25. Messy

Three days after the incident, Caterina's physical condition had started to improve, but not her mental state. The bruises on her face also seemed to have faded. She had not seen or crossed paths with Leonardo since the incident.

If Dante was fine, they would plan their escape right now. However, Dante's condition did not allow it. He had difficulty walking. If they ran away and were chased by Leonardo, they would be caught immediately. Dante didn't want to make things worse.

It seems that Caterina's escape this time must be planned very carefully. If she ran away unprepared like before, she would be caught again. Not only caught by Leonardo but also by Marco.

“You don't have to think about me, Kate. Just think about yourself; it's okay if you want to run away. That bastard can vent his anger on me. I just want you to be safe and start a new life.” Dante tried to convince.

However, Caterina didn't want to. If she left, then her father would have to go too. There was no need for a sacrifice here.

“I'll go with you or not at all.” Caterina said firmly. She had made her decision. “Leo is a demon; I don't want you to die in his hands.” Caterina clenched her fists every time she remembered Leonardo. Now the only enemy she had was Leonardo. She would avenge him if she had the chance someday.

“What are you doing?” Dante looked confused as he watched Caterina mix the ingredients for the drug carelessly. If she mixed drugs without calculation, they could be deadly.

“I want to create chaos. If many of the customers who ordered drugs from him die, he will have many enemies and fewer customers. The best way to take revenge is to destroy him slowly.” Caterina explained.

“But that's dangerous, Kate. You can't kill innocent people. The people out there have nothing to do with that bastard.” Dante tried to remind her. He hated Leonardo so much now that even the mere mention of his name was off-putting. However, no matter how much he hated the man, it couldn't shut down his conscience. Drug addicts were not good people, but they had done nothing wrong to Dante or Caterina. So, there was no reason to kill them.

“But, Dad—”

“Kate, we're not good people. But killing someone innocent is crueler than the devil.” Dante tried to remind her.

Caterina was silent. It seemed that Dante's advice was able to influence Caterina. She threw away the concoction she had made, then made a new one.

“Why do we still have to work for him?” Caterina said with annoyance.

It was a good thing that his father's study had been moved after the incident. Had they been working in the previous room, Dante and Caterina would not have wanted to enter it. There was a great deal of trauma and beating that had taken place there.

“We must remain obedient before we can escape.” Dante answered simply.

Caterina understood. However, she was still very upset. Moreover, her father was sick. With his current leg condition, he should be resting completely. He couldn't stand at his desk for long.

“You just rest, Dad; let me continue everything. Your leg will never recover if you force it to stand for a long time.”

Dante understood. He sat down on the couch in the room. As long as they were there, he just kept his daughter company by talking to her. He looked at his daughter longingly, wishing he had as much time together as he did now. She wanted to live a long life so that she could make sure her daughter was happy and find the right man to take over Caterina's care. Whoever that man was, as long as it wasn't Leonardo.

***

Leonardo looked a complete mess. It wasn't just Caterina who was devastated after he raped her. He was just as devastated. He felt guilt, frustration, regret, and anger, all mixed together. He should not have followed his anger by doing something that would make Caterina hate him. He had never intended to hurt Caterina, but every single thing he did would only leave a scar on her heart.

The man didn't know whether his mistakes were worth forgiving or not. He didn't even dare to appear in front of Caterina after he did that. It wasn't that he was afraid she would be angry and take her anger out on him. However, he was afraid that he could not hold back his feelings.

Leonardo smoked the cigarette tucked into his finger. He exhaled the smoke with a long drag. He had never touched a cigarette in his life, as he revered health. However, he was under a lot of stress right now, and he needed an outlet. He doesn't want to take drugs and get addicted to them. Although he sells drugs, he never touches them because he knows they are very dangerous. All he could do was vent his anger on the cigarette in his hand.

“Sir.” There was a knock outside accompanied by a call.

Leonardo exhaled the smoke of his cigarette, then extinguished the ember at the end. He threw away the cigarette butt, then opened the desk drawer and took out a candy bar from there.

“Come in!” Leonardo said as he took the candy.

Alex entered after he got permission. The smell of cigarette smoke was immediately noticeable when he stepped in. The room was also a little stuffy, as the air conditioner wasn't on. Leonardo grabbed the remote and turned on the AC to cool down the room. He deliberately turned off the AC when he smoked because he didn't want the air conditioner to be damaged.

“What's wrong?” Leonardo asked coldly.

Alex felt something was wrong with his boss, but he didn't dare to comment.

“I want to report today's sales.” Alex handed Leonardo a file with records of income and expenses. For the past few days, Alex had taken care of everything. The man was a little overwhelmed.

“Good.” Leonardo complimented without looking at the report. He opened the desk drawer, took out a wad of money, and gave it to Alex. “This is your bonus for this week. You organize everything. Please leave me alone for the time being; I want to be alone.”

Alex looked confused, because Leonardo didn't usually behave like this. He really felt there was something wrong with his boss. However, he didn't want to make the man's feelings even worse. So, he accepted the money and quickly left.