~~~ SOPHIA CHEWED ON her nails in nervousness as she sat in the college cafeteria waiting for her friends while she stared into space, oblivious to her surroundings, and the curious stares thrown her way, overthinking her decision. It had been two weeks since she was allowed to attend college, and she had planned her escape together with Alecia, Maya, and Roman, Alecia’s twin brother. She didn't know if it was the best thing to do but she knew it was going to take her away from Chase and the dangerous surrounding they lived invite wasn't only Chase that bothered her. Lucas' issue was also bothering her terribly. He had completely shut her down and treated her worse than he used to do before. "A penny for your thoughts?” A familiar cheerful voice came behind her, and Sophia let out a sigh before turning to the source of the voice. "Alecia, Maya, hello,” She then turned as they both settled down in the booth opposite her. "What's wrong?” Maya asked. “You don't look completely okay
~~~ CHASE'S FOOTSTEPS HALTED the minute he stepped his foot inside the mansion, and his eyes fell on a particular innocent teenager perched on the floor in the middle of the living room. She had her books sprawled all over the coffee table and some on the floor with her pencil stuck between her lips while she stared into the space, obviously thinking. Definitely about her escape plan. Chase handed his suit coat to the guard beside him and tugged off his tie too before passing it to him along with his waist coat and cufflinks, silently telling him he knew where to take it. Once the guard left, Chase rolled the sleeves of his button down to his elbow and slowly took steps towards her, the sound of his shoes echoing in the silent room. She still hadn't noticed him nor the sound his shoe was making. Once Chase stood behind her, he curled his fists into a ball on remembering her plan to escape. Why not give her more reasons to escape then by fucking her there? It would be a win-w
~~~ SOPHIA WATCHED IN sheer horror as the nineteen-year-old familiar-looking stranger plunged the knife out of her mum's abdomen while she just stood at the bottom of the stairs watching everything. To say she was scared was an understatement. They were just done having dinner-their small family; Her dad, mum, and herself she'd just gone upstairs to her room to get a broken doll that she could show her dad when she heard the sound of glass breaking. Clutching her broken doll, she rushed downstairs only to see her mum being stabbed by an unknown stranger and lying dead on the floor. Her eyes searched for her dad but he was nowhere to be found. Had he been killed too? "You rascal!", Sophia heard her dad's voice before he finally came into view. He gripped the stranger's collar and glared at him. “What did you do to my security team? What did you do to my wife?", "I did what should have been done a long time ago", The killer replied without any hint of remorse in his voice. “
~~~ "Okay then, sir. Goodnight", Sophia smiled at her boss "My regards to your Nana", The burly man smiled back at her and he left the coffee shop. It was a long day and finally, she was about to close the shop since she was the one given the responsibility to do so. All she needed to do was clean up the tables and she'd go back home to her grandma. And her nightmares. Just as Sophia began to clean the first table, she heard the chime sound of the door, indicating that a customer had arrived. Couldn't the person see the board outside which read 'closed'? Sophia turned abruptly, ready to snap at the person but her words died on her lips as her eyes landed on the people by the door side. A lady of about twenty-four or so and two young men of about the same age-maybe twenty-six stood there all clad in black by the door, looking deadly. Who were they? "Three cups of coffee, please" " the lady said and they sat on a table at a secluded corner close to the door side. So
~~~ CHASE WALKED UP the stairs towards his room with both his hands in his pants pocket. "Don," Chase stopped in his tracks and without turning, he waved his fingers at the person who just called him to walk up to him. Clearly understanding what his cousin meant, Luciano walked up the stairs till he was standing in front of Chase. Chase brought out a cigar and a lighter from his pocket before lighting it."Parlare." He took a long drag from the cigar and blew out the smoke from his lips. {"Speak"} "The task was completed, but there was a witness at the scene. Valerie requested to bring her over here," Chase stared at Luciano, his calm composure still on. "E voi, branco di sciocchi, avete fatto questo?", {"And you bunch of fools did that?"} "She was insisting that the girl shouldn't be killed. She said she didn't deserve to die," Luciano defended. He knew his little sister was likely to receive an earful from Chase. "And other witnesses? Did they deserve to die? “Ch
Sophia glared at him as he moved away from the wall. She wanted to push her hair that was sticking all over her face but it was completely impossible. Her hands were tied and there was no way she'd let that laptop guy do it for her. Immediately, the door opened and she squinted her eyes as the light from outside the room shone on her face. She looked at the huge body standing by the door and glared at him even though she couldn't see his face. For all she knew, he was the so-called Don the three murderers and kidnappers were talking about. He was the man who imposed the rule of killing witnesses. She inwardly scoffed at the thought. Sophia felt the sweat trickling down her forehead as his large, intimidating body walked closer to her. The room suddenly had a chilling silence as only the slow sounds of his shoes were heard and it had her shivering. Once the tall man was towering over her, she craned her neck to see his face but couldn't as she heard the soft click of the door
