment towards me obvious. “I came to grab my stuff and beside the door was opened, so I walked in. You can continue whatever You're doing, I promise I won't look.” I said, and turned to my wardrobe. “Shameless!!,” Vanessa hissed. It didn't take me a long time, and I was packing. I just grabbed my important stuff, and then I turned to them, meeting their resentful gaze. “I'm done.” I made to leave, but paused, turning my gaze back to them, “Uhmm a quick reminder, the bed's wood isn't too strong it might break sooner than later, so many lies have been told there.” With that said, I turned around and left immediately. I could hear Vanessa swearing curses at me, I chuckled and moved faster. Out of the neighborhood, unsure of where to go, with my bag hung on my shoulder and my stomach making a gurgling sound. I think I've remembered where to go and live, in the outskirts of the town, there seems to be abandoned houses. I can check one of them and stay there for the meantime. Lost in thoughts and unaware of the car speeding towards me, as soon as I noticed, I made a stop for it to drive past me, but instead it halted in front me, the doors opening, revealing masked men. I suddenly remembered what Sophia told me last night. Fear engulfed me, I had to run but was cornered by two of them, who came at me with full speed, before I could say anything, I felt a painful hit on the back of my head. I first saw stars before my vision got blank and I collapsed.Inside a dimly lit room, that was quiet, except for the faint glow of Luciano’s cigarette as he took another slow drag. He sat across an armrest chair, his expression dark and unreadable, as he puffed large flakes of smoke like his life depended on it. The soft rhythmic ticking of a nearby clock filled the silence, marking the seconds that stretched endlessly.Light footsteps were heard and Jeff stepped in, his expression grim, as he stood at the doorway.“Has she woken up?” Luciano asked, without turning to look at him.“No, sir.”Luciano hummed in response, flicking the ashes from his cigarettes into the glass ashtray beside him. His gaze was fixed on the wall, but his mind was caught in a whirlwind.He could still hear her voice from earlier, in the hospital –raw, broken, filled with desperation that had made his chest tightened. ‘Please, tell me who I am.’He wanted to tell her what he knew. Hell, he wanted to tell her everything. But he knew she wouldn't be able to handle it?
NARRATOR ~~Luciano stared blankly at Nadia, Her gaze determined and expression solemn, not the usual Nadia's gaze.But then, he couldn't bring himself to tell anything to her, not then, not yet. “You need to rest.” He said and turned to leave when Nadia’s next words halted him.“Right now, I don't mind dying. I don't mind working my ass off to repay you, I don't mind walking away from you and walking into them again and getting tortured ... .I really don't mind.” Her voice wavered.“My life has been nothing but a mess, a web filled with lies, secret. I don't even know my own identity, getting accused of what I have no information or idea about. I don't even remember any part of my childhood, not even my parents' faces. Yeah, you've been protecting me quite well, but I still got to experience the whole torture all over again, except this time…it was cruel.”“I….I…” Nadia lowered her head as her voice faltered and she broke into tears, hugging her head like she could separate it from
NADIA A stark, blinding whiteness consumed my vision. The scent of antiseptic burned my nose. The steady, rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor pulsed in the background, dragging me out of the abyss.My eyelids fluttered open. The ceiling above me was white, too white, like a void swallowing everything. The bright lights stung my eyes, forcing me to blink against the sharp ache pressing against her skull. A dull, throbbing pain radiated from my abdomen, each pulse sharper than the last.My breath shuddered as the memories from last night flooded into my head. Luciano. The chaos. The escape. And then….my fingers twitched against the stiff hospital sheets. Slowly, I turned my head, my body protesting even the slightest movement. A deep, dragging exhaustion weighed me down, as though my bones had been replaced with lead.My heart skipped as I suddenly remembered.My stomach. The pain. The warm, sticky wetness. The sharp, gut wrenching pain that ripped through my body before my legs gave
NARRATOR ~~The moment the alarms blared, Luciano knew the escape wasn't going to be easy, but he had vowed to get Nadia out of there.The red warning lights flashed through the dark corridors, casting eerie shadows as men flooded the halls. The silence that had lingered previously shattered into chaos. The air was consumed with the metallic scent of blood and gunpowder as gunfire erupted like a violent storm.Luciano's grip on Nadia tightened as he turned to Logan. “Get her out of here. I'll clear the path.”Logan's face was grim. He nodded, stepping towards Nadia, but before he could even lay a hand on her, bullets whizzed last them, slamming into the walls, sending chunks of stone and debris flying.“Fuck….get down!” Luciano barked, grabbing Nadia’s arm and shielding her as he pressed her against the wall. His men had already taken position, returning fire with ruthless precision.The hallway had now turned into a wall zone.Luciano moved swiftly, his gun raised as he fired at the
LUCIANO~~My fingers curled into fists as my patient grew thin, as if hanging on a thread. Every second that passed felt like a blade slicing through my control. Nadia was in that house, surrounded by Damon's men. And yet, here I was, standing and waiting.“Time’s running out, Logan,” I growled, my voice a low warning. “If I find out you've been wasting my time, I swear I'm gonna put a bullet into your fucking skull and get to her myself.”Logan exhaled, steadying himself. “Listen, I want Nadia out of there, as much as you do, not just for my sake, but I got her in there. But if you go in now, guns blazing, they'll kill her before you can even step inside.”I clenched my jaw, my body vibrating in frustration. My instincts screamed at me to act. To move. Logan continued, his voice low. “I know the layout. Her room is in the west wing, near Silas’s personal quarters. Damon stationed his most ruthless men outside her door. We're talking about killers that have intense hatred against the
NADIA “You think your adoption was fate? Some kind couple taking in a poor, abandoned child?” His fingers trailed down my arm, but I recoiled violently, my breath coming in ragged bursts. “You were handpicked, Nadia. And the name Eddie, I gave that to you. The orphanage just chose to call you Nadia.” Silas continued, his voice thick with cruel amusement. “Your adoptive parents weren't Saviours or kind. They were paid by me.” The room spun.No.No, no, no.“You're lying,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.Silas chuckled, dark and pleased. “Am I? I watched you grow. No. You grew on my money, I was waiting for you to become what I needed. But those bastards? They failed me.” His smile twisted into something crueler. “So, I showed them what it felt like to go against me.”Bitterness rose in my throat.“You..” my voice choked.“Yes,” he said simply. “I killed them, and their precious daughter? Heh, you wouldn't want to know what I did with her.”The air in my lungs vanished, I