《His'(Crazy Erotica)》


 CHAPTER I

    ~~~


    SOPHIA WATCHED IN sheer horror as the neen-year-old familiar-looking stranger plunged the knife out of her mum¡¯s abdomen while she just stood at the bottom of the stairs watching everything. To say she was scared was an understatement.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    They were just done having dinner-their small family; Her dad, mum, and herself she¡¯d just gone upstairs to her room to get a broken doll that she could show her dad when she heard the sound of ss breaking. Clutching her broken doll, she rushed downstairs only to see her mum being stabbed by an unknown stranger and lying dead on the floor.


    Her eyes searched for her dad but he was nowhere to be found.


    Had he been killed too?


    ¡°You rascal!¡±, Sophia heard her dad¡¯s voice before he finally came into view. He gripped the stranger¡¯s cor and red at him. ¡°What did you do to my security team? What did you do to my wife?¡±,


    ¡°I did what should have been done a long time ago¡±, The killer replied without any hint of remorse in his voice. ¡°And I¡¯m ending this whole bullshit here¡±, The killer took Sophia¡¯s father by surprise and stabbed him in the chest and a small gasp left her lips. She watched as her dad¡¯s eyes filled with horror and his lips parted when the killer pulled out the knife forcefully and stabbed him again, making him cough blood until he fell with a loud thud on the floor, with life slowly slipping from his eyes.


    From what Sophia¡¯s eight-year-old instincts told her, her dad sounded as if he knew the young man who had just killed him before that day.


    Sophia¡¯s sobs from where she stood caught the attention of the killer and he red at her with his dark and piercing eyes which were devoid of any emotions. He looked oddly familiar but she couldn¡¯t ce out where she had ever seen him. Not when the whole light in the house was dimmed. The stranger didn¡¯t look away from her and it sent cold shivers down her spine.


    Was he going to kill her too?


    ¡°Soph-¡°, She heard his voice as he calmly walked towards her. She was shaking and her lips were quivering. She knew her end had arrived as well but something told her to run.


    When the murderer extended his gloved arms towards her, she ran back upstairs to her room, unsure if it was even safe for her. She hid in a corner and curled herself in a ball as the image of her mum¡¯s dead body on the floor and her dad¡¯s horror-stricken eyes flooded through her mind while unstoppable tears streamed down her face.


    Her parents were gone and she was too young to be an orphan.


    ~~~


    ¡°No please-mama-papa-don¡¯t go¡±, Sophia whimpered as she clutched onto the sheets with her fists. Her eyes were clenched shut and tighter than they should¡¯ve been for someone sleeping while beads of sweat trickled down her face. ¡°Please-¡°,


    ¡°Wake up, Soph¡±, Someone shook her shoulders softly and her eyes flew open immediately. She sat up on her bed and began to search her whole room with fear evident in her eyes as she thought her parent¡¯s killer was there in the room with her. She hugged her knees as tears streamed down her face. She was a crying mess and her hair was probably sticking out all over her face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, my dear. It¡¯s just the nightmare¡±, Her grandma pulled her into her arms as she rocked her back and forth.


    ¡°Nana-¡°, She cried and looked up at her grandma with her big doe eyes. ¡°He-he-he isn¡¯ting, right? He won¡¯te near us, right? He won¡¯t-he won¡¯t kill us the way he he-killed Mama and Papa, right?¡±,


    ¡°No, my dear¡±, The woman patted her eighteen-year-old granddaughter¡¯s back softly. ¡°He won¡¯t find us¡±,


    Sophia clutched onto her grandma tightly as the images flooded her memory. For the past ten years, she spent every single night of her life having nightmares about her parents¡¯ mysterious killer and she kept on wondering who he was. The tone in his voice while he spoke to her dad that night made her feel like her parents knew their murderer and maybe he had an unsettled score with them.


    ¡°Here, have milk¡±, Her grandma brought a ss of warm milk to her lips. Whenever she woke up every night after the nightmares, she always drank warm milk to soothe herself and help her calm down.


    Sophia quickly drowned the whole ss of milk down her throat before her grandma took the empty ss from her lips and ced it back on the tray by her bedside table.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright, dear¡±. Her grandma whispered.


    ¡°Thanks, Nana¡±, Sophia said too.


    ¡°Would you like to go back to bed?¡±, Her grandma asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try today¡±, Sophia whispered as sheid down on her bed and nuzzled herself in her nket. She knew sleep had eluded her but she couldn¡¯t stress her grandma by telling her.


    ¡°Should I stay in here with you?¡±, Her grandma asked.


    ¡°Yes, please¡±, she croaked out.


    With a small smile, Sophia¡¯s grandma slid into bed next to her and pulled her in her arms. ¡°Goodnight, dear¡± ¡± the older woman whispered as she stroked Sophia¡¯s hair.


    Sophia closed her eyes in an attempt to sleep but instead, all she saw was the dark and piercing emotionless eyes of that killer staring at her and she hated it.


    Over the years, Sophia had engraved every single feature of his eyes in her memory because he was someone she wasn¡¯t sure she could ever forget. In other cases, it might not be extremely hard for people to forget the face of the person who murdered their parents but Sophia¡¯s case was different. Instead of forgetting the unknown murderer, she seemed to remember him more as each day of her life passed by. Who would ever forget the face of the person who made them an orphan?


    As she thought about all these, she went down the memoryne of how her life had been for the past ten years since she lost her parents. That night when she ran to her room from the killer, he didn¡¯t follow her and a small part of her was grateful while the bigger part of her wished he had killed her along with her parents. At least she wouldn¡¯t have gone through the trauma she was going through. With a small sigh, she remembered how she stayed glued to that spot that night until the next day when her grandma took her away from the house while her parents wereid to rest.


    Growing up after experiencing such was hard for Sophia but with her Nana, she was able to scale through some parts except the nightmares part. Her grandma made sure she went to school and at the age of eighteen, she was already a college student so she had to work out her ass by working in a small coffee shop to assist her grandma with a few expenses.

 CHAPTER II

    ~~~


    ¡°Okay then, sir. Goodnight¡±, Sophia smiled at her boss


    ¡°My regards to your Nana¡±, The burly man smiled back at her and he left the coffee shop.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    It was a long day and finally, she was about to close the shop since she was the one given the responsibility to do so. All she needed to do was clean up the tables and she¡¯d go back home to her grandma.


    And her nightmares.


    Just as Sophia began to clean the first table, she heard the chime sound of the door, indicating that a customer had arrived.


    Couldn¡¯t the person see the board outside which read ¡®closed¡¯?


    Sophia turned abruptly, ready to snap at the person but her words died on her lips as her eyesnded on the people by the door side.


    Ady of about twenty-four or so and two young men of about the same age-maybe twenty-six stood there all d in ck by the door, looking deadly.


    Who were they?


    ¡°Three cups of coffee, please¡± ¡± thedy said and they sat on a table at a secluded corner close to the door side. Sophia watched as one of the men dropped a gun on the table in front of him and she gulped nervously.


    Looking at the remaining two people¡¯s trouser holsters, their guns were strapped there and the aura they carried made Sophia sick in the stomach. She knew instantly that they were dangerous and not people she could even try to mess with.


    She scurried off to make the coffee for them and in no time, she was already finished. When she took it to them, they seemed busy. The guy who brought out his gun had aptop in front of him with his whole attention on it while thedy was talking to the other guy. Sophia saw the snake tattoo on theptop guy¡¯s left wrist and she couldn¡¯t help but stare at the other¡¯s wrists. Just as expected, they had the same tattoo on their left wrists.


    Were they in a cult or something?


    Did her parents¡¯ killer send them to kill her?


    ¡°He¡¯s here¡±, Theptop guy closed hisptop and stood up before pushing his gun back to his trousers¡¯ holster and Sophia swallowed.


    Who was there? Was it their boss who was going to kill her like he did with her parents?


    Thedy nced at Sophia and the tray which had three steaming cups of coffee on it and gave her a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re in a hurry. We can¡¯t take it again¡±, Thedy ced a ten dor note in Sophia¡¯s palm. ¡°Keep the change¡±, She smiled and the trio left from the coffee shop.


    Sophia breathed out in relief and looked at the dor note in her hand. She quickly went to drop the towel she was using the clean the tables. She was scared they would return so she made up her mind to leave the work for that night andplete it the next morning as early as possible before the coffee shop would be opened for customers.


    She quickly strapped her bag across her shoulders locked the transparent doors of the coffee shop and walked down the alley towards her grandma and her house since she moved in with her grandma after her parents¡¯ death while their house was sold. She was too traumatized and scared to even live in the same house where her parents were murdered right in front of her.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m sorry¡±,


    Sophia halted in her steps when she heard someone¡¯s pleading voiceing from where she was about to pass through to go home.


    ¡°You fucking gave information to the enemy and you expect us to spare your useless life?¡±, Another man sneered. It was as if he was the one who was being begged to spare the other person¡¯s life. ¡°How smart of you, Russo¡±,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please won¡¯t do it again. Please ept me back¡±, The pleading man continued.


    Something about the whole noise didn¡¯t settle well with Sophia and a part of her told her to run and follow another way back home but the curious part of her was against that thoughtful side. She had forgotten the saying, ¡®Curiosity killed the cat¡¯. She moved further until she could catch a glimpse of the people there.


    Sophia¡¯s throat suddenly went dry when she saw the people there.


    They were the trio from the coffee shop and they had an older-looking man on his knees in front of them, begging for his life while aptop guy pointed his gun at him.


    Could he be the one they said had arrived?


    A sense of relief flooded through her that at least she wasn¡¯t the one they had nned to kill but still, that man¡¯s life was in danger and she wasn¡¯t sure she could help because they were dangerous people and they were saying something about him betraying them so his death was already predicted to happen.


    ¡°Young Miss-¡°, The poor man looked at thedy who had an emotionless look on her face, reminding Sophia of her parents¡¯ murderer. ¡°I know you as a nice girl, please save me. Spare my life¡±,


    ¡°How dare you even think of talking to our sister?¡±, The second guy pped the man across the face, and that instant, Sophia fixed the puzzle.


    The three were siblings and thedy was the younger one of them. Maybe theptop guy was the older one? She wasn¡¯t sure of that.


    ¡°Mr. Russo, we can¡¯t do anything to save you as long as Don has given the order that you should be killed for your huge betrayal¡± ¡± thedy said. She didn¡¯t even look or sound like someone who would give out money to someone like Sophia as she did back at the coffee shop.


    ¡°Even without Don¡¯s orders, this mother fucker is dying right now¡±, the Laptop guy growled and pressed the gun in between the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Last prayerst wish¡±,


    ¡°Please spare Me-I have a fa-¡± Theptop guy didn¡¯t let him finish when he pulled the trigger.


    ¡°That was fast¡±, The other guy smiled at theptop guy who wasn¡¯t even smiling at all.


    Sophia stared with wide eyes at the lifeless body of the man on the floor as hey there, in a pool of his blood while his eyes were opened in horror and without realizing it, a scream tore from her lips.

 CHAPTER III

    ~~~


    CHASE WALKED UP the stairs towards his room with both his hands in his pants pocket.


    ¡°Don,¡±


    Chase stopped in his tracks and without turning, he waved his fingers at the person who just called him to walk up to him. Clearly understanding what his cousin meant, Luciano walked up the stairs till he was standing in front of Chase.


    Chase brought out a cigar and a lighter from his pocket before lighting it.¡±Pare.¡± He took a long drag from the cigar and blew out the smoke from his lips.


    {¡°Speak¡±}


    ¡°The task waspleted, but there was a witness at the scene. Valerie requested to bring her over here,¡±


    Chase stared at Luciano, his calmposure still on. ¡°E voi, branco di scihi, avete fatto questo?¡±,


    {¡°And you bunch of fools did that?¡±}


    ¡°She was insisting that the girl shouldn¡¯t be killed. She said she didn¡¯t deserve to die,¡± Luciano defended. He knew his little sister was likely to receive an earful from Chase.


    ¡°And other witnesses? Did they deserve to die? ¡°Chase flung off the cigar he was holding in irritation. ¡°Valerie conosce le dannate regole e non e stupida. lei per eliminare ragazza stessa, altrimenti lo faro io e cio avrebbesciato una cicatrice su sua salute mentale¡±,


    {¡°Valerie knows the damned rules and isn¡¯t stupid. Ask her to eliminate the girl herself. Else, I¡¯ll be doing it for her, and it would put a scar on her mental health¡±}


    Chase was not someone to make empty threats, and if he said he was going to do something, then he would do it. Luciano couldn¡¯t begin to imagine the torture Chase would make the teenage girl go through. ¡°Don, she-¡±


    Luciano was cut off by Valerie¡¯s presence. ¡°Don, I¡¯m sorry, but please think about it. She doesn¡¯t deserve to die. She has a whole life ahead of her. She¡¯s such a naive and innocent teenager,¡±


    Chase snorted out. ¡°Is that why you asked to let her live? Because she¡¯s naive and innocent, doesn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t leak information, Valerie. In our world, you don¡¯t show your fucking emotions¡±,


    ¡°I-¡°,


    Chase turned to Luciano. ¡°Where is the girl?¡±,


    ¡°She¡¯s in the first room close to the basement¡±,


    Immediately Luciano finished talking, Chase walked back down the stairs towards the ce his cousin just told him of while he tugged off his tie from his neck.


    ~~~


    ¡°Wake up,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes snapped open the moment she felt something cold poured over her head as it trickled down her skin. She shook her head to clear her hazy eyes before squinting them to take note of the room she was in.


    She was in a dimly lit room. Her hands and legs were tied tightly to the wooden chair she was seated on while her lips were sealed with tape. Images of how she got there shed across her mind.


    shback


    The moment she screamed, Sophia¡¯s palms instinctively flew to cover her mouth as she realized what she¡¯d just done, but she was toote because the three murderers whipped their heads towards her and her eyes widened in fear.


    She shouldn¡¯t have screamed.


    But then, that didn¡¯t stop her from acting immediately she felt the adrenaline rush through her veins. She turned on her heels and ran back towards the coffee shop.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get her¡±, She heard theptop guy¡¯s voice and she increased her pace. Her bag fell on the floor but she was too caught up in her run to pick it up.


    She could get it back in the morning, but all she wanted at that moment was to run to the coffee shop and lock herself in their till they left. Her n was already in motion but she couldn¡¯t pat herself mentally again and praise herself for her smartness. Too bad because she felt someone¡¯s palms mp over her mouth and the person used their other arm to hold her shoulders in ce, leaving her against their warm, hard, muscr chest.


    Sophia tried to scream, but it was as futile as her trying to wiggle out of his tight grip.


    The person growled. ¡°Stay in ce, girl, ¡°Immediately, she knew it was theptop guy.


    Soon, the other guy and the already holding her bag appeared in front of them.


    ¡°What do we do with her?¡± the second guy asked.


    ¡°What else? ¡°Theptop guy said. ¡°We will kill her and dispose of her body with Russo¡¯s. There¡¯s ake not far from here,¡±


    Listening to the three siblings talk about how they¡¯d kill her and have her disposed of had Sophia panicking the more, and she continued to struggle.


    ¡°Why would we do that? She¡¯s innocent¡± ¡± thedy said, noticing Sophia¡¯s panic mode.


    ¡°No one said she isn¡¯t innocent, Valerie¡±, the Laptop guy said. ¡°She¡¯s a witness and isn¡¯t meant to live,¡±


    ¡°We can take her back home,¡± Valerie suggested. ¡°But not murder her,¡±


    The second guy turned to his sister with a re. ¡°Are you out of your fucking senses, Val? Witnesses shouldn¡¯t live. They should die on the spot¡±,


    Valerie turned to him. ¡°Luciano, please¡±, She then looked at the Laptop guy. ¡°Lucas?¡±,


    ¡°Sorry, Valerie but that¡¯s not the right thing to do. If Don gets his hand on her, it would be worse. We all know that¡±,


    ¡°Please¡±,


    ¡°Dammit, Val¡±, Luciano muttered and looked straight into his twin brother dead in the eye, before nodding his head.


    Before Sophia could understand their silentmunication, she heard Lucas groan in annoyance and irritation before she felt something cold and sharp prick her neck.


    In no time, everything went nk.


    End of shback.


    Sophia began to wiggle in the chair again, trying to scream out for help, but the tape on her lips muffled her voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless trying to scream because no one will hear you¡±, Sophia looked in the direction where the voice came from, and her eyes fell on Luciano, leaning against the wall, staring at her. ¡°This ce is huge, and no one can save you from your death. If you had minded your business, you wouldn¡¯t have been here,¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 CHAPTER IV

    Sophia red at him as he moved away from the wall. She wanted to push her hair that was sticking all over her face but it waspletely impossible. Her hands were tied and there was no way she¡¯d let thatptop guy do it for her.


    Immediately, the door opened and she squinted her eyes as the light from outside the room shone on her face. She looked at the huge body standing by the door and red at him even though she couldn¡¯t see his face.


    For all she knew, he was the so-called Don the three murderers and kidnappers were talking about. He was the man who imposed the rule of killing witnesses. She inwardly scoffed at the thought.


    Sophia felt the sweat trickling down her forehead as hisrge, intimidating body walked closer to her. The room suddenly had a chilling silence as only the slow sounds of his shoes were heard and it had her shivering.


    Once the tall man was towering over her, she craned her neck to see his face but couldn¡¯t as she heard the soft click of the door closing.


    Soon, he knelt in front of her and raised his right hand to push off the hair covering her hair, his fingertips grazing her cold skin and she shuddered. If there was a monitor attached to her body, Sophia was sure to be embarrassed by the loud thumping of her heart.


    She yelped the moment the tape came off her lips with a harsh tug, courtesy of Mr. Tall and intimidating. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±,


    Ignoring her question Chase studied every feature of her face as if engraving it to his memory. Something about her light chestnut brown hair, Hazel colored and almond-shaped eyes which screamed nothing but innocence, down to the freckles smeared just below both of her eyes and the upper part of her small button nose and then, her small pouty lips, seemed to remind him of someone at the back of his mind. He internally shook his head at that thought, convincing himself that she just looked like her, but then, all the thoughts jumped out of the window the moment his eyes fell on the small birthmark just below her chin.


    She was the one. The girl whose parents he had taken away from her when she was just eight.


    His eyes returned to hers¡¯ and his voice came out cold. ¡°Sophia Bet¡±,


    Sophia gulped and she felt goosebumps erupt on her skin at the way his voice sounded. Cold, sexy, deep, seductive, manly, and had an Italian ent to it.


    She tore her eyes from his familiar ones to look anywhere else but at him and that was when her eyesnded on the tattoo on the side of his neck.


    ¡®RIP¡¯


    She felt hot all over when she peeled her eyes away from there only for it to betray her and sneak a nce at the other tattoo on his taut upper chest that the button-up shirt he was wearing failed to hide because his first two buttons were undone.


    ¡®Brutality¡¯ was written there with the ink dripping down and it made her gulp lowly again. She didn¡¯t even what was more intimidating about him. Was it his body build, walking steps, presence, eyes, voice, or even him himself? It had to be all.


    ¡°H-how do you know my name?¡±, She stuttered out. ¡°Who are you?¡±,


    The room remained dead silent, neither of them speaking and it only made her more impatient. Sophia¡¯s brows pinched into a frown and she squinted her eyes again to study his features.


    He had jet ck hair which was sleeked backward, with simr colored eyes which sent a feeling of familiarity in her. His nose was long, straightforward, and downward-pointy. His thin lips were pursed into a straight, thin line and she could feel his eyes on her too.


    ¡°Who-who are you?¡±,


    Hearing her question, Chase brought his eyes back to hers to see if she would recognize him or not the gasp that left her lips gave him his answer.


    ¡°You-¡°, Sophia broke out in more sweat and she went into a panic mode as tears spilled from her eyes. It was one thing panicking when she was about to be killed, but it was another thing meeting the same person who murdered her parents and she wished those three had killed her instead. ¡°You-what-you-you-mama-papa-murder-you-you-killed them¡±,


    Immediately Chase heard her words, he ignored her words and sealed back her mouth, then, stood up before he walked out of the room ignoring Lucas¡¯ confused stare.


    Thetter followed him out of the room. ¡°Don¡±,


    Chase stopped in his tracks and pulled out another cigar from his pocket with a lighter. Before Lucas could reach up to him, he lighted the cigar and returned the lighter to his pocket.¡± What?¡±, He didn¡¯t wait for Lucas to stare at his face.


    Lucas stood by Chase¡¯s side. ¡°What should we do with her?¡±,


    Chase blew out smoke from his lips and pinched his brows with his thumb and forefinger. ¡°Ask Valerie to have her settled down in one of the guest rooms¡±,


    Lucas watched as Chase made to walk away again and asked. ¡°What do you mean ¡®have her settled down in one of the guest rooms¡¯? Isn¡¯t she meant to be killed?¡±,


    Chase stopped and looked Lucas, dead in the eye. ¡°Are you questioning me?¡±,


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing that, Don¡±, Lucas replied. ¡°I don¡¯t just understand why you¡¯re letting her live¡±,


    ¡°It¡¯s my decision, Lucas, and you don¡¯t have a say in it¡±, Chase retorted, before returning his cigar to his lips and trying to walk away again in a bid to control the anger he was suddenly feeling.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a fucked up decision you just made because it¡¯s unfair to the other witnesses that were killed!¡±, Lucas almost snapped.


    Chase stopped, then blew out smoke from his lips. He turned and took slow, predatory steps towards his angry cousin till he was foot to foot with him and red at him in the face, none of them breaking eye contact. ¡°You Won¡¯t Ever Talk to Me Like That Get it?¡±,


    Still not backing off, Lucas nodded. ¡°Sure, Don¡±,


    ¡°Good¡±, Chase took two steps backward and ced the cigar between his lips. Ever so sensually and taking his time, he blew out smoke again and nodded at Lucas. ¡°This should be your first andst time behaving like a fucking teenager throwing a tantrum else we both know I won¡¯t hesitate to bury a few bullets in your skull, si?¡±,


    {¡°Yeah?¡±}


    Still not batting an eysh, Lucas gave a stiff nod one in his position had the right to behave, talk to, or look at another person in Chase¡¯s position like he¡¯d done. It wasn¡¯t an appropriate way to behave with one¡¯s boss like that and Lucas knew that very well. They both knew it, yet, Chase chose to ignore it.


    Without saying anything and knowing very well that his warning had settled in Lucas¡¯ mind, he turned and walked away.

 CHAPTER V

    FEAR WAS THE only thing Sophia felt once The man she recognized as her parents¡¯ murderers left the room she was in.


    There was nothing she could do to escape him. He was going to kill her just like he had done to her parents and her Nana. What would be of the olddy? Would he kill her too just to wipe off their family from the face of the earth?


    Uncontroble and unstoppable tears kissed her cheeks while her sobs were muffled by the tape on her lips. She couldn¡¯t even struggle against the tight ropes that had been used to tie her.


    The wooden door opened with a bang against the wall, making her flinch and she watched as Lucas walked in with his fists balled at his sides, jaw hardened, and a re right on her. Angrily, he stormed towards her and began to untie the ropes on both her hands and legs before pulling off the tape with a harsh tug.


    She yelped out, and he red at her again, making her squirm in her ce.¡± I¨C,¡± another yelp left her lips when he grabbed one of her arms and made her stand up. ¡°Where are you taking me to? ¡°A part of her told her she was going to be killed, but she ignored it with a positive feeling.


    Lucas ignored her and dragged her with him out of the room while she sobbed.


    Sophia clutched unto his hand that was tightly holding her arm. ¡°You-you¡¯re hurting me, please,¡±


    Lucas stopped and raised his hand to hit her, but stopped mid-air when he saw how she flinched.¡± Will you shut the fuck up?¡±, He had never raised a hand to hit ady but he was very livid. Not because of the way Chase had talked to him, but because he was willing to bend his own rules because of her. A fucking stranger.


    ¡°Lucas, what¡¯s wrong with you? ¡°Sophia was pulled away from his grip by Valerie. ¡°Did you have to try to hit her?¡±,


    Lucas snapped at his sister, seeing as she pushed a cowering Sophia behind his back. ¡°Maybe you should tell her to stop whining like a fucking kid if you like her so much else I¡¯ll kill her even without Don¡¯s orders¡±,


    ¡°Lucas you-¡°, Valerie¡¯s remaining words died at the tip of her tongue when he walked away, leaving her alone with Sophia. She turned to the girl. ¡°Are you okay?¡±,


    Sophia wiped her tears with the back of her hand and nodded her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for how he behaved with you. He¡¯s unusually like this. It¡¯s not in him to raise his hand on ady,¡±


    Sophia nodded, still looking down.


    Valerie held Sophia¡¯s wrist, and she flinched in pain. When her eyes fell on the bruise there, she felt her heart tug in pain. ¡°Uh-So sorry about that. I¡¯m sure it was caused by the ropes. We can apply an ointment on it,¡±


    ¡°So you like her, then? ¡°Luciano appeared from where Lucas disappeared to as he took long strides towards them. ¡°Don says you should take her to one of the guest rooms,¡±


    Sophia tried to ignore the intimidating look of Luciano even though he wasn¡¯t as intimidating as his brother. ¡°I-I won¡¯t be killed then?¡±,


    Valerie passed her a smile and nodded. ¡°You won¡¯t be killed,¡±


    ¡°Nana?¡± She whispered to only Valerie¡¯s hearing. ¡°Can-Can I go home to her? It¡¯ste, and she might be worried about me,¡±


    Valerie knew that was impossible. She couldn¡¯t even ask Chase to let Sophia leave the house. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s not possible,¡±


    Sophia teared up again, and Luciano chuckled beside them. ¡°Now I understand why Lucas got pretty upset. She cries a lot,¡±


    Valerie faked a re at him and pursed her lips. ¡°Luci,¡±


    He raised his arms in surrender. ¡°I wasn¡¯t saying it to hurt her or anything. Lucas seemed upset, and I was just stating it out,¡±


    Valerie zoned out for a second before returning her eyes to her brother. ¡°I wonder what got him so riled up. It can¡¯t be only because of her¡±,


    ¡°Maybe he argued with Don?¡±, Luciano asked.


    ¡°That has never happened¡±, Valerie replied.


    ¡°Maybe it did happen today. After all, Don didn¡¯t murder her like she should be, and Lucas got upset. He loves shedding blood, and he just missed an opportunity to do so,¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Sophia shuddered at Luciano¡¯s words, and Valerie turned to her. ¡°Sorry, you heard that. Let¡¯s go and have you freshened up. While you do that, I¡¯ll get you food, and then, we¡¯ll help apply some ointment to that bruise on you,¡±


    Sophia nced at Luciano, fear evident in her features that he would hurt her.


    When Valerie felt Sophia¡¯s hesitation and saw how she was staring at Luciano, who seemed to be staring back, she tugged on Sophia¡¯s hand, making her look back at her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, that¡¯s Luciano, my elder brother and Lucas¡¯ younger twin. He won¡¯t do anything to you unless he¡¯s ordered to do so.¡± She then turned to Luciano. ¡°Luci, please, can you go away? She¡¯s scared out of her wits,¡±


    Luciano looked between his sister and Sophia before nodding, then left.


