Arianna's POV.
Walking out of the lobby in the airport, I ran a hand through my dirty blond hair as I smiled. Finally, I was back. Italy for me had this feeling I loved. It held something I craved, and wanted desperately, my parents.
I couldn't wait to see them. Maybe they had changed. I knew that my Nonna would be worried if I didn't tell her I was safe, so I drafted a quick text telling her that I had arrived and I would call her later. Then I stuffed my phone into my purse.
My gown fluttered in the breeze, and I pulled my sunglasses away from my greyish blue eyes, and onto the top of my head as I looked around looking for the driver my dad asked to pick me up. At that moment, I saw a guy waving at me, and jogging in my direction. Well, well. It was Marcus the driver.
He grinned as he stood in front of me. "Welcome to Italy Miss. I hope you had a great flight."
I smiled back at him, unable to not be affected by his enthusiasm. " Thank you, Marcus. It was pretty good."
He smiled and dragged my luggage along. We reached a flashy blue car, and I stood beside the car and watched as he put my bag in the trunk of the car. I opened the door and sat down.
"So, where are we headed now, Marcus?" I asked him as I pulled out my phone toying with it. I tilted my head to look at him.
"Firstly, we'll go to the city and then to your home. It takes quite some time, so it'll be a pretty long journey," he said, as he sat down and started up the car.
I nodded softly and pulled out my earphones to listen to some music. I slumped back in the chair feeling absolutely drained. Jet lag was not a pleasant feeling at all.
He probably guessed I was tired and didn't say anything else to me. I rested for about thirty minutes and sat up. I looked outside the windows, and the sight that met my eyes was beautiful. Trees, grasses, gas stations, and a few cars on the road. It was so peaceful. My mind wandered off as I stared in a daze.
I was startled by a low shout from Marcus. "Dannazione!" I noticed the way his teeth clenched, and his hands gripped the steering wheel. Through the mirror, I saw the fear in his eyes, and that fear quickly reflected in mine too.
I fisted my fingers in the seat. My pulse throbbed in my throat as I realized that something was wrong. My mouth started running dry as I hoarsely asked him, "what...what is the problem, Marcus?"
He swallowed and said with some difficulty. "We are being followed, miss" and at that moment I paled. My mind turned blank as I imagined every kind of horrific scene from movies in my head. I don't know how I managed to say, " Followed? Why? and by who? What should we do now? Call the police?"
He clenched his teeth and looked into the rearview mirror as he shook his head. " I don't know, but the police won't be able to help us now. We can only try to outrun them and escape."
Before I could process the meaning of the words he spoke, he said quickly." Sit tight, miss, and don't be scared. Grab onto something."
I subconsciously followed his orders as I asked him quietly " what do you want to do?"
He didn't answer me, and the next thing I knew he stepped on the accelerator. I shook and bounced on the chair, hitting my head on the door. I didn't have time to care about the pain as I grabbed the door for dear life. Marcus tried his best to lose them. I forced down the bile that went up my throat and looked behind me. Sure enough, I saw two cars chasing us at the same breakneck speed Marcus was driving at.
Then suddenly, I heard a rain of gunshots, and Marcus let out a groan. I looked over at him, noticing that he was injured, but he kept mumbling, "Dannazione dannazione." He pulled out a gun from a compartment in the car and used one hand to drive the car. While he fired at them with his free hand.
The car swerved dangerously, and I crouched on the floor. I held a shaky hand to my mouth to stop myself from screaming. ' oh god, somebody, please tell me this is all a bad dream.
The gunshots continued, and this time it was worse. There was only one Marcus and a lot more of those people on the other side. Suddenly the glasses shattered, and I held two shaky hands to my ears. Ignoring the pain that tore at me as the glass shards pierced my skin. Marcus had sustained a lot of injuries and was nearing his limit. I feared for both of us and I knew he did too.
Our car was bumped once by the attacker's car, and our car swerved out of control. He tried to steady it, but his injury made it very difficult. We were hit again, and the car went off track and stopped a few meters from a tree. The dust and sand blew into the car. Marcus slumped in his chair not saying a word, but I knew that this time we couldn't escape.
