Chapter 8

Sergio stood up and went to stand in front of the window. "You can not strike when he has not committed an offense"

Alfonso nodded in agreement. "I am sorry, Boss, I misinterpreted your order"

"We leave first thing tomorrow. Get the soldatos ready" [Soldiers]

"Yes, Boss"

******

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[Next Day]

After having breakfast, Rosana decided to take a walk around the mansion. Since she arrived days ago, no one showed her around. She didn't even know most places in the building.

Viola followed behind her, acting as a tour guide. She showed her all the places she needed to know and warned her against the places she wasn't allowed to enter.

"That building over there is a cell."

Rosana paused and stared at the building which was far away from the mansion. "A cell? Why is there a cell here?"

"I do not know, My Lady. But it is not a good and decent place for anyone" 

"Then why is it here? What happens there?"

Viola lowered her head and refused to say a word. She was always afraid of being around Rosana because she asked so many questions. Questions she wouldn't answer even if a knife was held to her throat.

But she couldn't hide things from her even when she knew it could cost her life. She was the Don's wife and she needed to know everything so as not to get into trouble.

"Viola..."

"Promise me you will not say a word about this to anyone. Not even the Don." Viola whispered and stepped closer to her. She looked scared. "Promise me, My Lady!"

"Yes, I swear, I promise. Now, talk"

Viola looked around one more time just to be sure no one was around. When she was fully conclusive, she turned back to Rosana and dragged her to a corner.

"I hear it is like hell, My Lady, and the Don is the King." She paused and looked around before whispering into Rosana's ears. "People get locked up in there. They are chained and tortured too. They are bûtchered and fed to the dogs. I also hear they break their heads and bones with a hammer. They drill holes into their eyeballs until they burst. They... He... He grinds people too"

A taste of nausea hit the back of Rosana's throat. She instantly fell to her knees against the hard ground and emptied her stomach on the floor. Viola knelt beside her and scooped her hair from her face so she wouldn't mess it up.

"My Lady... Are you okay? We should go inside!"

Rosana opened her mouth to respond but all that came out was the breakfast she managed to eat that morning. No matter how hard she tried to push the nauseous feeling away, it kept hitting the back of her throat, causing her to throw up even more.

"Goodness... I knew this would happen. I should never have told you all of that" Viola cried and kept patting her back.

By the time Rosana was done, she was out of breath. Her ability to breathe was stagnating and she couldn't even breathe no matter how hard she tried to. 

Did Viola just mention that he grinded people too? Rosana wondered as she wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She was now very weak and felt sick.

"I am so sorry, My Lady! I should never have told you all of those."

"No... It is fine..." No, it wasn't. 

How could everything be fine when she just learned that Sergio, her husband, had a cell where he chained and tortured people? He even used all sorts of torture instructions to make them suffer.

What kind of a man was he? Rosana wondered. Her hands were starting to shake and her vision was blurry. She felt highly repulsed by all she had just heard and still felt like throwing up.

"I will get you water, My Lady. Wait here!" Viola said and took off immediately.

Rosana remained rooted to the spot and kept staring at the cell in terror. It was impossible not to speculate what Viola just said because she had witnessed Sergio rip out a man's heart on their wedding night.

She couldn't believe that for the past few days, she had been living in the devil's chambers. She had been living with a man who did all kinds of dehumanizing things to people. He had used those same hands to touch her. And like hell, a part of her enjoyed it.

Rosana didn't know she had been walking the whole time until she bumped into a hard chest. She stepped backward and looked up at him without uttering a word. She was too traumatized to realize who it was.

"My Lady... Oh, My God!!!..." Viola cried out when she stepped outside with the bowl of water. Rosana was standing in front of Sergio. Does it mean she was telling him about what she had just told her? Viola thought. 

If so, then she was done for. Sergio was going to kill her this time. The bowl of water she was holding fell from her hand and Sergio turned to look at her. She promptly turned pale.

What has she done? She kept asking herself.

"Cosa fai, Rosana?" Sergio asked with a deep and low voice. That was the first time he was calling her by her real name, Rosana noted. [What are you doing, Rosana?]

"I... I..." She didn't know what to say but she slowly realized it was him. She was standing in front of the devil. The ruthless Sergio De Niro.

"Do I have to make you step away from my path?"

She opened her mouth to respond but then she felt it again. The wave of nausea was stronger this time and before she could think of moving away, it hit the back of her throat and she threw up on Sergio.

She kept going on and on while he stood there, watching her with eyes that held so much anger and darkness. There was no way she could stop herself, especially when she kept recollecting what she was told about him grinding people. 

When she was finally done, she stood straight and wiped her mouth with the back of her palm. She didn't look shocked or terrified that she had just messed him up badly.

Instead, she gritted. "I hate you so much. I wish you burn in your hell someday"

He paused and studied her for sometime. Then he asked. "Hai finito, Bambolina?" [Are you done, babydoll?]

She nodded and glared at him defiantly. "Sì. Yes, I am done!"

He stepped closer to her and she cowered backward in fear. "Well, it is now my turn to get started" He turned to the men beside him. "Get her!"