    Valerie faced Sophia with a sweet smile. ¡°Shall we?¡±,


    Sophia nodded, and they both walked toward one of the guest rooms. Once they got there, Valerie opened the door and ushered Sophia in. As they both walked in, Valerie closed the door behind her and turned to see Sophia staring at the whole room in awe.


    She smiled at her. ¡°Do you like the room?¡±,


    Sophia turned and blushed a little for being caught staring like that before nodding. Of course, she loved the room. It looked cozy and inviting, painted in a warm creamy white color. The tiles were cold beneath her feet and the furniture was mixed with vintage and modern pieces, all chosen for theirfort and style. The light illuminated by the moon peeked through therge windows and the curtains were a soft and airy linen. The room was decorated with a variety of nts, adding a touch of green and life to the space. Almost close to the walk-in closet stood a couch and at another corner of the room was a reading table while arge bed that could contain more than a person of her size stood firm in the room. The overall serenity was very weing and Sophia was sure that if she wasn¡¯t kidnapped and forced to stay there, she¡¯d have wished to stay there forever.


    ¡°Great! ¡°Valerie chirped with a p of her hands. ¡°The little blush on your face tells me just how much you love the room. Why don¡¯t you freshen up? I¡¯ll go and get you dinner and an ointment with some clothes. Feel free. I¡¯ll be right back,¡±


    When Valerie turned to leave, Sophia grabbed her wrist, and she turned to her with a questioning look.¡± I-¡°, Sophia began. ¡°I-My-my bag. Please, can I get it?¡±,


    Valerie gave Sophia a sympathetic look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that too, but you can¡¯t get it. I¡¯m sorry.¡± With that, Valerie walked out of the room.


    Sophia allowed the welled-up tears in her eyes to finally slide down her cheeks and she closed her eyes. She didn¡¯t want to be there. All she wanted was to go back home to her Nana. She didn¡¯t want to stay in the same house where murderers lived, especially that of her parents. Wouldn¡¯t she be a bad and despicable person to do that?


    Her buttnded on the soft mattress, and she buried her face in her palms while her shoulders shook violently as the tears kissed her cheeks faster than normal. Life was so cruel to her. Why did she even have to be born if the people who birthed her left her alone just when she was eight? She suddenly felt angry at her parents for birthing her because they dumped her in the world to be miserable.

 CHAPTER VI

    ~~~


    Sophia clutched the tray where the te of her barely-eaten food sat. She didn¡¯t have any appetite to eat, and she was grateful Valerie listened to her and didn¡¯t stay back with her in her room after dropping her dinner and helping her apply ointment to the bruises on her wrists and ankles.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She stared at her legs which were barely covered by the mid-thigh pajama shorts Valerie left for her with a pajama shirt. Valerie didn¡¯t know what clothes to give her to wear, so she gave her one of hers¡¯ before the next day when she¡¯d go shopping for some clothes for Sophia.


    With a huge sigh, she opened her room door and looked around the silent and empty hallway as the cold wind blew past her bare legs. She then walked towards the same way she remembered passing through with Valerie earlier and admired the paintings and photo frames across the walls.


    Once she got to the staircase, she stared at therge living room. The walls were painted white, which offered a clean, therapeutic, andfortable feeling. Soft, expensive, ck sofas contradicting the white color of the wall and ceiling, sat proudly in the room with a long coffee table in their middle, and beneath it,id a ck and expensive rug. Everything screamed money, including therge 85-inch Samsung television hanging on the wall.


    Sophia was in too much awe that she didn¡¯t realize when her legs, with a mind of their own, took her down the stairs, and she mistakenly bumped into a warm, hard chest.


    A small yelp left her lips, the moment she hit her forehead on the person¡¯s chest, and the tray in her hand slipped to the floor, but not before leaving a food stain on the person¡¯s white shirt when the food poured. ¡°Ouch!¡±, She rubbed her forehead.


    The person scoffed loudly. ¡°Of course, it had to be the fucking foolish teenager. Do you normally stare at people¡¯s houses like that? Now look the fuck what you¡¯ve done to my shirt¡±,


    Sophia raised her eyes and they met with Lucas¡¯ dark, angry ones. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡±, She stuttered. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to bump into you like that¡±,


    ¡°Yeah, you didn¡¯t¡±, He sneered, sarcasm dripping from every single word that left his lips. ¡°Just the same way you didn¡¯t mean to fucking poke nose in someone else¡¯s business¡±,


    Tears welled up in Sophia¡¯s eyes and she looked down at her feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±,


    ¡°You better be¡± ¡± he said, ring at her. ¡°Move¡±, He growled and shoved her aside a little too harshly before walking up the stairs, mumbling under his breath. ¡°I don¡¯t even understand why the fuck Don let her live¡±,


    Sophia heard his words clearly and a tear rolled down her cheeks as she bent down to pick up the te and tray, mentally noting to look for a broom and pack up the food she had spilled on the ground unintentionally.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why Lucas hated her so much. It wasn¡¯t like she chose to be there in the house. She hadn¡¯t even done anything to upset him so much so it hurt her that he treated her like that.


    ¡°What are you doing down here alone?¡±,


    Sophia felt the shivers run down her spine and she froze the moment she heard that deep, seductive, Italian-ented voice that only belonged to the man behind her nightmares.


    Sophia didn¡¯t move from her spot, till she saw his feet just where she was and looked up at him. He was staring at her, without an ounce of emotion in his dark, mysterious eyes.


    ¡°I asked you a question¡±, He said. ¡°What are you doing here alone? Shouldn¡¯t you be sleeping?¡±,


    Sophia blinked her eyes and stood up, Ignoring the butterflies suddenly dancing in her stomach.¡± I-¡°, She gulped lowly as she felt her sweat trickling down her forehead. ¡°I-I wanted to drop the tes in the-in the kitchen. I-sorry for the mess¡±, She motioned to the food on the ground.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you looking your way when you were walking? This ce isn¡¯t some dump or anywhere that you would just throw food¡±, Chase said.


    Sophia dropped her head and stared at her feet. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡±,


    Chase replied immediately. ¡°Sorry, won¡¯t clean off the mess you just made. You have to clean it off. Dammit, why did you even have toe out of your room to drop off the te? Where the fuck is Valerie?¡±,


    Sophia panicked. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, please. It wasn¡¯t her fault. I-I asked her to leave me alone¡±,


    ¡°You wanted time to escape?¡±, He asked.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°N- No. I- I do want to go ho- home bu -¡°,


    ¡°Sophia?¡±, A familiar female voice called from the top stairs, and Sophia looked up towards the direction. Valerie walked down the stairs to them on noticing how upset Chase was about the food on the ground, for he was someone who loved neatness. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±,


    ¡°I-¡°, Sophia nced towards Chase, only to find him concentrated on something else. There was a cigar between his lips and a lighter in his hands which he was using to light up the cigar. She looked back at Valerie. ¡°I-I tripped and made a mess of this ce. I¡¯m sorry¡±, She lied.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡±, Valerie turned to Chase but found the space he was standing on empty. She then spotted him walking up the stairs. ¡°Don¡±,


    Chase stopped but didn¡¯t turn.


    Valerie walked up towards him. ¡°Sorry about the mess. It won¡¯t repeat itself¡±,


    Chase returned his cigar to his lips and made to walk away without saying a word.


    ¡°Don¡±, Valerie called again.


    Chase stopped and stared ahead before pulling out the cigar from his lips and blowing out smoke from his lips. ¡°cosa?¡±,


    {¡°What?¡±}


    Valerie was unsure whether she should say it or not. Her cousin was an unpredictable and closed man. She wouldn¡¯t be able to understand what he was thinking or what his next actions might be or even his reaction to what she was about to say. ¡°Uhh-I-I-¡°,


    Chase still stood there in his spot, unmoving, unblinking, and still staring ahead of him, with his cigar between his lips. He then pulled it out from his mouth. ¡°non ricordo che a nessuno di voi sia stato insegnato a balbettare¡±, He turned to her with dead calctive eyes. He could read people very well and their next actions no one could do to him and he liked it that way, he knew exactly what Valerie wanted to say to him but he had to hear it from her mouth. ¡°se hai qualcosa di meglio de balbuzie a dire, allora fallo, mi stai facendo perdere tempo¡±,


    {¡°I don¡¯t remember any of you being taught to stutter.¡±} {¡°If you have something better than stuttering to say, then do so, you¡¯re wasting my time.¡±}


    ¡°Actually, I wanted to say thank you,¡± Valerie replied. When Chase lifted one of his perfectly arched brows, she flushed, then continued. ¡°Grazie per avesciata vivere,¡±


    {¡°Thanks for letting her live.¡±}


    Chase only nodded his head and walked away.


    Valerie breathed out in relief before rushing back to Sophia and smiled at her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so scared. He¡¯s not upset,¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t look so,¡± Sophia let out. ¡°His facial expression and body movements contradict what you¡¯re saying,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how Chase is,¡± Valerie said. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it soon. We all have,¡±


    ¡°Chase? ¡°Sophia whispered.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s his name,¡± Valerie replied. ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone know I called him that. I can¡¯t be beheaded at this young age¡± ¡± she giggled.


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t,¡± Sophia said. ¡°Th- Thanks for saving my life,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, really,¡± Valerie smiled wider. ¡°Let¡¯s get this mess packed up and have you go to bed,¡±


    Sophia nodded, a part of her scared out of its wits of what was toe of her in her sleep.

 CHAPTER VII

    ~~~Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    LUST WAS ALL Chase felt when he¡¯d seen her on her knees, unknowingly showing him the outline of the beautiful shape of her round perky ass in that shorts, packing those tes from the ground. For the fucking first time after so many years, he remembered how to feel. Like, he felt something, and it had to be lust; something he never for once felt for his fiancee Saige even after all her sexual advances towards him; the same feeling he buried years ago for the same girl.     Sophia Bet.     As absurd as it may sound, he had been lusting over her since he knew her as a fucking child. He never failed to secretly admire her every time he was sent on an errand to her dad¡¯s ce. She loved wearing all those knee-length, floral dresses and leaving her hair in a pigtail style. The main thing that always attracted him to her was the way innocence radiated off her in waves with those beautiful freckles on her tanned skin. Anytime looked into her eyes, he felt himself drown in them and it hurt him that she was oblivious to how he felt.     Of course, it wasn¡¯t her fault. They never talked because she was a young girl, a mafia princess-something he doubted she knew father¡¯s little princess, which he hid away from the world and she was just out of bounds. Chase knew that, but still, he let himself think with his dick as long as it was rted to her, and maybe, just maybe, that was why he had let her live again that night for the second time.     He made the mistake of leaving her all those years, but it seemed like destiny had something else in store for them, rather than having them apart, so he would hold on to that. If their fates wanted them together, he was going to have her no matter the cost. He didn¡¯t even care about the fact that he had a fiancee; for, he didn¡¯t owe her his loyalty. Only she owed him the loyalty because that was how their world worked. The husband owed no loyalty but the wife owed all of hers¡¯. She was to be an obedient wife, stay at home, and give him babies.     Chase was dangerous for Sophia. His world was too dangerous and corrupt for a soft soul like her. He knew that more than anybody, but that was the least of his problems. They were made for each other and no one would ever be able to change it because they would lose their lives even before doing so. After all, he was the devil. He always got what he wanted, and his eyes were only set on Sophia. So, he would have her and make her his¡¯ whether she wanted it or not.     Chase got distracted from his thoughts when his phone rang on the bedside table. With slow, calctive steps, he strode to the table and picked up the phone.     Seeing as the call was from his underboss, Lucas, he picked it up with a silent growl. ¡°Che cosa,¡±     {¡°What?¡±}     Lucas replied almost immediately. ¡°e scappata, cazzo,¡±     {¡°She fucking escaped¡±}.     Chase knew very well who Lucas was talking about from the tone of his voice. He didn¡¯t seem fazed. He just didn¡¯t expect Sophia to escape that early. He slowly pulled out the cigar from his lips and blew out smoke, not saying a word.     Lucas called from the other end. ¡°Don,¡±     ¡°Non e andata lontano,¡± Chase said, without any panic in his voice. ¡°stend quando trovi,¡±     {¡°She hasn¡¯t gone far.¡±} {Knock her out when you find her.¡±}     ~~~     The distant sound of squeaks became louder as her consciousness slipped in, and the moment she recognized the sounds, Sophia¡¯s eyelids opened on their own.     She let out a squeak when her eyes settled on the uncountable number of rats running around the familiar-looking room she was in. She tried to move or run but was restrained by something hard pulling on her bruised wrists and ankles. She essed her whole form before realizing she¡¯d been tied to the same wooden chair she was tied to earlier that night when she was brought in.     A lone tear slid down her cheek, followed by a muffled sob. All she wanted to do was go home, but there she was, being tied up like a criminal for witnessing a murder, with squeaking rats all around her. Annoying animals, she hated and felt scared of all her life.     She continued crying as she remembered how she had gotten there.     shback     ¡°No-Papa-¡± She whimpered. ¡°Mama-please don¡¯t go-please,¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes snapped open, and she sat up with a jerk on the bed.     Sophia hugged her knees as violent tears kissed her cheeks,nding on her knees. She was petrified. She waited for the usual warm touch and voice to reach her ears but nothing happened. All she heard and felt was silence and loneliness. Her eyes ran over the room, searching for her Nana until realization dawned on her when she took note of the room.     She wasn¡¯t at home. She wasn¡¯t there in her room, and her Nana wasn¡¯t there tofort her or give her milk.     In a panic, Sophia got down from the bed and pulled on her hair as images of the terrible night her parents were murdered crossed her mind, threatening to make her lose her sanity. She clutched and pulled on her hair as she fell on her knees. ¡°Please-go away-don¡¯t-¡°, Fresh tears fell down her cheeks, and the images flooded faster than they normally did. She dragged her hair, almost pulling it out of its roots till some of her hair was in her hands.     When she realized what she had done to her hair, her breathingbored a little, and she got up on her feet, rushing to the closet. It was empty, and there were no clothes in it. She rushed to one of the drawers there and pulled it open, till her eyesnded on two pair of ck clothes.     With shaky hands, she picked them up and assessed them. It was a pair of hoodies and joggers. She didn¡¯t know what had taken her to the closet, but whatever it was a blessing in disguise and she wouldn¡¯t let the opportunity pass her. She would wear the clothes and find a way to escape. She missed her Nana and wanted to see her. She wanted her to soothe her and tell her everything was going to be okay. She wanted Nana to tell her that her parent¡¯s murderers wouldn¡¯t be able to harm her even if he had found her.     She quickly put on the joggers and hoodie over the clothes she was wearing and rushed to open the door. She walked out of her room and tiptoed down the stairs, hoping not to bump into anyone and luckily for her, no one was there. She followed her instincts till she got to therge main door and opened it since it wasn¡¯t unlocked.     A part of her told her it wasn¡¯t normal for people as rich as that to leave their doors open, but to her, it was their business. It wasn¡¯t her business to meddle in and she made her out.     She walked down the porch of the mansion and halted in her steps when she saw a lot of men standing all around thepound, wearing all ck, their bulgy arms folded across their chests, with stoic expressions on their faces. She was sure they were Chase¡¯s men, considering their intimidating looks and body builds. Her breath hitched and she hid when one of them looked towards the direction she was in.     Her eyes fell on a stone by her feet, and she picked it up the moment an idea struck her mind. She immediately threw the stone towards a dark ce, and all the men¡¯s eyes went there. They all looked at each other in confusion and brought out their guns from their holsters.     ¡°Who is there? ¡°one of them said, pointing his gun towards the direction, and Sophia gulped. She suddenly realized that they could all blow off her brains if she got caught.     When she saw how some of them walked in that direction, she seized the opportunity and ducked behind a pir close to the dark ce. She silently watched them in the dark with a fast racing heart till they left the ce and walked back to their spot.     ¡°There¡¯s no one there¡±, Another man said, and they shook their heads.     When she was sure everything was settled, she ran in the dark direction and ced her hand over the fence but it didn¡¯t reach. For the first time, she internally thanked her friend back in high school for teaching her how to climb over a fence.     ¡°This fence is so high I can¡¯t jump over¡± ¡± she mumbled. She took a step backward till she stumbled over something, and she let out a loud yelp before palming her mouth in realization.     ¡°Who is there? ¡°One of the men asked, his voice ringing, and her eyes widened in fear. ¡°Who is there? ¡°His voice got nearer, and Sophia could swear she heard the loud thumping of her heart beating.     She looked at what she stumbled on and breathed out in relief when she saw that it was a stool. She quickly picked it up and ced it close to the wall before standing on it.     When she raised her toe and ced her hand over the fence, she froze when she heard a deep, scary voice behind her. ¡°Who are you?¡±

 CHAPTER VIII

    Once Sophia felt the man¡¯s tight grip on her arm, she trashed, until she unknowingly kicked him between the legs, and he let out a groan, clutching the ce she kicked.


    Sophia panicked once the sounds of gunshots rang through the air and quickly ced one of her legs over the fence.


    The man on the floor bellowed at his fellow bodyguards. ¡°Follow her! She¡¯s the girl the underboss brought in!¡±,


    She panicked the more as realization dawned on her that he had seen her face. In a few torturing minutes, she had already scaled over the fence andnded on her butt. ¡°Ouch,¡±


    She stood up immediately, and her eyesnded on a truck parked a few feet away from her. She ran towards it and ignored the truck driver who was peeing by the roadside and swung the front door open, rushing inside it to settle behind the steering wheel. Once she did so, she closed the door shut and that was when the owner of the truck noticed.


    He ran towards her. ¡°Get out of my truck, you little thief!¡±,


    ¡°Sir, please-¡°, Sophia¡¯s eyes fell on the cars driving their way, and she looked back at the man. ¡°Look, I¡¯m so sorry,¡±


    ¡°I said -¡± The truck driver was cut off when Sophia zoomed off.


    ¡°Lord, please help me,¡± Sophia muttered as she clutched onto the steering wheel. She had never driven a car nor learned how to drive one in her life. She had only taken note of how taxi drivers drove and she didn¡¯t even know if a truck operated like a car. She just had to go.


    Her eyes widened when a ck SUV drove towards her, horning at her. She tried to step on the brakes of the car, but it wasn¡¯t helping. She turned the wheel to move away but she froze when she saw another SUV driving her way from behind and moreing from either side. She was cornered and had no way out. That minute, she knew the cars were all from Chase¡¯s mansion. How could she be so foolish to think they¡¯d not be able to catch her?


    She tried to m her feet on the brake, but it wasn¡¯t working. ¡°OH lord, please help me¡±, She muttered. ¡°If this is how I¡¯m going to die, then take care of my Nana. Tell her I love her and that it wasn¡¯t my intention to die.¡± She kept on hitting the brake, but the car didn¡¯t stop.


    She watched as the SUV in front of her moved out of her way, and she smiled. Maybe they had let her go. But her happiness didn¡¯tst a second because her smile died the moment she realized she was driving towards a wall. Before she could do anything, the car mmed right against the wall and a scream left her lips as her head hit the steering wheel.


    Sophia closed her eyes shut, waiting to see heaven, but she only saw darkness. She could hear her heart beating wildly against its ribcage, and she opened her eyes, ignoring the thumping pain in her head.


    Whoever it was that opened the door didn¡¯t even let her sit up because she felt cold hands gripping her arm, and she was jerked out of the truck harshly.


    ¡°O¡±, She whimpered and fell on her butt. She looked at the boots in front of her and looked up at the person wearing them, only to find Lucas standing there with a clenched jaw and eyes turned into slits. The re he sent her way was fast enough to give her the information that he was very angry.¡± I- ahh!¡± She yelped when he pulled her up.


    ¡°Are you fucking out of your mind?¡±, Lucas snapped and she flinched.


    ¡°I-I missed my Nana. I wanted to-¡°,


    Lucas yelled at her. ¡°To hell with your Nana! You should be damn grateful you were even left to live your fucking miserable life¡±,


    She began to cry and tried to pull away her arm from his strong grip but he wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°Please, let go of me¡±,


    She watched with panicked eyes as he pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket and covered her nose with it. ¡°As much as I fucking want you dead, I have to follow the Don¡¯s orders. You¡¯ve been a big pain to my ass¡±,


    Sophia struggled, but she was no match for Lucas and his strong body build. She knew that and her legs gave out as he pressed the handkerchief further against her nose till everything went pitch ck.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    End of shback.


    ¡°O¡±, Sophia whimpered when she felt something nibbling on her toenails and tried to pull away her legs but her attempts were futile because the ropes tied on her leg were tight.¡± Go away¡± ¡± she cried at the rat.


    The animal was persistent in biting her and it scared her more. When it jumped towards her, she let out a loud scream and shut her eyes, waiting for the harsh impact of whatever it was going to do to her but felt none.


    The rat squeaks slowly quieted down and they sounded distant, making her slowly open her eyes, only to suddenly find herself alone in the room. She looked at where the distant squeaks came from and breathed out in relief when she saw the rats disappearing into a small hole.


    She flinched a little when the wooden door opened slowly, and she squinted her eyes a little. She watched as arge arm held the door an arm¡¯s length before arge body appeared in front of the door that was held for the owner. Even without looking at his face, Sophia knew the owner of the body was none other than Chase.


    His handsome face came into view, and he walked in casually as if he had all the time on earth, his intense stare on her made Sophia shudder in her seat.


    Once Chase was directly in front of her, he bent down and stared at her, deep in the eye. ¡°I knew you¡¯d try to escape, and like a foolish, naive girl, you fell for the trap,¡±


    ¡°Please let me go home. My Nana is worried about me¡± ¡± she cried.


    ¡°Is she? ¡°Chase raised a brow at her. ¡°No worries, your grandma knows you¡¯re in safe hands,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°W-what?¡±,


    Chase stood up and stared down at her,pletely ignoring her question. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go home,¡±


    A huge smile broke out on her face. ¡°R-Really?¡±,


    Chase pulled out a cigar from his pocket and ced it between his lips, then brought out his lighter and flicked it open, before lighting up the cigar. He returned the lighter back to his pocket and dragged it in smoke. Slowly, he pulled out the cigar and blew out smoke, he then stared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go home? I¡¯m letting you go¡±,


    ¡°I-I want to go home, please¡± ¡± she said with a huge smile. She didn¡¯t think Chase would let her go that easily.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be too happy now, getting, ¡°Chase returned his cigar to his lips and brought it out, then blew smoke out again. ¡°I¡¯m only going to let you go on one condition?¡±,


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s smile fell immediately those words left his lips. ¡°W-what do you-what do you mean?¡±,


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be tied up here for twenty-four hours as your punishment for trying to run away¡±, He said.


    ¡°Is that a-is that a punishment? ¡°She frowned.


    Chase only nodded and threw his cigar on the ground, then stepped on it to switch it off. ¡°You would be starved for the whole day,¡±


    ¡°Is that all it takes for me to go home? I¡¯d be tied here and starved for twenty-four hours? ¡°Sophia was confused. ¡°I-I¡¯m ready for the punishment. I¡¯m ready for any type of punishment as long as you as long as you¡¯ll let me go¡±,


    Chase raised one of his perfectly arched brows. ¡°Any type of punishment?¡±,


    Sophia thought about his words for a moment before nodding slowly. ¡°Y-yes¡±,


    Chase tucked his hands in his pocket. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait here till tomorrow night then? Immediately after twenty-four hours I¡¯ll be back and we¡¯ll y a small game¡±, The hell would he ever let her go? There was no way in hell he would ever do that; not after realizing just how much he wanted his dick buried in her, how he wanted to be the one to taint her innocence, how he wanted to be the only man whose name she would scream in pain and pleasure, how he wanted to be the only man she thought of, how he wanted to be the only man to rule her mind and body so she¡¯d run to him at every opportunity she got, how he wanted to keep her for his self. All had to do was y a few games here and there with her, keep her on her toes, and leave her wondering what his next action was; just as he loved to do to people. Chase wasn¡¯t one to beat around the bush, so he spoke up. ¡°In that game, I and you will be opponents and if you win, I¡¯ll let you go-¡°, He trailed off, essing her pretty face for any emotions and as expected, confusion was written all over her face.¡±-but if I win, I¡¯ll have you and you¡¯ll be mine for the rest of our lives¡±,

 CHAPTER IX

    ~~~


    A CHUCKLE THREATENED to break out of Chase¡¯s mouth immediately he saw the confusion contorted all over Sophia¡¯s pretty and innocent face but he masked it off quickly by straightening up. He wasn¡¯t someone to show such emotions.


    Sophia locked eyes with Chase and he could swear his breath hitched in his throat. ¡°W-What do you mean? What do-what do you mean I¡¯m going to be yours?¡±


    ¡°Cosi dannatamente innocente¡±, He muttered under his breath and then ruffled her hair that was already scattered around and flying all over her face. ¡°You¡¯re meant to wait for tomorrow night to understand what I mean. For now, I¡¯ll love to keep you on your toes.¡± He then turned and walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her jumbled thoughts.


    {¡°So fucking innocent¡±}


    Sophia sighed and closed her eyes, trying to endure the throbbing pain in her body. Her whole body ached from her head, down to her wrist and ankle. ¡°Oh lord, please help me out of this ce¡± ¡± she whispered into the air. ¡°Please take care of my Nana and don¡¯t let her worry about me,¡±


    ~~~


    Twenty-four hours.


    Twenty-four fucking hours had barely passed with a few minutes and Chase was finally ready to make Sophia his¡¯. He sat on hisrge chair in his office, watching the footage of the room she was tied up, watching every single detail of her. Within thest twenty-four hours, he hadn¡¯t batted an eysh because he had been staring at her.


    His property.


    He didn¡¯t miss any slight movement she had made while she was tied to the chair, and anytime a smile threatened to break on his lips, he¡¯d straighten up and scold himself.


    He wasn¡¯t meant to smile. And that too, because of a woman. A woman was a man¡¯s weakness and it wasn¡¯t any different in their world. Growing up to be in his position, he¡¯d seen and heard a lot of men in their world whom women were used as leverage to destroy them and he wasn¡¯t ready to be one of those people.


    Chase stared at the wristwatch wrapped around his wrist, telling him it was finally almost time for his game. Just less than a minute remaining. After whatever was to happen that night, he¡¯d make sure Sophia got all the treatment she deserved for all the bruises those fucking ropes imprinted on her wless skin. He¡¯d make sure she ate enough food and returned to the way she¡¯d always been. For him. For himself.


    A knock came on his door, and he groaned out a reply. ¡°Venire,¡±


    {¡°Come in¡±}


    One of his men walked in with a slight bow. ¡°e il momento, Don,¡±


    {¡°It¡¯s time, Don.¡±}


    ¡°spero che sia tutto pronto? ¡°He asked. ¡°on voglio nessun cazzo di errore,¡±


    {¡°I hope everything is ready?} {¡°I don¡¯t want any fucking mistake¡±}


    ¡°Certo, don. E tutto perfetto, proprioe hai ordinato¡±, The man replied with his head still bowed.