FEAR WAS THE only thing Sophia felt once The man she recognized as her parents' murderers left the room she was in. There was nothing she could do to escape him. He was going to kill her just like he had done to her parents and her Nana. What would be of the old lady? Would he kill her too just to wipe off their family from the face of the earth? Uncontrollable and unstoppable tears kissed her cheeks while her sobs were muffled by the tape on her lips. She couldn't even struggle against the tight ropes that had been used to tie her. The wooden door opened with a bang against the wall, making her flinch and she watched as Lucas walked in with his fists balled at his sides, jaw hardened, and a glare right on her. Angrily, he stormed towards her and began to untie the ropes on both her hands and legs before pulling off the tape with a harsh tug. She yelped out, and he glared at her again, making her squirm in her place." I--," another yelp left her lips when he grabbed one of he
~~~ Sophia clutched the tray where the plate of her barely-eaten food sat. She didn't have any appetite to eat, and she was grateful Valerie listened to her and didn't stay back with her in her room after dropping her dinner and helping her apply ointment to the bruises on her wrists and ankles. She stared at her legs which were barely covered by the mid-thigh pajama shorts Valerie left for her with a pajama shirt. Valerie didn't know what clothes to give her to wear, so she gave her one of hers' before the next day when she'd go shopping for some clothes for Sophia. With a huge sigh, she opened her room door and looked around the silent and empty hallway as the cold wind blew past her bare legs. She then walked towards the same way she remembered passing through with Valerie earlier and admired the paintings and photo frames across the walls. Once she got to the staircase, she stared at the large living room. The walls were painted white, which offered a clean, therapeutic,
~~~ CHASE'S FOOTSTEPS HALTED the minute he stepped his foot inside the mansion, and his eyes fell on a particular innocent teenager perched on the floor in the middle of the living room. She had her books sprawled all over the coffee table and some on the floor with her pencil stuck between her lips while she stared into the space, obviously thinking. Definitely about her escape plan. Chase handed his suit coat to the guard beside him and tugged off his tie too before passing it to him along with his waist coat and cufflinks, silently telling him he knew where to take it. Once the guard left, Chase rolled the sleeves of his button down to his elbow and slowly took steps towards her, the sound of his shoes echoing in the silent room. She still hadn't noticed him nor the sound his shoe was making. Once Chase stood behind her, he curled his fists into a ball on remembering her plan to escape. Why not give her more reasons to escape then by fucking her there? It would be a win-w
~~~ SOPHIA CHEWED ON her nails in nervousness as she sat in the college cafeteria waiting for her friends while she stared into space, oblivious to her surroundings, and the curious stares thrown her way, overthinking her decision. It had been two weeks since she was allowed to attend college, and she had planned her escape together with Alecia, Maya, and Roman, Alecia’s twin brother. She didn't know if it was the best thing to do but she knew it was going to take her away from Chase and the dangerous surrounding they lived invite wasn't only Chase that bothered her. Lucas' issue was also bothering her terribly. He had completely shut her down and treated her worse than he used to do before. "A penny for your thoughts?” A familiar cheerful voice came behind her, and Sophia let out a sigh before turning to the source of the voice. "Alecia, Maya, hello,” She then turned as they both settled down in the booth opposite her. "What's wrong?” Maya asked. “You don't look completely okay
A low chuckle rumbled off Chase's chest. Another thing he had done since Sophia's presence back in his life. “If you already knew, then why did you ask?” He slid the sleeveless strap of her jumpsuit down her arms, and the upper part of the cloth fell around her waist. Foolish Sophia. She slapped herself mentally. She wasn't meant to show him that she knew. “You murder people. You traffic drugs and people. They are all sins in the eyes of the Lord,” If questioning wouldn't work for her, then maybe using the Lord against him would work. But, oh boy, Sophia Bennett was wrong. Chase understood clearly what she was trying to do. She wanted to annoy him with her silly questions so he would loss interest and let her go. But she didn't realise just how much her trying to be smart turned him on. It made his need to be buried inside her grow. "There's nothing like sinning in our world, Gattina, “He slowly raised one of her legs and slid down the trousers of the jumpsuit. “We fuck who the he
