CHAPTER TWO: THE BETRAYAL

Valentina's POV 

My eyes fluttered open and I was immediately met with the cold unfeeling gaze of my father. No, not my father again—. The dim light from a single flickering bulb barely lit the damp, suffocating walls of the basement. 

My body ached against the rough stone floor as I scraped my hands and knees, trying to push myself back, away from him. But there was nowhere to go.

My breath hitched and my heart pounded with fear. My throat was tight. “Father, pl—please, let me go.” I hated how weak my voice sounded, trembling with terror. Even though I knew there was no escaping him, I couldn't help but plead.

Franco sneered down at me, his face laced with disgust. “Why did you even make an attempt to run from me?” he growled, his tone mocking. “You should know by now you can't escape.” He sighed heavily, his eyes darkening with disappointment. “You've been nothing but a failure since the day you were born.”

His words sliced through me like a knife and tears stung my cheeks. I couldn't stop the sob that escaped my lips. “I'm sorry! I just— I just wanted to be free, it's—” I choked on my own words. “It's too much…”

Franco's eyes narrowed. “You think this is about freedom?” His voice was sharp, dripping with venom. “No, Valentina, this is about fear—the fear you should have for me. But you've defied me for the last time.” 

I trembled beneath his gaze, powerless as every part of me was breaking. “I know I messed up, but… I don't deserve this,” I whispered, my voice so small that it was barely audible. 

He chuckled and tilted his head. “Do you even understand why you're being punished?” His voice cut through me, each word sharper than the last.

I nodded, shaking uncontrollably. “Yes father,” I barely managed to respond, the words catching in my throat. “I tried to leave. I tried to get away.”

“And what did you think would happen, huh?” He leaned in closer, his breath rancid and hot against my face. His nearness suffocated me, filled me with dread. “Did you think there wouldn’t be any consequences?” 

He propelled his head forward, his eyes darting around my face. 

“I thought… I just needed a break,” I stammered, the words clumsy and pathetic.

Franco straightened as he nodded, towering over me, his face a mask of rage barely held in check. “You'll be beaten until you learn your place.” his voice, low and dangerous. “You're mine to control and you will obey me.”

My heart sank into my stomach. The walls of the basement seemed to close in. I crawled and held his feet. “Please, no!” I cried, desperation clawing at me. I could not take another beating, not after all I had been through. It would break me.

 “I'll do anything you want, I swear, just… Please don't do this.” I held his legs firmly, hoping—begging—for some mercy. Yet all I saw was the cold expression in his eyes.

He stared at me in silence, the pause ominous, until a slow, chilling smile curled at the corners of his mouth. “Anything?” His voice dropped. 

However, I felt the danger in his words as he stepped closer. I nodded frantically, my throat tight with fear. “Yes, anything,” I whispered, swallowing the thick lump in my throat.

Franco crouched down, bringing his face close to mine. His eyes roamed over my face, then down my body. His gaze was like a predator sizing up its prey. He moved his hand to my hair, his fingers brushing through it like I was an object to be inspected.

He got hold of my chin, his grip tightened as he turned my face from side to side, studying me. I felt like I was suffocating under his touch. No, I didn't feel, I was actually suffocating.

He hummed, satisfied. “Not bad,” he murmured, almost to himself. His words were cold, like he was talking about a piece of merchandise, not his daughter. “Well well… I guess all you need right now is a nice bath.” He bit one end of his lips.

I blinked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. A bath?  What did that mean?  Confusion swirled through me, fear pressing down harder. “what… what do you mean?” I stammered.

“There's an important guest here tonight from another syndicate,” Franco said, standing up, his voice detached like this was just another business transaction. “Our alliance with him will change the future of our clan and we have to do everything we can to satisfy him.” 

I stared at me but kept mute. 

“He'll need… entertainment for the evening… and I could see that you're the best fit for that.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. His words coiled in my mind. It was kind of foreign but incomprehensible. Entertainment? No. No, no, no. This couldn't be what he meant.

“I don't…” My voice wavered. “I don't understand, Father.”

His smile vanished and I could notice the impatience flashing across his face. “You want to prove your loyalty to me by doing anything, huh?” he said sharply but it wasn't a question. “Then, you'll do this…. You'll go to his room, spend the night with him and satisfy his needs.”

I froze. The words didn't seem real. They couldn't be. “You… you can't be serious,” I whispered, my entire body shaking. I stared up at him, looking horrified. 

“How could you—” my voice cracked. I couldn't even finish the sentence. The very thought made my stomach linger.

Franco's expression didn't change. There was no emotion, no remorse. “You will do anything I ask, and this is what I want,” he held me by my chin and glared into my eyes. “You will serve him tonight.” he loosened his grip and let go of me.