    {¡°Sure, Don. Everything is perfect just as you ordered.¡±}


    Chase hummed and dropped the cigar he was holding in the ashtray on his table and stood up before slowly pulling off his suit coat, followed by his waistcoat and loosened his tie, then walked around the table. ¡°Seguimi, ¡°He strode out of the office with the man trailing behind him.


    {¡°Follow me¡±}


    ~~~


    Sophia¡¯s head snapped up the second she heard the creaking sound of the door opening, and her heartbeat increased wildly against its ribcage, threatening to burst out.


    She watched as Chase walked in, looking more handsome than ever-if it was any possible ¨C with his slightly disheveled hair and face kept stoic as usual down to his ck button-down shirt with two top buttons undone and sleeves pulled to his elbow, giving her a free disy of his veiny forearms. Her hands instantly itched to touch it.


    ¡°Gattina,¡± Chase¡¯s deep voice pulled her out of her thought, and she blinked before staring back at him; anywhere but his eyes.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia gulped. ¡°You-¡°, Her voice came out hoarse, and she cleared her throat. Her voice would sound like that when she¡¯d not taken water. ¡°You came,¡±


    Chase hummed and knelt in front of her. ¡°I¡¯lle for you, Gattina. Now and always,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°What does it mean? What does that name mean? ¡°She asked, feeling heat creep up her whole body, resulting from his intense stare at her.


    Chase asked and stood up. ¡°Too bad, you can¡¯t know,¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Why? ¡°She asked.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not in your ce to know¡±, He said. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s time for our game,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote to y a game¡± ¡± she whispered.


    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t toote for you to run away? ¡°He raised a brow.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She dropped her eyes to the ground and let out a tired sigh. She was too tired and wasn¡¯t ready to y any game, especially when she didn¡¯t know its nature. ¡°I¡¯m tired¡± she croaked out.


    Chase clenched his jaw and bent down a little to her level, then ced both his fore and middle finger under her chin and nudged it a little too harshly, making her whimper. He held her chin between the two fingers and jerked her head up so she¡¯d look at him in the eye. ¡°When I decide something, it happens ording to how I want it, so, getting, you¡¯ll y the game, and that¡¯s final. Am I clear?¡±,


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia felt a lone tear roll down her cheeks and slid on Chase¡¯s fingers before she gave a meek nod.


    ¡°Words, Gattina.¡± He gripped her chin tighter. ¡°I want fucking words¡±,


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Y-¡°, She sobbed and he tightened his grip on her chin. ¡°Yes¡±,


    ¡°Brava ragazza¡±, He muttered and let go of her chin.


    {¡°Good girl¡±}


    ¡°I- Can I get water?¡± Another tear rolled down Sophia¡¯s cheeks, and she bit down on her lower lip to quiet the sob about to break out of her mouth.


    Chase waved his fingers at someone by the door, and in a few seconds, a man putting on all ck walked into the room with a cup of water. He passed it to Chase who collected it and bowed his head.

 CHAPTER X

    Chase bent down in front of her and took the cup to her lips. ¡°Drink,¡±


    Sophia nodded, opened her mouth, and gulped down the whole ss of water. When the whole ss of water was emptied down her throat and he pulled the cup away, she gave him a small smile. ¡°Thanks,¡±


    Chase resisted the urge to scoff at her. What was there to smile at for given water? He ignored her and passed the cup to the man behind him who bowed again and left them alone. ¡°Are you ready for our game?¡±


    Sophia hesitated before nodding her head. When she remembered how he¡¯d reacted towards her when she only nodded, she opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Y-yes,¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± He began to untie the ropes on her wrist, then moved to the ones on her legs before standing up. ¡°Stand up,¡±


    Sophia obeyed him without any word. ¡°Thank you,¡±


    Chase passed his hand towards the man standing by the door side, who dropped a small wristwatch and a listening device on his palm. He turned to Sophia and grabbed one of her hands, ignoring the whimper that escaped her lips, before strapping the wristwatch around her bruised wrist and helping her put the listening device on one of her ears. ¡°I want you to run away from here. You have only five minutes to do that,¡±


    Sophia frowned. ¡°Is that even a game? ¡°She almostughed but bit her lip when she saw that he didn¡¯t look amused.


    ¡°Maybe after the game, you¡¯ll question your capabilities in sport rather than the game.¡± He switched on a timer on both their wrist watches and the loud-sounding sound of a clock ticking resounded through the room. ¡°Go,¡±


    ¡°Y-your-those huge men. They¡¯ll catch me¡±, She said. ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡±


    Chase shoved her towards the door. ¡°There¡¯s no fun without risks, Gattina. No worries, no one will try to stop or catch you because they know of our little game.¡± He looked at his wristwatch. ¡°One minute is gone, and you only have four more minutes left for you. I¡¯ll wait here till those four minutes are over beforeing after you. Save yourself, or you¡¯ll be mine here. You¡¯ll be trapped with me forever if you waste any time. Go,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia clutched the locket around her neck that had the photograph of her parents and herself when she was a baby. ¡°T-thanks. I¡¯ll go, ¡°She turned and ran away towards the front door, and true to his words, no one was there to even try and stop her.


    ~~~


    Sophia looked around the whole big, dark, and silent estate. The only sounds she could hear were the ones of the cold breeze blowing away and the ticking sound of the wristwatch strapped around her wrist, then that of her wildly beating heart.


    She sneaked a nce at the light, illuminating from the wristwatch to see the time when Chase¡¯s voice boomed through her ears from the hearing device. ¡°Two minutes thirty-two seconds, Gattina. You have less than two minutes, and you¡¯re nowhere close to leaving my estate,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s panicked eyes searched for any sign of anybody watching her to maybe report to Chase but found no one.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    She ced her hand on her chest and said a silent prayer in her heart. That was her only chance of escape, and if she didn¡¯t do it, she didn¡¯t even know what Chase would use her to do as his¡¯. As she thought of that, her eyes stopped at an old building not far away from where she stood, and a small smile graced her lips.


    She surely wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the estate in less than two minutes. She knew that, so the best thing to do was to hide in the old house till morning while Chase would hopelessly search for her. Then, once she was sure he gave up, she¡¯d find her way out of the estate in the morning.


    With her perfect n in mind, she ran towards there, hissing in pain and ignoring the pain in her ankle. She froze again in her tracks when she heard Chase¡¯s voice again. ¡°Here Ie, Gattina. Your time is up. I hope you¡¯re safely hidden away from me?¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia nodded her head and then spoke up when she realized he wouldn¡¯t be able to see her. ¡°Yes. I-I¡¯m gone,¡±


    ¡°Good. My turn now,¡± Chase¡¯s voice came again until she heard the loud and slow sounds of his footsteps as if he had all the time in the world to reach her.


    Sophia ran towards the door and tried to open it but it wasn¡¯t opening it. She looked around frantically for another hiding ce until she spotted the tree in front of the house and hid behind it.


    ¡°Gattina, where are you? ¡°Chase¡¯s voice reached her ears as she heard his footsteps. It wasn¡¯t only from the hearing device. She could hear his footstepsing closer to the tree and she pressed herself tightly against the tree as if to disappear into it. ¡°You aren¡¯t making the game any interesting now¡±, Chase said, standing behind the tree from the other side.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia fisted her hands into a ball and bit down on her lower lip to hold her breath. She couldn¡¯t afford to have him find her. If Chase found her, she¡¯d be a goner. She wouldn¡¯t see her Nana ever again and she didn¡¯t even want to imagine the type of things he¡¯d do with her.


    Chase resisted the urge to just stretch his hands out behind the tree and drag her to his side to finally im her as his property. He knew damned well she was behind the tree. He could feel her presence very well but he wanted to keep on leaving her belt-and-braces.


    He was psychotic. Chase knew that very well and that was why he wanted to keep on continuing his mind games with her because, in the end, he would emerge as the winner. ¡°Gattina, I can¡¯t find you. Can youe out?¡±,


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia breathed out in relief as she watched him walk away from the tree and she tiptoed on her bare legs to hide behind the pir standing on the porch of the house. She peeked and her breath hitched again when she saw him walking towards the pir where she was already hiding and she quickly ducked herself away.


    ¡°Lord please help me¡± ¡± she whispered only to her hearing and clutched unto her locket with closed eyes. ¡°Lord, please help me. Mama, papa, don¡¯t let him catch-¡°,


    Sophia didn¡¯t finish her prayer when she heard Chase¡¯s voice close to her. ¡°Found ya!¡±,

 CHAPTER XI

    ~~~


    SOPHIA SHUT HER eyes tighter than it already was and waited for the impact as her heartbeat elerated. She waited for Chase to grab her arm and pull her away from her hiding spot but felt nothing. Slowly, she opened her eyes bracing herself for whatever Chase was going to do to her but she frowned when she didn¡¯t see anyone where she was.


    ¡°So now you¡¯re ying games with me, Gattina? ¡°Chase called out, and her eyes fell on him. His back was facing her, and he didn¡¯t look like he had been standing where she was. ¡°I was d I thought I found you, but it turns out I was wrong,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia ced her palms against her chest and breathed out in relief when she realized that he¡¯d only thought he saw her, but little did she know that he was only ying games with her and knew very well where she was hiding. He just wanted to give her a little hope that she was free, only to crush it by himself.


    Sophia closed her eyes and began to mutter silent prayers again. ¡°Thank you, Lord. Please, just help me lure him away from here else I¡¯ll not be at peace. I need to-¡°, Her words died at the tip of her tongue when she felt a looming presence hovering above her followed by the strong familiar scent of sandalwood that she had gotten ustomed to.


    ¡°You can only find peace with me, Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia slowly peeled her eyes open, feeling the sudden wild thumping of her heart against her palm and looked up, only to lock eyes with a pair of cold, dark ones. Immediately, she closed her eyes back and mumbled. ¡°Mama- Papa, let this be a nightmare, please,¡±


    ¡°Open your eyes, Gattina.¡± She trembled when she felt cold knuckles smoothing over her cheeks, and she flushed. ¡°It¡¯s not a nightmare. I¡¯m here,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia opened her eyes again, and he was still there, staring at her. Her knees buckled, and her hands fell limp by her sides. She couldn¡¯t bnce herself as she went toppling down on the floor but before she reached the ground, warm arms wrapped round her and pulled her towards the owner¡¯s wide, warm chest.


    Chase whispered against her hair. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gattina. I¡¯m here,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Those were thest words she heard, and she weed the darkness.


    ~~~


    ¡°She¡¯ll have to take the drugs prescribed for her and for that, she must eat something¡±, Sophia heard a soft voice as she palmed her forehead. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked round the room she was in.


    Luckily for her, she wasn¡¯t in a dark room again . Instead, she was in ¡®her room¡¯ with a female doctor speaking to Valerie.


    ¡°Oh, look! She¡¯s awake! ¡°Valerie said and sat opposite Sophia. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±,


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure¡±, She croaked out. Her wrists and ankles were hurting, and she was hungry. The hunger was hitting her with so much force. ¡°My whole body aches,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all as a result of the stress you went through this past two days. All you need is food and drugs, then have your doctor smiled politely at her, and Sophia gave a weak nod.


    ¡°Maybe you should have some food before I get this drugs for you.¡± Valerie passed her a small smile and palmed her cheeks, making Sophia flinch. ¡°Please don¡¯t ever try to escape. Else, he¡¯s going to do something much worse than this, and I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going to affect you mentally. For now, I¡¯ll send a maid with your food before I return, hmm? Please take care of yourself¡±,


    Sophia slowly nodded her head, and Valerie left with the doctor.


    The harsh reality sank in her brain as she sat up and took note of her state. She was dressed in a big shirt and a pair of shorts while her wrists and ankles were bandaged, indicating that her bruises were taken care of. She rested her head on the headboard and a sob escaped her lips.


    Chase had won, and she was going to be his¡¯ even if she didn¡¯t know what that was for.


    ~~~


    Chase discarded his shirt and pants, then stepped under the cold shower as images of the long night shed across his mind. Ever since Sophia had waltzed back into his life he wasn¡¯t sure he was going to be normal again because she¡¯d already made him feel something and that was why he was never going to let her go.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    As the cold water cascaded down his body, a certain image of her putting on that shorts when she¡¯d bent down to pack those tes appeared in his mind and he felt his cock harden instantly.


    ¡°Fanculo¡±, He grunted out, and his palm instinctively wrapped itself around his shaft. He had never done anything like that, but for the first time, he was doing sophism other hand reached the soap stand and he moisturized it with the soap, before covering his cock with it. It felt so good, but not as he¡¯d imagined Sophia¡¯s small, soft hands on him. Slowly but surely, he began to drag his palm over his cock, pumping his self with each hard stroke. ¡°Cazzo, Gattina, ¡°He gritted out.


    {¡°Fuck¡±} {¡°Fuck, Kitten¡±}


    He suddenly imagined a naked Sophia-on her knees in front of him, staring at him with her big doe eyes filled with nothing but lust as her hands trailed down his balls-and he let out a grunt. In his own head, he watched as she pumped his length in her hands until she brought it to her lips, and covered the tip with her lips.


    ¡°Dammit! ¡°He growled and rested his head against the wall.


    His lustful imaginations didn¡¯t stop there because he could clearly see Sophia slowly slide his cock into her mouth and began to pump him in and out of her as he fucked her pretty little mouth. She gagged and held unto his thighs, staring at him with tears while he gripped her hair and began pumping his self in and out of her with fast, hard and harsh strokes.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! ¡°A low groan vibrated through his chest, and he shut his eyes tight, feeling his orgasm rippling through him till he shot out every single drop of semen all over the bathroom floor.


    Chase opened his eyes and essed the whole bathroom before letting out a sigh. Sophia was going to be the death of him, even without him touching her already.


    ~~~


    It had been a week since Sophia had been on house arrest, curled up on her bed. She wasn¡¯t even allowed to leave her room as Luciano was always there and it was always locked unless her food was being taken to her or when Valerie was checking up on her. She never really finished her food. The highest she used to take was only half a te with water but she didn¡¯t mess up with her drug dosage. She didn¡¯t want to die just yet.


    Sophia scrunched up her nose in disgust at the foul smell radiating off her body. She had refused to take her bath and was still in the clothes that she¡¯d woken up to the other day after the incident with Chase.


    Speaking of Chase, she was grateful she had not even seen him. otherwise, he would only terrify her, so she was technically okay with being in the room locked up.


    Shey on the bed, pretending to be asleep when she heard the door being unlocked. She didn¡¯t want to meet anyone, and she knew it wasn¡¯t yet time for lunch.


    ¡°Aww,¡± Luciano¡¯s deep voice reached her ears, and she pressed her head against the pillow. ¡°Wake up, sweet cheeks. Go and have a bath. This room stinks,¡±


    She only sneered internally but didn¡¯t reply or make it known that she was awake.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not sleeping. Just quit the act, it would be better if you stopped behaving like this. It won¡¯t change the fact that Don would still keep you here for life,¡±


    She still kept quiet until she felt his movements close to her.

 CHAPTER XII

    Luciano scrunched up his nose when he knelt down in front of her. ¡°Open those cute eyes, it¡¯s time for Don to take your life, finally¡±, Immediately he said it, her eyes snapped open and his expression was reced with a victorious grin that his little trick worked. ¡°I just knew it!¡±,


    ¡°What do you want? ¡°She fake red at him with a pout and sat up, folding her arms across her chest.


    ¡°Is that you trying to re at me, sweet cheeks? ¡°Luciano raised a teasing brow, and then he yfully pinched her small nose. ¡°You¡¯re so cute and innocent¡±, He smiled. ¡°Anyways, I came to tell you to go and have your bath.¡± He used his palms to cover his nose. ¡°I can literally smell the odor from outside there, so if you don¡¯t want me to die whilst watching over you, go and have a bath¡±, He joked.


    ¡°Oh please, stop exaggerating it. It¡¯s not as if I smell on a normal basis¡±, She pouted again.


    ¡°So you talk back? ¡°He chuckled. ¡°I thought you were just a stuttering eighteen year old girl who loves crying,¡±


    Sophia teared up immediately. ¡°Do I really love crying? Is that why your brother hates me so much?¡±,


    ¡°No no¡±, He chuckled at her. ¡°Lucas loves shedding blood and is only upset you weren¡¯t killed because it wasn¡¯t fair on other poor victims that were killed for being witnesses. And he¡¯s the boring brother here so forget him, sweet cheeks¡±,


    Sophia smiled. ¡°Thank you,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. Go and have your fucking bath¡±, He gently pulled her arm and opened the bathroom door before pushing her inside. ¡°Make good use of it. It¡¯s not for fancy¡±,


    ¡°I-¡°, Before she could say anything, he closed the door on her face and locked it.


    Was he fond of locking people?


    ~~~


    Sophia walked out of the bathroom with a robe draped round her body and a towel on her wet hair. One might be wondering how she got out but when she was having her bath, she heard the door being unlocked and she was grateful when whoever it was-definitely Luciano-didn¡¯t walk into the bathroom.


    She¡¯d taken her time washing up her dirty body and hair, and she felt refreshed. She was actually grateful for Luciano, who forced her to do so, but she just wouldn¡¯t tell him.


    After blow drying her hair and creaming her body, she walked into the walk in closet and stared at the expensive clothes, shoes, bags and other items before shaking her head. All she wanted was her freedom. With a soft sigh, she took a big shirt and a pair of shorts before putting them on. She felt morefortable in them at that moment.


    She sat down on her bed and puffed out air from her lips. She was bored and didn¡¯t know what to do. All of sudden, she thought about college and stood up. Maybe if she asked Chase to let her go to college, she¡¯ll not be bored again.


    She opened the door and luckily for her, it wasn¡¯t locked. She studied the hallway and realized that Luciano wasn¡¯t anywhere close so she just walked towards the staircase.


    ¡°What are you doing out of your room? ¡°A cold voice reached her ears, and she turned. ¡°I was asked to watch over you. I can¡¯t let you leave your room.¡± He didn¡¯t have that yful tone in his voice again, and it terrified her.


    ¡°But Luciano, please, I just want to meet Chase, please¡±, She pleaded.


    ¡°What do you want to tell him? ¡°He essed her.


    She passed him a small, shy smile. ¡°see, I had a bath just as you asked me to. Why can¡¯t you just do what I ask of you?¡±,


    ¡°You had no choice but to have your bath,  sweet cheeks, and only I have a choice to take you to him or not¡±, He said, and she blinked her eyes at him. e, I¡¯ll take you to him,¡±


    Just when they were about to walk any further, Luciano¡¯s phone rang in his pocket and they stopped. With his lips pursed into a thin line in distaste, he brought the phone out of his pocket and stared at the caller ID.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait for me to pick up the call, it¡¯s more important than your life¡±, He said, and she pouted at his back as he turned to pick up the call.


    Barely ten minutes passed and Sophia was already feeling impatient so she just ignored Luciano who was still making his call with his back facing her and she cascaded down the stairs only to see a lot of men she recognized as Chase¡¯s men watching television while some were ying cards, having the time of their life while she was held captive by their cold-hearted and terrifying master. Who would¡¯ve thought that Chase Romano ever allowed his men to watch television and y cards in his own house?


    ¡°Excuse me¡±, She called out, but no one answered her. With a small pout, she went to stand in front of the television, finally gaining their attention. ¡°Excuse me, you all! ¡°Her voice came out as a bare whisper.


    ¡°Hey girl, move away! ¡°One of them waved her off, but she didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to talk to you all, but your attentions were on this television, so please tell me where Chase Romano is¡±, She whispered out again.


    A few gasps eluded their lips at the way she bluntly called his name, and she only let out a soft sigh.


    ¡°Please, where is he? ¡°She asked more politely after thinking of how those men could take her life easily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about his whereabouts only if you give me a blowjob!¡± One of them said, and the man by his side nudged his stomach. ¡°What¡¯s it? She looks pretty innocent and fit for something like that. I¡¯ve already imagined the-¡°, Before he finished, a bullet was shot in between his eyes, and Sophia gasped in horror.


    She looked at his lifeless body before turning to whoever had shot him.


    Chase Romano.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He stood there with an emotionless face on as he tucked his gun back in the holster of his pants while the other men stood up immediately, looking at their feet.


    ¡°Come here¡±, Chase stuck out two fingers to her and she walked towards him shakily. She caught the sight of Luciano standing at thest step of the staircase while he had an expression which she couldn¡¯t understand on his face but one thing she knew was that it wasn¡¯t a good one. She instantly regretted not waiting for him.


    What if Chase killed her, too?


    ¡°Come, Gattina. I won¡¯t hurt you, will I?¡±. Chase held her wrists and stared at her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t mind what he said just now¡±, The innocent look in her eyes told him that she clearly didn¡¯t know the meaning of what that dead fucker had said. She didn¡¯t know what a blowjob was. He held her bottom lip softly between his thumb and forefinger and caressed them softly as he thought of her giving him a blowjob just as he actually imagined a week ago. ¡°You can only have your lips wrapped around one thing¡±, He said, and his cold gazended on everyone before he pulled her to his side. ¡°Let me make one thing clear to you all. No one, when I mean no one, no one has the fucking right to even stare at her else I swear, I¡¯ll chop off your balls and eyeballs before giving them to you to eat them because she is mine¡±, He looked at everyone in the room, before his cold empty voice rang out again. ¡°sono dannatamente chiaro?¡±,


    {¡°Kitten¡±} {¡°Am I fucking clear?¡±}


    Everyone chorused out with their heads still bowed down, staring at their feet¡¯s. ¡°si, Don¡±,


    {¡°Yes, Don¡±}


    Sophia felt her whole world crumbling down at his announcement.


    He had finally announced her as his possession. Something she didn¡¯t even know what for.

 CHAPTER XIII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA WAS DUMBSTRUCK at Chase¡¯s announcement. She just stayed there glued to his side without moving with her head bowed down just like his men even though she wasn¡¯t asked to do souse was scared. She didn¡¯t know what he meant when he said she was his¡¯ and what to make out of it. Everything around her was numb except the wild thumping of her heart.


    Jesus. Her heart. She couldn¡¯t even count how many times her heart started behaving like that since she arrived at that ce. She didn¡¯t even know what they did for a living, but one thing she was certain about was the fact that it wasn¡¯t a good business else why would there be guns and murder all around them?


    ¡°Gattina, ¡°She heard Chase¡¯s voice, and his Italian ent didn¡¯t hide itself. But she was too lost in her thoughts to even move or answer whatever that name meant. ¡°Gattina, ¡°It came out harsher than the first time, and Sophia snapped her head up.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    No one was in there with them. Not even Luciano. She was trapped with a man she was badly terrified of, a man who murdered her parents in cold blood in front of her own eyes and didn¡¯t even have a means of escape.


    ¡°I-,¡±She avoided, looking at his eyes. ¡°I should -ahh!¡± She yelped when he gripped her arm and pulled her against his chest harshly.


    ¡°You are mine get it? Any man who tries to stare at or even touch you will face my wrath, Gattina. You shouldn¡¯t be scared of anyone. I own all their fucking lives because it¡¯s in my palm, hmm? ¡°He gritted out. He wanted her to know. To know whose property, she was so she wouldn¡¯t go around dressed in a simple Tee and shorts moving around the house while his men were around. He didn¡¯t want to go around killing his own men like he¡¯d already done, but still, to prove his point, he¡¯d do that. Just to have her by his side.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°You-,¡±Sophia ced her small hands on his hard chest, feeling the numb beating of his heart against her palms. ¡°What does that mean? What does it mean that I¡¯m yours¡¯? ¡°She couldn¡¯t help but ask. It had been nagging at the back of her mind ever since the night he introduced his silly game and she wanted to know the meaning. How innocent could she be?


    Chase took a sharp intake of breath, trailing his hawk eyes over her lowered eyes, cute freckles-sprawled all over the bridge of her simrly cute nose and underneath both of her eyes-and her full, plump lips before he raised one of his hands and ran his cold knuckles over the delicate smoothness of her face. He could feel the way she stiffened under his touch and he was resisting the urge to have her there and then. ¡°You¡¯re so innocent, aren¡¯t you? ¡°His voice came out hoarse, any it sent chills down Sophia¡¯s spine.


    She meekly looked at him through her thick and fullshes before looking back down when she saw the intensity of his stare. Subconsciously, her lips parted when her eyes fell faintly at the rings adorning each and every single finger of both his beautiful and calloused hands. ¡°You have beautiful hands,¡±


    Chase knew that. He always knew he had beautiful fingers, and she wasn¡¯t the first to tell him, neither would she be thest. He knew that very well. So, he ignored herment and spoke. ¡°What I meant when I said you were mine is that you fucking belong to me. Every single part of you, Gattina, belongs to me and you won¡¯t leave me unless I want you to which will never happen¡±, He then buried his face in her hair which had the strong scent of coconut shampoo and he inhaled sharply. ¡°Your hair is only mine to touch, mine to bury my face in, mine to grip in my fists when I-,¡±He pulled away and looked at her face for any type of reaction but was only met with a flustered, innocent and confused gaze. He chose not to say what he was about to say and continued, cradling her left cheek in hisrge right palm. ¡°Your eyes are only mine to look at. these freckles are mine to give kisses to -¡°He looked at every single feature of her face as he imed then. ¡°your nose is only mine to peck and pinch, your lips are mine to devour with kisses, straight to your jaw, neck and whole body. Every single perfect part of your body is mine to caress and do as I wish to¡±, He then leaned in and buried his face in the crook of her neck, his hot breath fanning the skin and giving her goosebumps all over her skin. ¡°Mio. Non vedo l¡¯ora di vederti contorcersi sotto di me e ure il mio nome dal piacere mentre ti fio pole cose sporche¡±,


    {¡°Kitten¡±} {¡°Mine. I can¡¯t wait to have you. I can¡¯t wait to have you writhing beneath me and screaming my name in pleasure while I do dirty little things to you}


    Sophia didn¡¯t understand what he meant but she could understand what he meant when he told her whole body belonged to him and she could feel her head pounding with an intensity she hadn¡¯t felt before as realization sank in. No. No way. There was no way she¡¯d let him do as he wished with her body. Her body was the temple of God as her Nana and pastor in the church had taught her. Only a woman¡¯s husband was allowed to do what Chase was nning to do with her and she couldn¡¯t allow it. Chase was her parents¡¯ murderer. He wasn¡¯t a man she had ever seen herself with in the future, so, it was impossible. In panic, she roughly pushed him away, taking him off guard.


    Sophia watched as Chase¡¯s jaw clenched, and his fists balled at his sides before she opened her mouth to speak. ¡°N-no¡±, She shook her head. ¡°I-I can¡¯t be yours. It¡¯s a sin. It¡¯s a huge sin,¡±


    Chase resisted the urge to sneer at her. The hell? There was nothing such as sin in their world and too bad she was already part of it. She had parents that were also born into that world, even though she didn¡¯t know about it. He doubted she knew what her parents did for a living, but then, he was going to make sure she found out about it. Just that, it wasn¡¯t going to be then. At that moment, he had to deal with her innocent stubbornness. He had to ingrain it in her mind that she was his property no matter what.


