Camila hummed Elena’s favorite tune as she rearranged the picture frames. Elena would play it for her almost every time as a child. It was a habit of hers to reminisce about all the memories she had shared with this family. What else could an old woman do except think about all her experiences? If she was honest with herself, there was almost nothing to do around. There were a lot of other maids who cleaned and cooked meals. Doing this was helpful, however, it helped her not to worry about anything. It took her mind off her worries, and it was much needed as she was slowly losing her mind every passing day, wondering where Mr. Richardson was… She picked up a picture frame and smiled at it. It was one with Elena in it, posing with a guitar in her hand. She was a...The doors to the mansion pulled open with a very strong force, startling Camila and causing her to let go of the frame in her hand, shattering it into many pieces. She gasped in fright when she saw the m

“No”There was a sudden stillness that filled the room. It was such a simple word yet it meant a lot. Someone had dared challenged Romano’s authority, in open. When Luca heard the word, he was shocked. Even more so when he heard who it came from. He looked up at him, then back at Elena. What in the devil’s name was going on here?Romano was halfway towards his seat when he heard the word. He did not have to turn around to know who it came from. He could feel the sparks flying around the tense room. He was livid with anger and that was putting it lightly. Someone had openly challenged his decision, that someone was Orlando. Regardless of who it was he couldn’t let it go, not when he had done it in front of anyone. His reputation was on the line...Elena spun around to stare at the man who had led her to this dungeon. The man who had plucked her from the safety of her home and had handed her on a platter to this blood-hungry men who wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. For a moment there, she

The lady led her to a room at the far end of the hall. It was as big as her room back at home. Everything was in black or white, sparsely decorated, as if no one was using it. “My name is Merrill, and what’s yours, miss?”“Elena.”Merrill stared at her with sympathy in her eyes. “It is nice to meet you. I do housekeeping for Mr. Orlando, and there are other workers around. I’ll introduce you to them later on if you like…”Elena nodded absentmindedly.“We have never had visitors before, except of course Mr. Sebastian; he comes around regularly. He and Mr. Orlando are good friends. How long will you be staying?”She took a few steps until she was a few inches away from her. “I need you to help me, Merrill. I need to leave the apartment right now. I can’t stay here. I am here against my own will…”Merrill looked past her at the security camera peeking out at the edge of the room. Elena turned around. Merrill pulled away. “I am sorry, I can’t help you,” she said, taking a long look at her.

Elena had to be held down by two security men before she could calm down. She just wanted to go home.Everything was moving so fast; it was hard to even comprehend. As the hours went by as she sat in her bedroom, with two security men on each side, reality slowly dawned on her.She was a captive to a mysterious man in the mafia, and her life as she knew it had ended. She wiped frantically at her eyes to stop the tears. She couldn’t afford to dwell on it. She had to find a way back home somehow; she had to find her way to Camila and reach out to her father. “Can I use the bathroom, please?” It was the first words she had spoken after a while.The men did not budge.“Really? I need to go. Are you going to prevent me from doing that?”One of them hesitantly gave her a nod of approval. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying; her hair was ruffled, there were streaks of tear stains on her cheeks. She felt

Orlando appreciated the silence as he drove her down to the family house. She was pretty shook by him shouting at her, and the increase of security guarding her door. He couldn’t care about that, he loved that she was quiet. He parked his car, and got out before letting her out.She had forlorn expression on her face. He led her through the doors of the hotel, he waved at the receptionist and not long after they were in the elevator. He could have sworn the ride lasted longer than it should. He was acutely aware of her standing in front of him, the soft sound of her breathing, his eyes fixated on her nape. He looked away and adjusted his tie, it had been a busy week.The elevator doors opened and he waited a bit, trying to keep even the slightest distance between them. She stopped and turned around to look at him. Of course, she did not know where she was going. He extended a hand out to her but she did not budge. He did not react.He walked ahead of her, the s