Almost immediately, the car door was pulled open, and the ringing in my ears didn't subside. I stiffly raised my head and saw Marcus being pulled out of the car, and pinned to the door. His blood flew as he slumped weakly on the door. I could hear indistinct shouts and my eyes turned red, watching as they hit him. I closed my eyes and screamed: " let him go, let go of him...please".
Finally, they did stop, and he slumped to the ground. One of them walked over to my side, and pulled the door open, as he roughly dragged me out of the car and to the ground. I raised my head and glared at them. One of them with a shiny bald head crouched in front of me and lifted my chin to look at him. I was so overcome by hate that I forgot to be afraid.
"Lei è Carina, Vero?" The bald man turned to ask the three men standing behind him. He gave me a very disgusting smile.
"SI capo, è davvero bellissima" one of them replied, and I turned my head away from his face. He gripped my chin harder, turning it towards him. His eyes turned cold. "Don't do that again bella. I don't like that. I wouldn't hurt you if you behave. After all, who could bear to hurt a beautiful woman such as yourself." The other men chuckled as they watched us. His hand traveled from my chin and rubbed my shoulder in a teasing motion. My skin crawled in disgust.
I shot him a dirty look and spoke through clenched teeth. "Don't touch me." He ignored what I said and ran his hands over my body. I fought the nausea I felt when his hands tried to dive into my gown. I panicked, and swung my head forward, catching him off guard. He reacted quickly and slapped me hard. "Bitch, isn't that what you want? And you're behaving so prim and proper. We'll see if you'd still fight like this when you're under a man being f*cked hard."
The throbbing in my head became worse, and I wiped the blood that dribbled from my lips and looked at him defiantly. "Just wait till my parents find out that you kidnapped me. You'll rot in jail." the bald man gave me a smirk, and spat out, "Quanto ingenuo."
"You'd better watch your tongue around here bella. Because if you let it loose, you could lose it." He smiled as he spoke to me, and turned to the other guys standing by the side. "I'm liking her more and more, too bad..."
"It's alright boss, you'll get a better one." The youngest among them said. He nodded as he smiled. "Hmm, venderà a buon prezzo." I couldn't understand what they said, but it elicited a cheer from the men surrounding him.
He gestured to me using his chin, and the youngest among them pulled me up roughly and bound my hands behind my back. He pushed and prodded me to move forward. I refused to cooperate, and he gripped my hair, yanking it back so he could see my face. My scalp burned from the pain, and my eyes turned red. "Don't make me do this the hard way Princessa."
The bald man laughed tauntingly. "Carlos show some respect to the lady, after all her daddy will take us to jail if we mess with her."
Carlos smiled, dragged me to the car, and shoved me inside. The bald man got into the driver's seat. As he started the car he told Carlos. "This one is wild, make sure she's tamed and quiet. We don't need a woman causing a ruckus around here."
I looked at Carlos and saw him smiling creepily at me, and I smelt a peculiar fragrance. I started feeling heavy-headed. "It's done, boss." He said, and that was the last thing I heard before everything went dark.
Arianna's POV. "Wake up." I heard a voice call out, and I twitched uncomfortably. Hoping that whoever it was wouldn't notice that small movement of mine. Just when I thought the person would give up, I heard the low rumble of laughter, and an annoying voice I wouldn't forget. "We know you're awake princessa. It's no use trying to play dead." I decided to play the part I'd chosen to the very end. I slowly opened my eyes and watched the two men standing in front of me guardedly. I recognized the very good-looking one to be one of the kidnappers, Carlos. The other one I'd never seen before, but if he was connected to that Carlos guy, he was nothing good either. I averted my eyes from the two and looked around the place that kept me hostage. It was dark and dreary as expected, and I noticed that I wasn't the only one in here. There were other cages apart from mine which held women inside too. I came to a shocking realisation. I wasn't kidnapped for Ransom. I was probab
Gabriele's POV. "I look forward to a pleasant cooperation Mr. Stephano," I said as I stood up, extending my hand for a handshake. "So do I, Mr. Andino." He replied, and extended his hand to shake mine. We shook hands, and I adjusted my jacket and glanced at Basilio who was not too far away from me. He nodded discreetly and walked outside the restaurant. We walked out of the restaurant after that, and as we walked we talked about trivial issues. Just as we were about to reach our respective cars, I turned to him."I'll get my assistant Basilio to give you the information you need." He nodded and smiled. "I don't know if I should say this or not Mr. Andino."I stopped in my tracks and frowned in slight irritation. I didn't think he noticed because he continued. "In honour of our successful cooperation, I would like to invite you to come to an auction with me. Who knows you might find something you like." I nodded solemnly, as it would be impolite to refuse
