Chapter 5: His Return

Victoria was about to jump from the bridge when a strong pair arms suddenly caught her and pulled her back. Victoria was surprised, she landed on a hard chest while shutting her eyes.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She heard a heavy male voice coming from beside her. Victoria opened her eyes in shock.

“You, you’re” It was Dante and his face was right in front of her. There was a huge frown on his face, but his gaze softened as their eyes met.

Victoria looked down and realized she was right on top of him. She quickly lifted herself and stared at him in disbelief.

“What are you doing here, Dante?” She asked him.

“Well, that’s one way to greet someone who has just saved your life.” He responded sarcastically.

“I didn’t ask you to.” She replied with an annoyed tone.

“You’re still as stubborn as ever after all these years.” He chuckled a little as nostalgia hit him. Victoria was still staring at him, wondering if this man was even real. She reached out her hand to touch his shoulder, his gaze followed her hand and she widened her eyes.

“You’re actually real.” She whispered to herself. He suddenly grabbed her hand and pressed it closer to his chest.

“Yes, I am real. As real as I can be, Victoria.” He replied.

“Do you miss me?” He asked with a small smirk on his face. Seeing his playful tone, she quickly retreated her hands.

“Why are you back after all these years? No, most importantly, how did you find me?” She wondered.

“Well, I couldn’t tell her that I have put a tracker on the necklace I gave her years back. She will freak out.” He thought to himself.

“I just happened to pass by this street just now. Then I saw a crazy woman about to jump from the bridge. She looked like you, so I stopped and did what I did. Turns out it’s actually you.” He made up a story on the spot.

“That makes sense.” She looked to the side with a complicated expression. He took a step closer to her, his expression turned serious.

“So tell me, what were you thinking? Why did you want to end your life like that?” He asked with frustration and disappointment in his tone.

“If I was a bit late, she would have died. If that happened, how could I live with myself?” He thought.

“I have no reason to live anymore, Dante. My life is over," she replied. He frowned, displeased.

“What do you mean by that?” He asked with a low, dangerous tone.

“Well, my career is over before it even starts. I’m a painter, that’s the only thing I love doing in life, and no one’s willing to showcase my work for sales. I’m working a part-time job that kills me every day.” He was listening to her intently.

“I’ve been dating this man for the past two years, Liam and today I found out he cheated on me with my stepsister, Amelia. I have no money because he took everything, and my phone is broken right now.” She vented at an accelerated speed.

“You’re asking me the wrong question; you should ask me why I'm still alive and didn’t jump sooner!” Frustration was present in her voice.

“No, Victoria, your life is not over,” Dante replied calmly. He turned around and saw her suitcase nearby, grabbed it and placed it on the trunk of his car.

“What are you doing with my stuff?” She asked him. He looked at her with a soft yet firm gaze.

“You are coming with me.” He stated.

“What? What are you saying? I didn’t agree to it.” She responded. He sighed and looked at her straight in the eyes.

“Victoria, right now you have nowhere to go, right? If you’re not coming with me, what will you do? Trying to end your life again?” He asked her. She fell silent. He opened his car and gestured for her to come in.

“Get inside, we’re going back to my place.” He told her. Victoria thought about it for a moment. Could she trust him? After all, he was just someone she spent a few weeks with back then. What if he kidnapped her?

“What are you standing there for? Come in.” He repeated himself.

“Ah whatever, it’s not like I have anywhere to go if I’m not coming with him.” She thought to herself before finally getting in the car. He also got inside the car and started driving away. Inside the car, they did not really speak much. Victoria was still processing what was happening and there were many questions she had for him. Where did he go back then? What happened to him all these years? Why did he come back? However, she was too emotionally tired to know the answer at that moment.

Around half an hour later, they finally arrived at his place, which turned out to be a mix of a modern mansion and a bunker. It was a single house, but it was sectioned; there was a right wing and a left wing side with a middle section. The whole house was painted in a light terracotta color. The windows were all tinted and looked like they were bulletproof. When she stepped out of the car, she could not believe her own eyes.

“This is your house?” She asked in disbelief.

“Yes, it’s my house. Well, one of them.” He replied. She turned to him and raised her brow.

“What do you do for a living?” She asked curiously. He paused for a moment. He knew he couldn’t tell her the truth. She would freak out and try to run away from him. Besides, knowing about his true identity could put both of them in danger.

“I’m a property businessman.” He lied. For some reason, she was skeptical of his answer, but since she was already tired, she decided to not pursue the question further.

He grabbed her suitcase and both of them walked inside the house. As she expected, the interior of the house was grander than the exterior. It was less modern on the inside, with classic, Spanish and French-inspired interior.

While she was admiring the sight, Vincenzo walked into the room. He nearly froze when he saw Victoria in there, a small frown appeared on his face. Dante approached Vincenzo with her suitcase.

“Vincenzo, tell one of the staff to prepare one of the guest rooms.” He stated.

“That woman, is she-“ Before Vincenzo could finish his sentence, Dante nodded.

“Yes, from today on, she’s going to stay here.” He replied. Victoria turned and saw Vincenzo. Their eyes met briefly and Victoria could already tell this man did not welcome her presence there. However, Vincenzo nodded.

“Okay, I will do it right away.” Vincenzo walked out of there.

“Who is that?” She asked.

“That’s my assistant and right-hand man, Vincenzo. He’s staying with me. So if I am not here and you need anything, you can go to him, he’ll treat you well.” Dante replied.

“He even has his own right hand man. I have no idea Dante is this wealthy…” She thought to herself.

“By the way, I need to take care of some things now. You can just stay here until your room is ready.” He told her. Victoria nodded and sat on the sofa. Dante walked away. Victoria picked up her phone and saw the cracked screen.

“Gosh, everything is happening so fast, I can barely process it.” A few moments later, the door suddenly burst open. Drunk Pietro walked inside the room, fumbling around. Victoria looked at him in shock. Pietro turned his head toward her and smirked.

“Ah, another call girl?” He smirked.

“What is he talking about?” Pietro slowly walked toward Calista.

“Who hired you here, pretty girl?”