CHAPTER 29.SOPHIE.My heart raced uncontrollably, and my hands trembled as he turned his face toward me.It was Leo! My heart skipped a beat when our eyes met, and I gulped, unable to speak. Tension coursed through my body, and I shivered involuntarily, my feet now planted on the car seat as I hugged myself, trying to shield away from the monster.“Hey, sweetheart,” Leo said with a smile. I shook my head in disbelief. No, this must be a dream. It can't be real. I am not his sweetheart.I couldn't process how he had found me or how he knew I was staying at Jenny's place. This couldn't be a coincidence; it felt like a deliberate act. A chill ran down my spine as I sat there, watching him smile at me with a sinister expression.“Adele misses you so much,” he began, and a lump formed in my throat. “What kind of mother leaves her daughter for so long without any promise of coming back, huh?”My body froze, panic racing through my mind. How did he...? Why was he...?I tried to speak, but m
CHAPTER 31VINCENZO I can't quite figure out if I'm more angry that she betrayed me or that I stupidly trusted her so easily.She promised to keep it to herself and not say anything during the interview, only for her to sell out the information.“Vin, do you have anyone in mind?” Niko asked, concerned.I just sighed. I know who it is. It’s Sophie who betrayed my trust. The only ones who knew about my family were Niko, Scott, and Mrs. Hills. I know they would never talk about my family to the media. They have been working for over two decades and would never do anything like that.So all fingers point to my little kitten I’m beginning to get used to.“No,” I said, turning away from him. “I don't know who did this. I need you to take down the news immediately and shut down whatever news station birthed the rumors.”Niko gave a shaky nod and left. Right now, I need to be alone and think thoroughly about what to do next.It might look like a minor case right here, but it's a major one. N
CHAPTER 33 SOPHIE."Vin, Vin, Vinci… please, you need to—" My voice trailed off as he abruptly cut the call. A deep wave of defensiveness washed over me.I nervously glanced at Leo, my eyes darting around as my whole body tensed up.He laughed, "You really think he was going to come save you? Listen up, Sophie: right now, Vincenzo only wants to kill you, and I’m sure his family feels the same way. You should be thankful I'm here to save you.""Call me 'savior,' bitch!" he shouted, releasing his feet from the brakes. He increased the speed, swerving the car from side to side, making me jump in my seat.My hands trembled as I replayed Vincenzo's words in my mind. Was I really revealing important information about his family? I shook my head. No, I couldn't have done that. I would never betray him, especially since I didn't even know his family well enough to share anything vital. This had to be a misunderstanding.The realization hit me: Vincenzo couldn't save me. I was alone now, left
CHAPTER 34 VINCENZO About thirty minutes later, I was done smoking and drinking, so I headed to the bathroom for a quick bath before driving over to Naples, where my family was staying. I needed to meet them and explain what really happened. As the water poured over my head, I kept thinking of a good excuse that would be suitable when I got home. I couldn't tell them I confided in a woman. That would not only make me seem weak, but knowing the Bianchi family, they would dig around and find out who gave out the information and who she was.And that is one thing I don't want to do. I really don't want to betray Sophie that way.That bitch is my business to take revenge on, not theirs. As much as she messed up, I still want her alive and breathing so she can live the rest of her life in regret. My family would want her dead, and death is too good for her right now, knowing the irreparable damage she has done to my family name.Minutes later, I stepped out of the bathroom to the rington
CHAPTER 35SOPHIEI wondered if he really meant what he just said about liking my family if I said a word to the cops.But then the incident of cutting my credit cards and stopping my mum's hospital payments when I left flashed back in my head.There is nothing this monster can't do, but I have to take my chances and leave this car.Telling the cops that I was kidnapped will be my only escape route right now.It's now or never. I narrowed my eyes forward and saw a lot of police officers at the front. It looked like some of them were not just searching the cars; they were also searching the surroundings. Something must have happened for them to be all over the place like this.Leo drove slowly as he approached the checkpoint where he would be searched.I felt my heart racing with fear and anticipation. My hands were starting to tremble, and I clenched my fists slowly, trying to calm myself down.Leo didn't notice my pain and fears; his eyes were fixed on the area of police officers in
CHAPTER 36VINCENZOWhen we arrived at the Bianchi family mansion, I hesitated before stepping out of the car.“Vin?” Niko called out to me. “The news is still not taken down. Do you think we should tackle that first, then come back later to see the family?”I breathed in. “Don’t worry about the news anymore. That bastard would never take it down. Besides, even if it gets taken down now, it has already done the damage they wanted it to do. The whole world now knows more about the Bianchi family. Let it go. I want you to find out how they got the information in the first place.”Niko nodded his head in approval, and then I stepped out of the car and started to go inside.I was a little nervous; I didn’t know how they’d all react. I wasn't entirely scared of what they would do, but they were still family, and they could overstep sometimes. In this situation, if they overstepped, I wouldn't be able to do anything. Right now, all I needed to do was apologize to them and find out who leake
