5. Her Tormentor

It has been two weeks since I moved here. I have not heard from my father or brother since then.

My anxiety is increasing by the day, and loneliness is killing me. I've stopped myself several times from contacting my family. 

I just want them to ensure my safety as soon as possible so I can return to my normal life. 

Since this morning, I have been feeling very strange. The anxiety in my stomach is making me feel like vomiting. My heart is restless. I have been trying to keep myself engaged and distracted, but I cannot shake off the feeling that something is about to happen. Something bad.

I flinched when my phone suddenly started ringing. I immediately rushed to it, believing that my father must be contacting me and asking me to come back, but instead, I was surprised to find the call from an unknown number. 

Before coming here, Dad gave me a different contact number. Only Dad, Marco, and Dimitri had that number. 

Who is calling me other than them? 

My first thought was to ignore it, but my hand went against my brain. I picked it up and waited for the person to speak first. 

"Hello Alessia" 

My eyebrows furrowed. It was the voice of Sara, Marco's fiance. But what made me worried was the fact that she was crying. 

"Sara," my voice trembled. "What happened? Sara?"

"Alessia, Marco..." She sobbed.

"Sara," I licked my lips and swallowed hard as my throat went dry. "Please tell me. What happened?" 

"They... They died," she cried. 

I felt my cheeks flush, my pupils dilate, and my pulse quicken. 

"Rossi Empire... It's in ashes." 

My entire world shook. Her words were crystal clear, but they still did not make sense. My brain refused to accept them. 

"Your father, Marco, your home, their hard work—everything is burning in the flames of revenge." 

Her heartbreaking sob tore through the phone line and pierced into my ears. I, on the other hand, was completely shocked and struggling to digest the news. 

My whole body trembled, and my hands shook as I struggled to breathe. 

No! It can't happen. They can't go just like that. They promised to protect me with their lives. 

And then, as if energy coursed through me, I ran without caring about the warning, without caring about the world. Every second felt like an hour as the driver sped towards my city, my home. My head spun, my vision blurred, and my breathing became ragged, but nothing stopped me. 

I am sure Sara and Marco are pranking me. Everything will be fine when I get there. 

But my illusion shattered when I caught sight of the flames—massive, horrifying, licking the sky, consuming everything I hold dear. 

I stumbled as I stepped out of the car. The Rossi estate, which served as the nerve center of my family's dynasty, was engulfed in flames. The heat of the fire sent terror through my entire being. 

A small burning rock came under my bare foot, but not even a single wince passed my lips. My heart was broke with every step. 

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. 

"Dad, Marco..."I hoped they would call me back, so I screamed. 

The way they always had. 

But this time... 

I heard nothing. 

Nothing except the sound of cruel flames. 

No!

They can't leave me like this. I won't let them go alone. I am nothing without the Rossi Empire. If it is gone, my life will also have no meaning. 

Without thinking, I ran toward the remains of the grand staircase, my hands outstretched as if Dad would come running down and hug me, telling me that everything was fine and it was just a nightmare. 

But instead, I was pulled back. A firm arm locked around my waist, lifting me off the ground as if I weighed nothing. I struggled, kicked, and flailed, but the arm didn't loosen. 

The sensation was cold and commanding, pulling me away from the devastation. I turned, only to be faced with the last person I wanted to see. 

My nightmare.

My tormentor.

And I stopped dead. 

My eyes widened, and my body stiffened. My ears turned red, and my whole body heated up. When my wild struggle stopped, he slowly loosened his grip, letting me down on the ground. 

I turned around to face him, and to my surprise, there was no trace of guilt on his face. He stood solid, untouched by the surrounding destruction. It was as if something was normal for him. His dark eyes watched me like a predator who had finally cornered its prey. 

"You…" My voice cracked as I shoved at his chest. "You did this!"  

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t step back. 

"You shouldn't have taken me lightly. I already warned you that I would burn down the entire world if it is what it took to bring you back into my arms." 

A loud sob erupted from my chest and passed through my mouth. My vision became blurry, and my head started spinning wildly. 

"I hate you!" I spat.

I hit him, pushed him harder, and he let me. He let me break in his arms.

"I hate you, Nikolai; I hate you with every fiber of my being." I hated him more than I had ever hated anyone in my life. 

One side of his lips twitched into a smirk, adding to my infuriation. 

"I am glad you at least have some feelings in your heart for me, even if it is hatred." 

How can he be so cruel? Hot and thick tears dribbled down my cheeks. 

"Why are you doing this? What did you do?" I asked. 

"To make you mine, Alessia. To bring you back where you belong." 

I cried.

"To make you believe that you are bound to me. You have nowhere to escape. Anyone who comes in between us will end up in ashes." 

Another sob escaped my throat. 

"If you want to fight, fight with me. If you want to complain, you can do so to me, but you must understand that you have nowhere else to go but my arms. 

He took a step forward, spreading his arms toward me, wanting to cage me, but I was quick to step back. 

My whole body was shivering; my lips were trembling, but I held myself together. 

"If you think that by doing all this, you will win me, then you are wrong. I will never be yours," I announced 

His jaw clenched, fists tightened to his sides, and his eyes darkened as he stepped toward me, but this time, I stayed rooted to my place. 

"You don't realize it, but you are mine, Alessia. There is no way around it," he said quietly, his voice rougher now, as if it were a promise—or a threat. 

My chest constricted as my head spun faster than before. My vision was getting blurry, but I wasn't ready to surrender in front of this monster. 

Not now.

Not ever.

"I am not your possession," I growled. 

I glared up at him with the fire of defiance burning in me, but he didn't seem much affected by it. If anything, I saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes. 

My body was giving up; my knees wobbled. 

"You are," he mumbled in a low, final voice. "You always have been." 

He wrapped one of his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to his chest. 

"Your father’s legacy—your Rossi empire—has been dismantled and reassembled under my rule,” he stated with a quiet finality. “And with it, you.”

Nikolai’s words cut deep, deeper than any physical pain ever could. I wanted to scream, to break free, to fight, but my devastation sapped my strength. 

My eyes dropped as I started losing consciousness. The last thing I remember is him lifting me in his arms. 

~~~~~~

Nikolai De Moretti 

Shattered.

She looked so fragile in my arms; her body was limp, her breathing uneven. I had broken her, shattered her world, just as I wanted.

So that she could understand that there was no Alessia without Nikolai. 

There never had been. 

Scooping her in my arms, I carried her away from the chaos, her past, which is nothing more than ashes to her. 

Love? No, what I feel for Alessia is beyond love. Love is weak. What we have is permanent. She was born to be mine. 

She can scream, cry, and curse my name, but at the end of the day, there’s nowhere else for her to go.

I will make sure of it.

This time, I'll rebuild her piece by piece until nothing remains of the girl she once was. 

Only Alessia Nikolai De Moretti will remain.