Chapter Two

"Enjoy your stay, Miss Oakmont."

Celestine groaned after someone forcefully pushed her inside of a dark room making her sat on the cold floor. Tears welled in her eyes when she heard how the man locked the door, not leaving a space for light to shine through the room. 

She hugged herself as her shoulders quivered. She can't see anything, she feels like she has gone blind. She can't even hear the slightest noise outside. It's as if the darkroom tarnished her ability to think and feel. 

Celestine clenched the hem of her shirt when the wind whistled giving her goosebumps. She closed her eyes and had accepted that this might be the last day of her life. 

"I love you, Dad," she whispered to herself. 

Vincent massages his temple with his eyes closed. There's so much on his plate right now but on top of all that was Fernando. 

He heard a knock on his door. "It's open." 

Niccolo entered his office. "Boss, Miss Oakmont is now inside of the cell."

"Is she being noisy?"

"Unexpectedly not, Boss." 

Vincent falls back to his swivel chair. "L'audace de cette salope à m'énerver." The audacity of that bitch to piss me off. 

"I asked Alejandro and Gustav to guard her and according to them since they locked her inside she remained silent."

"Starve her to death."

"B-Boss?"

Vincent punched his office table. "I said starve her to death until she speaks. Call the five idiots and tell them to make that bitch speak about her father. I want to know where Fernando is before midnight. If they can't make her speak, I'll kill them. Understand?"

"Yes, Boss."

"Good. Now leave."

Niccolo bowed his head then walked towards the door and leave. 

Fernando's daughter is hitting a nerve and he's not happy with it. 

He dialed Leandro's number—one of his associates. 

"Yes, Boss?"

Vincent removed his coat and tie. "I want to blow off steam."

"Copy that Boss."

He walked outside of his office with a devilish smile on his lips. 

"Bro, that Celestine is feisty," Sebastian said as he dropped himself on the couch. 

Carter chuckled. "Let's see until when."

"She'll die soon," Niccolo who just entered the kitchen interrupted. 

"How can you so?" Carter asked while cracking eggs on the pan. 

"Boss asked me to starve her to death." 

"She's still lucky. Boss is not punishing her enough," Sebastian said as he sat properly on the couch. 

"He can't starve her to death," Vladimir who just walked inside of the kitchen joined the conversation. 

"What are you? A fucking mushroom?" Carter teased Vladimir. 

"Mushroom?" Vladimir asked then he walked to Carter's side to see what he's cooking. 

"You're just popping up anywhere dude."

"Why you said that Boss can't starve that woman to death?" Sebastian asked. 

"Boss needs her as bait to lure her father out. He'll keep her alive."

"Well, you tell that to him because I think he's forgetting about that. You're a consigliere after all," Niccolo said as he took a cigarette out of his pocket.

"Where is him anyway?" Vladimir asked as he pulled the chair next to Carter. 

"I don't have an idea but I saw him leave the mansion a while ago," Niccolo answered. 

"What color of car did he used?" 

"His red car."

Vladimir stood up. "Oh fuck."

"What's the matter, dude?" Carter asked. 

"He'll blow off steam and it means: he'll kill anyone he pleases to kill." 

"Oh fuck!" All of them except for Vladimir blurted. 

They all knew that if Vincent's father found out about his son's impulsiveness all of them will be dead. 

Celestine's stomach grumbled. She swallowed when she felt something squeezed her stomach painfully. 

She has no idea what time it is already but she knew that she's been sitting inside of a stinky room for hours and she's famished. 

Celestine knew Vincent but it was her first time to see him face to face. Vincent is a popular businessman. He's a billionaire and almost all of her model friends talk about him. She can't deny the fact that he's handsome but he's cruel. 

She won't like such a man. 

"Did the five idiots made her speak?" Vincent asked. 

"You can't even make her speak and you expect her to say something to your associates?"

Vincent took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and get a stick from it. "They're useless." 

"I suggest you should have a little patience with her," Vladimir said with evident respect in his tone of voice. 

"I'm a fucking mafia boss. No one can disrespect me as she did," Vincent said while puffing a cigarette. 

"Yes she did, but you need her," Vladimir said while stitching Vincent's open wounds carefully. 

Vincent went home late at night with wounds and bruises all over his body. Vladimir found out that his boss get into a fight with ten men which Leandro ready for him. He wanted to curse Leandro and beat him to death but Vladimir knew that Leandro is just an associate who needs to follow Vincent's order.

"Come to think of it, I have money. A lot of them. I can ask anyone to find Fernando I don't need her." 

"You do. Sure you do. But you need to find Fernando as soon as possible before Mr. Stevenson suspects. And that woman can give you her father in a matter of seconds if she will only speak."

"She's trying to act brave, she won't say a thing." Vincent put his cigarette to the ashtray. 

"She will if you'll just be a little persuasive."

Vincent closed his eyes. "It's her father's fault why she's suffering. It's not because of me. If she doesn't want to say a thing I don't fucking care."

When Vincent's wounds are stitched Vladimir tapped his shoulder. "Start with giving her food. I'm sure she's famished. No one gave her food the whole day and it's already night."

After that, Vladimir left him thinking deeply. 

A strong kicked on the metallic door disturbed Celestine's sleep. It made an ear-splitting sound the reason why Celestine covered her ears using his hands. 

She blinked slowly as the light shone in her eyes. It was an eyesore for someone who has been deprived of light the whole day but at the same time a sign of hope. 

Someone walked inside of her cell. She can't see the man properly but she can smell his scent—it's outrageously expensive and intoxicating. 

He put something on and the floor and nudged it towards Celestine. 

"Eat."

In a short period, she had familiarized the sound of his voice and it never fails to give her goosebumps. His voice is cold, yet sounds intimidating. 

"I don't want to. I'm not hungry," Celestine forcefully said. Her stomach is grumbling but there's no way she'll eat what the mafia boss gave her. 

"There's no poison in there." Vincent light up his cigarette then he blew smoke at Celestine. 

"You don't have manners aren't you?" 

"Last time I checked, I do have. It just happened that I don't show it to useless people like you." 

Celestine clenched her hands to fists. "You're more useless than I am."

Vincent put his left hand on his pocket while puffing his cigarette. "Maybe yes or maybe not."

She took a deep breath. "You're wasting your time on me. I don't know where is my father."

"Even though you do or not, I honestly don't care," Vincent said nonchalantly. 

"What do you mean?"

Vincent touched her face. "You'll end up dead anyway."

His minty breath sends shivers down her spine.  

"You're heartless," Celestine said with great amount of certainty in her voice. 

"Darling, I am more than that."

Celestine kicked the plate near her. "I won't eat it."

Vincent grabbed her jaw and forced her to look at him. "You're gonna pay for this."

As soon as Vincent let go of her face she felt the heaviness of it. She hugged her legs and sobbed on her knees. She was startled when he slammed the door closed, leaving her inside of the darkroom again with nothing but the coldness of the floor and her heavy breathing. 

Vincent furiously went inside of his office and hastily dialed Alice's number—one of his associates that he assigned to find Fernando. 

"Yes, Boss?"

"Any update in Fernando?"

"Boss, as of the moment, there is no sign of—"

He ended the call and slammed his phone against his office table that made his palm bleed. 

"You like this hide and seek game huh? I'll make your daughter suffer and we'll see what will happen next," he whispered to himself after he punched Fernando's picture lying on his table.