Laughter bubbled up from me—a desperate, broken sound. “I'm your daughter,” I said, my voice fragile, on the verge of breaking. “I know you don't care about me but how are you so comfortable with this… how can you ask me to—” I couldn't finish with the words.

I just wanted to disappear, to escape this nightmare. “How could you think of something like this? Why did you hate me so much?” I sobbed, tears crawled out of my eyes.

Franco laughed bitterly, standing tall over me. “My daughter?” His voice mocking. “Is that what you think?”

I frowned, my mind struggling to keep up. “What do you mean?” I asked, barely able to speak through the confusion. “I am your daughter. My mother—”

“Don't be so naive,” Franco snapped, his voice sharp and unforgiving. “You were never my daughter. You never meant anything to me.”

His words felt like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless. “What are you saying?” I managed to question, my voice low and broken.

His gaze was like ice. “Your mother was already pregnant when I married her,” he clicked his tongue like it does not matter to him. “You're not mine. Your mother and I knew this from the beginning. So, I kept you and nurtured you as I thought you would be useful. Now your mother's gone and you've proven to be worthless.”

I felt my world shatter around me. I fidgeted where I knelt. Everything I thought I knew, everything I had ever believed —was a lie. My chest lingered as my heart raced faster than normal. I could almost hear the sound of my heartbeat like it wanted to hammer its way out of my chest. 

My hands shook. I wasn't his daughter.

“You're lying,” I whispered, even though I knew he wasn't. His voice, his eyes—everything about him was cold and detached.

“I have no reason to lie,” he said indifferently. “Your mother was a whore. I took pity on her and raised you. But you were never anything more than a burden to me.”

I couldn't breathe. My mind was spinning, my heart aching with the cruelty of his words. All those years— I had been nothing to him. Nothing. What he said about my mother… I could not take it.

“I might not be your daughter but you have no right saying my mother was a whore… you don't get to talk about her that way.” I screamed with tears in my eyes as I stood up.

Franco sneered and slapped me the moment the words left my mouth. “Believe whatever you want but you don't get to scream at me.” he smirked. “Now, are you going to do what I ask?”

I felt broken, my mind a storm of despair. But then a small, desperate thought flickered in my mind— maybe I could survive this. Maybe, if I agreed…

“If I do this ,” I said quietly, barely able to meet his eyes, “what then?”

He raised an eyebrow like he was intrigued by my question. “You'll live,” he shrugged. “You will be able to roam around freely and there will be no punishment—well, that's if you don't defy me again.”

I swallowed hard but for the first time, I wasn't sure of what I wanted anymore… I just want to survive. 

“And if I refuse?”My voice was shaky but without fear.

Franco’s eyes darkened and his cruel smile returned. “Then you'll suffer… slowly… till you beg and do as you're told.”

I staggered backward and nodded. “Okay, I'll do it.”

His lips curled into a triumphant sheer as he clapped his hands. He reached out and gave me a friendly slap across my back—a gesture that made my skin crawl.

“Good girl,” he muttered and turned around towards the door in an attempt to call for the maid.

I watched as Katie nodded to Franco’s instructions. I knew the maid. Katie, she had always helped massage me and attend to my wounds most of the time whenever I'm injured. She walked up to me and lowered her head.

“Could you please follow me?” She asked kindly. 

I nodded and followed her and as we made our way through the narrow hallway, my eyes caught sight of a man standing a short distance away, speaking quietly with three of Franco's men. 

He stood out, sharp and dangerous. His suit was perfectly tailored, his dark hair neatly pulled back. Everything about him screamed power, control. The way Franco's men bowed to his every word explained that.

My breath hitched. Is this him? The man Franco had condemned me for the night?

“Katie,” I whispered, barely able to force the words out. “Who is that?”

Katie's eyes flickered toward the man before she quickly lowered her gaze again, her face pale. “He's the guest,” she answered softly, her voice barely audible. “The most important of Franco's associates. He wouldn't want to offend him.”

I stopped in my tracks. This Man…. He was taller than I had expected, his presence was commanding and that only made the terror in me swell. I stared at him but quickly looked away when his cold eyes flicked in my direction.

He soon began walking toward me and as he approached us, I instinctively dipped my head, just as Katie had. I kept my eyes down, barely able to breathe as he got to where I stood.

I gasped when he came to a stop by my side. He didn't look at me but he stood for a moment and smirked. I could feel the pressure of his gaze as if he were assessing me from the corner of his eyes.

And when he finally walked away, I gasped for air, my legs shaking beneath me. “I don't think I can do this,” I muttered under my breath, the words barely escaping my lips. I can't do this… I can't… there must be another way.