**Alessio**

“We’ve got a problem,” a harsh voice said through the phone. It was my

second in command.

“I’m coming,” I told him. I didn’t like his tone. I could tell it was something

really bad. His nervousness made me nervous. Viktor was a crazy bastard, and if

something had him this riled up, then it was something big. Something I really

wouldn’t like.

I walked out of my office and found a few of my men standing in the hallway,

lined up and on guard. They bowed their heads in respect as I walked by.

As I stepped into the dark hallway that led to the soundproof basement, my

body tensed. The air around me was stale and my steps were hard against the

silence as I prepared myself for the worst.

When I opened the door, I saw Viktor leaning against the wall, his head cast

down in defeat. My entrance didn’t even faze him, he was so lost in his own

thoughts. I cleared my throat and he glanced up.

His expression conveyed horror and disgust. “It’s bad,” Viktor said, pointing

toward the room. I nodded, then walked farther inside, leading the way while

Viktor fell into step behind me.

Stomping forward, I found a bloodied man strapped to a chair. The basement

room was empty except for the chair in the middle and a table at the back. Four

of my men stood around him. They were my right-hand men.

I didn’t recognize the captive, but when he looked up at me, his eyes were

filled with terror. As I got closer, his already pale face twisted in pain. He pushed

back against the chair when I stopped in front of him.

“What the fuck is going on?” My voice boomed around the room. I didn’t take my eyes off the man, but when I saw him flinch, satisfaction coursed

through my body. The fucker better be petrified.

Viktor walked around me to stand behind the man. He grabbed the captive’s

hair and pulled hard until his neck snapped back painfully. The man screamed

and thrashed.

I lifted my eyes from the battered captive to meet Viktor’s disgusted gaze.

“The fucker betrayed us. I heard him talking. The fucking Italians. He’s

working for them,” Viktor growled.

I looked down at the man and his eyes were closed. He refused to look at me.

The anger that took over my body was indescribable. He fucking betrayed me.

Me. The. Fucking. King. The person who owned his life.

Nobody betrayed me and got away with it. I trusted all my men. They were

my family, but when one of my own betrayed me, they paid the ultimate price.

Death. Very painful death.

Taking a deep breath and schooling my features, I stepped away from the

strapped man.

“Bring me a chair,” I yelled. I saw one of my men scrambling back, doing as I

commanded.

“Here you go, Boss,” Phoenix said a minute later. He placed the chair behind

me and slowly stepped away.

I sat down and faced the motherfucker. He opened his eyes and stared directly

at me. My temper flared. Leaning forward, I snarled into his face. “Why?”

His body shook in fear but he refused to answer. I looked up and signaled

Viktor. He let the man go and walked toward the table at the back of the room,

only to come back with a cutter in his hand.

I smiled almost maliciously and leaned back against the chair, crossing my

arms over my chest.

“Enjoy,” I said, nodding at Viktor.

As he got to work, the man’s screams filled the room. Blood dripped all over

the floor, but I kept my gaze fixed on him the whole time. When he started to

lose consciousness, I raised my hand. Viktor instantly stopped his torturous

ministrations.

Leaning forward again, I asked, “Why and who?”

I laughed when he glared at me. Viktor leaned forward and punched him.

“Show respect.”

“I will ask one last time. Why and who?” I said menacingly as I took his face

in my hand. My fingers pressed hard into his cheek until blood oozed badly from

his wounds.

When he still wouldn’t answer, I let his face go and stood up, pushing my chair away. I wasn’t going to get my hands dirty this time. But the man strapped

against the chair in front of me forced my hand. The rest of my men needed to

see me kill. They needed to see the consequences of betraying me.

They needed to see the worst of me. How brutal I could be. It appeared they

had forgotten.

I was feared by all and nobody fucking betrayed me.

Walking toward the table, I picked up the pliers. As I turned, all the men took

a step back. Viktor smiled sadistically and shook his head. “Fuck, yeah. Now

you’re talking.”

Viktor held the captive’s head against the chair. I stood in front of him and

roughly grabbed his chin, not caring if I hurt him. I forced his mouth open and

held the pliers to his teeth.

The man tried to scream, but I never gave him a chance. It took me hours to

be satisfied.

And when I was done, he was no longer breathing.

May this be a lesson learned.

**Alya**

Run, keep running, I told myself.

Escaping wasn’t easy. I had planned it for years but never found the courage

to actually do it.

But tonight I had to escape from the nightmare I’d been born into.

My father never cared. It didn’t matter that I begged him to listen. He always

turned a blind eye. My father only cared about his profits. After all, he was the

Boss. The Italians, the Famiglia respected him. He was the feared leader.