Chapter four.Gabriele's POV. I walked over to the bed where she lay and stood there stiff. She must have been knocked out by someone as she was sleeping a little too soundly. She groaned a little and moved to her side. Her hair shifted and I saw bruises on her skin. I frowned subconsciously and reached out to touch them. I discovered that there was a sizable amount of bruises around her neck area, and on her hands as well. She was tied up in ropes and I removed them from her. I was not a good man, true, but I still frowned seeing the bruises. She shivered lightly when I touched her skin, and I stopped my movement. I could tell that she was waking up. I quickly schooled my face into a mask of indifference, one I was most familiar with. I reached out to fetch a cigarette from my bedside drawer and lit it with a lighter. Then, I walked over to the window, stared at the sky, and waited for her to wake up.Arianna's POV. Awful was the first thing I felt as m
Arianna's POV.Nowadays, mornings for me are horrible. I lay on my bed wishing and hoping as I'd learned to do these days for some miracle that'll make all this a bad dream, but sadly reality was very harsh. I climbed out of the bed and ran a hand through my hair. I tightened the robe on me and walked over to the window. I stood for a while staring at the large expanse of land that met my eyes, sadly, I could only see trees and not a building in sight. I ran to the bathroom to take a shower and came out almost immediately because I heard a crisp knock on the door. I frowned and tightened my hold on the bathrobe. The person probably got impatient and rapped louder. I took a deep breath and answered, "Come in.""Hi, I'm Sofia, your personal maid." I heaved a sigh of relief when I heard her voice. She then came into the room and closed the door as she smiled broadly at me. She was holding a lot of bags in her hands which I assumed were clothes. She was a very beautiful woman with raven
Gabriele's POV.I watched as Arianna jogged up the stairs and fury washed over me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Basilio trying his best to stifle a laugh and I got even more irritated. Just as I was about to blow my top I got a call from Mr. Stephano."Good day Mr. Stephano" I called out coldly and the man let out a burst of boisterous laughter. "Too cold Mr. Andino, I was wondering if you'd gotten my gift and what you think about it."I stood up from the dining chair and shoved a hand into my pocket as I made my way out of my wing of the house. "I received the gift Mr. Andino and I'd like to request that you not send me gifts like that ever again. It was thoughtful of you to get me a gift, but this one was a little too much." Mr. Stephano went silent for a few seconds and expressed his understanding. I hung up on the call and wore my suit as I walked through the west wing which housed my sex slaves, Basilio in tow.Almost immediately after I arrived, the door opened and Sara ju
Arianna's pov.It had been days since I'd been locked up in the prison. I guessed it had been four days without seeing the sun or taking a shower. Food was delivered to me only in the morning and at night and trust me it was nothing luxurious.Mr. Andino was really making good his threat of punishment. It was oddly comforting to be there in silence, the other prisoners in there didn't talk much, and I wondered why. I was annoyed that I didn't escape successfully. My plan was really flawless, in my eyes that is.The plan was to distract their attention so I asked Sofia to get me food later after Mr. Andino was gone, and she did so and left shortly after. I then pretended to be really tired and needed rest, so I requested that no one disturb me for food or any other reason. Luckily I had a lot of flimsy material in the drawers, so I tied them up to make a long rope then anchored it to the window, and made my escape.It was going smoothly at first, a little too smoothly if you asked me s
Arianna's POV.After a sleepless night, morning finally came and I crawled out of my bed. I was sure that I looked horrible because I barely slept. I didn't have the heart to see it in the mirror so I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I brushed I looked into the mirror. My eyes had such scary eyebags and I cursed Gabriele Andino endlessly in my mind.I finally finished and took a shower and wrapped myself inside the bathrobe. Just as I was about to get dressed, I heard a knock on the door. I guessed that it was Sofia, so I went to the door and directly opened it and sure enough, it was her. She looked scared and I understood perfectly, my eyebags gave me quite a scare myself."Come in Sofie." I waved and went on to dry my hair, she stood behind me and closed the door. "Are you okay?" I sighed. "Yup I'm great. Just lacking decent sleep." She sighed with emotion. "Mr. Andino wants you downstairs for breakfast." Almost after I heard what she said, I remembered yesterday and