    ~~~


    ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want this, please let me go,¡± Sophia wept to the twenty nine year old man as she hugged her knees, pressing herself onto the headboard.


    ¡°Should I leave you alone, Gattina?¡±, Chase smirked and knelt down in front of her. He never smiled or smirked, neither did he ever show any facial expression, so the fact that there was a smirk on his face made her even more scared. ¡°Should I just abandon something as innocent as you are? ¡°He trailed his fingertips on her face. ¡°I can¡¯t deny my desires for you because of your tears now, can I?¡±,


    ¡°Please, Chase¡±, She shut her eyes closed as her lips trembled. ¡°You murdered my parents already, you can¡¯t take something so precious away from me,¡±


    ¡°But that precious thing is what attracts me to you, Gattina.¡± He wiped her tears. ¡°Come on, stop crying. I hate seeing you like this,¡±


    When she didn¡¯t stop crying, he wrapped his arms around her waist and jerked her forward to him.


    ¡°I want you, Gattina, and I can¡¯t deny my desires for you. I love that innocence you have in you, and I want to destroy it,¡±


    ¡°Please-¡°, She croaked out. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this to me,¡±


    Her tears didn¡¯t make him feel anything. He loved to see people beg him and that was exactly what she was doing. He loved it even more as he imagined those tears leaking from her eyes when he fucked her thoroughly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, save those tears for the time when I fuck you. I¡¯ll love to fuck those tears out of your eyes that day. Do you know how I¡¯ve imagined it? I¡¯ve jerked off so many times because of you and your perfect little body¡±, When she didn¡¯t stop crying, he grabbed her hair backwards. ¡°I told you to stop crying! ¡°Before she couldprehend anything, he ripped off her shirt and unsped her bra before dipping his head in to attack her tits.


    ~~~


    Sophia¡¯s eyes flew open and she sat up with a jerk as sweat trailed down her forehead. She peeled off theforter covering her body and let out a sigh of relief when she saw her clothes still intact but realized she was still on the robe she¡¯d draped round her body when she had a bath and had fallen asleep forgetting to wear her pajamas.


    It was just a nightmare. But a different one. Different from the ten years long ones except that it was the same demon appearing there.


    She couldn¡¯t even say which one was more terrifying. Was it the one of him murdering her parents or the one of him trying to rape her?Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    The second one made her shudder in fear.


    Chase wouldn¡¯t rape her, right? He wouldn¡¯t touch her without her permission, right?


    With a soft sigh, she massaged her forehead andid down back on the bed, feelingzy to put on a pair of pajamas but she knew very well that falling back asleep without a cup of milk was nearly impossible. Since she arrived at Chase¡¯s mansion, she normally took milk after waking up from a nightmare and that night couldn¡¯t be an exception.

 CHAPTER XIV

    She looked at the table clock on the bedside table.


    02:35 am.


    Oh God, how much she missed her, Nana. If the poor olddy was with her, she¡¯d have been there tofort her, rub her hair, and if possible, tell her stories.


    Sophia wore her flip flops and tightened the sash on the robe around her small frame before opening the door softly. She quietly walked down the stairs till she reached the kitchen and switched on the lights.


    She opened the refrigerator and brought out a carton of milk, then warmed it up as quickly and quietly as she could in order not to wake anyone up as she normally did for the past week but luck wasn¡¯t on her side that night.


    However, the ss of milk in her hands fell down on the floor and shattered into pieces when her eyesnded on Chase-dressed in a ck cargo pants and shirt-leaning against the doorframe setback at her. ¡°Y-¡± She trembled, remembering her nightmare. Except from when he¡¯d appear in her nightmares, she didn¡¯t see Chase again after the day he murdered one of his men for talking to her.


    Chase¡¯s eyes trailed from her scared face, down to her delicate neck and down her body in appreciation. His eyes darkened in lust the moment he looked at how the silk robe kissed her skin and every curve of her body. He looked back at her eyes and moved forward. ¡°Is there something wrong with you?¡±


    Sophia cowered and took a step back. ¡°W-what do you mean? I-I¡¯m okay,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Chase¡¯s legs carried him forward till he was standing in front of her. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that every night around this time, you alwayse here to have milk¡±, Chase hardly ever slept; and so, he had seen her on three consecutive days after she settled in through the CCTV footage sneaking up to have milk every night around that time. After those three times, it perked up his interest. With anyone else, it wouldn¡¯t have bothered him but for Sophia, he was instantly worried.


    It wasn¡¯t hard for him to stay awake at night to watch her every movement because he had his own skeletons in his closet along with his nightmares which never allowed him to sleep unless he took a few pills. Who would have ever thought that Chase Romano, the same man who was everyone¡¯s worst nightmare had his own nightmares? That was unbelievable.


    Sophia opened her mouth to speak but closed it shut. She couldn¡¯t tell him the reason why she was always having milk at night. She then shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing-¡°, She fidgeted with her fingers. ¡°I-I¡¯m just used to having milk at night. That¡¯s all,¡±


    Chase knew she was lying. Straight-up, his instincts and sixth sense had told him and they were never wrong. Another thing he had been forced to learn during his training was how to read if people were lying and that talent just snapped in him. ¡°You¡¯re a terrible liar, do you know that?¡±


    Startled at his reply, Sophia looked up and curled her fists at her sides. He didn¡¯t have the right to talk to her like that as if he actually knew her. She didn¡¯t know what button switched in her but she regretted the next words that left her lips because of it. ¡°And how is that your business?¡±


    Chase was taken aback by her question, and he angrily gripped her arm tightly in a harsh tug. His nostrils red, and his eyes turned to slits as his jaw clenched ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are to talk to me like that?¡±


    Stupid Sophia. She internally scolded herself, but it didn¡¯t stop or falter the sudden determined courage in her. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be talked to like that by me, then you should have just killed me on that horrible night, you murderer! ¡°She spat.


    Chase was livid. He tightened his grip on her arm and red at her. ¡°There was no way I¡¯d have murdered something I wanted to fuck so much¡±,


    ¡°I¡¯m not a thing!¡±, Her innocent eyes matched his re. ¡°I¡¯m a human being and you have to respect that!¡±,


    ¡°Respect the fuck what?. ¡°Chase lifted a brow at her internally amused at the feisty side of her. It seemed to turn him on and gradually, his anger faded away as his hands trailed to her right thigh before he slowly raised it up and ced it on his own left thigh as he rested the toe on its tip. ¡°In what other way should I respect a pretty little innocent girl like you when I already have my own way of doing so, Gattina?¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia tried toprehend words to say to him but couldn¡¯t think of anything. Her mind had suddenly gone nk at the position they were in. Anything she would have said was alreadyte because his left hand had found its way towards her panties and stopped there. ¡°You-¡°, Her words died in her throat when he pressed his thumb against her clothed clit. ¡°Mhh-¡°,


    ¡°You like it, Gattina?. ¡°He slowly rubbed that area and pushed her panties to the side, then palmed her core. ¡°Tell me how you want it¡±, His voice was hoarse and his hand that was holding her arm was wrapped round her slender waist, giving his arm limited ess to feel the curve there.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s vocal chords betrayed her because no matter how hard she tried to say something to push him away from her, it woulde out as a moan. ¡°Cha-¡°, This time, it was an inaudible whisper, silently encouraging him to continue his dirty movements with his hands.


    Slowly, Chase slipped his middle finger in her, and she gasped out, her mouth forming an ¡®O¡¯ shape while her small hands instinctively flew to grip his taut shoulders in a tight grip ¡°Look at you, so innocent, yet so tempting. I wish you could just understand just how much your body wants me. Only I can feel the tightness of yourbia around my finger¡±, He moved his finger in and out of her in a slow motion, the cold ring on the finger softly grazing her twitching entrance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you,¡± Sophia managed out, her hands falling from his shoulder to rest atop the counter behind her.


    He added a second finger into her pussy and she let out a muffled moan. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want this? Your pretty little pussy seem to be betraying your words¡±,Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She gripped the edge of the counter and shut her eyes tight, managing through gritted teeth. ¡°I hate you, murderer¡±,


    His jaw hardened and he stopped his movements with his fingers inside her. ¡°Say it again¡±,


    She wanted his fingers to move in her so badly, as pathetic as it may sound. She gritted her teeth again and let out. ¡°I said I hate you, murderer! I wish you would just die and -ahh!¡±, She yelped the minute his fingers left her panties and grabbed her to bend her over his knees as he sat on the tall stool there. ¡°What are-ahh!¡±, She yelped when his palm made a harsh contact with her bare ass.


    ¡°Count!¡±, He growled.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Sophia turned her head to re at him. ¡°Let me go home!¡±,


    Chase smacked her on the ass harder than he had done earlier. ¡°Count!¡±,


    She was a fool. She finally realized that the moment her lips parted and instead of a rudeeback, she whispered; ¡°One¡±,


    ¡°Good girl,¡± Chase said and caressed the spot where he¡¯d just smacked andnded another smack on it. ¡°Count again,¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± Smack. ¡°Three¡±, Smack. ¡°Four,¡± Smack. ¡°Five,¡± Smack. ¡°Six¡±, Smack. ¡°Seven,¡± Smack. Her voice came out as a tired whisper. ¡°Eight,¡± Smack. ¡°Nine,¡± Smack. ¡°Ten,¡±


    Chase caressed the spot again. ¡°It¡¯s going to be sore. Apply some ointment on it¡±, He helped her on her wobbly feet and wore her panties back for her. ¡°Just ten spanks, and you¡¯re already a tired mess, Gattina.¡± He stood up and caressed her flushed cheeks. ¡°I wonder how exhausted you¡¯ll be if I¡¯m to fuck the innocence out of you¡±, Without a second nce her way and a care in the world, Chase walked out of the kitchen leaving her all alone with a racing and guilt wed heart.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ~~~


    Naked, with quivering lips, tears streaming down her flustered cheeks, red nose, shaking hands and shaky legs, Sophia stepped under the shower in her bathroom and began to scrub off her body harshly. She wished scrubbing off her body like that would help wash off the dirty touches Chase had left earlier on her.


    A loud shrieking scream tore from her lips and she fell on her knees as the water cascaded down her body the moment she realized it wouldn¡¯t be possible to wash Chase¡¯s touches away from her body. He had, in his own way, degraded her body by doing what he did and left her there.


    She was to me too. She shouldn¡¯t have spoken to him like she did in the first ce because then, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten upset and touched her like that. She hated Chase Romano. She hated herself and she hated the Sophia Bet that had given Chase ess to her body back there in the kitchen. Wasn¡¯t she the same one that told him what he was doing was a sin? Wasn¡¯t she taught that her body was a temple of God? Wasn¡¯t she the same girl that promised that only her husband was going to have that right she just gave Chase to her body? Well, she¡¯d forgotten her principles and broken that promise for the first time in her life.


    And that, for a man who murdered her parents.

 CHAPTER XV

    ~~~


    THE SUNRAYS SHONE brightly on Sophia¡¯s face as it peeked through the curtains, and her eyes opened slowly because of the heat it was providing. Her head was pounding and she could feel her eyes swollen


    She didn¡¯t understand or remember how she had slept off while bawling her eyes out to her pillow after having a very long painful shower. With a small whimper when she felt the headache kicking in, she sat up slowly and looked round the room.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    She froze when a knock came on the door. When the knocking didn¡¯t stop, she ced one of her palms on her racing heart and closed her eyes. ¡°I hope it isn¡¯t him, ¡°She wasn¡¯t ready to meet Chase after whatever happened between them the previous night.


    Slowly opening her eyes, Sophia got down from the bed, her small feet touching the cold tiles as she unlocked the door and opened it. She breathed out in relief when she saw Valerie standing there with a wide grin on her face.


    ¡°Hey¡±, Valerie passed her an apologetic smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I woke you up,¡±


    ¡°Uhh-¡°, Sophia shook her head. ¡°No. You didn¡¯t wake me up. I was already awake before you knocked,¡± Sophia gave her space to walk in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,e in,¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Valerie smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just came to call you downstairs for breakfast,¡±


    Sophia retorted immediately. ¡°No! ¡°Didn¡¯t she say she didn¡¯t want to face Chase? She wanted to work on that. ¡°I-I prefer to have my meal here as usual. I feel morefortable here,¡±


    Valerie gave her a small smile and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Soph. Don has ordered that youe for breakfast downstairs,¡±


    Sophia nched. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Valerie replied truthfully.


    ¡°I-, ¡°Sophia trailed off. ¡°O-Okay then. I¡¯ll be downstairs for breakfast,¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Valerie pped her hands authentically. ¡°Wear something nice. I should get going now, hmm?¡± She then pinched Sophia¡¯s nose and walked away with a big smile on her face.


    A small smile graced Sophia¡¯s lips, and she leaned on the wall. She didn¡¯t know why, but she could see a future with Valerie as friends with her. She was the only one who cared enough about her.


    ~~~


    Only the sounds of cutleries nking against the ss tes could be heard in the dining room. Chase sat on the chair at the head of the table with his fiancee, Saige-who had visited by his right side and Lucas on his left side. Beside Saige was Valerie and opposite her was Luciano. Sophia was nowhere in sight.


    Soon, the light sound of footsteps resounded through the room, and Saige perked up, stealing nces toward where the sound wasing from until Sophia came into view.


    Chase ran his gaze over her. She was simply dressed in a ck jumpsuit while she pulled her hair into a ponytail. She didn¡¯t need to try to look good because she already did and Chase found himself getting a hard-on. He immediately reverted his gaze to his meal to look like he wasn¡¯t bothered at all.


    ¡°Ahh Soph!¡± Valerie called out to Sophia, who stood there, staring at everybody. Anything not to look at Chase and he knew that. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te,¡±


    Lucas only snorted out loud.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± The question flew out of Saige¡¯s lips before she could even stop it.


    ¡°She¡¯s a witness,¡± Lucas replied immediately. ¡°One that should have been killed,¡±


    Saige looked over at Chase to find any reaction on his face, but as usual, his face was nk, and he was concentrated on his meal.


    Valerie ignored them and walked towards Sophia. ¡°That¡¯s Saige, Don¡¯s uhh-,¡± She turned to face Chase, who wasn¡¯t even looking at them. She turned back to Sophia. ¡°She¡¯s his-,¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck is you walking on eggshells around her?¡± Lucas scoffed out. ¡°Tell her already that she¡¯s his fiancee,¡±


    ¡°Lucas,¡± Chase growled and red at his cousin. Dammit.


    Lucas mumbled a quick egotistical apology-something he should never do to his boss yet he still did and continued eating.


    Valerie gave Sophia a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. Come and sit with us,¡±


    Sophia tried so hard not to look towards Chase¡¯s direction and so far, she was seeding in it. ¡°Thanks,¡± She mumbled and followed after Valerie.


    ¡°Here,¡± Valerie pulled out the chair next to hers¡¯ for Sophia. ¡°You can sit here,¡±


    Sophia muttered a ¡®thanks¡¯ again before making her way to sit. Her butt didn¡¯t make it to the chair as Chase didn¡¯t allow her to.


    ¡°Stop,¡±


    Lucas, Luciano, and Saige dropped their cutleries on their te as a thick heavy silence settled in the room.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be sitting on Lucas¡¯ seat from now on. Beside me,¡±


    Luciano tried not to choke on the food that was in his mouth but eventually, he did and Sophia was quick to grab a ss of water.


    She rushed beside him and handed him the ss of water shyly. ¡°Have it,¡±


    ¡°Thanks, ¡°Luciano choked out and collected the ss from her, then took it to his lips and gulped down the water.


    However, the light brushing of their fingers didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Chase and he angrily mmed his fist on the table, making Sophia flinch. He stood up and without saying a word, he walked out of the dining room, leaving everyone confused at the sudden change of his mood.


    Saige used the napkin beside her te and dabbed her lips. ¡°Excuse me,¡± She mumbled and stood up before sashaying out of the dining room.


    ¡°What happened to him all of a sudden?¡± Valerie asked no one in particr.


    Lucas sneered, staring right back at Sophia. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask daddy¡¯s little doll? She has been the reason for a lot of things recently,¡±


    ¡°Lucas, what¡¯s your problem with her?¡± Valerie walked closer to his already standing figure. ¡°Soph hasn¡¯t done anything wrong to deserve such treatment from you,¡±


    His next reply was like a blow to all their faces. ¡°She hasn¡¯t done anything wrong but has only been unlucky enough to be birthed by that bastard, Agosti¡±


    Agosti. Sophia stared at Lucas bewildered. That was her father¡¯s name. He had no right to talk about her father like that and she wouldn¡¯t tolerate it.


    She then walked up to him. ¡°look, I understand your problem is with me but I¡¯ll appreciate it if you don¡¯t bring my papa into this. He has nothing to-,¡±


    ¡°He has every fucking thing to do with all this,¡± Lucas cut her in. ¡°He¡¯s the fucked up reason why you¡¯re here standing like a nuisance to all of us. If not for that fucker, we all wouldn¡¯t be here. You should have just been killed like your fucking parents so we would live in peace. Move,¡± He growled, shoved her aside harshly, and walked away.


    She could feel the tear that had fallen down her cheek and she didn¡¯t attempt to wipe it. She just stood there, rooted to the spot, staring into space while Lucas¡¯ words drilled their way to the back of her mind.


    Valerie put her hand on Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Soph, he-,¡±


    Valerie¡¯s voice seemed to pull her out of her thoughts and Sophia sprinted off towards her room, totally ignoring her.

 CHAPTER XVI

    ~~~


    ¡°Don,¡±


    Chase stopped in his tracks at the sound of Saige¡¯s voice. As he heard the sound of her heels clicking against the tilesing closer, he slid his hand inside his pocket and took out a cigar and lighter. Once he lit the cigar, he took it to his lips and returned the lighter to his pocket. ¡°What?¡± He turned to Saige who was standing beside him.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    He turned his face away and blew out smoke from his lips. ¡°You¡¯re not dumb. You heard Lucas,¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she have been killed then?¡± She asked.


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t want to kill her?¡± He asked. ¡°What if I want to keep her here as my property?¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking her?¡± Disbeliefced her voice.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Chase said and turned to look at Saige who was looking anywhere but at his eyes. ¡°But soon,¡± The balls he had to tell that to his fiancee.


    ¡°I¡¯m your fiancee. We¡¯re getting married,¡± Saige said. How could he tell her something like that? It was unbelievable! She¡¯d tried so many times to seduce this same man to at least touch her but he never did. He never bulged, had an erection, or even looked her way. Only for him to decide he wanted sexual pleasure from a barely neen-year-old girl. But then, Saige knew better than toin or voice out her thoughts.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re forgetting how our world works,¡± Chase turned to her. ¡°I do not owe you my loyalty. I¡¯m the Don and you¡¯ll respect my decisions, sono dannatamente chiaro?¡±,


    {¡°Am I fucking clear?¡±}


    Saige managed a small nod at him and he walked away.


    ¡°Dammit,¡± She hit the wall beside her with her palm.


    It wasn¡¯t fair. She loved him. She had always been in love with him since she knew him. She could see the disinterest for him in Sophia¡¯s eyes earlier but had no choice but to shut up. If she fucked up even once, she¡¯d miss the opportunity to be with the man she loved even though he didn¡¯t feel like that towards her.


    Saige didn¡¯t know what he had done to make her love him. It just happened and ever since then, he had been the only one in her mind constantly. Getting him to agree to marry her wasn¡¯t as difficult as she thought. She was only lucky he was in a good mood the day he agreed because he needed something important from her dad and her dad had seized the opportunity to make sure she had him. If it was the normal Chase, he would never have agreed to marry her no matter what. He wouldn¡¯t have married any woman either, but she thanked her lucky stars for keeping Chase in the mood even though he knew her dad had taken advantage of him and simply ignored it.


    ~~~


    Sophia slumped on her bed and buried her face into her pillow before she let the tears fall freely as Lucas¡¯ words thrust their way into her mind.


    ¡°He has every fucking thing to do with all this,¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the fucked up reason why you¡¯re here standing like a nuisance to all of us. If not for that fucker, we all wouldn¡¯t be here. You should have just been killed like your fucking parents so we would live in peace¡±


    She always knew Lucas hated her but she didn¡¯t think it would get to the extent where he would bring her parents into it. Next time he would taunt her, did that mean he¡¯d bring her remaining family members into it too?


    Her parents didn¡¯t deserve it. They didn¡¯t deserve what happened to them. They didn¡¯t deserve their death. They didn¡¯t deserve such a cruel death. And even after that, they didn¡¯t deserve to be badmouthed even after death.


    Thinking about all that, the tears doubled and a sob left her lips.


    ¡°Soph,¡± Valerie caressed her hair as she sat next to her on the bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what Lucas said out there,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s sobs increased. ¡°Why does he hate me so much to the extent of bringing up my dead dad? It doesn¡¯t feel like he hates me only for something like that. I think there¡¯s more to it,¡±


    Valerie fisted her hands into a ball and dropped them beside her. Sophia was right. There was more to it. Yeah, Lucas didn¡¯t support letting her live but he wouldn¡¯t hate her for that. He had another reason for hating her so much but it wasn¡¯t a topic to ever be addressed.


    Seeing Sophia in that state was making pain string in Valerie¡¯s heart and she couldn¡¯tfort Sophia like a sister and a fellow girl would. The truth was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it. She couldn¡¯t say the truth because letting it out would destroy lives. It would hurt the only positive and happy person remaining among the four Romano¡¯s-Luciano-and he might end up hating Sophia too just like his twin did if he finally found out. His hatred was more venomous than Lucas¡¯ own. They all knew it.


    Valerie didn¡¯t hate Sophia. She had tried to hate her even before she met her but the moment she saw her that night in that small coffee shop, she felt the connection between them and that was why she didn¡¯t let Lucas kill her.


    Fuck. Sophia was innocent. She was unaware of whatever life they all lived and Valerie intended to keep it that way. Even if Sophia found out about their world, Valerie would do anything at all costs to hide that particr heartbreaking secret from her.


    The secret Luciano and Sophia were oblivious to. The secret Chase and Lucas knew from the very beginning and had chosen to hide from the world and everyone else. The secret Valerie had mistakenly stumbled across and found out about. The secret Chase and Lucas didn¡¯t know Valerie knew of. The secret Chase and Lucas thought only they knew except their dead parents. The secret that would make Luciano hate Sophia too, much more than Lucas already did.


    That was the same secret Valerie had vowed to never reveal or even let her brother and cousin know she knew about.


    The secret of Sophia¡¯s father and their Lucas, Luciano, and Valerie-mum¡¯s infidelity.

 CHAPTER XVII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA STARED AT the tons of clothes in front of her, trying to pick out which one to wear. There was a party and well, Chase, his cousins and fiancee had been invited but then, typical Chase had insisted that she followed them and there was no way she would have gone against him. So, there she was thinking of what clothes to wear.


    She wasn¡¯t the party type. Not even in high school when the school jocks threw parties did she ever attend. The only party that she had attended throughout her life except for the ones her dad used to throw for her on her birthdays, was the high school prom party. Nothing else. Not even the ones her dad used to throw with his friends and business associates as he imed she was still too little to attend such parties. He used to say she wouldn¡¯t understand those types of parties until she grew up.


    Her dad. She hadn¡¯t realized that a lone tear had cascaded down her cheeks until she felt it rolling down her chin, and she quickly wiped it off.


    She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard a light knock on the door and she slowly walked towards the door to open it. Valerie was standing there, dressed in an off-shoulder mid-thigh, red dress that hugged her perfect body in all the right ces. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight bun revealing the beautiful shape of her pretty face. She had silver jewelry on and was holding a ck clutch while her legs were strapped in a pair of stilettos.


    Sophia blinked her eyes away from Valerie¡¯s dress when she heard her gasp, and she gave her a confusing look.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t dressed up yet! Don is going to be mad,¡±


    Sophia shrugged lightly and released the door before turning her back and walking back to her bed. On cue, Valerie followed her in.


    ¡°Your bed is a mess,¡± Valerie dropped her clutch on the bedside table and essed the whole room. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what to wear,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Sophia said and sat on the bed. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly the party type and well haven¡¯t attended parties in my life except the ones papa used to throw for me when he was still alive and the one I attended for high-school prom,¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Valerie began to fiddle among the clothes on the bed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and have your bath while I use that time to help you find clothes to wear? By the time we¡¯ll be back home, the maids will have taken care of the mess in your room,¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°Okay,¡±


    ~~~


    Chase lit his cigar and slipped the lighter into his pocket as he dragged in smoke from the cigar between his lips.


    ¡°Haa!¡± Luciano¡¯s cheerful voice reached his ears. ¡°She¡¯s finally here,¡±


    Chase turned his face towards the staircase, and true to his cousin¡¯s words, Sophia was walking down the stairs shyly with a confident Valerie beside her.


    She was putting on an ankle-length maroon dress. It was simple yet elegant on her. It was round-necked and sleeveless, showing off the smooth and wless skin of her arm and upper part of her neck up to her corbone. She had a stud earring and her hair was pulled into a bun while a few strands fell at either side of her face with loose curls, kissing her soft, delicate cheeks.


    Chase was sure he heard Lucas snicker at her appearance beside him and that seemed to pull him out of his trance. He turned away, trying hard not to let anyone see the pure lust he was feeling at that moment in his eyes. He had been celibate for a long time, so reacting like that was bound to happen.


    ¡°Can we leave now?¡± Valerie asked.


    Everyone nodded, and they made their way out of the mansion where there were many cars lined up waiting for them with Chase¡¯s men settled in.


    Before Sophia could enter the car she was to leave in with Valerie, she managed to peek at Chase, who was about to get into another car through her eyshes.


    As usual, he was dressed in a ck button-up shirt, waistcoat, and suit coat. His hair was sleeked backward and he managed to look hot like that with his expensive Rolex wristwatch wrapped around his wrist and those stainless rings on each of his fingers. As if feeling her shy gaze on him, Chase looked up at her and they locked eyes.


    Damn. He silently sucked in a deep breath. He was already trying hard to recover from the raging erection in his pants and her eyes had suddenly made his condition worse. Her eyes were innocent, gullible, and pure of anything sinful. He wanted to taint her. To taint that innocence and make sure she didn¡¯t only look at him with innocence. There should be the same lust he was feeling in her eyes too.


    Chase watched as Valerie tugged on her arms, and she turned away from him, then entered the car they were leaving in.


    ¡°Don,¡± Lucas called from beside him. ¡°We should leave. It¡¯s gettingte,¡±


    Chase nodded. ¡°Hmm,¡±


    ~~~~


    The chattering, giggles of sophisticateddies,ughs of men, and clicking of sses, in the hall went dead silent as a graveyard the moment they stepped into the hall. Courtesy of Chase¡¯s presence which evoked silence wherever he went. The air was still and everyone there had their breaths stuck in their throats.