CHAPTER 36EMMA I stepped away from Leo. “He kidnapped me!” I screamed again in a shaky voice. “We are divorced; we are no longer married. He is an abusive freak—please don't let him take me back there.”The officers exchanged furtive glances at each other, as if they believed me, but the next moment, they just walked off, allowing Leo to come closer to me.“Come on, baby, come on,” he said in a low and sweet voice, urging me to go with him. But I instinctively stepped away slowly, my heart racing and my hands trembling. This was it; if the policeman couldn't save me, then I was done for. I couldn't even run away from here. If I did, that would only cement his claims that I was mentally ill, and they would all try to bundle me back into his car. Leo smiled as he walked up to me. Once he reached me, he held my hand carefully. He whispered, “Bitch! You think you could outsmart me on this one? Jokes on you, Sophie.” I swallowed hard, a cold chill running down my spine as my life flashe
CHAPTER 37SOPHIELater that day, Jason took me to his house after he had arrested Leo. Though a part of me was still skeptical about Leo's arrest. He had been threatening Jason all the way to the police van, promising him that he would regret it. Leo's family is one of the wealthiest in the city, and I know how much influence they hold in society. A part of me is quite scared that he might try to sabotage Jason's job or role in the police force.Sitting in Jason's car, my gaze was fixed outside; I couldn't bring myself to look at his face. I avoided eye contact with him, even inside the car. I wondered how he felt after witnessing the scene between me and Leo, especially after I had flaunted that stupid wedding ring.Looking down at my fingers, I quickly took off the ring and threw it out the window.From the corners of my eyes, I could see that Jason was a little terrified by the way I forcefully removed the ring and tossed it away.Even inside Jason's car, the only thoughts on my m
CHAPTER 77SOPHIE I walked out with my heart pounding in my chest. I took the stairs, walking very fast as if scared she might be trailing me. I barely even knew her or her name to explain what she had just told me. For now, I couldn't stop to think about what she said. All I could think of was getting the hell out of this party. I didn't feel like staying anymore; I just wanted to leave. It seemed like the majority of the guests were psychos. I took the hallway leading to the elevator, and after a few minutes, it beeped. I pressed the button, waiting patiently for it to slide open. Once it did, I made my way out. On reaching downstairs, where the main party was happening, I met Vincenzo. He quickly approached me with a concerned look. “What happened, Sophie? I’ve been looking for you all over the place. Did you get lost coming down here?”I shook my head and forced a smile. “No, I didn’t. I just stopped to use the restroom; that was all that to
CHAPTER 76SOPHIE I forced a smile, turning to Vincenzo, and he nodded, giving me the go-ahead to follow his mother. My heart skipped a beat as I followed her. She held tightly to my hand as she navigated through the crowd of guests, and finally, we were in the hallway. She let me go and heaved a deep sigh of relief."Have you met Foxy?" she asked, and I nodded."Yes, ma'am. I met her a few minutes ago, and we exchanged pleasantries."She nodded and flashed me a smile before we continued. I couldn't really tell where she was taking me. It felt like I was now part of the family with the way they were welcoming me in. For the next couple of minutes, we walked down a large, straight hallway, and then we finally arrived at the large lounge on the right. Once we got there, she pushed the door open, and a deep wave of nervousness washed over me when I saw the crowd inside.It looked like there was another party happening in there. I couldn't quite figure out what was going on. The next min
CHAPTER 75.SOPHIE The world seemed to pause. The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by gasps. Vincenzo wasn’t lying; everyone was holding their breath as they stared at me. I froze for a moment, his eyes piercing into mine—both shocked and amused.“Oh my goodness!” The MC’s voice snapped everyone back to the stage. “That was spectacular! Is there anyone who can do better than this?”He looked around before continuing, “Okay then, it’s sold to the damsel sitting over there.”The room erupted into applause, and I felt a thrilling twist of excitement in my stomach. It felt exhilarating to have so many eyes on me, and bargaining at the auction was thrilling.But Vincenzo's face twisted into a frown as he leaned closer. “You’re making a lot of people aware of who you are. Right now, I feel like punishing you!”I smiled and rolled my eyes. “Go ahead and do it. I want to be punished for acting like a child.”He scoffed and looked away for a moment before grabbing my arm. “Let’s go