Gabriele's POV."So, you locked the beauty up eh?" Basilio asked me as he settled into a chair in my study. I didn't spare him a glance but he didn't seem bothered by my silence. I could feel his gaze on my face and I sighed resignedly. "That's the only way she'll learn to behave. I don't need her running around here and causing havoc. Never underestimate anybody, especially harmless-looking women "He nodded. "So what do you plan on doing to her after she's out of the prison and how will you answer her questions? Cause she'll surely ask questions. She'd be a fool not to and I don't think she is."I frowned and stood up from my chair as I walked to the window. My face turned cold as I turned to face him, leaning on the windowsill. "If she knows what's good for her, I trust that she'll heed my warning. I've given her the most patience I can exercise and there will be nothing more.""And as for her questions, she doesn't have that right to question me. She'd best mind her business and
Chapter 80: Arianna's POVThe beeping sound of the machine around me was the first thing my subconscious acknowledged as my eyes flutter open.I was in a hospital. A real one this time.My eyes went to the white light above me and a memory flash of what happened came propelling into my head.I was in the shack waiting patiently for Gabriele and his men to show up as he had promised. I heard the first attack and I braced myself just like Agostino thought me. But then Brett came in gasping like a lunatic.I fought him off for as long as I could, but the pain in my abdomen made it impossible for me to focus, the last thing I remembered before blacking out was the pricking pain of the needle.Where did he take me— the thoughts died down in my head as my eyes settled on the one person my heart valued the most."Gabriele?" I called in a weak voice.He snapped his eyes open. Then in slow motion, I watched how his face exploded into relief. He held my hands and peppered kisses all over them.
Chapter 79: Gabriele's POVThat night no one could sleep. My energy was back to a hundred percent as we all waited for the first rays of the daylight to stream in so that the mission would commence."Strike team, don't forget, be quiet, be quiet and be merciless!" My father roared and the men clanked their vested chests in anticipation.My fingers were sizzling with adrenaline and I couldn't wait to start burying my bullets into the enemies' brains. They picked the wrong lord to mess with.As we all moved out, my godfather came up to me and said. "Whatever happens, I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to make sure that Arianna lives, do you understand?"I nodded at his declaration and he hugged me. When he pulled apart, we got into the truck waiting for us and the journey began."There is something Arianna mentioned last night about the person who orchestrated all of these," I said as the vehicle silently moved over the beach sand and small shrubs."Who is he?" My
Chapter 78: Gabriele's POV"Fuck this!" I hissed out as I placed around the table.This had to be Gianni. No one would play a game this well with me. I was too late. He had Arianna somewhere else!"Did the message say where she is?" Agostino asked me. Usually, he would be the calmer one, but right now, he was as riled up as I was."No, it didn't. But you are right, she isn't here." I ran my fingers through my hair for the hundredth time that day.I didn't have to tell them what I thought. We all knew it was Gianni. He was the only rival we had that could think of a plan like this and come through with it.Basilio's phone ran out and he picked it up immediately. We all turned to him, hoping he would give us good news or something close to that.But his face contorted into a thin line and he grumbled intelligent words before he ended the call and turned to me."It was your father.""What does he want right now?!" I growled. "Look Basilio, my father can go fuck himself if he wants to. I
Chapter 77: Arianna's POVA banging ache on the side of my head stirred me awake. My eyes shut back as the bright light flashes into them.Where was I?I squinted and opened my eyes slowly. I was staring at the open skies."What the—" I snapped my eyes to the side and saw water!I made to get to my feet but blinding dizziness came to me and I sat back down at once. I was weak. I had to conserve my energy. How did I get here?I started searching through my brain but the continuous movement of the platform below me made it impossible.That was when it dawned on me —I was on a ship.I sat up, gently this time. My eyes roamed around me and I confirmed my thoughts. I was indeed on a ship in the middle of nowhere.There were about four guards on the platform with me but they were far enough for me not to be able to see their faces.The first, thing that came to my mind, was an escape —I had to leave. I had to escape from here.As I stared around me trying to make a mental calculation of my