    ¡°For a moment, I was thinking you wouldn¡¯te, ¡°The host of the party chuckled as he stood by the entrance talking to Chase with his wife beaming beside him. She shouldn¡¯t be beaming. Not in Chase¡¯s presence but then, she had to do it for her husband. They all wanted to impress Chase one wanted to be in his bad books.


    Chase ignored his remark and brought out his cigar and lighter from his pocket to light it.


    ¡°You seem to have an extra person here tonight with you, ¡°The man said running his gaze over Sophia who was standing beside Valerie but cowered behind her at his gaze. He returned his gaze to an indifferent Chase. ¡°I¡¯d love to know where you got her from. Pretty innocent, quiet, smallish, perfectly submissive,¡±


    Chase finally looked at him dead in the eyes. ¡°I think you¡¯re suddenly interested in being in my bad books,¡±


    The man cowered and gulped lowly with his flushed wife.


    Fucking set of cowards. Chase resisted the urge to sneer at them. ¡°Let¡¯s get this party done with, Ricardo,¡±


    ¡°S-sure,¡± The man stuttered. ¡°Come in,¡±


    Soon, Chase and the rest were guided into the hall to their round table. Chase sat between Lucas and Saige while Sophia sat between Luciano who was beside Lucas and Valerie who was seated beside Saige. That technically meant she was opposite Chase.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Sophia couldn¡¯t help but wonder why the hall suddenly became silent in their presence. She was sure it was Chase who only had the right to make that happen, almost like he was the one who controlled everyone¡¯s minds from the way she saw the host cowering when Chase said something to him by the entrance and it was beginning to w at her mind what kind of business they were all running. She knew it was illegal but it just didn¡¯t fall into ce in her mind.


    Something about the whole party seemed off. The people in the party didn¡¯t look like normal high-ss people. Their smiles and everything about them were fake, dangerous, and sinister. Most of the men were dressed in ck and from what she had studied so far, they had guns in their trouser holsters just like Lucas, Luciano, and Valerie had when she had seen them for the first time. Heck, she had also noticed the guns with Lucas and Luciano as they made their way to the hall earlier. That was enough to make her wonder if Valerie had one with her too.


    ¡°Are you okay? You look flushed,¡± Valerie whispered to her.


    Sophia blinked her eyes suddenly feeling Chase¡¯s intense stare on her and turned to Valerie. ¡°I-I¡¯m not used to crowds like this, ¡°She whispered back and wiped her mmy palms on her dress. ¡°Can you show me the bathroom please?¡±


    Valerie looked at Chase, then back at Sophia. ¡°Okay,e with me,¡± Valerie stood up and Sophia did the same too. ¡°Excuse us,¡± She tipped them all a small smile.

 CHAPTER XVIII

    ~~~


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll find my way out,¡± Sophia said to Valerie and disappeared into the bathroom.


    She heard Valerie¡¯s distant footsteps and she confirmed that she had gone. She then rested her head against the door and breathed out air through her lips. As if to calm her beating heart down, she ced her palm against her chest.


    She flinched when she heard a knock on the door and she called out. ¡°I¡¯m almost out. I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    The person outside the door didn¡¯t seem to get the memo and opened the door, then walked in and mmed her back against the door before locking it in ce.


    The scent of sandalwood hitting her nose was enough to tell Sophia who it was. ¡°Chase,¡±


    ¡°Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°I-this is the female bathroom. You shouldn¡¯t be here,¡±


    Chase gritted his teeth and leaned in to stare into her eyes but she was staring at the ground. ¡°I know. I¡¯m not dumb,¡±


    ¡°Then-,¡± She pressed her head against the door to avoid body contact with him. ¡°Why-Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°You¡±, He replied. ¡°I¡¯m here for you, Gattina,¡± He inhaled the coconut scent of the shampoo on her hair. ¡°I came here to tell you how much I can¡¯t wait to shred this dress out of you,¡± One of his palms pressed against her curvy waist and he left it there. She wasn¡¯t as curvy as Valerie and Saige, but she was still curvy. Chase knew it was because she was still growing. He was sure that when she wouldpletely grow up into a full woman, her curves would be more prominent and he was ready to be with her till that time so he¡¯d be able to be the only man to explore her body. But too bad, fucking her wouldn¡¯t wait till that time because seeing her like that had crushed every bit of self-control he had mustered and he was going topletely im her once they get home.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°You-,¡± Sophia ced her palms on his clothed chest to push him away. ¡°I-You have a fiancee. What you¡¯re doing is wrong,¡±


    ¡°Nothing about me is right, Gattina. Therefore, I¡¯ming to take what mine when we get back home,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Please no,¡± a tear fell down her cheek. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want this. We can¡¯t do this,¡±


    Chase¡¯s other hand slowly pulled off the pin holding her hair, and he wrapped her soft locks round his palm, then tugged on her hair till her neck was exposed to him. ¡°You won¡¯t tell me no ever again, hmm?¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Sophia whimpered and curled his suitpel in her fist. ¡°Please,¡±


    He tugged on her hair harder. ¡°Answer me. You won¡¯t tell me no ever again, hmm?¡± When she didn¡¯t reply to him, he tugged her hair harder. ¡°Hmmm? Answer me!¡±


    ¡°Y-¡°, She whispered. ¡°Yes. I-¡°, She shut her eyes tight. ¡°I won¡¯t ever tell you no again,¡±


    ¡°Good girl,¡± Chase let go of her hair and massaged her scalp where he was sure would hurt her. ¡°If we go home, all you have to do is wait for me in your room,¡±


    Sophia gave a meek nod.


    Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot echoed in the whole building, and she flinched. Sophia looked at Chase¡¯s face for any frightened expression but found none other than a nk one.


    Who was she kidding? He was used to things like that so he wouldn¡¯t be moved by in even the slightest way.


    She jumped in her ce again when another gunshot sound echoed, followed by screams, obviously from the women out there.


    ¡°Dammit,¡± Chase grunted. ¡°Look at me, Gattina,¡± He caressed her cheeks softly. ¡°You¡¯ll be okay, wait for me here. This should be the only safest ce here. I¡¯ll go and check what¡¯s going on, and I¡¯ll be back for you,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia nodded, and he pulled away from her.


    ¡°Lock the door once I¡¯m gone and don¡¯t open it unless it¡¯s either me, Lucas, or Luciano thates for you,¡±


    ¡°V-Valerie?¡± Tears pooled in her eyes, and her voice quivered. ¡°Will she be okay?¡±


    ¡°Valerie knows how to take care of herself. Don¡¯t worry about her. Take care,¡± He then unlocked the door and turned to her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to lock the door once I leave,¡±


    Sophia nodded at him, and once he left, she did as she was told. She locked the door.


    Once she did that, she slumped to the ground and hugged her knees, knowing her life was at risk and might end up being snatched from her that night. All she had to pray for was that she should be left to live.


    After twenty to twenty-five minutes of loud gunshots and screams, there was a dead silence everywhere, and Sophia visibly rxed. She was safe.


    Suddenly, there was a loud, frightening bang on the bathroom door and she stood up from the floor quickly, walking backward till her back hit the sink. The bangs became impatient and Sophia¡¯s body trembled badly until the door fell with a loud thud on the floor, then the intruder marched towards her.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± She whimpered when a rough hand gripped her arm tightly. ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± The person roared and she recognized the voice instantly. It was the man from earlier. The host. ¡°Nowe with me,¡±


    ~~~


    It was a trap. A wellid trap to end his and his cousins¡¯ lives and then, end his empire once and for all. Chase knew that, and decided to y along with Ricardo to make him think he was seeding in his n, just so he would crush everything at thest minute. He just didn¡¯t expect the bastard to act upon his n that quickly because Sophia was there with them.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Ricardo?¡± He asked Lucas, once he was sure Valerie and Saige were safe in the car with his men after the bloodbath that just happened. ¡°He can¡¯t die now,¡±


    They were the only ones left in the hall. Everyone was dead on the floor in the pool of their blood.


    Luciano gripped his wounded arm to stop the blood from flowing before they would be able to go home and remove the bullet. He then grunted out in pain through gritted teeth. ¡°I saw the bustard running towards the bathroom,¡±


    The bathroom.


    That was where Sophia was. Chase wouldn¡¯t allow anything to happen to her. ¡°Lucas, Luciano, go home. Leave this ce with everyone. I¡¯m going to bring the bastard home myself,¡±


    ¡°Don,¡± Lucas interjected immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you,¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Chase said. ¡°Voglio farlo da solo. Questo riguarda entrambi¡¯,


    {¡°I want to do this alone. This is between the both of us. ¡°}


    ¡°Okay, Don,¡± Lucas nodded and helped his brother out of the hall.


    Immediately, Chase pulled out his gun from his trousers holster and rushed towards the same bathroom he¡¯d left Sophia in.


    Once he got there, he heard her whimpers, followed by someone roaring, and that instant, he knew it was the old bastard, Ricardo. His blood boiled, and he marched towards them


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened when she caught sight of Chase walking towards them. Ricardo hadn¡¯t seen him yet because his back was facing Chase, and she was grateful for that.


    ¡°What the fuck are you staring at? ¡°Ricardo yelled and tightened his grip on her arm. ¡°Come with me!¡±,


    He turned to look at where Sophia was staring at but he froze when he felt the sharp edge of a knife slicing through the flesh at the back of his neck.


    He instantly knew who it was. His body twisted in pain and his grip on her loosened. The loud sounds of gunshots were heard as Chase emptied all the bullets in his gun inside Ricardo¡¯s skull.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes rolled at the sight and her knees buckled. She went toppling down the floor but Chase didn¡¯t let her reach the ground because he wrapped his arm around her body and pulled her into his chest.


    A whimper escaped her lips and she strained her neck to look at Ricardo¡¯s body but Chase held her tighter. ¡°Don¡¯t look, Gattina. Don¡¯t look¡±,


    {¡°Kitten¡±}

 CHAPTER XVIX

    ~~~


    THE IMAGES OF Chase stabbing her mum in the abdomen, followed by that of him stabbing her dad in the chest and then, a poor man being shot between the eyes by Lucas and finally, that of Chase stabbing Ricardo on the neck and emptying his bullets in his head all appeared in Sophia¡¯s mind and her eyes snapped open immediately. She sat up and looked around the whole room she was in.


    It wasn¡¯t her room. It was a room with a ck bed, sheets, drawers, curtains, doors shelves, and a closet. Everything there was ck except the bulb that was lit in the room. She was scared. She couldn¡¯t remember anything that happened after Chase had hugged her tightly and told her not to look at Ricardo¡¯s dead body and the other lifeless bodies in the whole hall. She also had a vague memory of him telling two men in ck to get rid of all the bodies in the hall. He had also instructed the men to find the dead people¡¯s remaining family members and get rid of them. That was all she could remember before she passed out in his arms.


    The scent of sandalwood hit her nostrils and panic surged through her. She got down from the bed, noticing that she wasn¡¯t in the dress she had on. She was dressed in a fresh, clean set of pajamas. Her hands flew to her face to check if there was still Ricardo¡¯s blood that had spluttered on her face when Chase shot him there was nothing there. She had been cleaned up and she hoped it wasn¡¯t Chase who did it.


    The same image of all those people that she had witnessed being murdered shed across her mind and her hands trembled at her sides. She couldn¡¯t stay with Chase or anyone in that house. They all had the blood of innocent people in their hands and it frightened her.


    She had to run. She had to escape. She couldn¡¯t stay there again. Immediately an idea struck her, she ran towards the closet and searched for what she was looking for until her eyesnded on the pile of sheets folded neatly on a drawer and she breathed out in relief.


    ~~~


    ¡°Non era ancora destinato a morire,¡± Lucas said to Chase the moment the doctor that treated Luciano left. ¡°non avresti dovuto iderlo. avrebbe dovuto essere torturato primae poi implorarci per sua stessa morte,¡±


    {¡°He wasn¡¯t meant to die just yet.¡±} {¡°You shouldn¡¯t have killed him. He should¡¯ve been tortured first and then begged us for his death. ¡°}


    Chase stopped in his tracks and turned to Lucas. ¡°He was going to take her away,¡±


    Lucas scoffed. ¡°That didn¡¯t mean you should have killed him. Nothing like this has ever happened in this empire. When people betray you, Don, you torture them and make them beg for their death. Not give them peace by killing them immediately,¡±


    Chase red at him. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s my empire. That¡¯s why only I can make the rules and bend them as I wish. You don¡¯t have the right to interfere orin about how I run my things,¡±


    Lucas matched his stare. ¡°I¡¯m your underboss,¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chase moved closer. ¡°That¡¯s why you should only follow my instructions because even my consigliere didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s shit about what I did. He knows better than to question me,¡±


    ¡°The person you¡¯re doing all this for is a woman, Don. A fucking teenager who doesn¡¯t give a single flying fuck about you. All she wants is to be free,¡± Lucas said.


    Angrily, Chase brought out his which he loaded with a bullet the minute he put Sophia to bed and pulled the trigger. The bullet narrowly passed Lucas¡¯ neck and grazed the skin there. ¡°I told you not to talk to me like that, Lucas. Trust me next time, you won¡¯t survive it,¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Chase never missed his target. He had intentionally grazed Lucas¡¯ neck and spared his life. They both knew that.


    Safely tucking the gun in the holster of his trousers, Chase turned and walked away towards his room. He quietly opened the door as carefully as he could so as not to wake Sophia up, but the sight in front of him made his anger return to full mode.


    Sophia had tied the sheets in his closet together and was trying to escape.


    ¡°Are you fucking trying to escape?¡±


    Sophia froze with the sheets in her hand and whipped her head towards Chase who was taking long strides towards her and staring at her with unspoken fury in his eyes. ¡°You -ahh¡± She yelped when he gripped her arm tightly. ¡°Please,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so fucking stubborn!¡± Chase flung her on the bed and red at her. ¡°I told you. I told you that you can¡¯t escape me, Gattina. I told you there¡¯d be consequences,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± She cried. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to stay here again. You-you have a lot of people¡¯s blood on you. You-you¡¯ve murdered innocent people and it makes you a sinner. You¡¯re a sinner and I can¡¯t stay with you,¡±


    ¡°The person you¡¯re doing all this for is a woman, Don. A fucking teenager who doesn¡¯t give a single flying fuck about you. All she wants is to be free, ¡°Lucas¡¯ words yed in his mind.


    ¡°Really?¡± He asked. ¡°So I¡¯m a sinner? Why don¡¯t we sin together tonight then?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened in horror and she sat up immediately as she watched him unbuckle his belt. ¡°No-¡°, Panic coursed through her veins when her back hit the headboard. ¡°Please,¡±


    Chase wasn¡¯t stopping. He was angry. Livid even. Lucas was right. She didn¡¯t want him but he didn¡¯t care. He was finally going to have her. Maybe that would make her understand just how much she was meant to be with him.


    He moved closer and knelt a few inches away from her on the bed.


    ¡°Please-,¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes fell on the gun in his trouser holster and she quickly pulled it out, then pointed it at him. ¡°Don¡¯te closer. I¡¯ll shoot you,¡±


    ¡°And be a sinner like me?¡± Chase¡¯s face and eyes were nk; void of fear. He should have been scared, considering the safety of the gun was off but that was the least of his problem.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s part of self-defense. I-I won¡¯t be a si-I won¡¯t be sinning,¡± She stuttered.


    ¡°Fine then, shoot me,¡± He said, not making a move to stop her. ¡°Shoot me. Kill me and free yourself from me, ¡°He covered the remaining distance between them and wrapped his palm around her small wrist, then brought the tip of the gun directly to his clothed chest. ¡°Shoot, ¡°His finger moved to hers¡¯ that was on the trigger and pressed it softly. ¡°Shoot me. I¡¯m here to guide you to do that. Shoot me, kill me. But do you know what? It won¡¯t change a thing. It won¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯ve murdered the main people I want to kill and those are your parents. Even if you shoot me in the chest to stop my heart from beating, it won¡¯t affect me because I don¡¯t have a heart any longer. You can also shoot me in the head, it won¡¯t change a thing Gattina, ¡°He stopped and essed her face.¡± It would only make you fucked up and you¡¯ll live the rest of your life with guilt wing at your heart for taking a life. You will die of guilt, Gattina. You will be just like me. A sinner. So shoot me,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s hand shook and her grip on the gun loosened a bit. He was right. She would be a sinner just like him and she didn¡¯t want to end up like that. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to do it please,¡±


    ¡°You wanted to shoot me. Do it!¡± Chase knew Sophia very well. She wouldn¡¯t pull the trigger not shoot him. She didn¡¯t have a single violent bone in her body ¡°Shoot me,¡± He encouraged.


    Sophia shook her head as fat tears kissed her cheeks. He was asking her to shoot him. To kill him. ¡°I can¡¯t do this! I don¡¯t want to do this!¡± She cried in panic.

 CHAPTER XX

    It was all a bluff. She never really intended to shoot him. She only wanted to scare him and in her way, prove that she could handle such a situation, but judging from the daring glint in Chase¡¯s eyes, he wanted her to shoot him. Why? She didn¡¯t want to find out.


    They stared at each other. He remained still and calm with the gun pressed against his chest. Yet, the main person holding the gun was trembling, afraid that one movement of the finger would set off the trigger, killing him.


    She was not a person made for prison.


    ¡°I can spend a lifetime like this, ¡°Chase sniggered cocking his head to the side. ¡°And I won¡¯t mind dying by your hands,¡±


    Sophia was at a loss for words. She had never hurt anyone deliberately, not even a fly or spider that crawled itself into her bedroom.


    ¡°If you want to shoot me, do it now Gattina, ¡°He continued his torment. He held onto her hand firmly.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°No,¡± She cried, her voice quivering.


    She loosened her remaining grip on the gun to only have him keep it there, tightening his hands around her own. Both of their index fingers were resting on the trigger. If he just pushed the finger, the bullet would travel straight to his heart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do it,¡± She admitted. ¡°So please let go of my hand,¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have any other opportunity to do so after now because I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll want to kill me after what I¡¯ve nned to do tonight in this room,¡±


    Brown and ck eyes met. Sophia knew instantly what she had to do to get him to let go. If she didn¡¯t her shaking would idently shake off the bullet.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°O-okay. I¡¯ll sleep with you,¡±


    The metal was tossed to the side in a heartbeat. Chase lifted Sophia by the waist and lowered her onto the pillow as he hovered over her frame. He pecked her lips, then trailed her jawline down to her corbone with feathery kisses. He gripped the neckline of her shirt and shred it into two, tossing it at a corner in the room along with her bra and toyed on her left tits with his teeth. Sophia gasped, her palms lying t against his chest.


    He released her tit, grazing his nose along her stomach and resting above the top of her trousers. Sophia swallowed, pushing back her tears. She had asked for this, she bitterly reminded herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± She murmured in a quiet tone.


    She leaned against the headboard and pulled off her trousers followed by her panties down her legs. Chase inhaled sharply at the sight of her bare pussy, so cute and small. His fingers drew circles on her milky flesh enjoying the view.


    He then looked up at her. ¡°Pull off my clothes,¡±


    Obediently, Sophia unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it out of his body her eyes trailing over the tattoos sprawled over his bare chest. It was a tattoo of two bodies, lying dead in a fire their bodies burning. She shuddered at the sight and looked back into his eyes.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± He asked, pointing to his pants.


    She gulped before pulling off his belt and trousers while he bucked his hips so she could have easy ess to remove the pants. Once he was only on his boxers, Sophia eyed the ck fabric and looked back into his dted pupils ¡°Do I have to do that too?¡±


    Chase shook his head at her. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself, ¡°He then peeled off his undergarment causing his cock to spring free, and a silent groan left his throat. He was finally free from his constraint.


    He was so huge, Sophia cried out silently staring wide-eyed at his length. It was so thick, veiny, and already leaking pre-cum. It was thicker than her forearm and perhaps longer than her face. It made sense, she considered because he was a really big man. It was the perfect size for someone with thick muscles and as tall as the door. If he wasn¡¯t so gifted, it would have been embarrassing.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Chase asked seeing her eyes glued to his package.


    Sophia remained silent, biting her inner cheek as she stared up at him. It won¡¯t fit, she wanted to say but she remained silent. The words couldn¡¯t leave her lips.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fit it perfectly inside of you, ¡°Chase whispered in her ear, in a voice so sexy, it made her heartbeat quicken. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to prepare you first for that,¡±


    He separated her legs wide with his hands. He kissed the inside of her thigh, above her socks before dipping his face against her pussy. He inhaled her sweet scent and was delighted to find her already wet. However, it wasn¡¯t enough if he wanted to fit fully into her.


    She let out an electrified gasp the moment his tongue licked her folds and sucked her flesh. His mouth was bigger than her entire pussy, so he had every bit of her inside his mouth. His mouth tasted everything all at once. It was pure ecstasy.


    ¡°I need to pee!¡±, She suddenly squeaked, feeling a tightness in her stomach.


    Chase ignored her and continued to suck on her clit. It made the tightness in her stomach only worsen to the point she was unable to hold it in and exploded everywhere. To her surprise, nothing came out of her, except a loud eye-rolling moan. Her legs were shaking but kept together by Chase¡¯s hold.


    Once she came down from her high, he tasted her wetness with his fingers to see if she was ready. He shoved two fingers inside her, she winced and attempted to pull him out by holding his wrist.


    ¡°It hurts,¡± She gasped as he scissors her. ¡°I¡¯ve never done this before so please be gentle,¡± Flustered, she didn¡¯t meet his gaze and averted her eyes to the sheets to distract herself.

 CHAPTER XXI

    ¡°I¡¯m not a gentleman, ¡°Chase said to her, lifting her chin so she would look at him in the eye. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to change for anyone. Not even for you,¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    He pumped his fingers in and out of her in slow and agonizing motions. Sophia watched in horror as he spat on her pussy and rubbed it all over. Chase was tired of waiting. He wanted to take her and fuck her the way he wanted. Hard and rough. Dirty and sinful. And knowing he would be the first man to do that to her had him even more excited.


    Grabbing a foil packet from his nightstand, he slid the condom with ease. He lined his thick tip at her entrance, rubbing his cock up and down her folds, getting it lubricated with her wetness.


    He pushed inside her with one hard thrust, tearing her insides bloody.


    A painful cry erupted from her. She tried pushing him desperately from off her but he held her firmly. She was so tight that he only made it halfway in. Chase pulled out a little and for the first time after so many years, he smiled. He smiled at the blood that coated his dick. He truly was her first. He thrust again, harder, and filled inside her fully. A struggling cry and painful scream filled the room. Sophia was sure anyone nearby must have heard her.


    Sophia gripped his shoulder des, her dainty nails digging into his skin as she held on for dear life. It burned and stung that tears clouded her vision.


    True to his words, Chase wasn¡¯t gentle. He didn¡¯t even give her a moment to adjust to his size but instead rocked his hips at a quick pace that caused more burns to her insides. She couldn¡¯t even close her eyes to stop herself from witnessing the horror because each hard thrust of his hips forced her eyes to pop her eyes open out of their sockets.


    The in-and-out movementbined with the dirty sounds of their flesh meeting was erotic. Nothing Sophia had ever witnessed or heard before. It made her skin flush.


    Chase rested his forehead against hers, maintaining eye contact. With his whores-from years before preferred positions where he wouldn¡¯t see their faces but with Sophia, he wanted to see it all. Her face, the way her eyes rolled back and her lips parted, her breasts; the way they bounced to his rhythm and the outline of his dick moving in her body. It was pleasing. So carnal.


    She was teary and visibly in pain but he loved the way she took him whole. The harder he fucked her, the louder her moans got. She was enjoying it, loving the way he was fucking her. Chase was sure she was.


    He cupped her face and captured her lips into a kiss. Her first kiss. It wasn¡¯t sweet but hard and possessive, letting her know she was his only. Suddenly, Sophia sank her teeth into his bottom lip as the tightness in her stomach returned. Feeling her mp down on his dick, Chase picked up his face and groaned with each rough thrust as he fucked her into oblivion.


    She orgasmed, squeezing her thighs against his ribcage to hold herself in ce. Her efforts were only futile as she shook violently, wiggling underneath him.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± He said breathlessly, pressing his face against her neck.


    Wanting to experience his release Chase let out an animal-like sound. He pulled away from her neck, throwing one of her legs over his shoulder and pushing down against the other one with his knees. His one free hand wrapped around her neck and pressed tightly.


    Scared that he was trying to strangle her to death, Sophia held onto his wrist and begged him with her eyes to release her. She didn¡¯t like how it made her feel powerless.


    Chase, loving the power, pressed harder, not to the point she¡¯d struggle to breathe but just enough to frighten her. He loved it when she was scared because he knew she¡¯d give in to anything he wanted without uttering a word, especially with the life of her Grandma in the palm of his hands even though he hadn¡¯t introduced that condition to her.


    ¡°Fuck Gattina!¡± He grunted mming his pelvic into her so rough and deep he was sure he hit her cervix.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Chase came in one final thrust, shuddering as he spilled his cum into the condom. Rugged breathing filled the room and the smell of sex enveloped them. They remained still, entangled together holding one another until their heart rate slowed and a calmness settled in.


    Sophia stifled a wince when he pulled out of her pussy. Only the pain and stinging persisted, her strength had left her body and she was filled with exhaustion. He was brutal, evident by the blood staining the sheets and coating his dick. She swallowed at the realization that she¡¯d given him her virginity yet he only gave her pain in return.


    He wasn¡¯t even gentle.


    Sweat glistened on her skin, yet she was so cold.


    Chase who had left the bed was strolling around confidently with his package hanging out. It was long and limped between his legs swaying side to side as he moved. He perched down on the armchair close to the window pouring himself a ss of scotch, drinking in a silent gulp.


    He nced at his Kitten who was curled up on the bed causing his dick to harden again. He poured himself onest drink before returning to the bed, ripping off his condom and throwing it in the trash.


    Sophia uncurled herself sensing what he intended to do next. She pushed against his chest, earning a deadly re in return. He shoved her hands away, cupping her face, and kissed her breathlessly.


    Without a second thought, he shoved his dick into her without rubber barricading them.


    He fucked her raw, rolling her onto her side while their lips were still entangled. He pushed her leg up with one hand while the other grabbed her breast rubbing her nipple. All the while, pumping her filled to the brim.


    She hade countless times to the point her eyes were fluttering with sleep. Just before sleep took over her, she felt hot liquid spilled on her stomach and Chase¡¯s animalistic growled echoed in her ear.


    Unable to hold onto her consciousness, Sophia weed darkness with open arms.

 CHAPTER XXII

    ~~~


    PAIN SHOT THROUGH her core. Every inch and fiber of her was aching, throbbing even and hunger stabbed at her stomach. Sophia woke up and looked to the side, expecting to see Chase passed out beside her as well, but the ce was cold and empty.


    Her eyes fell on the bedside clock, and she let out an inaudible gasp.


    03:56 pm.


    She had slept the whole day.


