Yellow

END OF FLASHBACK

"Dad please I'll be good… it hurts!"

"IT HURTS!"

Her head thumped from a strong headache, her body spotted in cold sweat, and the hard pillow drenched in tears. 

Isadora woke up from her own screams. She huddled on the rough mattress, knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth whispering unintelligible words. Her brain still hasn't recovered from the shock, reality felt like an unending nightmare only this time from the bottomless pit of hell.

Yesterday's experience snatched the delicate world she had created and protected herself in and crushed it into a million pieces. Isadora's lower body ached and burned unrelentingly but it was nothing compared to her bleeding mental state.

The torturous memories she barely managed to suppress have broken out of its prison in a single night and replayed in an endless cycle. The day her father cried at her feet, under her six-year-old figure, and apologized profusely begging for forgiveness on things he was yet to do she had cried with him confused by the whole situation. Her naive self was unaware of how the following hellish months would force her to grow up fast.

Goosebumps rose with stiff peaks all over Isadora's shivering body, as she recounted the merciless torture in that yellow room.

"Ah!"

Isadora screamed again, her hands digging into her hair, ripping out fistfuls.

That bastard Vincent… it's his fault … he made her remember these. He introduced feral wolves into her already fucked up mental cage. Yeah, he caused this.

Isadora instantaneously stopped sobbing and raised her face off her knees. It felt heavy, drenched with streaks of years and for a split second, she looked okay, unaffected…. normal.

Her mind has just done what it's best at, it provided a counterattack. It provided a fragile distraction.

Vincent was it? She shall never forgive him in this lifetime!

Isadora pulled herself together and sat up at the edge of the hard bed, her feet hanging a few inches from the floor. She stared at the wooden door a few feet away as though expecting something would pop up.

It violently swung open, spitting in a woman of average height and looks.

Upon first glance at Isadora, surprise stood evident on her face but it soon morphed into an arrogant frown.

"Good, you are awake already." She said in a tone that revealed she wasn't too pleased about that.

"I'm Zeta, an ordinary worker in the Black Saints Famiglia and also the one temporarily in charge of you. I am your senior, understand?" Zeta pronounced with a twinkle of hate in her eyes.

She paused for a few seconds, awaiting Isadora's reply but only got the silent treatment. Pure mocking silence.

Zeta clenched her jaws in irritation. This bitch is ignoring her!

At first, she hadn't been the happiest to be chosen to supervise this abomination of a human being but cheered up quickly upon realizing how much she could make mistress Sienna proud torturing this stray bitch to her satisfaction and planned to awaken her this morning with a heavy slap on the face.

Who knew this witch would already be awake, stripping her the satisfaction of seeing her be in pain. After all Lord Vincent made her go through last night, her screams reaching the servants' quarters, Zeta had assumed Isadora would be passed out at least till the early afternoon.

It has always been like that with anyone who served in bed.

Zeta wanted to make a sarcastic comment but her lips clamped shut under Isadora's dark, unsettling nonchalant stare.

Five minutes into their meeting and she could tell she and Isadora were never going to get along in this mansion.

She nixed all snappy sentences prepared and moved straight to business. "Here," She tossed a black piece of clothing much similar to the one she had on, on the bed. An inch off course and it would land on the ground instead.

She pointed to the right, "The bathroom is over there, take a shower and put that on within the next ten minutes. I'll be back to give further instructions." She spoke her gaze not leaving Isadora's figure for a second, once again Isadora bore no reaction to her words.

"Your time starts now if you are not ready within the stipulated time…" Her eyes intentionally traveled down Isadora's face to the choker, "You know what's coming."

Isadora immediately became filled with fear as her fingers grazed the collar involuntarily. She started trembling again.

There it is, a proper reaction!

Zeta smirked and left the room slamming the door in a similar energy as she came in.

"This fucking thing!" Isadora gritted her teeth, tugging at the collar with all her strength but it didn't slack nor budge as though welded with titanium.

It only took a few seconds to give up.

"Dio Mio!" She was angry that such a degrading thing brought her so much pain.

How laughable. If anyone told her in the past that one day she would be controlled by a collar associated with animals, she would have never believed it.

Then again, her life has always been fucked up.

For the first time, Isadora looked around the room, it was different from yesterday, she must have gotten moved.

Besides a bed and wardrobe, there was nothing much to see. The walls were gray, seemingly without paint. Only one light source illuminated the room from a small window.

Generally compact, dull, boring…. barely 

habitable.

Isadora took in a deep breath and let it out in just as much time as she inhaled, propped on her feet, and got moving.

The opening between her thighs stung with each step, still, not once did she whine.

She made it to the bathroom and opened the shower on full blast. Washing the filthiness, washing his imprint on her body…

… washing Vincent away.

- - - 

"You must clear all of the weeds today, on this portion, stopping at the red marker. Make sure to be careful, these vines are grown from a delicate variant, if you upset the soil too much it will wilt and you will be severely punished. Any tools you might need are in the shed over there." Zeta brushed over the instructions and left immediately, leaving Isadora to her new job.

Isadora's hair blew with the wind flowing through the many acres of grape vineyards. Everything felt surreal, one moment she is at a club surviving through her best friend's birthday, and the next, she is kidnapped and made to work on a field for the current most powerful mafia group in the country.

To be on so many acres of land, Isadora could tell she was no longer in the city anymore. There were just three things in her immediate vision, the mansion, barren land, and a grape plantation.

She didn't get it. Is she being detained only to become a groveling farm worker, surely things have to be much more complicated.

Isadora looked upwards to the clear blue sky, clamped her eyes shut, and took in a big whiff of the fresh air around. The freshest she has had in a while.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" A female voice came up behind her.