Chapter 76: Gabriele's POV"What?!" I hissed as I dropped the files I was holding at once."Who would dare send such stupid pictures to her?!" I growled.The whole thing now made me boil with anger. What were they trying to achieve?!"I don't know Fratello. But we are already investigating it. She should be home soon," Basilio said on the phone."Fine, handle it. I should be done here before the weekend," I said.Basilio has a gruff response before the line went dead.It was already past midnight and I had an even longer day the next day. I had to follow through with my casinos. Everything just seemed to go wrong.My company database was attacked a few days ago, and while I still struggled to sort that out, the Feds were unto me.It almost felt like someone was after me even when I no longer dealt with illegal business.The last goods I sent to Asia got intercepted at sea and nothing I did could bring them back.I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath. I needed to go h
Chapter 75: Arianna's POVI couldn't believe I was finally going to see my grandparents. My relationship with Gabriele was nothing I thought it would become. He was the love of my life.But I never thought he would let me go back to America to see my grandparents.I still had an escort of guards following after me from strategic locations but the freedom was overwhelming.I had tears in my eyes by the time the cars hit the road and I was asked to input my address. My hands shook as I typed the words on the pad.I was finally going to see my nonna.My heart raced and my stomach did several backflips as my eyes remained glued to the window. I thought my life was ruined when Gabriele bought me from those horrible men.When I even discovered that my parents were the ones who sold me, I thought I would pass out. Little did I know that I was getting closer to my prince charming. My Gabriele.When I told Brett to stay out of my life, a little part of me, missed the fact that I would never se
Chapter 74: Gabriele's POVMy cock was aching to bury itself inside Arianna's soft folds. I grabbed her thighs and tore through the left material of her dress."Gabriele, we are in the car!" She shrieked beneath me.The sound of her voice was sizzling and my cock ached even more. I pulled her neck to the right angle and claimed her lips before she could say another thing.She moaned against my mouth as I pulled my belt off my waist and released my cock between her thighs.I pulled her closer so that she now lay flat on the seat and I went on top of her. It was a good thing the car was big enough for the stunts I was pulling."Shit!" I cursed as I missed her entrance.Then like a dream, I felt her hand on my cock as she led me to her entrance. A grin covered my face as I let her continue."Naughty..." I whispered as I thrust deep inside of her."Hmmm," She moaned into my neck as I drove hard into her.My eyes rolled back and my veins popped as I held her waist and continued ramming int
Chapter 73: Arianna's POV"Arianna you don't understand! Gabriele has you rolled up around his fingers, I am only trying to help here. You don't love him... You don't mean that..." He said desperately.At this point I was no longer angry, I just watched him calmly. He needed help."I am sorry Brett but you have it all wrong and I will really appreciate it if you stop. It isn't worth it," I said slowly.His eyes darkened and he raised his fists in the air. I just watched him —he couldn't touch me because Mike would gnaw off his head before he got any closer."Arianna, this is terrible. You are a captive yet you defend your captor? Let me help you!" He insisted.I realized that he wasn't going to stop and I did t have time for this. I held on tight to my purse and let out a deep breath."As I said earlier, you can't understand Brett. Anyway, you have taken enough of my time. Enjoy the breakfast," I said and made for the door but on second thoughts, I paused."One more thing Brett," I sa
Chapter 72: Arianna's POVThe moment Agostino finished scolding us and left, Gabriele locked himself in his office and I returned to the room.Sofie and Mike gave me thumbs up but I didn't feel like it. I should have been happy.I won but I didn't feel so confident about it anymore.I got to the room and pushed the door close with my leg. I peeled off the clothes I wore and picked out his large white shirt. I wore it and dropped it on the bed unceremoniously.Why couldn't he just come to the room? I thought to myself.We could make out and make up. He didn't have to be so sad about the idea of me going to spend time with my friends. It wasn't necessary.It was just a simple outing and he didn't have to act like some jealous boyfriend. I loved him and no one else. Didn't he know that?Did I have to remind him?I tossed around the bed, as the questions rolled and flowed out of me.The lights went off automatically drowning me in darkness. I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep but