*Lucia* “Lucia, Bruno wants to see you,” Rave said. I was taking a break after our intense practice. It has been more than two hours since I have been in a friendly fight with him. He didn't give me the chance to rest. Over the past few weeks, I have grown more powerful. Rave was a good teacher. He taught me all I needed to know. He was so skilled that weeks back, I had wondered if I'd ever be as skilled as he is. But today, I had to fling him across my shoulders. “But we still have a long day ahead of us, and I don't think I want to take a very long break now,” I said. I knew what seeing Bruno came with: long, intense, and sweet rounds of lovemaking. “You were always ready to take off even before Bruno called you. Just because you won one fight, you think that you own the world? What makes you think you will win if we were to fight again?” He asked. Rave seems too sweet to me. “Don't make it sound like you gave me a chance to beat you. We both know I did that on my own. And I pro
*Bruno* I could hear Lucia's heartbeat as she stared at the men. I held her close,” Breathe, love, I'm right here with you,” I said. She looked into my eyes. One side of my lips pulled to the side. My hands moved into my pocket, and I brought out a small bottle and threw it on the floor. Thick fog covered everywhere. I pulled Lucia away, leaving those standing there coughing and choking. We ran to the end of the passageway. It wasn't that I couldn't fight them off, but I didn't want to. That would create too much attention, and that was the last thing I wanted. “There should be an entrance somewhere,” Lucia said. My grip around her hands tightened as we took a bend. We could hear music resounding from the speaker from a distance, so we knew we were close. “My earbud fell earlier while fighting. Do you still have yours!?” She asked. I had totally forgotten about that. I touched my ears to find both gone. I shook my head. “Guess we are on our own now,” she said, worry reached her
*Lucia* I excused myself to use the bathroom. It felt slightly uncomfortable walking around in the black heels I wore. I walked past other tables, my eyes in search of a waiter. I didn't know where the restroom was. Seeing one at the side who just finished giving out the glasses of wine on his tray, I approached him. He was quick to point the direction for me. I took the side, not wanting to walk past the table and earn some attention. Some people were on the stage, dancing with the lights on them. Others cheered for them. I had not taken note of the fun that a lot of people were having as I had been too concentrated on getting out info from the old man. My eyes caught sight of a red-haired woman. She had her back towards me. Her red hair made her stand out in the crowd so much. I took a bend, walking into the hallway that led to the restroom. Getting info from the man was easier than expected, but I must confess, I have much to learn from Bruno. If I had come alone, I would pro
*Sarah* The party was going well. I smiled as I chatted with others. Don't get me wrong, it isn't like I want to be here. This is just something that I must do—a smile I must wear. I clenched my teeth as I listened to the French woman as she spoke. If I hadn't needed to get this file, there would have been no need for me to be here. And this stupid red hair I have to wear keeps getting to my mouth, and I keep tucking it away. I tried to be patient. This is important. I kept reminding myself. All that was left was to climb on that stage and speak like I knew what I was doing. If this mission weren't important, I would not have cared. But I didn't trust Steve enough to handle this. My eyes searched for him among the crows, and I finally found him in a corner with a brunette woman. I twitched my eyes when his eyes met mine. He was getting distracted. He gave me a small smile to remind me that he knew what he was doing, but I doubted that. He was too invested in the girl who kept thro
*Lucia* Bruno had his hands around me. We just finished three intense rounds, and my body was already feeling spat all over. He pulls me closer to himself, inhaling my hair sharply. I could feel his cock on my butt. “Aren't you tired yet?” I asked him, turning and shuffling closer to rest on his chest. “You know I can never have enough of you, sweet girl,’ he says, his hands moving to my ass as he rubs it gently. I hit his chest and softly pushed him away. “I can't have enough of you, too, but I think I'll go wash up,” I said, attempting to stand up only to be pushed back to bed. “Sweet girl,” he said softly, stealing a kiss that soon turned deep, and then we went back to it. He thrusts into me in one go and keeps up a good pace. I raise my hip to meet his pace. Our lips met, and we took our sweet time pleasuring ourselves for the rest of the night. I had no strength to go to the bathroom anymore, and Bruno carried me there himself. I felt my cheeks hit up when he cleaned me up.
*Sarah* I couldn't sleep all night. My mind keeps going to Lucia. I can't believe she is still alive. Talk about being lucky. I wouldn't have been so worried if Jason hadn't said that he was coming to look for her himself. I can't have Jason here, not because of Lucia. And what if he finds her? I had given up on her because I thought she was already under six feet. What if he hates me when he finds out what I have done to her? I sat up. No, I can't have him here. I can't have him look for Lucia. I switched on the lamp beside me, removed the blankets from my body, and stepped out of bed. I walked to my study. The hallway was lightened by blue light. I stopped in front of the door, opened it, and stepped into my study. I walked frantically around, my fingers on my mouth as I racked my brain, thinking of the best way to end all this. I have to kill Lucia. But now the problem was I don't know how much time I had. Jason had called again to remind me that he would be coming, although he
*Sarah* “What took you so long? I thought you said you were close thirty minutes ago?” Jason asked with a tinge of anger in his voice. I have just arrived to pick him up. He wore a black trousers and a blue top. I smiled at him, thinking of the best way to reply to him without taking offense to the tone he used with me. “Is that the first thing you say to a friend you haven't seen for so long?” I opened the car trunk, and he placed his luggage inside. I closed the trunk. “Not even a hug?” I asked, waiting for him to pull me into a hug like he always did when he saw me, but the hug didn't come. He scoffed and walked to enter the car, leaving me standing by myself. It took a while for me to wrap my head around what just happened. Jason has changed. I clenched my fist, trying to contain the anger that was brewing within me. Don't get it twisted. He wasn't the one I was angry at. It was Lucia. That bitch changed everything. I walked around the car. I opened the door and stepped insi
*Lucia* It has been over three days, and I've not received any message from Sarah. I couldn't help but wonder if she had decided to stop bothering me. But that was close to impossible. From what I knew, she would stop at nothing to bring me down. And I am still very sure that she hated me as much as I hated her. Or, maybe Bruno did something. He would not just keep calm when he knew that I was in danger; I've studied him enough to know how much he cares and loves me. He was in his office while I was in the bar. Not as a receptionist or anything; I was just here, keeping my eye on all that was happening around me. Bruno was busy, and the last thing I wanted to do right now was to bother him. A girl around my age walked into the bar; my eyes laid on her as she walked through the crowd in her black miniskirt. She wore heels and thick makeup. She walked into a bar that was filled with men. I wonder who she was. This wasn't the first time I'd seen her in the bar, but I don't know why I
*Lucia* Three weeks passed by in the twinkle of an eye. Everything seems to be a dream. Bruno and I would have been married if it wasn't for Steve's unwelcome visit and me getting kidnapped. Sigh. It was a tough one. And I think I was affected by the kidnapping. We had decided to push back the time for our wedding. We haven't discussed the particular date but I hoped it was soon. I twitched my lips, staring out my bedroom window and getting lost in thought. It seemed like it had only been yesterday when Steve had stormed back into our lives and I'd been kidnapped, Bruno and I would have been married if it wasn't for Steve. I shivered just remembering everything I'd gone through being away and alone for so long. I couldn't even walk around the house without looking to see if anyone was walking behind me. Not to mention, I've also been feeling extremely nauseous lately. And I wasn't even on my. . . My breath stopped. I felt my heart pound as I rushed to the nightstand to pick up my
*Bruno* It was the longest night of my life. I was finally able to bring Lucia home. Looking at her as she lay on the bed, her eyes closed, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I hate the fact that our wedding was interrupted. If Steve had not interrupted our wedding, then we'd have been in each other's arms. I squeezed the water from the small napkin I held and used it to wipe her face. Her white wedding gown was now brown. She had been in that dress all day. I helped her out of the gown. I didn't want her to be lonely, so I stayed with her all night. She kept tossing and turning. She couldn't sleep comfortably. That I notice. So I took her to the bathtub and placed her in it. She didn't wake up. She must have been so stressed, tired, and hurt. I had failed to take care of her. I dressed her up and placed her on the bed. My hands ached. It was past 5 am when I finally woke up and went downstairs. I had lost three men in the fight yesterday. I was hurt and wished I could go back a
*Lucia* I had given up. I didn't think any miracle would happen. I just realized that this place I was in with Steve may be very far, a place Bruno would never have been able to figure out so easily. Steve had unexplainable joy in his eyes, as if the world was doing him the biggest favor by allowing him to wrap his hands on me. His grip around my neck turned tighter, and air seemed difficult; strength seeped away from me with each minute. But I never stopped struggling, even though it seemed fruitless. Just when I thought it was all over for me, there was a thud; Steve was distracted for a while. He turned to the door quickly, but that thud wasn't enough for him to let me go. But he didn't need to ask, he was soon wrapped and thrown away from me. Bruno. I felt I was seeing things; Bruno was here. Steve's grip around my neck loosened, and I fell to the ground. My hands wrapped around my neck as I struggled for air. “Lucia, are you alright?” Bruno asked, walking to me. I tried to s
