ERICA“Excuse me,” I murmured as I stood up from the table. Antonio grabbed my hand, stopping me before I could leave. “Where are you going?”Our earlier conversation hadn’t ended well and the strain of it had followed us downstairs to where we joined Gianna and Ephraim for the late lunch. I met his eyes, saw the distrust in them and swallowed against the tight knot in my throat. “You didn’t ask your daughter where she was going when she excused herself.” I said to him, jerking my hand free as I glared at him, trying to hide my hurt. We were really backtracking to the time from where it all started.He sighed, his fingers raking through his hair. And in his eyes, I saw that he really didn’t trust me at the moment. He thought I was going to try to escape. And I wish I was, but before that I’d try everything and first was to talk to Gabriel. “I am going to the restroom.” I had drunk three glasses of red wine and it was catching up to me. “You can send your men if you want, go back to b
ANTONIO“What’s going on?” Ephraim asked as we waited on the terrace for Gianna and Erica. Surprisingly, both of them seemed to have called a truce on their animosity for some reason. And even though I knew that Erica didn’t have any other agenda, I didn’t trust Gianna. She was really my daughter for all the things that mattered, and if she had a grudge with someone she didn’t let it go so easily, so for her to be smiling and talking with Erica like she hadn’t told me to get rid of her was alarming. I had to warn Erica unless she does something to hurt her.I looked at Ephraim and answered, “She knows about Gianna. And about my reason to hate Gabriel Wolfe.”Ephraim looked at me with a shocked expression on his face. He said, “You told her everything.” It wasn’t a question but I nodded. “About your emails, and the exchange you discussed with Gabriel?”“She isn't going anywhere.” I gritted out.“Yeah, I know. But it's the reason he will be coming here like a lamb to a slaughter. Did yo
ERICAI heard Ephraim’s and Antonio’s conversation, and I might’ve missed some parts but I understood it well enough so when we stepped down from the chopper, even though I was angry I couldn’t banish the spark of worry that came alive in my heart. I stopped and turned around. “Antonio!” I called out his name over the noise of the chopper. He looked back at me and then walked toward me. I erased the remaining distance between us and looked up at his handsome face. “What is it?” He asked.I licked my lips, suddenly hesitant after the tension between us. When I placed my palm on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat an image of him in a hospital bed flashed in my mind. He was there then because he had gotten shot while saving me and the bitter helpless feeling from that time coated the back of my tongue. I didn't want the repeat of that, so I said, “Please, be safe.”His golden eyes sparked yellow and he slipped his hand at the back of my nape as he replied, “Don’t worry, little devi
ERICA “Are you cheating on my papa?” “What?” I stared at her and realised she was totally serious. I scoffed and a chuckle left me as even the prospect of cheating on a man like Antonio was laughable to me. I met her eyes and replied, “No. I’m not cheating on him. And I can see that you’d like for that to be the case, but unfortunately for you I am not that kind of a woman. Neither I’m a cheater and nor I’m a gold digger of which you accused me without knowing me.” “Then why did you ask for my phone? Who are you calling behind my father’s back?” I looked down at the phone in my hand that I had slipped out to check again, it was unlocked and on the screen as a wallpaper there was a picture of her with Ephraim and Antonio. As I watched the picture, looking at their happy faces, I couldn't help but miss my own family. I drank more from my mug and in a moment of weakness which was probably because of the whiskey that seemed to be rushing to my he
ERICA“I am sorry. I didn’t know about your situation. That papa brought you here against your will. I just didn’t want anyone to change what we already have.”Hate welled up inside me, surprising even me in its intensity. I clenched my fists by my sides unless I punch her in the face. She was a real bîtch, wasn’t she? “And what you were going to do about it?” I gestured at the open packets of pills and the white powder she had thrown all over the bed. “Make it all my fault!” I was aware that I was on the verge of losing control but I didn’t know what to do. Thor barked and growled at her, I commanded him to be silent and sit down as I fought my rage.“I made a mistake. I just thought—”“What did you think, that you’ll blame it all on me. Tell your father that I was the one who bought these drugs. And what else?” I could only think what Antonio would have gone or behaved like when he found this. I wondered if he'd have believed his daughter’s lies or trusted me, but then considering m
ERICAMy knees bounced as my anxiety started to get worse while I sat there at the end of the bed, looking around myself feeling alone like I was in a well, forgotten and helpless. Thor got tired of my agitation, at least that’s what I think was the reason for him to go sit near the windows. But I couldn’t help it as no matter how much I tried to think of something else my thoughts circled back to what Mac had said to me, and my body buzzed with an unfamiliar energy as my mind conjured up all the unwanted stuff that must be happening back at home. The emails. The threats. Antonio’s ultimatum. And my sister... Fuck. Gabe and Summer must be devastated from the miscarriage. And I was here wondering about how I could keep Antonio for myself. Having the time of my life with him despite knowing how hungry he was for revenge. Unknowingly I had become so selfish, looking forward to an impossible future, that I forgot about everything else.I stood up and had to stop for a moment as black dot
ERICAIt was loud enough. The cracks that formed in my heart and how it started tobreak into pieces as I opened the next email.There was another picture of me. It was edited in such a way that it highlighted my hands with a bandage and my back to be specific, with red lines that looked horrible and blood smeared on theside of my arse cheek. The picture in itself looked horrific, like someone was beaten so severely. My whole back looked like any moment it’d start bleeding and while I knew that wasn’t the case, sobs started to pour out of me to think that my sister saw this and Gabe saw this. They must’ve been so scared for me, and Antonio’s words accompanied with these pictures were cruel and heartless. The way he described what he did and what he would do if Gabriel didn’t surrender himself.
ANTONIO“What's going on with you?” I looked up at Ephraim, arching a dark brow at him like I didn’t know what he was talking about. He said, “It’s the fourth time you’re checking the time on your watch.”“Nothing.”“You can tell me. It’s obviously something about Erica, right?” “Not per se about Erica, but I didn’t like how Gianna was behaving with her. I know her, she’s my daughter. And, as much as she was smiling and was sweetly behaving toward Erica, I don’t trust her. I’m just afraid she doesn’t cross the line.”“Do you want me to call Mario and get an update from him?” He asked, pulling out his phone from his pocket.“Leave it. We will be there soon enough.”Ephraim shook his head and muttered, “I’ll just do it. You are too tense.”I couldn’t explain it but since we left the factory site, I have got this bad feeling for some reason. And I have this urge to go back to the castle and have my little devil in my arms, look at her beautiful face. I focused back on Ephraim and notice