[XAVIER] I'm not surprised by Zarina's reaction after finding out the only truth I tried to conceal. I'm just a little disappointed in her perception of me. Maybe I got a bit selfish and only wanted to hear a resounding "yes" when I asked her to portray Aurora in front of Hazel. I was afraid that once she learned the truth, she would never agree to help. It's true that she's being held against her will, and if I wanted to, I could have forced her to comply. But I wanted her involvement to come from the heart, not from coercion. The only difference between me and Vladimir is that my intentions were solely focused on giving Hazel something she had never experienced before—a mother's touch and the love that comes with it. But maybe I went too far in my attempt to make it all seem real. Perhaps it's all my fault. Maybe that's why I couldn't bear to stay in that room for another second. Her words felt like stepping on landmines. Every time

[ZARINA]Nothing would have prepared me for what momentous turn my life was about to take the moment I stepped out of the Perazzo mansion. I knew that something was not right. This feeling, this odd burning nervous sensation pulsating inside my chest was warning me of something bad that was being unleashed my way, but as always and conventional to my helpless and hopeless self, I hearkened to the stubborn part of my heart. The one who wanted freedom more than anything. Nothing would have prepared me for what future my fate held before I committed the terrible mistake of my life. * * *For good or for worse, I was finally out of the mansion. I’m still not able to swallow the mere fact that Rose is the one helping me to get out of here. The one who was hellbent on obeying the orders of her ‘masters’, as if they were written on stone.“Remember what I told you?” She whispe

[ZARINA] When I open the door and step out of the room, I can hear the faint commotion, the clattering of the utensils, from the kitchen. Julie is on the phone, jibber-jabbering in Italian - a language so beautiful yet foreign to my wits. It reminds me of how I always wanted to learn foreign languages. French, Italian, Spanish - just name it. But some wishes never come true, and it was one of them for me. It reminds me of someone else too, but I shove that thought away. I don’t have to worry about him anymore. I am finally free. At least, that’s what I told myself when I looked in the mirror before leaving the room. Julie instantly noticed me when I walked up to the counter that divides the kitchen from the dining room. She lifts her hand and points her index finger at the ceiling, asking me to hold up, so I wait. Marco, her husband, is nowhere to be seen. The knots in my stomach twist. I wanted to ask Julie where he was, but before I could, she disconnected the phone, slid the phon

[ZARINA]For a brief moment, I question whether the woman standing before me is real or a figment of my imagination. However, as she speaks, her voice awakens long-forgotten memories that I've had to endure in the midst of turmoil. Suddenly, all my doubts dissipate."Zarina!" she exclaims, and I find myself hesitating, gripping the doorknob tightly."You can't be here," I shake my head, struggling to comprehend the situation unfolding before me.The last time I laid eyes on her, she was speeding through congested traffic, disregarding multiple red lights, all so that I wouldn't miss my flight to Venice.After that, she vanished from my life as if she were nothing more than a passing breeze. It made me question whether she had ever truly entered my life at all.And yet, here she stands today, just as I am prepared to leave Venice behind. She stands on the other side of the threshold, wearing a smile that reminds me of the wom

[LIZZY] I heard Vector yelling and my curiosity perked up. Two days have already gone by and Zarina is nowhere to be found. Everyone is worried sick. Some people, like Xavier and I, are worried because we genuinely care about her, and there are some who are fretting because their lives literally depend upon whether they can find her in the next few hours or not. Because the boss wants Zarina. And that’s enough reason for more than half the people working for Vladimir Perazzo to piss in their pants. Everybody knows if that guy lost his shit, he would burn down everything. He is a psycho. And needs urgent treatment. But of course, no one is audacious enough to say it to his face. As if you have. I’ll ignore that! Actually, now that I think about it, there are only three people who spat that truth across his face and walked out alive. Michael, the grand old man.