    Slowly, she managed to get down from the bed and tried to walk to the door but ended up toppling on the ground, thanks to the sore between her legs. If she was a heartless person, then maybe, she¡¯d have cursed Chase for all he had done to her; taking away her parents, being the cause of her nightmares, keeping her captive with him, away from her Nana, and exploiting her body like he¡¯d done the previous night. She just hoped it wouldn¡¯t repeat itself again.


    She crawled towards the bathroom and slowly opened the door before sliding in. When she finally reached the bathtub, she arranged a bubble bath and slipped in, to help soothe the sore between her legs and wash away the dried blood and fluid on her inner thighs. She was sure after she fell unconscious, she had felt Chase filling her again countless times to the brim.


    Once her nerves were rxed and she was able to stand on her own two feet, Sophia got out of the bathtub and wrapped a neat, white towel around her body, before stepping out, only to gasp at the huge, familiar figure standing by the bathroom door, dressed in a ck shirt and sweatpants, staring down at her.


    ¡°You-,¡±


    Chase was more than happy for the previous night. He had spent the whole night pleasuring her and himself without an ounce of sleep and couldn¡¯t wait for more. If she thought it was over, then she was deadly wrong. Not after the way he had seen how she responded to his touches in bed and after seeing her in his towel.


    ¡°I brought you breakfast and lunch together. Figured you¡¯ll wake up soon, ¡°Chase wrapped his arms around her bare shoulders tightly and walked her to the bed as she took note of the suddenly arranged room; the sheets were changed and their clothes from the previous night were not scattered all over. ¡°Sit,¡±


    Sophia faced him and shook her head. ¡°No,¡± She tried to step away from his grip, but he held her firmly. ¡°I-I¡¯m not hungry,¡±


    She was lying. She just wanted to be away from him. Chase knew that very well, and the hell would he allow that to happen. ¡°Sit, Gattina,¡± His voice was stern firm and cold, giving no room for disobedience.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia gulped lowly, ransacking her brain for any excuse to give him. ¡°I-ahh,¡± She whimpered when his grip on her shoulder tightened, and she nodded, then sat down on the bed.


    Chase sat down opposite her on the bed and took the tray of food from the bedside table to ce it on hisp. He then took a spoon from the food and took it to her lips. When she didn¡¯t open her mouth, he red at her. ¡°Eat,¡±


    Sophia eyed the creamy but not too thick rice-like dish and back at him. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Chase arched a brow at her. ¡°You don¡¯t know what a risotto is?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s brows pulled into a frown. ¡°What¡¯s a risotto?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an Italian dish, ¡°He replied, then nudged her lips softly with the spoon .¡±Open up,¡±


    Sophia slowly parted her lips, and he slid the spoon in her mouth, then brought it out empty. The dish tasted like rice. Just that it was much tastier and elegant. ¡°It tastes like rice,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s a rice risotto, ¡°He replied, taking another spoon to her lips.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know it, ¡°Sophia said, opened her mouth, and he fed her again.


    ¡°Agosti and Giovanni knew it,¡± Chase said.


    Sophia¡¯s ears perked up at the mention of her parents. She liked it whenever her Nana talked about them, and now Chase wanted to. ¡°Really?¡± A smile graced her lips. ¡°Mama and Papa knew it? ¡°Her parents never introduced her to anything rted to their mothernguage, not even the dishes. It was even worse that she couldn¡¯t speak nor understand Italian. There were sometimes when she¡¯d want her Nana to teach her, but she didn¡¯t want to stress the olddy, so she¡¯d let it go.


    Chase¡¯s expression hardened instantly, and he roughly shoved the spoon in her mouth. Why the fuck did he have to tell her about her parents?


    Sophia noticed the sudden change in his mood, and she frowned. ¡°What¡¯s it? Did I say something wrong?¡±


    Chase ignored her. ¡°Just eat,¡±


    Sophia silently obliged.


    Soon, when Chase was sure she was satisfied and had finished the meal, he took a pill from the tray and took it to her lips. ¡°Open,¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sophia frowned again.


    ¡°Have the damned pills already,¡± He said.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t-ahh,¡± She yelped when he gripped her arm tightly, making the towel loosen around her chest.


    ¡°Do you want me to force it down your throat?¡± He asked.


    Sophia slowly opened her mouth, and he put the pill on her tongue before bringing a cup of water to her lips. ¡°Drink and swallow,¡±


    Sophia did as told, and she tried to pull away from him, but his grip on her tightened. ¡°chase, you-,¡± Her heartbeat skyrocketed when she found his gaze on her breasts where the towel had already loosened. ¡°You -¡°She yelped out again when he roughly shoved her toy on the bed, then hovered over her. ¡°Please -¡°She tried to cover herself with the towel, but he didn¡¯t let her.


    Chase gripped the towel and pulled it away from her body before throwing it somewhere in the room. He ran his gaze over her naked body. ¡°Fuck, ¡°He dipped his head in and ced feathery kisses on her neck.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Chase, I-,¡±Sophia sobbed, feeling the tears clouding her vision. ¡°I¡¯m sore. I-my legs-,¡±She sobbed. ¡°They hurt. I can¡¯t,¡±


    Her words seemed to make Chase angrier, and he groped one of her breasts in hisrge palm-making her to yelp out-and stared at her, his eyes heavy with lust. ¡°You can never say no to me, Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Tears leaked from her eyes as he separated her legs and settled between them, his knees on either of her sides. ¡°But-but I¡¯m sore. I can¡¯t,¡±


    Chase leaned in and cupped her cheeks, his other hand already getting rid of his sweatpants and fisting his hard member in his palms. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gattina. The pills you just took will soon have its effect on you. It will help soothe the ache, hmm? It¡¯s good you¡¯re sore, isn¡¯t it? ¡°A ghost smile appeared on his lips. A small, sly one which disappeared almost immediately. ¡°Just take me fully because you¡¯re mine,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Please, just-,¡±She didn¡¯t finish because he swallowed her words with a hard kiss. Her palms rested atop his hard chest and she tried to push him away but her hands ended up falling beside her when she felt him shove his dick into her forcefully in one powerful, hard thrust and she let out a loud scream in his mouth.

 CHAPTER XXIII

    ~~~


    Pain. Ache. Sore.


    That was the only thing Sophia was feeling all over her body and her eyes snapped open. She tried toprehend where she was as she stared up at the ceiling even though she couldn¡¯t see it because of the darkness clouding the whole room sheid on a bed in.


    Was she kidnapped again? Had she been taken away from that vile man?


    Her thoughts and little hope were squashed into the mud the moment the familiar scent of sandalwood wafted through her nostrils and a small sob escaped her lips at the realisation that she was still in Chase¡¯s captivity and bedroom after being fucked thoroughly.


    She had a vague memory of Chase iming her body and drilling his length in her hole so many times she couldn¡¯t even take it and fell unconscious.


    Was that what her life had turned to? Was that how her life was going to get destroyed? She didn¡¯t want that type of life. She didn¡¯t want the type of life where the same man who murdered her parents would be the same person to do horrible things to her.


    She had dreamt of a life where she would be a sessful nurse and find a man to sweep her off her feet. They would have a beautiful and less problematic love story and live happily ever after with their kids.


    Wasn¡¯t that where she was foolishly naive?


    She was definitely naive and innocent, having such fairy-tale dreams because Chase Romano had waltzed himself into her life to destroy her dreams.


    Sophia¡¯s small hands searched for themp on the bedside table, but she could only feel a fabric on her palm. Still, she was able to switch themp on, dimly lightening the dark room. She slowly sat up and looked down on her body. All she could see was the upper half of her body because therge, warm duvet filled with sandalwood scent was covering her lower half. At least, she didn¡¯t wake up to the horrifying sight of her nakedness; she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to look at her body again. Slowly, she peeled off the duvet and got down from the bed, slightly wincing at the cold tiles beneath her feet and throbbing pain in her core.


    When she was on her feet, Sophia looked down at herself again.


    She was d in a ck button-up shirt. One that swallowed her petite frame, directly stopping on her knees, which she was sure belonged to Chase;plete proof of the same sandalwood scent on it. The tip of her fingernails could barely reach the arm length of the shirt. And its cor was even slightly grazing her cheeks. That was enough proof of how her body swam in the shirt.


    Sophia essed the room to be sure Chase wasn¡¯t in there, and she breathed out in relief before walking towards the door. She turned the doorknob and the door opened, leaving her happy that he hasn¡¯t locked her in there toe back and fuck again.


    Once Sophia got out of the room, she made her way down the stairs. She wanted to go to the kitchen because she suddenly felt like taking milk.


    Once she reached the foot of the stairs, she tripped. But before she could reach the ground, a pair of warm arms gripped her by the waist firmly.


    ¡°Be careful, sweet cheeks. You don¡¯t want to harm yourself, do you? ¡°Luciano helped her settle down on her feet before he hesitantly pulled his arms away from her waist. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Sophia nodded and peeked at Luciano through hershes. ¡°T-thanks,¡±


    Luciano passed her his mega-watt smile. ¡°What are you doing down here sote?¡±


    ¡°Is itte? ¡°She asked. ¡°What¡¯s the time?¡±


    Luciano looked at his wristwatch, then back at her. ¡°It¡¯s three minutes past four. You should be in bed,¡±


    So, she slept the remaining day off only to wake up in the middle of the night?


    Sophia smiled. ¡°Thanks. I guess I¡¯ll just have what I want quickly and go back to bed,¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that? I¡¯ll help you get it,¡± Luciano asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just milk I need from the kitchen,¡± She replied.


    ¡°Oh sure then. Come and sit, I¡¯ll get it right away, ¡°He said.


    Sophia made her way to walk past him but the sore between her legs made her stop and wince. She bit down on her lip.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re in the condition to walk. I¡¯ll walk you to the couch. Are you okay with that?¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°yes, please,¡±


    Luciano wrapped his arms round her shoulder and walked her towards the couch in the living room till she was seated. ¡°Okay now?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, ¡°She nodded. When Luciano turned to leave, she grabbed his wrist and looked up at him, maintaining eye contact. ¡°I-,¡±She let go off his wrist. ¡°I want it warm please. I hope it¡¯s no trouble,¡±


    ¡°Sure, ¡°Luciano smiled and walked towards the kitchen.


    ~~~


    ¡°Here, ¡°Luciano passed Sophia a warm ss of milk. ¡°Have your milk. As warm as you want, ¡°He sat on the coffee table opposite her.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Sophia collected the milk. ¡°Thanks, ¡°She then took it to her lips. When she took a sip, she pulled it away and locked eyes with him. ¡°Why are you still awake? Shouldn¡¯t you be asleep?¡±


    Luciano tried all he could to avert his eyes from her innocent ones. He couldn¡¯t. They were drawing him in and he could do nothing to stop it. ¡°I-I-, ¡°Dammit. He stuttered for the first fucking time in his life. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Don. He¡¯s outte and I have to talk to him about something important,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s heartbeat increased at the mere mention of Chase and tears stung her eyes as memories of how he forcefully took her shed across her mind. She broke eye contact with Luciano and looked down on her thigh.


    Luciano, however, noticing how her mood changed at the mention of his cousin, internally cursed himself. He shouldn¡¯t have answered her truthfully. He should¡¯ve just lied instead. It would have been better because she suddenly seemed ufortable. He clearly understood what she was feeling at the moment.


    To ease the tension in Sophia, Luciano blurted out the words that had been on the tip of his tongue since he saw her for the first time. ¡°You know, you remind me of my mum,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s head snapped up, and she smiled a little. ¡°How?¡±


    Luciano smiled, proud that he had been able to shift back her mood. ¡°Your kind of look like her loti don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I¡¯ve been thinking too much about her since I met you. You both have simr hair-,¡±His eyes flickered to her hair and then, her eyes.¡±-and simr eyes. You have a simr eye and hair colour with her. As stupid as this may sound because it¡¯s rare, you seem to have freckles just like her. Dammit, you also have that innocent and naive aura she used to have, ¡°He then chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, though. I think I¡¯m talking like this because I miss her a lot, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you both have a few simr features. Since I met you, I always remember how she would hold a crying Valerie and tell us stories, ¡°His eyes glistened with unshed tears and he looked distant with a sad smile, as if remembering something. ¡°She was the best mum on earth,¡±


    Sophia frowned. ¡°Was?¡±


    Luciano blinked, and a lone tear dropped from his eyes before he looked back at her and nodded. ¡°Yahweh lost her when she was birthing our second sister. They both died. They didn¡¯t make it out of the ICU alive, ¡°Another tear rolled down his cheeks, and he let out a sadugh. ¡°sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to say so much. It¡¯s just -¡±


    Sophia cut him off with one of her small hands through the fabric of the shirt she had on, on his cheeks. She passed him a small smile and wiped the tears. ¡°It¡¯s okay. My Nana tells me it¡¯s good to let out your emotions rather than bottling them up,¡±


    Luciano held her wrist and smiled at her. ¡°Thanks a lot,¡±


    Their little moment was cut off when a cold, loud, and angry voice sliced in through the air. ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡±

 CHAPTER XXIV

    ~~~


    SOPHIA AND LUCIANO both stood up at the same time, with Sophia flinching, thereby causing the ss of milk to fall from her hand on the floor and shattered into pieces.


    Looking at the way Chase clenched his jaw had Sophia trembling in fear and on instincts, she hid behind Luciano, clutching his shirt in her fists.


    That seemed to rile Chase more, and he stormed towards the both of them. Before he could pull Sophia from Luciano, thetter spoke up.


    ¡°Non e quello che sembra, Don,¡±


    {¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like, Don¡±}


    Chase roared. ¡°Allora dimmi che cazzo e. Il suo palmo su tua guancia e tu che le tieni il polso. Dimmi!,¡±


    {¡°Then tell me what the fuck it is. Her palm on your cheek and you holding her wrist. Tell me!¡±}


    Sophia flinched, too afraid to even peek at him. She could imagine how red Chase¡¯s face would look.


    Luciano replied in a calm manner. ¡°Fidati di me, Don, non e quello che pensi.¡± He wasn¡¯t scared for what Chase would do to him. Rather, he was scared for Sophia. He was well aware that Chase was angry after so many years. Fuck, Chase never felt any type of emotion in him for years. They all knew that, but had been hopefully waiting for when he would eventually be able to feel something and even after knowing it would alle with full force, they wanted to be there for him. It was obvious after his lust for Sophia, the anger Chase was feeling at that moment was the second emotion. Luciano could clearly see the unexpressed anger of so many years brewing in Chase¡¯s eyes, waiting to finally be unleashed there and then. He was sure Chase would do the unthinkable, and as much as he was delighted that his cousin was eventually bing normal, Luciano didn¡¯t want Sophia to witness something as horrific as that unthinkable thing Chase would do.


    {¡°Trust me, Don, it¡¯s not what you think.¡±}


    Chase scoffed out loud for the first time. Again. That was definitely one of the four things he had done after a long time ever since Sophia innocently found her way into his life. He didn¡¯t like it one bit ¡°Sei il mio fottuto sangue, Luciano Romano. Sai che non sono un grande fan de fiducia¡±


    {¡°You are my fucking blood, Luciano Romano. You know I¡¯m not a huge fan of trust¡±}


    Luciano wanted peace to reign. He didn¡¯t want to have issues with his cousin. The only person that took him and his siblings in, rather than murdering them just like he¡¯d done to their father. ¡°Okay allora, va bene, Don. Mi dispiace di essermi avvicinato a lei. Non sedera piu.¡±


    {¡°Okay then, fine, Don. I¡¯m sorry I went close to her. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±}


    Chase stared at Luciano for a while without blinking his eyes and flickered his gaze back to Sophia, who was still hiding behind Luciano. He looked back at Luciano and fisted his cor in one of his fists, making Sophia to gasp. ¡°Never¡± He held him down with a dark, warming stare. ¡°Non ti avvicinerai mai a cio che e mio. Non lo sai, ma sono un uomo possessivo quando si tratta delle mie cose¡± He then let go off his cor and walked to Sophia. ¡°Come¡± He roughly gripped her wrist and pulled her upstairs with him.


    {¡°Never will you ever go close to what¡¯s mine. You don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m a possessive man when ites to my things¡±}


    ~~~


    Sophia wed at Chase¡¯s arm as he walked into his room, and he let go of her wrist finally. ¡°I-oww!¡± She yelped when he took her off guard by forcefully grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to him, her forehead colliding with his strong chest. Sophia raised up her other hand to rub the spot but her palm didn¡¯t reach there because Chase gripped her other arm too and she looked up at him.


    ¡°You are mine,¡± He growled, staring down at her. ¡°You don¡¯t hide away from who owns you, Gattina. You don¡¯t do that¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°What-what are you saying? I-I didn¡¯t hide away fro-,¡±Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Chase cut her in by mming her back against the wall. ¡°You did¡± He seethed out. ¡°You hid away from me behind his back, and you shouldn¡¯t have. Did you think he would save you from me? Did you?¡±


    Sophia shook her head, tears already flowing down her rosy cheeks. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. Please-¡± She whimpered. ¡°You¡¯re hurting my arm. It¡¯s hurting. Plea -please let go¡±


    Chase tightened his grip on her arm and turned to he could drop her on the bed. He hovered over her. ¡°Am I hurting you now? Tell me¡± His grip loosened a bit on her arm.


    Sophia didn¡¯t say anything. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind, and she whispered out. ¡°Chase¡±


    Chase was taken aback for a second. She never called his name in that way. If she wasn¡¯t calling his name when she was in pain, then she was calling his name to stop him from doing something. Either way, he had no problem with its long as it was her sweet, melodic voice that said his name out like that.


    ¡°I-,¡±Sophia began. ¡°I-I want to go to college¡± She only hoped he would agree. It was her only way of being away from him. She could also visit her Nana. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here doing nothing. I don¡¯t want to be a burden¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a burden, and you aren¡¯t doing nothing. You being in my bed is enough¡± His tone returned back its normal cold way.


    ¡°No¡± She shook her head. ¡°I want to do something for myself. I have my studies toplete, and I can¡¯t -¡±


    Chase cut her in. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to college, dammit! Don¡¯t you get it?¡±


    The tears returned. ¡°But ¡±


    ¡°If you want to study, you can do it online. You¡¯ll use myptop. Come to my study anytime you want and use it¡± Chase knew exactly what she was doing and wouldn¡¯t let her leave. If she really wanted to study, fine, he¡¯d let her study. But only at home. He already had ns of doing dirty things to her on his study desk.


    Sophia stayed silent watching him. A part of her told her to refuse his offer that he had other ns, but she wanted to study. Badly. ¡°O-okay¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow then?¡± He arched a brow at her. ¡°You¡¯ll start studying tomorrow. I¡¯ll have Lucas to set up everything you need in myptop¡±


    ¡°T-thanks¡± She nodded and exhaled out as she watched him move away from her. At least, he wouldn¡¯t touch her.


    However, Chase had heard Sophia when she exhaled, and he knew why she did that. Instead of giving in to his urges to take her there and then, he ignored her and turned his back to her. ¡°Go to bed,¡± He began to unbutton his shirt. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a shower,¡± He fully pulled off the shirt as his muscles flexed, revealing the tattoo of the snake on the skin of his back.


    Sophia swallowed as she stared at the tattoo. It was the exact same type she¡¯d seen on his cousins¡¯ wrists that night in the coffee shop. Just that the one on his back was a bigger one with its fangs out as if ready to bite its prey. She didn¡¯t know if it was just her eyes betraying her or not but the tattoo of the snake had a darker shade of ck on it.


    She blinked and turned her face away with a furious blush when Chase spoke up.


    ¡°Quit staring at me else I¡¯ll be forced to change my mind about not fucking you now. I¡¯m trying hard to help ease that sore between your legs for next time¡± With that, he strolled towards the bathroom.

 CHAPTER XXV

    ~~~


    An inaudible moan left her lips, and her eyes slowly fluttered open when she felt warm lips on her bare shoulders.


    Bare shoulders? She remembered sleeping off still clothed when Chase went to have a shower unless¡­


    No. No. No. No. N¡­¡­.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened, and she tried to get up, but a warm, muscr arm held her waist down in a tight grip, and she knew instantly who it was.


    ¡°I let you go scot-free after seeing you with Luciano even though I badly wanted to fuck you and drill it in you that you shouldn¡¯t go near any man, so, I¡¯m having you now¡± Chase¡¯s voice came from behind, and she shuddered.


    Sophia opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Chase, you said ¡± She didn¡¯t get toplete her words because the next thing she knew, her legs were separated, and she felt his hard member in her.


    She threw her head back and clutched onto his arm that was wrapped around her waist, her nails digging into it.


    Just as he had done the first time, Chase didn¡¯t let her adjust to his size and bucked his hips.


    Sophia bit down on her lip and shut her eyes tight, her eyes opening with each hard thrust. The erotic sounds of her light moans and Chase¡¯s balls pping her ass as he thrusted in and out of her from behind her made him continue his monstrous actions.


    Chase¡¯s hands went to her breasts, and he palmed one of them, tweaking her nipple in his fingers. He nudged her face towards him and pulled her into a hot, passionate kiss. Their lips-no, Chase¡¯s lips on Sophia¡¯s-along with his palms squeezing her breast the way he wanted and him fucking her from behind was something he wanted to experience all over again.


    Chase grunted out when he felt her walls squeezing him in a tight grip. He knew she was close to orgasm and he slowed down his pace. ¡°You¡¯ll cum with me Gattina. We¡¯ll cum together¡± He gritted against her lips and bucked his hips faster once he felt his own orgasm.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Their orgasms rippled through them, and when Chase felt her warm juices coating his dick, he pulled out of her and spilt his juices on her stomach.


    ¡°Mine¡± He whispered against her ear. ¡°I want another round¡± He added, rubbing his erection on her ass. How could he be so hard again?


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m tired¡±


    Chase ignored her. It wasn¡¯t like her opinion mattered anyway. He pulled her so she was on her back, and he towered very her, separated her legs, and then shoved himself inside her again.


    ~~~


    Chase averted his gaze from the file he was holding and looked at the petite girl seated on the couch in one corner of his study, her brows pulled into a frown as she stared at whatever it was on hisptop.


    He had asked Lucas to help set up everything she was going to need for her online sses on his secondptop, and thetter had begrudgingly done that. So, there she was studying, dressed in another ck button up of his¡¯ which also swallowed her whole frame like the other one had done. The only difference was that at that moment, the shirt stopped above her knees the sleeves had been rolled to her elbow even though it was still dangling and she had a cute, woolen socks on which stopped a few inches away where she shirt stopped on her knee.


    He watched as her lips pulled into a pout, and she chewed on the pencil between her fingers. That sight alone had him feeling hard all of a sudden.


    He frowned as he saw her facial expression contort into that of pain, and he watched her silently, trying to understand what suddenly happened.


    Sophia raised one of her palms and rubbed the aching spot at the back of her neck as a small sigh left her lips.


    ¡°Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia looked up at Chase and found him staring at her unblinking. He motioned for her toe with his index and middle finger, and she stood up quietly, dropped theptop on the couch, then walked towards the desk. She stopped in front of the desk, opposite him.


    ¡°Come, turn around¡± He said.


    Sophia swallowed and did as he said. She gasped when he ced his hands on either side of her waist and ced her on hisp. ¡°You-¡± She tried to stand up.


    Chase tightened his grip on her waist. ¡°Stay¡± His eyes were hooded and thick with lust. ¡°Is your neck hurting?¡±


    Sophia slowly nodded, surprised that he had noticed.


    ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll make sure you have a desk of your own so you won¡¯t have to strain your neck next time¡± He said, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he inhaled her coconut scent. His grip tightened the more on her waist and she winced, before he pulled away and loosened his grip. ¡°Did I hurt you?¡±


    Sophia nodded meekly, scared that he might re up. ¡°A-a little¡±


    Chase ignored her reply and leaned in, pecking her freckles. ¡°You¡¯re so innocent, do you know that?¡± When Sophia didn¡¯t say anything, he looked at her in the eyes. ¡°Won¡¯t you answer me?¡±


    ¡°I-¡°She looked anywhere but at him. ¡°I know¡±


    A satisfied ghost smile appeared on his lips and he ced his head against her chest. ¡°I want to have a taste of you. Let me make you feel good¡±


    ¡°What-what does that mean?¡±


    Chase resisted the urge to chuckle at her and then pulled away. He gently pulled her away from hisp and ced her on the desk, then made hery on her back. He raised the shirt up, cing wet kisses on the marks on her inner thigh, silently telling her he loved his territory, till he reached her clothed pussy. ¡°I want to kiss you down here,¡±


    Sophia rested her elbows on the table and looked up at him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it-,¡±


    Chase cut her in. ¡°Shhh,¡± He sucked on her clit through her panties, the smell of her arousal wafting through his nostrils. ¡°You can¡¯t say no to me, remember?¡±


    Sophia nodded, stifling back a moan.

 CHAPTER XXVI

    ~~~


    CHASE WALKED OUT of his car and stared at therge building of his mansion in front of him. The same building that housed the pretty, innocent teenager he had not seen for a whole week. He travelled out of the country for an emergency work and was finally back. He couldn¡¯t wait to see her. He couldn¡¯t wait to inhale the sweet scent of coconut on her and more, of her pretty little pussy. His Kitten.


    ¡°Don,¡±


    Chase turned to the man who had called him. ¡°dov¡¯e lei,¡±


    {¡°Where is she?¡±}


    The man gave Chase an apologetic stare. He had been asked by Chase to watch over Sophia till he returned and made sure she was going to be by the door to wee him home. He swallowed. ¡°Non e a casa in questo momento.¡±


    {¡°She¡¯s not at home at the moment.¡±}


    Chase narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Che cazzo vuoi dire con lei che non e a casa in questo momento? Doveva darmi il benvenuto a casa¡±


    {¡°What the fuck do you mean she is not at home at the moment? She was meant to wee me home¡±}


    ¡°Lei-,¡±The man¡¯s gaze fell on something-or rather someone; specifically two people-behind Chase and he looked back at him with a horrified expression. ¡°¡±


    {¡°She-¡°}{¡°There she is¡±}


    Chase turned to look at her. His fists curled into a ball and his jaw hardened the moment he saw her with a boy. Sophia was seated on a bicycle, smiling at whatever stupid thing the scrawny twenty-year-old boy said while he stood, guiding her to ride the bicycle as they reached the mansion.


    The man by Chase¡¯s side spoke up. ¡°Quello e Alvaro, il Nipote del giardiniere. E venuto qui il giorno che te ne sei andato e, beh, sono diventati molto amici. Non e una minia,¡±


    {¡°That¡¯s Alvaro , the gardener¡¯s grandson. He came around the day you left, and well, they¡¯ve be pretty close friends. He¡¯s not a threat.¡±}


    Chase didn¡¯t care. No one could ever be a threat to him.


    As if feeling his gaze on her, Sophia looked up. In a heartbeat, her eyes locked with Chase¡¯s dark, angry ones, and her smile dropped instantly, while her heartbeat quickened. He was back already?