~~~ SOPHIA SMOOTHLY RAN her fingertips over the books arranged neatly on the black shelf in Chase's room as her eyes roamed over them. She didn't know Chase used to read books. How would she know? The times she used to be in the room, it wasn't of her own accord so she never noticed. But that day, she had taken herself there. To the lion's den. To thank him for her Nana and allowing her to go to college. He wasn't in the room yet. Probably still working, but she was ready to wait for him. He had considered her future and finally let her study and also stopped her Nana from worrying too much about her. Not to mention the surgery. Sophia's heart fluttered at those little gestures. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she portrayed him to be. He wasn't the villain in her life. A book caught her attention, and Sophia gently took it out of the shelf to inspect it. It was a large book. On its cover, was a suit looking as if someone was wearing it along with a hat above something like an invi
~~~ The moment Sophia realized what she said, some of their course mates were sending snickers and warning glares their way to reduce their voices or shut up. “You got kidnapped? How?” Maya whispered. “I'll tell you about it later. Please, I need to read my Nana's letter,” She began to search for the letter in her bag. Maya and Alessia stared at each other before nodding slowly. "Okay," They chorused. “Thanks” Sophia whispered and tore open the white envelope. She then unfolded the note and started reading, her eyes running over the tired handwriting of her Nana. Soph, You had me worried for days after your sudden disappearance hope when you read this, you’re in good health. I hope you're as okay as I was told. But you know, I’m a bit upset with you. You didn't tell me you were going to fly out of the country with your boyfriend for important work with him. You didn't even tell me you had a boyfriend. How about your studies then? I hope you'll be able to adjust wit
~~~ SOPHIA SAT ON her seat, as her course mates walked into the classroom before lectures for that day would commence. Most of them were shocked to see her while some sent curious stares her way. Obviously, they would be shocked after not seeing her for weeks. But that was the least of her problems. She couldn't stop thinking about how Lucas had behaved with her. When he hugged her and said something in Italian, she was shocked. She couldn't believe he had hugged her. When she had gone out of her shock, she hugged him back to tell him thank you and that was when she realized that not everything was meant to last. He had pushed her away and was back to his normal, cruel self. And, he just walked away, leaving her a confused mess. “Buona fortuna sorellina,” Those were the same words he had uttered to her. She couldn't shake it off no matter how she tried. It was always with Chase she hoped she learnt to speak and understand Italian, but at that moment, it was worse. The need to
~~~ Sophia turned and faced Valerie. "Hey Valerie," "Uh uh," Valerie shook her head. “It’s meant to be Val. You'll call me Val from now on, hmmm?” Sophia smiled and nodded her head. “How have you been? How was the program?” Valerie and Luciano had left the country for a week to attend a program and were probably just back. "Let's talk about that when you return from college. I was about to come in when I saw Lucas and a few men arranging some books for you. Said it was for college," "College?" Luciano's voice came from behind Sophia. "Valerie, I think that was supposed to be a surprise, and you just ruined it for Don," Valerie's eyes widened, and she palmed her mouth. She then dropped her hand to her sides. “But Don never surprises people. I didn't know” “Ma’am,” one of Chase's men walked up to them. He then faced Sophia. “Don has made special arrangements for you to be taken back to college. Everything you'll need is in the car right now. All we need is you to come with
~~~ SOPHIA WALKED DOWN the stairs, a light frown on her face as she walked towards the kitchen. She was still a bit upset about her short conversation with Chase from the previous night regarding her going to college. After she had told him she wanted to go to college, he had simply told her he didn't have time for any of her shenanigans and when she kept on insisting, he just scooped her into his arms, stole a kiss as usual and told her to go to sleep. That had been the end of the conversation. It was still very early, and she was happy Chase wasn't in the room when she had woken up. otherwise, he would have been a hindrance to her going to see Alvaro. Sophia peeked round to be sure no one was looking at her and made her way towards the servant's quarters as she left through the backdoor. She needed to see Álvaro. At least, his well-being would be able to sooth a tiny part of her heart and she would stop worrying about him. When she got to the servant's quarters, she stopped in f
~~~Immediately he had walked in, the torture stopped, and the victim's loud screams turned into ragged breaths. Those ragged breaths emitted from the victim was the only sound that could be heard as silence stretched in the room. Chase's voice boomed through the whole room. "Partire," That one order was all it took for the man torturing the victim to bow his head in respect and leave. Just as he was instructed. {"Leave"} Chase didn't for one take his eyes off Álvaro . His white tee was torn at different places, blood staining it all over. "White doesn't suit you, Nipote", His uncle's words replayed in his mind. “Why do you think Fratello and I never wore it? You don't want to get stained with a sinner's blood, do you?", Chase dragged his eyes lazily over Álvaro 's whole body, taking note of each and every single injury on him. He had a few injuries on the face, and there was a streak of blood trailing from somewhere in his head. He had injuries on his arms, legs and other parts