It would be better.
It had to be better.
God, no...
We reached the mansion after a while, and Nicola dragged me inside.He was furious, and I had no idea why.I could almost feel his anger radiating off him as his thumbs pressed hard into my skin, burning where his nails dug in.When he finally let go of my wrists, I rubbed them gently, wincing.His nostrils flared, his fists clenched tight as he paced back and forth like a caged animal.
He let out a frustrated growl that made me flinch.I didn’t know what to do — I just stood there, frozen in silence, until he suddenly grabbed the nearest thing and hurled it across the room.It shattered into a thousand pieces, the crash echoing through the room like thunder.I gasped and covered my ears, trembling as the shards scattered across the marble floor.
“Vincent!”Nicola roared.
I watched, my face pale, as he glared at me one last time before shouting again.One of his men came running into the living room, a gun already in his hand.
“Clean this damn thing up and take her to her fucking room — or to her mother’s!”Nicola ordered.
“Yes, ser,” Vincent said immediately.
Nicola stormed upstairs toward D’Angelo’s room, his footsteps heavy and full of rage.Once he disappeared, silence settled through the house like dust.
Vincent motioned for me to move.“Come on,” he muttered.
“I’d like to go to my mother’s room,” I said softly, hoping he would allow it.
He shook his head, but I pleaded again, my voice trembling.“Please...”
After a pause, he sighed.“Fine.Go.But if you try to escape, I’ll fucking gut you.”
I nodded repeatedly, swallowing hard, and started walking toward Mother’s room.I glanced over my shoulder to see if Vincent was watching, but to my surprise, he wasn’t.He had turned away and walked in the opposite direction.
I swallowed the tension in my throat and continued walking — until I heard yelling from one of the rooms on my left.The sound made me freeze in place.The door was slightly ajar, just enough for me to see inside.
It was D’Angelo, arguing with Nicola.Their faces were tight with anger, voices sharp and heavy.
“What the fuck did you just say?”D’Angelo roared.
The tone in his voice made my stomach twist.I carefully leaned closer to the door, making sure not to make a sound.Inside, D’Angelo had his hands pressed against his temples, growling under his breath while Nicola paced across the room.Something serious had happened — I could see it written all over their faces.
To be honest, I’d be lying if I said Nicola looked calm.He wasn’t.He was agitated, bothered...scared.I had never seen him like this before.Nothing scared Nicola — and if something got in his way, he usually killed it.But now?Both he and D’Angelo looked troubled, and I couldn’t figure out why.
“You heard right — it’s exactly what I said!”Nicola shouted.
Tension thickened between them as they argued.Their voices dropped low after that, too quiet for me to make out the words.I blinked, trying to focus, holding onto the edge of the door to steady myself.
“D’Angelo, I fucking told you before, but you wouldn’t listen!”Nicola snapped.“He found us — and now you and I are fucked!”
“Don’t worry, son,” D’Angelo said coldly, his tone strangely calm.“He hasn’t found us at all.If he had, Ariana wouldn’t be here today.”
“You can sit there and believe that bullshit all you want,” Nicola growled, his voice rising again, “but he’s here!He blew up the fucking retailer shop we were just at!Next, he’ll come here — he’ll take your daughter from you!Then what?Without Ariana, you’ve got nothing!”
“Shut your goddamn mouth, Nicola!You don’t know what you’re saying!”D’Angelo snapped back, anger flashing across his face.“I got rid of him that day — there’s no way he’s here!”
“Oh yeah?”Nicola hissed.“Then tell me why one of my men identified Alessandro as one of the attackers today.”
My heart dropped to my stomach.My eyes widened as my mind tried to process what I had just heard.
“Alessandro is back,” Nicola said flatly, “so I suggest you get ready for some big shit.”
My stomach turned when those words reached my ears.I felt the blood drain from my face as I tried to make sense of it.