    On noticing how she had suddenly tensed, Alvaro-the boy with her-frowned and ced a hand on her shoulder, thereby unknowingly infuriating Chase. ¡°Is everything okay, Soph? You seem tense,¡± When Sophia didn¡¯t say anything, he followed her line of sight. The Don was around. ¡°OH, it¡¯s the Don. Why do you seem so tense?¡±


    Sophia blinked and stared at Alvaro. ¡°N-nothing,¡± She passed him a small smile and got down from the bicycle with his help. ¡°Thanks for the ride¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± He smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯ll go and return the bicycle to Nonno  right away and greet the Don¡±


    Sophia nodded at him and walked towards Chase while Alvaro  went towards the garden with the bicycle. ¡°Hey¡± She meekly said to him.


    Chase looked towards the garden where Alvaro had disappeared and turned to the man by his side. ¡°Torturatelo. Nonsciatelo morire. Ha bisogno di essere avvertito¡±


    {¡°Torture him. Don¡¯t let him die. He needs to be warned.¡±}


    ¡°Si, Don¡± and the man walked away.


    {¡°Yes, Don¡±}


    Sophia looked up at Chase to find him staring at her with an intense gaze. She then whispered gently. ¡°You¡¯re back¡±


    Chase¡¯s jaw hardened. ¡°You didn¡¯t wait for me by the door to wee me as I instructed¡±


    Sophia parted her lips to say something, but nothing came out. Her angelic voice came out again. ¡°I-I was bored and tired of waiting¡±


    ¡°Come¡± Chase circled her small wrist with hisrge palm before dragging her with him inside the house.


    ~~~


    ¡°This -¡°Sophia looked around the whole bedroom that she hadn¡¯t seen for a whole week. Truthfully, she was grateful for that. But it didn¡¯t mean she was okay with having a boring online ss. ¡°This is your room¡±Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Chase nodded and took off his suit, then began to unbutton his waist coat. ¡°I know¡±


    ¡°So what am I doing here? I-I should be in my room, right?¡±


    So you¡¯ll have fun with that scrawny boy? No. Chase wanted to say out loud, but he ignored her question and turned to look at her. ¡°I¡¯m at home now, Gattina. You were bored. I don¡¯t want you to feel like that again, hmmm?¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia knew exactly what he meant. She didn¡¯t want that. She didn¡¯t want to go through the same pain she¡¯d gone through. Not after regaining herself again after he left. ¡°I-¡±


    Chase closed the distance between them. ¡°You want to refuse me?¡±


    ¡°Chase I-¡± She shook her head, tears blurring her vision. ¡°I can¡¯t. It hurts. I-I¡¯ve been feeling better without you. I-¡± She shook her head again. ¡°I can¡¯t take it any longer. Please¡±


    Chase balled one of his fists beside him and gripped her arm with the other one. ¡°Do you want that boy¡¯s life gone? Hmm? You want to be the cause of his death?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened, and she shook her head, cing her palms on his chest so he wouldn¡¯te any nearer. ¡°Please no. Don¡¯t do this¡±


    ¡°Only you can save his life. Else, I¡¯ll take it as though he has touched you too,¡± He gritted out, formting ns on how he was going to torture the boy-if he had actually touched her- in his mind. ¡°Tell me, did he touch you?¡± His grip tightened.


    ¡°No!¡± She cried out, her tears falling down her cheeks. ¡°Only you-only you have touched me-like-like that¡±


    ¡°But I saw him ce his hand on your shoulders earlier¡± He red at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you warn him? Didn¡¯t you tell him you belonged to someone else? Didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. It-it won¡¯t repeat itself again. Please-please, don¡¯t hurt him. Alvaro is -¡±


    He roared. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking call his name!¡±


    Sophia flinched.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking call his name. Only me-only my name can leave your lips. You can only taste my name on your tongue like that,¡± Getting angry that she was protecting a boy from him was one thing, but her calling his name with so much softness was on another whole level. It didn¡¯t sit well with him. ¡°You hear me? Don¡¯t call his name ever again¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t¡±


    ¡°Good girl¡± He wrapped his arms around her small waist and pulled her closer to him, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He ced small kisses there. ¡°Now stop crying, Gattina. Stop crying. Give me what I want, and your dear friend shall be spared,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    It was over. She was defenseless against him. ¡°Okay¡± Her voice came out as a mewled whisper.


    As Sophia felt the sound of her zipper going down, she shut her eyes tightly and bit down on her lip, stifling a sob. Maybe that was her fate. She wasn¡¯t meant to be happy.


    Alvaro didn¡¯t deserve to die or end up as miserable as she was. His poor grandpa didn¡¯t deserve to lose a young grandchild as precious as Alvaro either. Alvaro was a pure soul and always ready to help her. But she didn¡¯t want to burden him with her problems so she never uttered a word to him about her and Chase. She was even more grateful he didn¡¯t ask her why she was living in the mansion.


    Even if she couldn¡¯t live her own life the way she wanted, she could at least spare another person¡¯s life, right?


    ~~~


    Chase walked towards the basement. Once he reached therge double doors, the men standing there opened it for him.


    They both bowed. ¡°Don¡±


    Chase nodded and walked inside, the smell of blood hitting his nostrils as he walked down the hallway. Once he reached the particr door he was heading for, he stopped, listening to the loud screamsing from inside as it soothed him.


    ¡°Don,¡± the man guarding the door bowed and opened the door for him.


    With a nod, Chase walked into the dimly lit room. The smell of blood was even more stronger. He lived off it; the smell of torture, the blood of the enemies and betrayers spluttered across the dirty grey walls, their screams which seemed to only resound only through the four corners of the room, their tears, pleading voices for life. They were all part of Chase; part of his life. His fucked up life.

 CHAPTER XXVII

    Immediately he had walked in, the torture stopped, and the victim¡¯s loud screams turned into ragged breaths. Those ragged breaths emitted from the victim was the only sound that could be heard as silence stretched in the room.


    Chase¡¯s voice boomed through the whole room. ¡°Partire,¡± That one order was all it took for the man torturing the victim to bow his head in respect and leave. Just as he was instructed.


    {¡°Leave¡±}


    Chase didn¡¯t for one take his eyes off Alvaro . His white tee was torn at different ces, blood staining it all over.


    ¡°White doesn¡¯t suit you, Nipote¡±, His uncle¡¯s words reyed in his mind. ¡°Why do you think Fratello and I never wore it? You don¡¯t want to get stained with a sinner¡¯s blood, do you?¡±,


    Chase dragged his eyeszily over Alvaro ¡®s whole body, taking note of each and every single injury on him. He had a few injuries on the face, and there was a streak of blood trailing from somewhere in his head. He had injuries on his arms, legs and other parts of his body but they weren¡¯t bad enough to make him die. Chase didn¡¯t want him dead. Alvaro was only going to be allowed to die if Chase wished and that would be the next time he dared to go close to Sophia.


    Chase brought out his cigar and lighter, lighting it up before cing the cigar between his lips and the lighter, back in his pocket. He pulled out the cigar and held it between his fore and middle finger. ¡°Ti e mai stato insegnato a non tare mai qualcosa che non e tuo?¡±


    {¡°Have you ever been taught not to touch something that¡¯s not yours?¡±}


    Alvaro stared silently at Chase. He didn¡¯t remember doing anything to incur his wrath. He didn¡¯t remember touching anything that belonged to him either. In fact, he¡¯d been on his best behavior ever since he arrived. All he ever did was help his grandpa out with a few work, visit his new friend, Sophia. ¡°I-,¡± He breathed out. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything, Don¡± He was so sure he didn¡¯t do anything. ¡°I¡¯ve only helped Nonno and spend my remaining time with So-ahhhhh!¡± His remaining words turned into a scream as Chase ced the burning cigar on his arm, pressing it deeply into his skin. It was sure going to leave a scar.


    Chase pulled away the cigar and flung it across the room, then pressed his thumb on the burnt skin, digging his finger in.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh-¡± Alvaro ¡®s scream died when Chase pulled out his thumb from the burn, with blood on it.


    Chase rubbed it across Alvaro ¡®s shirt. ¡°Anytime you look at that scar, you remember that you should never mention her name¡±


    Alvaro ¡®s head sagged, and his breathingbored.


    Chase gripped Alvaro ¡®s hair in his hand in a tight fist and raised his head up so he would be able to look at him. ¡°Do you want your old Nonno¡¯s life to be taken away?¡±


    ¡°No-,¡± Alvaro pleaded. ¡°No, please. I¡¯m sorry for whatever I did¡±


    ¡°Good¡± Chase replied. ¡°If you want your Nonno to live longer, you¡¯ll stay away from her, hmmm? She¡¯s not yours. I hate people going close to my territory. Sono dannatamente chiaro?¡±


    {¡°Am I fucking clear?¡±}


    Alvaro nodded and Chase let go off his hair. He turned and walked outside the door.


    ¡°Don,¡± the man from earlier bowed.


    ¡°Assicurati che riceva le migliori cure. Non voglio che le sue ferite vengano infettate. Giuseppe ha bisogno che il suo unico Nipote sia anto a lui a questa eta de sua vita,¡± Chase turned to face him even though thetter was staring at his feet. ¡°Comunque vada, Alvaro non dovrebbe morire altrimenti lo stai seguendo. Ho capito?¡±


    {¡°Make sure he gets the best treatment. I don¡¯t want his injuries getting infected. Guiseppe needs his only grandson beside him at this age of his life¡±} {¡°No matter what, Alvaro shouldn¡¯t die else you¡¯re following him. Am I clear?¡±}


    ¡°Si, Don,¡±


    {¡°Yes, Don¡±}


    ~~~


    Sophia curled herself into a ball and shut her eyes tight when she heard the door of the room opening softly and then closing with a soft click.


    She then dragged the duvet down and peeked through hershes, watching Chase take off his shirt, her eyes trailing down to the tattoo on his bare back. What did it mean?


    When she saw him turn, she closed her eyes immediately and pretended to be asleep.


    With her heart thumping wildly against her ribcage, she waited till she heard she sound of the shower running from the bathroom, meaning he had gone to take a bath.


    She wondered what might have happened to Alvaro. All she hoped for was that Chase kept to his words and let him live. She was going to try and see him first thing in the morning, but at the moment, she wanted to talk to Chase.


    She had thought about her decision throughout the whole evening.


    When she had woken up after Chase took her, she wasn¡¯t surprised to find herself alone on the bed and dressed in one of his shirts. There was also dinner waiting for her on the bedside table and she remembered eating it before sleeping back. When she woke up again, it was alreadyte, the tes weren¡¯t there and Chase wasn¡¯t back, so she used the spare time to think about her decision and waited for him to return.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re awake,¡± Chase¡¯s voice startled her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pretend to be asleep¡±


    Sophia blinked and pulled off the duvet from her body. She stared at him, wondering how long she¡¯d been deep in thought that she didn¡¯t realize he was already out of the bathroom. He was already dressed in a ck sweatpants and Tee shirt which clung to his body like a second skin.


    Sophia¡¯s lips parted, and she blurted out; ¡°Why do you always wear ck? White would suit you too,¡±


    ¡°White doesn¡¯t suit you, Nipote. ¡°That torturous voice yed in his mind. ¡°Why do you think fratello and I never wore it? You don¡¯t want to get stained with a sinner¡¯s blood, do you?¡±,


    Chase ignored her question and got into bed sliding beneath the duvet. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡±


    I want to talk to you. She badly wanted to say, but her eyes fell on his fingers adorned by rings, and she blurted out again. ¡°I love your fingers,¡± It wasn¡¯t all about the rings. No. His fingers were naturally beautiful, and she really loved them. Those rings on each finger just seemed to make them even much more beautiful.


    Chase turned his face to her. ¡°Are you noting out my features?¡±


    Red hue stained her cheeks, and Sophia avoided eye contact, her eyes settled on his sharp jawline.


    ¡°You want to say something? Say it and go to bed. Itste. You have sses tomorrow morning,¡± Heid on his back.


    Sophia ran her eyes across his side profile. ¡°I-,¡± She swallowed. ¡°Since you¡¯re taking my body, I-I need a favor from you too¡±


    Chase turned to her abruptly. ¡°You want to make a deal with me?¡± When she didn¡¯t say anything, he continued. ¡°You don¡¯t make deals with your body, Gattina. It¡¯s wrong¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°You-you already made me use it as leverage to save AL- to save his life,¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s of no use¡±


    Chase turned his face away and stared at the ceiling. ¡°That¡¯s because your body already belongs to me, Gattina. Your approval wouldn¡¯t have mattered anyway. I only wanted to give you a choice,¡± He then turned to her. ¡°If you have something to say, I¡¯m all ears,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia breathed out. It was her body they were talking about like some ragdoll. ¡°I-I¡¯m bored of those online ss. I don¡¯t like them,¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I want to go back to college,¡±Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 CHAPTER XXVIII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA WALKED DOWN the stairs, a light frown on her face as she walked towards the kitchen. She was still a bit upset about her short conversation with Chase from the previous night regarding her going to college. After she had told him she wanted to go to college, he had simply told her he didn¡¯t have time for any of her shenanigans and when she kept on insisting, he just scooped her into his arms, stole a kiss as usual and told her to go to sleep. That had been the end of the conversation.


    It was still very early, and she was happy Chase wasn¡¯t in the room when she had woken up. otherwise, he would have been a hindrance to her going to see Alvaro.


    Sophia peeked round to be sure no one was looking at her and made her way towards the servant¡¯s quarters as she left through the backdoor. She needed to see Alvaro. At least, his well-being would be able to sooth a tiny part of her heart and she would stop worrying about him.


    When she got to the servant¡¯s quarters, she stopped in front of the guards standing there. ¡°Uhh hey,¡± She waved at them. They both didn¡¯t move. ¡°I-can you both, please let me see Uncle Giuseppe? It¡¯s really urgent¡±


    The two men looked at each other,municating through their eyes. One nodded at the other, and he spoke into the device he was holding in his hands. ¡°Cosa fiamo? La ragazza e qui per vedere Guiseppe, e il Don vuole lontana da loro. Dovremmoscia entrare?¡±


    {¡°What do we do? The girl is here to see Giuseppe, and the Don wants her nowhere near them. Should we let her in?}


    The person at the other end spoke up. ¡°Hmmmm. Lasci entrare. Il Don sa gia che lei sarebbe andata li. Quello sarebbeunque il loro ultimo incontro perche ha chiarito le sue istruzioni ad Alvaro,¡±


    {¡°Hmmmm. Let her in. The Don already knows she would be going there. That would be theirst meeting anyway because he has made his instructions clear to Alvaro. ¡°}


    ¡°Sicuro,¡± He then turned to Sophia. ¡°You may go in now. Sorry for the dy,¡±


    {¡°Sure¡±}.


    At first, Sophia was surprised they let her in, but she brushed it off to bask in her happiness. She smiled at the both of them. ¡°Thanks¡± She walked into the building.


    She made her way towards Giuseppe¡¯s part of the building and stopped in front of the door, then knocked.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Immediately, the door was opened, revealing Giuseppe, who had a horrified expression on his face. ¡°Be ragazza, what are you doing here?¡±


    {¡°Pretty girl¡±}


    Sophia passed the slightly old man a small smile. ¡°Can I see him?¡± When the old man didn¡¯t say a word, tears welled up in her eyes, and her head dropped. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for whatever he must¡¯ve done to him because of media didn¡¯t mean for it to happen, I swear,¡± She them looked up at him. ¡°Please just let me see him¡±


    The old man wasn¡¯t scared for what would happen to him even though he was well aware of the fact that the Don had threatened his grandson with his life. He was even much more scared for Alvaro. ¡°Be ragazza-¡±


    {¡°Pretty girl¡±}


    Sophia sped her hands together. ¡°Please, Uncle Giuseppe¡±


    Giuseppe swallowed, then nodded his head before moving from the door so she¡¯d be able to enter.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± She blinked back her tears and walked into the house.


    Sophia nched when she stared at Alvaro¡¯s unconscious figure on the bed. He was all battered up with bandages literally all over his bare body. He looked like he would have died if he wasn¡¯t taken care of earlier.


    ¡°He¡¯s okay now,¡± Giuseppe said from behind her. ¡°The Don made sure he got the best treatment, and I¡¯m very grateful for that. I don¡¯t know how it would feel to lose my only family¡±


    Sophia turned to him. She didn¡¯t understand Chase. He was the one that made him all battered up and ended up paying for his treatment? What kind of a person was he?


    ¡°I-,¡±Her words stuck in her throat. ¡°I-I¡¯m very sorry for this. I didn¡¯t know Chase would do something like this. He-he promised to spare his life. He told me he would!¡± She almost shrieked, hot tears cascading down her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m a bad person. Bad bad person. I should have just told Alvaro. Now, look what I caused. He-he was treated badly because of me,¡±


    Giuseppe moved closer and ced his wrinkled hands on her shoulders, then gave her a small smile. ¡°The Don told you he would spare Alvaro¡¯s life, didn¡¯t he? Look, he did it. He spared his life. He didn¡¯t let him die. He even paid for his treatment¡±


    Sophia shook her head and wiped her tears with the back of her palms. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Uncle Giuseppe. He still hurt him,¡±


    ¡°Wait up,¡± Giuseppe smiled and walked towards his kitchen. He walked back with a ss of water and handed it to her. ¡°Have it¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sophia whispered out and took the ss from him. She drowned half of it in her throat, then passed it to him. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry I behaved like that. I was just so upset¡±


    Giuseppe dropped the cup and turned to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back to the main mansion and have some rest? You cane inter, so we¡¯ll talk. By then, Alvaro might be awake, and you¡¯ll discuss it through. You can also apologise for what happened since you think you have a fault in this. It might help you feel much more better,¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Uncle Giuseppe,¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now, but I¡¯ll be backter,¡±


    ¡°Sure, Be ragazza,¡±


    {¡°Pretty girl¡±}


    ~~~


    ¡°O!,¡± Sophia winced as she hit her forehead on a wall. No. She thought as she saw that the walls had shoes on. It was someone¡¯s chest. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t see you earlier. I wasn¡¯t looking -¡°Her eyes fell on his face. ¡°Luciano?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Sweet cheeks,¡± He smiled at her. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was Lucas, and uh-thest time I bumped into him, he snapped at me,¡± She said.


    ¡°Ahh! forget about him. How have you been?¡± He then looked towards the backdoor where she¡¯d gotten in from. ¡°Where did you go? The servant¡¯s quarters? To see your friend?¡±


    She fidgeted with her hands. ¡°Uhh-¡±


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t bite. You can tell me the truth. You went to see Alvaro?¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°He was in a bad shape¡±


    Luciano pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered out. ¡°That¡¯s how our world works¡±


    Sophia¡¯s head snapped up. ¡°What world?¡±


    Valerie¡¯s cheerful voice helped Luciano very much at that moment because he didn¡¯t know what to say to Sophia. ¡°Look who we have here! Aren¡¯t you excited to go to college?¡±


    Luciano let out a silent breath of relief.

 CHAPTER XXIX

    Sophia turned and faced Valerie. ¡°Hey Valerie,¡±


    ¡°Uh uh,¡± Valerie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s meant to be Val. You¡¯ll call me Val from now on, hmmm?¡±


    Sophia smiled and nodded her head. ¡°How have you been? How was the program?¡± Valerie and Luciano had left the country for a week to attend a program and were probably just back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that when you return from college. I was about toe in when I saw Lucas and a few men arranging some books for you. Said it was for college,¡±


    ¡°College?¡±


    Luciano¡¯s voice came from behind Sophia. ¡°Valerie, I think that was supposed to be a surprise, and you just ruined it for Don,¡±


    Valerie¡¯s eyes widened, and she palmed her mouth. She then dropped her hand to her sides. ¡°But Don never surprises people. I didn¡¯t know¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± one of Chase¡¯s men walked up to them. He then faced Sophia. ¡°Don has made special arrangements for you to be taken back to college. Everything you¡¯ll need is in the car right now. All we need is you toe with us,¡±


    ¡°Uhh-¡± Sophia was speechless. She didn¡¯t know what to say. The thrill and excitement in her was just too much, and she couldn¡¯t believe Chase allowed her to go to college. It was euphoric. ¡°I-I¡¯ll go and change these clothes I¡¯m wearing right away¡±


    Sophia was dressed in a simple white tee shirt with a denim jumpsuit above it paired with a wedge while her hair was parked into a ponytail. She just had a simple chain round her neck and a stud earring.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Valerie caught Sophia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re perfectly dressed for college like this. No problems¡±


    Sophia looked over her dressing. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Do you want Don to change his mind?¡± Luciano asked. He then replied when he saw her panicked eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t want him to change his mind, you better leave now. Tomorrow, you can dress better if you¡¯re not okay with the one you have on¡±


    Sophia nodded.


    Luciano turned to the man. ¡°Alessandro, Don ti ha nominato suo nuovo autista e guardia. Ho ragione?¡±


    {¡°Alessandro, Don made you her new driver and guard. Am I right?¡±}


    ¡°Si,¡±


    {¡°Yes¡±}


    Luciano nodded at him with a chuckle. ¡°Faresti meglio a prenderti cura di lei, altrimenti Don ti fara impazzire,¡±


    {¡°You better take care of her, or else Don is having your head.¡±}Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Alessandro managed a small smile and motioned to Sophia. ¡°Let¡¯s leave now if you¡¯re ready¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m ready¡± She turned to Valerie, who had a huge grin on her face. ¡°Bye¡± and then Luciano. ¡°Bye¡±


    ¡°Bye, sweet cheeks,¡±


    ¡°Bye, Soph,¡±


    She left with Alessandro.


    Once they both got to the car, Alessandro opened the back passenger door for her, and she slid in. ¡°Thanks,¡± She tried closing the door herself, but he didn¡¯t let her.


    Alessandro brought out an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to her. ¡°Don ordered that you read it before we leave¡±


    Sophia stared at the ck envelope in confusion. Even his envelopes were ck. Wow. ¡°T-thanks,¡± She collected it and opened it as Alessandro shut the door.


    Sophia stared at the handwriting in the short note. It was beautiful, elegant even neat, crisp and stylish. Sophia wasn¡¯t sure if it was just her, but his handwriting had its own sense of dominance and confidence in it. Another thing added to the list of things she loved about Chase. She giggled silently at the thought.


    Gattina,


    I know you went to see that scrawny boy this morning. I¡¯ll let it slide because he took my warnings seriously after getting tortured.


    I let you go to college doesn¡¯t mean you have all the freedom in the world. You are not allowed to go anywhere apart from college and its canteen. If you need something, talk to Alessandro about it and make it snappy. You won¡¯t go back to your Nana or that small coffee shop you work in.


    Study well, I want you to have a good future. Andstly, the main thing, don¡¯t talk to or let any boy touch you. I¡¯ll skin anyone who touches you alive. We both know that. And I don¡¯t need to tell you why.


    Once she was done reading the note, Sophia tucked it inside the bag beside her-one she knew was the new one she had gotten.


    Her fingertips grazed the textbooks on the seat with her as Alessandro drove while her mind stayed glued to the words in the note.


    ~~~


    ¡°We are here¡± Alessandro opened the back door for her, and Sophia got down, clutching her bag and books.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± She offered a small smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you carry them,¡± He collected the books and her bag from her before she could even protest.


    ¡°Hand them over here,¡± The deep voice that belonged to the man who only bullied Sophia throughout her stay in the Romano mansion came from behind Alessandro.


    ¡°I-Lucas,¡± She stuttered, afraid to meet his gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll collect them instead. Thanks,¡± she said. She passed her hand to collect it from Alessandro before Lucas, but he beat her to it.


    Lucas adjusted the bag over his shoulder and the textbooks on his arm, his voice cold, just like Chase¡¯s and giving her no space for argument. ¡°I¡¯ve finished your whole registration process. Allow me to do this¡±


    So that was why he was there even before her? Her registration. She thought. ¡°I-,¡±Sophia turned to look at the familiar building of her college and then back at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t need registration. I already started college before. I would have just continued from where I left off before that night,¡±


    ¡°Don ordered so, Sophia¡± That was the first time he had ever called her name, and it had a strange softness to it even though he had never treated her like that. ¡°Not to worry about though, you¡¯ll still be together with your friends. Just a few formalities changed¡±


    Sophia opened her mouth to speak. ¡°What do you ¡±


    Lucas ignored her and turned to Alessandro. ¡°Vai. Mi prendero cura di lei e tornero con mia mhina,¡±


    {¡°Go. I¡¯ll take care of her and return in my own car.¡±}


    ¡°Okay, sotto capo,¡± Alessandro nodded and did as he was told.


    {¡°Okay, understand boss}


    Once Alessandro left, Sophia turned to Lucas. ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to help if you really don¡¯t want to,¡±


    Instead, he ignored her again , grabbed her small wrists, and then pulled her into the school building.


    She tried talking to him but he just kept his normal stoic face on. For a few seconds, she¡¯d think she caught a glimpse of a few emotions crossing his face but since he was good at masking his face with indifference, she¡¯d just shake it off.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± She passed him a small smile when they both stopped in front of her ssroom.


    Lucas helped her strap her bag over her shoulder and quietly passed her the textbooks, all the while ignoring the look of confusion on her face.


    When Sophia turned to leave, Lucas held her shoulder. ¡°Sophia¡±


    Sophia turned to him, confusion apparent all over her face. ¡°Is there any other-¡°Her remaining words died on her lips when he pulled her in for a bare hug.


    Lucas whispered out. ¡°Buona fortuna sorellina,¡±

 CHAPTER XXX

    ~~~


    SOPHIA SAT ON her seat, as her course mates walked into the ssroom before lectures for that day wouldmence. Most of them were shocked to see her while some sent curious stares her way. Obviously, they would be shocked after not seeing her for weeks.


    But that was the least of her problems. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how Lucas had behaved with her. When he hugged her and said something in Italian, she was shocked. She couldn¡¯t believe he had hugged her. When she had gone out of her shock, she hugged him back to tell him thank you and that was when she realized that not everything was meant tost. He had pushed her away and was back to his normal, cruel self. And, he just walked away, leaving her a confused mess.


    ¡°Buona fortuna sorellina,¡± Those were the same words he had uttered to her.


    She couldn¡¯t shake it off no matter how she tried. It was always with Chase she hoped she learnt to speak and understand Italian, but at that moment, it was worse. The need to know thenguage was gnawing at her and she desperately wanted to know what Lucas had said.


    ¡°Where did you disappear off to?¡±


    Sophia flinched and turned. When she saw the person that had spoken behind her, she ced her hand on her chest and breathed out in relief. ¡°You scared me, Maya¡±


    ¡°Was that your brother?¡± Another person asked from her other side. ¡°You never told us you had a brother¡±


    Sophia turned to the other side and red at the other person. She pursed her lips. ¡°Alessia¡±


    Maya and Alessia were her close- no, best-friends from high-school. Maya was the cool, reserved type while Alessia was the big softie portraying herself to be the party and crazy type-she actually was. Sophia was just¡­ the shy, naive and innocent one.