And I was just a pawn in the cruel game.

I had no choice, no will. No respect. No love.

I had nothing.

My engagement to my father’s second in command hadn’t been my choice

either. After all, what choice did I have at sixteen?

At twenty-three, after all the years of torture I went through by Alberto’s

hands, I decided to escape. For years, I wished my fatherwould put a stop to the

violence against me, but it never happened. Alberto did whatever he wanted with

me.

I was just a toy for pleasure and for pain.

After he left me bloodied and beaten up from yet another torturous night, I

crawled out of the bed and climbed out the window. No matter how much I

thought of it and planned for my escape, it wasn’t easy. Nothing was ever easy.

But I still ran for my life.

Whatever was left of my sanity depended on it.

“Stop!”

I heard yelling behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“No. No. No,” I gasped, panting. I was almost off the property, my legs

burning as I ran.

Run, keep running.

I just needed time, but the men were closing in on me.

“Miss Ayla. Stop. Stop,” I heard one of them yelling behind me.

Shuffling deeper into the forest, I forced myself to move quicker. I pushed

hard, running until my body felt like it was breaking. I was already bleeding

badly.

Everything hurt, but I kept going. Only my escape mattered.

I kept running into the darkness until the screams of the men faded away.

When I couldn’t hear them anymore, I stopped and leaned against a tree.

My safety wasn’t guaranteed yet, but I had to rest. My heart was pounding

and my legs were shaking too hard for me to continue.

But when I heard a noise to my left, my eyes widened and I pushed myself

from the tree, taking a few steps away. The sounds got louder.

Without sparing another glance in that direction, I turned away and started

running again, praying that I would find someone who could help me. There

must be a good person left in this cruel world.

When dawn approached, I was too tired to keep going. I was no longer in the

forest, but at the side of a deserted road. I knew my father’s estate was on the

outskirts of New York City. He’d said something about one day ruling the whole

city. But for now, it belonged to someone else. Someone more powerful than

him.

Limping along the side of road, I continued until I came across houses.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips. I was safe. Someone would help me.

I walked over to one of the houses and knocked softly at the door. An old

woman opened the door and gasped at the sight of me. Before I could say

anything, she slammed the door in my face.

My eyes widened and I stared at the closed door in shock. What?

My fist came up to knock again, but I saw something else from the corner of

my eye.

Alberto’s men. They were walking around, looking for me.

With my heart in my throat, I quickly hid behind the house. As I tried to

figure out my next plan, lights flared around the corner. I looked to my left and

saw a black vehicle slowing to a stop.

I stood still as a large man stepped out of the car. He was wearing a black suit,similar to what Alberto and my father wore. I couldn’t see him well, the

darkness hiding his face. He went inside one of the houses.

Looking back at the car, I made up my mind. After making sure that Alberto’s

men were not looking, I quickly walked away from my hiding spot and ran

toward the car. I pulled on the handle of the back door.

The door opened. Tears of relief blinded my vision and I hiccupped back a

sob.

I looked on either side of me, making sure nobody saw me. My path was clear

when I climbed into the car and closed the door behind me.

My body folded into itself as I crouched down between the seats, trying to

make myself as invisible as possible. My eyes closed as I tried to calm my

breathing.

After a few minutes, the door opened and the man sat down. I jumped slightly

when he slammed the door shut. My stomach twisted in knots as my breathing

slowed. My hands shook in fear.

I heard some shuffling noises and then he started talking. “Viktor, I’m coming

home. Get everything prepared.”

My body was strung tight with tension but when the car suddenly lurched

forward and the man began driving, I let out a sigh of relief.

I was safe. For now. And that was all that mattered.

My body trembled with tension during the drive. The man was silent but the

air surrounding him was intense and brooding. When the car finally came to a

stop, I froze.

My heart skipped a beat when he opened the door. I waited for a reaction

from him. But he only stepped out of the car and the door closed behind him.

Then, utter silence.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, my body sagging against the back of the car

seat. I was safe. After waiting for a few more minutes, I climbed to my knees

and stared outside through the tinted window.

I gasped, my eyes widening in shock. The beauty beyond the window took

my breath away.

There was a long circular driveway lined with pine trees and tall red glass

garden stakes. Beautiful shrubs surrounded a gigantic fountain in the middle of

the driveway. The central fountain was mesmerizing, made of glazed ceramic

tiles and surrounded by flowers.

I could see trees in the distance, which continued down the long driveway

toward the main gate. This place was serene.