CHAPTER 74 SOPHIE This place exudes wealth and luxury. I feel so nervous that I can barely breathe. Just looking at the cars parked in the driveway tells me how many dignitaries are inside. The driveway is lined with sleek, high-end vehicles that gleam in the soft light of the setting sun. I spotted a Bentley, a Rolls-Royce, and even a Lamborghini, each perfectly polished.As I stepped out right after Vincenzo, the mansion itself was a sight to behold. Its exterior is flawless, made of honey-colored stone.Vin turned to me, squeezing my hands reassuringly. “Don’t worry, you’re safe with me. We own this place; there’s no need to be nervous, okay?”I nodded and managed a smile, trying to hide the fact that my heart was pounding in my chest.As we approached the entrance, the men at the door bowed their heads respectfully and greeted him, while others shook hands with Scott and Niko, who were trailing behind us.Everywhere I looked, there was clear evidence of the Bianchi family's incr
CHAPTER 73.SOPHIE.Since we came back from the salon, he hasn't replied to my text message. At first, I was pissed that he hadn't seen it, but now I'm relieved that he hasn't. I already deleted it. I have to calm down; it seems like something is fishy. The last time I asked, he said he didn't know who she was, but now I saw them talking and smiling. She even patted his back. I try so hard to act like nothing happened and that I didn't see them, but I just can't help it. I have a feeling that, deep down, something is wrong.The only question that lingers in my mind is: Who is she to Vincenzo?He didn't want me to know he knew her, so I'll find out my own way without telling him.But for now, I choose to pretend I didn't see them and enjoy the groove of attending his parents' ball party. That is all that really matters right now.The next minute, Vincenzo wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck. “I'm ready….”I turned around, forcing a smile as I looked at him. I was met wi
CHAPTER 73 VINCENZO When I checked the time, I quickly hurried back to the salon. I was sure Sophie must be done. I had been at the bunker with Niko earlier. One of my deadbeat debtors was brought in, and I had to quickly teach him a lesson. I had given that bastard loans during one of his darkest times, and since then, he had avoided me and refused to pay me back. Well, now he had lost a few fingers as a warning. If after seventy-two hours he still hadn’t come back to pay his debts, I would have all ten of his fingers removed, along with his feet.After that, I hurried back; I didn’t want to keep her waiting. She was too beautiful for that, so I raced my best and quickly parked in the garage of the salon. But as I stepped out of my car, I heard the screech of a bike, which grabbed my attention. When I looked sideways, I saw Kitty on her bike.“Hey, Vin!” she smiled, turning over her bike once she saw me. “How’s your health? You need to call me back for another treatment, or are you
CHAPTER 72SOPHIE My body tensed up, and my jaw dropped as I took in the details of her face and body. The scar on her upper brow, the patch over her eye, and the little tattoo down her jawline? That was her! The same one who had been stalking me just days ago in Vincenzo's penthouse!I snapped away from her grip and clutched my hands tightly to the arms of my chair as I stared at her, my eyes trailing down her body. It was well-covered today, so I couldn't see all those tattoos I remembered.The lady washing my hair continued; she didn’t notice anything, but my heart was pounding in my chest at the sight of the woman who wanted to kill me in my dream a few nights ago. I mean, what are the odds that she doesn’t also want to kill me in real life?"I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, pretty," she said softly, her warm smile sending cold shivers down my spine. "I was just trying to greet you, dear."I stared blankly at her, my mouth dry, and nodded slowly, not bothering to speak. I
CHAPTER 71SOPHIE Two days have passed since that terrifying night.Well, not just two days, but out of those two days, I'm only very excited today because I will be attending Vincenzo's family ball dinner banquet. I can’t wait to meet his family, and most importantly, his mother again. Last time she came by the penthouse, she was all jovial and nice; her aura is quite contagious, even if I hate to admit it.She doesn’t really look like what the media says about her. It’s nice o’clock this morning, and the first thing on our schedule is going to the salon to get my hair done. Vincenzo requested that she bring me home, but I declined. Staying here in this penthouse is just so frustrating and boring. I want to go out more with him so a lot of people can see us together. I don’t know how to explain it, but it feels important that people back off if they have any motive of shooting their shot at him.He isn't always here with me, and I can’t monitor everywhere he goes, but most of the ti
CHAPTER 70SOPHIE The door creaked open, and a middle-aged woman walked in.Clad in a simple but shiny jumpsuit, with gold jewelry adorning her wrists and neck, she carried her Hermès bag with so much class. Her tattoos could be seen shining from a mile away.I froze in my steps as I watched her confidently walk inside the house. It was locked up with fingerprints and passwords, which meant she had either of them. We both stood, watching her walk up to the table; she dropped her bag and heaved a deep sigh of relief. Raising her gaze, only then did our eyes meet.“Oh my God?” She seemed a little surprised to see us. She chuckled. “I didn't know you were here.”Vincenzo sighed, approaching her. “Mum, what are you doing here?” he asked, and I almost gasped.That was his mother? Holy fuck!I didn’t know that; he had never shown me any of his family, so I wasn’t supposed to know, and they weren’t in the news either.“What do you mean by that?” she hissed, pushing past him. “Am I not suppo