*Lucia* He sensed me coming with the rope, but it was too late to duck as I wrapped it firmly around his neck. He wiggled, trying to turn the table, and sure, he was strong, but I didn't want to give him the pleasure of seeing me weak or thinking he was stronger. The light dimmed. “How do you feel now?” I asked. He was low, and his hand was on the rope. I held him tighter. If I allowed him to overpower me for just one moment, I didn't know what he would do. He stopped wiggling. “Having fun?” He asked. His hands were still on the rope. “You bet,” I responded. “You may have to tighten this rope to kill me,” he says, struggling a bit. I liked the fact that he was struggling. “Okay, fun time is over,” he said. His hands moved to mine, and he pressed my hands. His grip was tight and solid. Then, one of his hands moved to the rope, and he easily moved it over his head. I put up a fight. I wasn't going to allow him to get away so easily. So, I quickly wrapped my hands around his ne
*Lucia* His hands fell on the side. He ended the call before Bruno could ask for the location. I struggled on the chair where I was tied. “How did it feel to see your love? I know you've missed him, but don't worry, I'm sure he does too and will soon come to pick you up,” he said. His voice rang in my head. “I never knew your voice could be so irritating. Do you think Bruno is stupid? He will come for me, and you better be prepared,” I said, one side of my lips lifting to the side as I stared directly into his eyes. He didn't react to what I said. He tilted his head to the side and then straightened it. He burst out laughing, his laugh piercing the air. He flung his head from side to side, a big, wide smile on his lips. He was indeed a psycho. “You are being delusional. I wish there was anything I could do to help you. You think Bruno will come for you?” “He will. He always has,” I said, puffing my chest out despite the rope he tied me with. “Don't tell me you are scared of him com
*Bruno* I furrowed my brows when I saw his message. This bastard, my grip around the phone tightened. “What does he want?” Rave asked, stepping close to me to take a look at the text. I extended the phone, giving him a better view but not leaving it completely. “What? He wants to talk over a video call. The nerve of him,” said Rave, his voice a little bit over the top. I dropped my hands to the side. “Let's give him what he wants,” said Jason, standing at the side. It's just a video call; it shouldn't change much.” He sounded sure that there would be changes or that the call would lead us somewhere. The curtains by the window on the other side danced in the air. “Do you even know what you are saying? You want us to agree with his terms, no. We are not going to make him feel superior. He won't tell us what to do," said Rave at the same time. He was facing Jason, who didn't seem to want to stop. “So you say we ignore his message and keep searching for Lucia ourselves?” Rave raised a
*Lucia* My body felt sore all over. The last thing I remember was that I was hit on the head with a gun. Where the hell am I right now? I was laying on something hard and rough. I turned slowly; my body felt trapped in the white gown that I was wearing. I wanted to get rid of the gown. I opened my eyes slowly. It was dark. Wherever this place was, there was no single light. It was pitch black—that dick. I'll skin him alive. I cursed through gritted teeth as I tried to sit up. And the gown was making all my movements uncomfortable. I may not know where I was, but one thing was clear: it wasn't somewhere I'd like. And the smell. It smelled so much like rotten meat in condemned kitchen water. I almost threw up but held myself. I'll kill this idiot. He should wait and be patient. I won't end up here. I refused to give up. I believe that Bruno would come for me. I am confident. Bruno. I sigh at the thought of him. I sat, holding my legs to my chest and laying my head on it. I can
*Bruno* I felt sore all over my body. I was lying on something soft. I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn't. Opening my eyes felt like a chore. I moved my fingertip. From the smell of the bedsheets, I knew I was in my room. I had a hard time trying to remember why I was lying here. Fuck. My memories came flooding back to me. I was supposed to get married to Lucia. We didn't get married. I opened my eyes. It wasn't as hard as it was before. It was as if I was filled with a different energy. The room was bright from the bulbs that hung in the middle of the room. I blinked twice in succession, adjusting to the light. Lucia Where was she? Why was I here? The last thing I remember was being shot and Lucia; I couldn't see her; I didn't know what happened to her. Did Rave come to save her? And that bastard, Steve, I'll rip him limb by limb. I sat up slowly, my shoulder aches to my hand. My hands were bandaged. This wasn't the first time I was shot; it wasn't much of a big deal to me
*Steve* Since I watched Sarah die in front of me, I have always envisaged how Lucia would die. Although I had gotten the report from the autopsy done on Sarah, and they claimed that she had died from something other than the stab, I still couldn't bring myself to accept it if she hadn't met Lucia that evening if Lucia hadn't stabbed her. If she had not been pushed by Bruno, I believe she would still be alive. Someone needed to be blamed for her death, and Lucia would. I left Jason. Once he knew that Lucia didn't kill Sarah, he would surely take a step back and refrain from helping me. I didn't know what I wanted from him yet, but all I knew was that he was still very useful to me, and I didn't want to lose him yet. I bid my time. I was waiting for the perfect time to attack them. When I heard about their wedding, I thought that was the best place to visit them and settle the scores, so I went to the wedding. I didn't need to be invited. It was sufficient that I knew the venue. No