When I felt sure I was alone, I quickly opened the door and stepped out.

When I had left my father’s estate, it was still dark, dawn just slowly

approaching, but now the sunlight was bright. I winced and had to blink to get

used to the glare.

Turning around, I was speechless.

This estate seemed much bigger than my father’s. There were white marble

pillars around the entrance to the mansion. The towers were topped in silver

domes and intricate stonework decorated the walls. A large wooden double door probably cost more than I could imagine.

My father was wealthy, but I had never seen anything like this. The mansion I

lived in was much smaller compared to this one.Sudden realization came crashing down on me and it occurred to me that this

man was much wealthier than my dad, and possibly just as dangerous—if not

more so.

I had learned my lesson. Rich people were blinded by their power and they

stopped acting like human beings. They had no emotions. And I wasn’t going to

take the risk with this stranger.

Taking several steps back, I bumped into the car. I swallowed and then closed

my eyes. I had to go. I had to find somewhere safer.

I turned away but my eyes widened in shock when I saw two men striding

toward me. They were looking at each other, away from me. Taking the chance, I

quickly hid behind the car.

My body was shaking with fear and I felt myself sweating.

I had to leave. Now! But my safety was compromised. When the men entered

the mansion, my body dropped forward in relief, but tension still coiled tight

inside me. Fear lodged deep in my gut and my stomach cramped. As I turned

back toward the main gate, I froze again.

There was no escape. It was impossible.

For the first time, I noticed four men standing at the main gate, guarding it.

Nobody entered or left without them noticing. It was the same way at my

father’s estate. There were always guards on the ground, making sure there

weren’t any impending attacks.

I swallowed and looked behind me. My heart stopped beating for a moment

when I saw the doors open. Going through the main gates wasn’t an option

anymore. And I wasn’t familiar with the grounds.

Tears of frustration blinded my vision as I tried to think of a way out.

I took a step toward the opened door, my heart beating hard and fast against

my ribcage. I could go in. I could hide in there and most likely nobody would

see me. I would be safe for some time, until I had a plan.

Before I could take more steps toward the door, a shout came from behind

me.

“Hey!”

I froze and turned around to see two of the guards running toward me at full

force.

“Stop right there!” one of the men shouted, his expression furious. I saw both

of them taking their guns out and pointing them at me.

My heart stuttered and my vision turned blurry with panic. Without a second

thought, I turned around and ran toward the opened door.I felt them behind me. They were closing in and their steps sounded hard and

angry.

My pulse drummed in my throat. My breath came out in short pants and I

smelled it—fear. Fear surrounded me.

The doors were so close. I was almost inside the mansion.

They came close, their heat at my back. Feeling a touch on my arm, I let out a

small scream and increased my pace until I passed through the door.

I ran blindly. Between sofas, chairs, a table, and then the stairs. I didn’t pay

attention to where I was going. I just ran.

When I reached the second floor, I tripped over my legs and almost went

down in a heap. Saving myself in time with the help of the banister, I continued

running.

All I heard were furious shouts. Even when several men came from different

directions, I didn’t stop running.

The halls were big and filled with many doors. When I heard distant screams,

I blindly moved toward one door and opened it. I ran inside and slammed it

behind me.

My body prickled with tension, like thousands of pointy knives piercing my

body. My heart was beating as fast as the thrumming wings of a caged bird. It

sounded like drums to my ears. It was the only thing I could hear.

I closed my eyes and leaned heavily against the door.

The mansion was too big. It would take them some time to find me. I slowly

slid down until my butt met the floor. Pulling my knees toward me, I hugged

them tight to my chest. I placed my head on them and tried to calm my

breathing.

When I could finally breathe normally, and my gasps no longer filled the

room, I looked up. Noticing that I was in a bedroom, I stood on shaky legs and

moved away from the door.

The room was massive. There was a king size bed in the middle of the room

and a nightstand on either side. A bench sat in front of the bed. I walked closer

and pressed my hand into the soft cushions.

Looking to my left, I noticed a chest against the wall. I turned around to see a

sitting area. There were two couches and a coffee table in the middle, facing a

fireplace.

I looked to my right and saw that instead of walls, there were big paneled

windows framed by intricate draperies. The room was welcoming, but dark.

My breath picked up when I heard someone at the door. The knob moved and

my eyes widened in panic. My heart pounded faster. No. No. No.

I searched the room for a place to hide. The bed was the closest to me, so I crawled under it.

I lied down on my side. Bringing my knees to my chest, I wrapped my arms

around them and closed my eyes tightly, praying that whoever was at the door

wouldn’t find me