Isadora's body turned sharply to identify who had just spoken. She recognized that voice but was unsure where she heard it from.

A petite lady with the brightest blond hair stood before her, wearing the biggest friendly smile.

Donned in a blue top and bottom, her face and hands had streaks of mud on them and she carried a small, brown basket and gardening shears.

She looked odd … too odd to be in a place like this. Like a speck of bright yellow in this very dark place. 

Isadora hates the color yellow.

She looked the opposite way and back at the lady, "Are you talking to me?" She asked, very surprised.

Everyone she encountered on the field looked like they were about to jump at her and rip her head off. All bore some grudge against her, something she finds quite strange.

To be spoken to so warmly and sincerely, Isadora's heart became a bit less heavy.

"Of course, I'm talking to you silly! It's not like anyone's here," She smiled again, surprising Isadora for the second time.

She didn't think she could take another smile, else get addicted.

"I'm Felicity, I hope we can get along. Isadora, I assume?" She outstretched her hand which Isadora took in a handshake without realizing.

"Yes, I am." She replied, replicating a smile, it felt rude not to do so.

"I noticed your colleagues are not the friendliest over here, it's because you are new," Felicity's eyes never left Isadora's face, ".... and very pretty, so they might feel a bit inferior." She blushed.

"Plus you have quite the reputation, don't worry they will get over it."

"A reputation?" Isadora moved one step closer to Felicity, effortlessly assuming her manipulative personality. She set predatory eyes on her new victim, "seems interesting. Tell me about it."

"Well…" Felicity reddened slightly on the cheeks, flustered by Isadora's sudden movements, "No one is allowed to talk about it on the Black Saints grounds."

A small smile rested on Isadora's face. How cute.

"That's disappointing. I was hoping to get in on some of the gossip, before during this inhumanely large menial work." She twisted her face to look pitiful.

Felicity bit her lips, her mood dampened, "We can do it together if you want."

"What?" Isadora's eyes widened in astonishment. "Do it together?" 

What kind of person has she met today? A fucking saintess?

She took another step forward and leaned in, "Hey did you get kidnapped too? How long have you been here? Do you know a way out?"

"One question at a time," Felicity stepped back with a cherry red face, Isadora whispering tingled her skin.

"First of all, no I wasn't kidnapped. In fact, I love it here, it's my home. Secondly, there is no way out, so don't even think about escaping…"

Isadora crooked an eyebrow.

"I… I… didn't mean it that way. You might just get killed if you try. It's never wise to go against lord Vincent."

She stays in this godforsaken place by free will?! Of course, how could she overlook Felicity's clothes? It must be really cozy for her here. It doesn't look like she is one of the mansion's servants though. What's her relationship with the Mafia?

Isadora found herself second guessing Felicity's intentions and friendliness. What's her goal in approaching her like this?

She stepped back, "Nice talking to you then, I have to work now"

Isadora turned away but was stopped as Felicity held onto her arm. She flung it off by pure reflexes, startling Felicity greatly. She has become very jumpy and cautious of the people around her in this hell hole.

"Hey! Felicity get away from her, that woman is very dangerous!" A man tore through the fields and he ran towards them. From the gravity of his tone one could tell he was very upset.

"Mateo…" Felicity whispered.

"It's alright, I'm here Felicity, get behind me." He stood between her and Isadora, the most menacing look in his eyes.

"What did you do to her?!" He barked, "I swear if you cause trouble I'm going to rip you apart right here, right now."

"What did I do?" Isadora scoffed, bile rising up her throat.

She recognized this idiot, he was the one who knocked her unconscious with a hit on the neck, twice.

"Why don't you ask her?"

"You….!" He gritted his teeth, temper rising.

"Mateo!" Felicity called out, stepping out from behind him into view. She assumed he had seen Isadora flick off her arm and misunderstood.

"She didn't do anything to me, in fact, I approached her first."

Mateo looked at Felicity searchingly, to be certain she spoke the truth. He became overwhelmed with disappointment.

"I told you to avoid her at all costs, didn't I? She isn't a person you should associate with."

"Sorry I got curious. She looked very interesting and beautiful, I couldn't help myself." Felicity apologized dryly, not looking the slightest bit remorseful.

Mateo sighed, running his hand from his hair down his face in an attempt to cool his temper, "It's alright, go back to the mansion. Little Lucas, is waiting for you, I'll be back soon."

"Right." Felicity nodded, a bit deflated as she left, midway she turned and waved goodbye at Isadora with another bright smile before walking off.

What a strange lady.

"Woman…"

Isadora tore her eyes away from Felicity who fascinated her so much, only to be struck by intense bloodlust.

"Stay away from her, she is too good for you."

She is too good for the Mafia altogether. Isadora thought in agreement but felt like angering this overgrown douche a bit more. 

"As you've heard, she is the one coming to me, besides what do you dare do if I associate with Yellow, Knock me unconscious?" 

"Yellow?!" Mateo's blood boiled. It had already reached the extent of making nicknames?

Faced with Isadora's wide satisfactory grin, he reigned himself to be calmer, "I have not the time to argue with you. You have been warned."

He didn't wait for Isadora's reply before speaking again, "The boss wants to see you, now." He turned, leaving.

Surprisingly, Isadora followed without a word. Maybe because she was itching to have a talk with that bastard since she became sane enough to not go off on sudden bursts of emotions.

Within a few minutes of silent walking and many piercing judgemental eyes, Isadora and Mateo stood in front of a massive black door in an isolated hallway, at the very top of the mansion.

They only had to wait a few seconds before a voice commanded from within, "Come in."

Isadora went in after Mateo, her heart as hard as rock.

As soon as she set eyes on him, the masked man her breath froze.