    ¡°What?¡± Alessia shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I was only asking if he was your brother¡±


    Sophia frowned. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The guy -¡± Alessia looked towards the door as if anyone was there. ¡°The one who walked you to the ss and hugged you¡±


    ¡°Why would you think he¡¯s my brother?¡± Sophia asked. She didn¡¯t want to talk to them about the whole dilemma she was in. Not yet. Not until she found a solution.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not the type to date anytime soon. Plus, you both kind of had the same eye color,¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°Lucas is anything but my brother. And yeah, so what if he has the same eye color with mine? It¡¯s nature. Someone out there too has the same eye color with me and it doesn¡¯t make them my brother¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Alessia smiled. ¡°Calm down inno-¡±


    Alessia was cut off by Maya. ¡°Would you please tell us where you¡¯ve been all this while? You had us worried, not to talk of your Nana¡± There. That was the typical Maya; the one who cares about everyone¡¯s wellbeing. It wasn¡¯t like Alessia doesn¡¯t care too. She does, but in her own crazy way.


    Sophia nched at the mention of her Nana, and she turned to Maya. ¡°Is she alright? I hope nothing bad has happened to her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s okay now. I don¡¯t know what she was told, but she stopped searching for you after that. And-, ¡°Maya opened her bag and brought out a white envelope which was crumpled by the sides, ¡°She asked me to give you this. I¡¯m sorry its crumpled though. I used to bring it to college every day with the hopes that you¡¯de one day¡±


    Sophia collected the envelope. ¡°Thanks a lot, Maya. I¡¯ll read thister¡±


    Maya gave Sophia a hesitant stare. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to do that now?¡±


    Sophia had a slight suspicion that Chase was behind whatever her Nana must¡¯ve been told to calm down. Whatever it was had to be written there, and she didn¡¯t want either of them to know about it. ¡°I-No¡± She gave them a tight-lipped smile before putting the note in her bag. ¡°I¡¯ll read itter. I¡¯d love to catch up with you two first¡±


    ¡°Well then -¡°Alessia called out. ¡°Do you care to exin what someone as dangerous as Luca Romano was doing here with you? And hugging you like that? Are you both a thing? Is that why you suddenly disappeared from home?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re a thing?¡± Sophia asked, turning to Alessia.


    Alessia mmed her palm on her forehead. ¡°Even after disappearing for weeks, you know nothing about life. It means you both are dating. I was asking if you guys were dating?¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Sophia replied. ¡°Luca and I aren¡¯t a thing, Alessia. And what makes you think he¡¯s dangerous?¡± She knew just how dangerous Lucas was, no one needed to tell her about that, but did that mean everyone knew too? Was seeing the both of them together the reason she got most of those shocked and curious stares from people since she had walked into her ss?


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know Lucas Romano is dangerous?¡± Alessia said. ¡°I¡¯m not making it up, trust me. Ask Maya, you know she won¡¯t ever support me in something like that¡±


    Sophia didn¡¯t need to turn to face Maya because thetter replied. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s dangerous. Heard a lot about him,¡±


    ¡°His cousin is worse¡± Alessia leaned in, so her stomach was over the table and whispered to the both of them so no one would hear


    Sophia could hear the loud sound of her heart beating wildly against its ribcage in her ears. She didn¡¯t need anyone to tell her it was Chase that was being talked about. ¡°What?¡± She blurted out louder than she should have done.


    Alessia red at Sophia, her blonde hair falling over her face because of the position she was in. ¡°Are you mad, Soph? Do you want anyone to know we¡¯re talking about them?¡±


    ¡°What did I do?¡± Sophia frowned with a pout on her lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak too loud. You¡¯re going to draw attention to us,¡± Alessia pushed back her silky locks back over her head. ¡°Now, tell me. How don¡¯t you know Chase Romano when you know Lucas to the point of hugging him?¡±


    ¡°I know Chase, a lot.¡± Sophia wanted to add but kept her mouth shut.


    Alecia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You know him? Does he know you?¡±


    Sophia nodded.


    That was when Maya dragged Sophia by the shoulder. ¡°What the fuck are you doing with those people? They¡¯re dangerous. Do you know what they do for a living?¡±


    ¡°They kill people¡± Sophia tried not to shudder at her own indifference.


    Maya let go of Sophia¡¯s shoulder and whisper-yelled. ¡°Are you out of your mind, Soph? You¡¯re getting yourself involved with people from the mafia,¡± Sophia froze, and Maya continued. ¡°Mafia as in, M-A-F-I-A. Those are the type of people you¡¯re getting yourself involved in,¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what exactly the meaning of a mafia was, but she knew it was a dangerous organization. They sold illegal drugs and all sorts of weapons. Some were even engaged in human trafficking and rape, if not worse.


    Sophia turned to Maya. ¡°That¡¯s very dangerous¡±


    Alessia snorted out loud. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know they were in the mafia all this while? How did you even end up with them?¡±


    Sophia blurted out her next words absentmindedly. ¡°I got kidnapped¡±


    Her two friends chorused out a shriek. ¡°What the fuck?!¡±

 CHAPTER XXXI

    The moment Sophia realized what she said, some of their course mates were sending snickers and warning res their way to reduce their voices or shut up.


    ¡°You got kidnapped? How?¡± Maya whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about itter. Please, I need to read my Nana¡¯s letter,¡± She began to search for the letter in her bag.


    Maya and Alessia stared at each other before nodding slowly. ¡°Okay,¡± They chorused.


    ¡°Thanks¡± Sophia whispered and tore open the white envelope. She then unfolded the note and started reading, her eyes running over the tired handwriting of her Nana.


    Soph,


    You had me worried for days after your sudden disappearance hope when you read this, you¡¯re in good health. I hope you¡¯re as okay as I was told. But you know, I¡¯m a bit upset with you. You didn¡¯t tell me you were going to fly out of the country with your boyfriend for important work with him. You didn¡¯t even tell me you had a boyfriend. How about your studies then? I hope you¡¯ll be able to adjust with your studies when you bothe back.


    Anyway, I hope you¡¯re happy with him. You¡¯re a very understanding girlfriend to even ignore your studies for him. I¡¯m a bit upset about that too, but I¡¯m proud of you. You¡¯re finally growing.


    Ahh! You also didn¡¯t tell me your boyfriend had ns for my treatment. I know you won¡¯t be back when I leave for London for my knee surgery. He said you wanted it to be a surprise. Well, he even came to see me at home and said you were sending your regards before you both left. I still don¡¯t understand why you chose not to see or visit me before leaving. I hope he¡¯s helping with your nightmares; you know?


    I¡¯m cringing at my poor attempt in writing this letter right now and my handwriting. I know this isn¡¯t the best letter either. Anyways, bye. Take care of yourself and make sure you¡¯re there at the airport when I return back.


    Your Nana,


    Bye.


    Sophia folded the paper and stuffed it in her bag, tears glistening in her eyes. Her Nana didn¡¯t exactly point out what she wanted to, but Sophia clearly understood it. It was even harder that her Nana had been lied to. Boyfriend? Was that the excuse Chase coulde up with?


    But it didn¡¯t matter, right? He helped her Nana. He didn¡¯t let the olddy get worked up while looking for her. And as a plus, he had even paid for her treatment. The knee surgery she and her Nana had chosen to ignore.


    Sophie felt a familiar warm hand on her shoulder before the owner spoke up. ¡°Wanna talk about it?¡± It was Alessia.


    A lone tear slid down her cheek. ¡°He¡¯s paying for my Nana¡¯s treatment. He¡¯s paying for her knee surgery,¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Maya asked.


    ¡°Chase,¡± Sophia wiped her tears with the back of her palm.


    He was so confusing and bipr. One moment, he was rude and cold, and the other, he would be the total opposite. She couldn¡¯t even understand him.


    It was as if he only did bad things to her and good things to others around her.


    ¡°You¡¯re confusing me; you know?¡± Alessia said, earning a re from Maya. ¡°I¡¯m not good at fixing puzzles. I want you to do us good by exining this whole situation,¡± None of them could take her words to heart. She was only saying it to lighten the mood.


    ¡°I-,¡± Sophia gathered her things and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it. But not in here,¡±


    ¡°Yess!,¡± Alessia grinned and stood up. ¡°Thank goodness we aren¡¯t having any lectures till the next two hours, and you¡¯re going to tell us how you¡¯ve been treated there because you don¡¯t look like someone who has been kidnapped,¡±


    ¡°Alessia,¡± Maya gave her a stern look.


    That was their usual lifestyle. Maya, being the mother and caring one of them all while Alessia being the carefree one. She always got scolded by Maya, but it never decreased their love for each other. They all loved each other to the moon and back.


    Alessia rolled her eyes and continued speaking, totally ignoring Maya. ¡°You¡¯re also going to tell me about Lucas Romano ¡± She ced her chin on her fist and stared into the space dreamily. ¡°I¡¯ve always had this crush on him since forever¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to have a boyfriend?¡± Sophia asked.


    Alessia frowned and looked at the both of them. ¡°That fucktard is a boring ass now. Trust me, you don¡¯t want to know¡±


    They allughed.


    ~~~


    ¡°Buona fortuna sorellina,¡±


    Lucas threw another punch on the boxing bag in the gym as his own torturous voice yed in his mind.


    ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,¡±


    Fuck his self. Fuck his lips. Fuck his mouth. Fuck his heart. Fuck his emotions. Fuck him. Dammit. Fuck Chase.


    Chase.


    He was the reason. He was the one that had made Lucas do what he did earlier. He asked him to walk Sophia to her ss and wish her good luck. To make her happy. That was all Chase told him to do. He didn¡¯t ask him to call her baby sister. It was his darned heart that made him do it. Being so close to her and helping her hold her bag and books had made him feel like that. Like¡­ like an older brother protecting his little sister. Something he had never done for Valerie because she was home-schooled. And it made him call her baby sister.


    All because of Chase Romano.


    Chase had told him that even if he hated Sophia, nothing would ever change the fact that she was still his¡­


    No. No.


    He shook his head. He wasn¡¯t going to think about it. He wasn¡¯t going to think of, or even acknowledge Sophia Bet as that. She was the result of an affair. An affair between his own mother and Agosti Bet.


    He was meant to hate her. She was using the same charm on every single fucking body in that mansion. That was the same charm her father had used on¡­


    No. No.


    Agosti was the cause of all their problems. Sophia was meant to be innocent. She was just unlucky to have a father like Agosti.


    He threw another punch on the bag, ignoring the blood seeping from his knuckles. ¡°Darn it! Fuck you Agosti! Fuck you!¡±


    Immediately, the door to the gym flew open hitting the wall with a bang.


    ¡°Lucas!¡± Valerie rushed to him and dragged him. ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re bleeding!¡±


    Lucas shoved her away and kept on punching the bag.


    ¡°Buona fortuna sorellina,¡±


    Seeing this, Valerie knew he was going to end up with something worse than a bloodied knuckle. She had to calm him down, so she did the first thing that came to her mind.


    She pushed the boxing bag and stepped in front of Lucas, earning a punch from him across her cheek. That was the moment Lucas stopped.


    It stung. Badly. But Valerie didn¡¯t move. She stayed there, rooted to the spot. ¡°Why did you stop? Continue. You needed something to punch, didn¡¯t you? See me. Punch my face,¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you, Valerie?¡± Lucas snapped, pulling her in to check the bruise he had left on her. She had a broken nose. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have stepped in there. Now take a look at your face¡±


    ¡°I took a lot more worse than this during training, remember?¡± Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°But this doesn¡¯t hurt as much as seeing you do that to yourself¡±


    Lucas stepped back and ran his hand through his hair. ¡°I-I called her baby sister¡±


    Lucas stuttered and he hated himself for that. He wasn¡¯t taught to do that. Sophia was the reason for that. Valerie stuttered for the first time when Sophia came. Luciano did, and he had done it too.


    Sophia had been the reason for a lot since she walked into their lives. That should make him hate her, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do that again. Ever since that fucking hug, all his reasons to hate Sophia had all flown out of the window.


    ¡°Sophia?¡± Valerie¡¯s excited voice pulled him out of his thoughts. ¡°You called her baby sister today? Is that why you¡¯re upset?¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Lucas was taken aback for a while and he abruptly turned to her. Valerie wasn¡¯t meant to know the truth. Why didn¡¯t she sound surprised, confused or shocked?


    ¡°Do you-,¡±


    Valerie cut him in. ¡°Do I know the truth?¡± She smiled and crossed her arms over her shoulder. ¡°Yes, I know. I know the truth that you and Chase have been hiding for eighteen years. The truth that Sop is our sister¡±

 CHAPTER XXXII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA SMOOTHLY RAN her fingertips over the books arranged neatly on the ck shelf in Chase¡¯s room as her eyes roamed over them. She didn¡¯t know Chase used to read books. How would she know? The times she used to be in the room, it wasn¡¯t of her own ord so she never noticed.


    But that day, she had taken herself there. To the lion¡¯s den. To thank him for her Nana and allowing her to go to college.


    He wasn¡¯t in the room yet. Probably still working, but she was ready to wait for him. He had considered her future and finally let her study and also stopped her Nana from worrying too much about her. Not to mention the surgery.


    Sophia¡¯s heart fluttered at those little gestures. Maybe he wasn¡¯t as bad as she portrayed him to be. He wasn¡¯t the viin in her life.


    A book caught her attention, and Sophia gently took it out of the shelf to inspect it. It was arge book. On its cover, was a suit looking as if someone was wearing it along with a hat above something like an invisible head. It confused Sophia. No one was putting on the suit either. It was just¡­Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    She giggled silently as her eyes fell on the book title. ¡°Ohh. Invisible man,¡± That was enough to exin the invisible head wearing the hat and invisible body the suit was on.


    She wasn¡¯t a big fan of books or novels else, Sophia was sure she¡¯d read the book. It looked vaguely interesting.


    However, she didn¡¯t notice the sound of the bedroom door opening and clicking shut until she heard the familiar deep, Italian ented voice.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Sophia jumped in her ce, and the book in her hand fell down on the floor. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± She quickly bent down to pick up the book. Once she did that, she ced it back in its ce on the shelf before turning to Chase who had already made his way towards the bed. ¡°I-I came to say thanks,¡±


    Chase didn¡¯t turn to look at her. He pulled off his suit coat and dropped it neatly on the armchair. ¡°For what exactly?¡± He began to unbutton his waist coat.


    Sophia gulped down. ¡°My Nana¡±


    Chase¡¯s hands froze, and he turned to her. ¡°What happened to her¡±


    Sophia took a step forward. ¡°You-you didn¡¯t let her worry about my absence. You also helped with her knee surgery¡±


    Chase turned his face away and continued working off his waistcoat buttons. ¡°I didn¡¯t do that¡±


    She took another step forward. ¡°B-but she-she wrote a letter and gave it to my friend to give me. She said you paid for her surgery and sent her to London,¡±


    Chase dropped his waist coat on his suit coat and began to take off the cufflinks from his button-down shirt. ¡°Am I your boyfriend?¡±


    Sophia parted her lips to say something but mped it shut before opening them again. ¡°You didn¡¯t forget that letter, did you?¡±


    Chase amusedly shook his head at her and turned to face her, finally getting rid of the cufflinks. ¡°What did you think?¡±


    Sophia gasped and staggered backwards as tears glistened in her eyes. So it was all a lie? She¡¯d been deceived to think so, but why?


    Chase began to unbutton his shirt, totally ignoring her presence. He knew she was going to cry, and he didn¡¯t want to see her


    It was better for her to think her Nana was worried about her. Truth was, her Nana had actually been sent to London for her treatment and was told that Sophia was with her boyfriend, helping out. Yeah, her Nana had also written the letter, but that didn¡¯t mean Sophia needed to know the truth. It wouldn¡¯t change the fact that she was going to forever be tied to him.


    He was the devil. And just because he wanted an angel like her didn¡¯t mean she should be happy all the time. He could still want her by all means and cause her pain in his own sick way.


    Chase was psychotic. He was well aware of that, and all credit goes to his uncle; Lucas, Luciano and Valerie¡¯s dad.


    Chase finally turned to look at her. ¡°You know, you can still thank me for allowing you to go to college, right?¡± He pulled off the shirt and made his way towards her.


    Sophia stared at the scary tattoo on his chest. That tattoo of two women¡¯s-more like a mother and daughter-bodies burning down in mes scared her every time she saw it, and it wasn¡¯t any different at that moment.


    She staggered back, knowing where this was leading, until her back hit the shelf, and she finally looked into his eyes. She didn¡¯t know what it was, but that was the same look in his eyes anytime he was taking her. ¡°Chase, I-I-I didn¡¯te for this,¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Gattina¡± He ran his knuckles over her face, the rings on his fingers slightly grazing her skin with their coldness. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you came here or not for what I want, I¡¯d have still brought you here myself,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia shut her eyes tight, mping down on her bottom lip.


    Chase used his fingers to slowly pull out her lower lip from her tongue. ¡°Stop it. Its driving me insane. Only I have the right to do that,¡± He bent down and picked her up with one of his arms beneath her knees and the other beneath her neck.


    He dropped her on the bed and sat down to pull off his shoes and socks. Once he was done with that, he took off his pants and faced her. ¡°Come¡±


    Sophia ransacked her brain for something to use as an excuse to escape the situation but found none. She didn¡¯t know how to escape from Chase. Slowly, she moved forward till he pulled her on hisp, so her legs were on either sides of him, pressing her against his erection.


    ¡°Can you feel it?¡± Chase bucked his hips. ¡°That¡¯s what you make me feel. Only you make me feel like that,¡±


    The moment Chase snuck his hand behind her to caress the nape of her neck and pull her in for a kiss, Sophia ces her small palms tly against his hard chest to stop him. ¡°Tell me what you do for a living,¡± That was the first thing that crossed her mind at that moment.


    Chase froze for a moment before locking eyes with her. ¡°Why?¡±


    Seeing that he was falling for her trap, Sophia screamed internally with joy . She began to try and move away from hisp, but he held her still, his palm not leaving the nape of her neck. Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have been so quick to try and escape. ¡°I-,¡± She looked down on her hands on his chest and dropped them to herp, fidgeting with them. ¡°I wanted to know what you do that involves killing, kidnapping, and guns¡±


    Chase dropped his hand from the nape of her neck, and the other one that was already undoing her button stopped there.


    Sophia almost did a happy dance. Almost.


    But her happiness was short-lived when he held both of her hands, uncurled her fists, and ced them on his chest. ¡°Leave it there,¡± He circled both her small wrists with one of his palms and continued unbuttoning the buttons on her jumpsuit.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± She peeked at him through hershes, and he tightened his grip on her wrists. ¡°You¡¯re in the mafia,¡±

 CHAPTER XXXIII

    A low chuckle rumbled off Chase¡¯s chest. Another thing he had done since Sophia¡¯s presence back in his life. ¡°If you already knew, then why did you ask?¡± He slid the sleeveless strap of her jumpsuit down her arms, and the upper part of the cloth fell around her waist.


    Foolish Sophia. She pped herself mentally. She wasn¡¯t meant to show him that she knew. ¡°You murder people. You traffic drugs and people. They are all sins in the eyes of the Lord,¡± If questioning wouldn¡¯t work for her, then maybe using the Lord against him would work.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    But, oh boy, Sophia Bet was wrong.


    Chase understood clearly what she was trying to do. She wanted to annoy him with her silly questions so he would loss interest and let her go. But she didn¡¯t realise just how much her trying to be smart turned him on. It made his need to be buried inside her grow.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing like sinning in our world, Gattina, ¡°He slowly raised one of her legs and slid down the trousers of the jumpsuit. ¡°We fuck who the hell we want. We murder who the fuck we want, we do every single fucking thing we want and no one stops us. Do you know why?¡± He twirled her hair in his free forefinger, while his other hand slid thest part of her jumpsuit down her leg and he leaned in. ¡°We do all that because we rule the fucking city. I rule the fucking city and beyond. Do you have any other questions?¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia leaned back, trying to think of what to ask again. He was ready to answer her, so why not ask for answers? ¡°Do-do you traffic people then? Drugs? Weapons? Rape? You do all that?¡±


    Chase slowly raised up her tee shirt but not in a way that she was going to notice before sliding her panties to the side, positioning her core directly on his clothed cock. ¡°Trafficking people? No¡± He raised her up a bit and pulled off his boxers slowly. ¡°Drugs? Yes,¡± He spat on his fingers and rubbed it on her core, watching as she threw her head back when a small moan left her lips at his touch. ¡°Weapons? I make masses of them and sell to those who want it¡± He slowly wrapped her hair around his fingers and pulled her in before palming his cock with the other hand, guiding the tip which was already leaking pre-cum to her core. ¡°Rape? No,¡± With that, he slowly sank his length into her.


    That moment, Sophia¡¯s eyes widened when she realised what just happened. She had been too busy listening to him that she didn¡¯t realise when he pulled off her clothes and¡­


    Chase, seeing that she had finally put the pieces together, bucked his hips.


    ¡°Chase ¨C arhh-¡±


    Chase ced both of his hands on her waist and raised her up, then sank her onto his length, so hard that her ass hit his balls. A cry-a mixture- of pain and bliss escaped her lips and Sophia threw her head back, aching her body as she clung to his neck. He helped her move again by lifting her from his cock and dropping her onto it again.


    He did it a couple of times but the pace was too slow and steady for him. He didn¡¯t like it one bit. He wanted something more, something rougher, something carnal. Something that reminded him of the night when he had taken her virginity.


    He wanted to see the blood. He wanted to see the pain and fear in her eyes. He liked ¨C no loved-intuit reminded him that he was in control.


    And so, he bucked his hips harder-so hard-he was sure he was buried deep inside her, hitting her g-spot and making her feel him in her lower stomach.


    ~~~


    Sophia padded towards the garden slowly, managing to walk with the sore between her legs-her thighs shook as she walked. It was alreadyte and she didn¡¯t want anyone to see her. She wanted to meet Giuseppe as quickly as she could. He had told her Alvaro had something for her and she wanted to collect it.


    ¡°Uncle Giuseppe,¡± She called once she got to the garden.


    ¡°Be ragazza,¡± Giuseppe quickly pulled out a white envelope from his pocket and gave her. ¡°Alvaro sent this for you,¡±


    {¡°Pretty girl¡±}


    She quickly collected it and smiled at him. ¡°Can Ie and see him tomorrow morning before leaving for college?¡±


    Giuseppe shook his head with an apologetic and tearful stare. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, child. You can¡¯t,¡±


    Her heart skipped a beat. ¡°why? Is he upset with me? I-I-Please help me talk to ¨C ¡±


    Giuseppe cut her in. ¡°Read the letter once you get to your room. Goodnight,¡± He then turned to leave.


    ~~~


    With shaky hands, Sophia unfolded the note and scanned over it with her eyes, her heart breaking with each word she read.


    Soph,


    I hope that when you¡¯re reading this, you¡¯re in good health.


    I¡¯m very delighted and lucky to have a friend like you. Trust me, a week with you was a week filled with fun.


    I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry for being the cause of all this. I¡¯m sorry I had to leave. I had no choice. The Don had instructed that I stay away from you as farthest as I can. Trust me, if he hadn¡¯t brought Nonno¡¯s life into this whole mess, nothing would have made me leave. I would have stayed and fought for our week long friendship, rather than running off like a coward.


    I¡¯m not upset with you. Please, don¡¯t ever think you¡¯re the reason for what Don did to me yesterday. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s not your fault that you¡¯re pretty and innocent. It¡¯s not your fault that you caught the Don¡¯s attention to the extent he was ready to do anything for you.


    Nona told me you came to see me while I was unconscious. Thanks a lot. It really means a lot to me.


    Honestly, I feel like it¡¯s my fault. I had been a very bad friend to you for not even asking how you ended up in the mansion. I only found out from Nona. I¡¯m deeply sorry.


    Anyways, I¡¯m making this brief so I¡¯d love to go now. I¡¯m leaving the country but I promise to reach out to you through Nona. Please, take care of yourself and Nona for me. Make sure you concentrate on your studies also. I want you to be a sessful nurse just as you wish to be. And don¡¯t ever forget about me because I¡¯m not doing that anytime soon or ever. You¡¯ll forever have a ce in my heart.


    Bye,


    Alvaro.


    By the time Sophia was done reading the letter, her tears were already wetting the poor paper.


    The note fell off from her hand, and she buried her face in her knees as more tears streamed down her face.


    Chase had sessfully managed to take away everything from her. First, her parents, then her freedom, her Nana, and then, her new friend.


    Alvaro deserved to be happy with his Nona. He didn¡¯t deserve to be in another country just because of someone as devilish as Chase Romano.


    What hurt the more was that she could do nothing to change anything. She had unknowingly managed to drag Alvaro into that mess with her. It was all her fault. The me was all on her and the guilt of being the reason Giuseppe and his only rtive were separated would forever weigh on her shoulders.

 CHAPTER XXXIV

    ~~~


    SOPHIA CHEWED ON her nails in nervousness as she sat in the college cafeteria waiting for her friends while she stared into space, oblivious to her surroundings, and the curious stares thrown her way, overthinking her decision.


    It had been two weeks since she was allowed to attend college, and she had nned her escape together with Alecia, Maya, and Roman, Alecia¡¯s twin brother. She didn¡¯t know if it was the best thing to do but she knew it was going to take her away from Chase and the dangerous surrounding they lived invite wasn¡¯t only Chase that bothered her. Lucas¡¯ issue was also bothering her terribly. He hadpletely shut her down and treated her worse than he used to do before.


    ¡°A penny for your thoughts?¡± A familiar cheerful voice came behind her, and Sophia let out a sigh before turning to the source of the voice.


    ¡°Alecia, Maya, hello,¡± She then turned as they both settled down in the booth opposite her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Maya asked. ¡°You don¡¯t lookpletely okay to me,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s thinking about the whole escape n,¡± Alecia said with a small smile. ¡°Tomorrow marks your freedom away from that territory and horrible man,¡±


    Sophia sighed and buried her face in her palms. ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Alecia asked, leaning in.


    ¡°This-From what I¡¯ve observed, Chase is someone that has connections everywhere. He-he said he rules the whole of Italy and beyond. He-what if he finds me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here for you, Soph, ¡°Roman slid in the booth beside her. ¡°We are leaving Italy tomorrow,¡±


    Sophia turned to him. ¡°What do you mean? And you just said ¡®we¡¯. We as in me and who?¡±


    ¡°Me, you and your Nana,¡± He replied.


    ¡°Nana?¡± She frowned slightly.


    ¡°Do you n on leaving your Nana for the hungry beast? If you leave her behind, he¡¯s going to use her to have you back,¡±


    ¡°And you? Why then are youing with us?¡± Sophia asked.


    Red hue stained Roman¡¯s cheeks. Sophia was so innocent that she was even oblivious to his feelings for her. Everyone around them, including Maya and Alecia, could see how he felt about her except her. ¡°I want to be there for you,¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you want to be there for me? ¡°Sophia asked. ¡°You¡¯ve already helped with the ns and other stuffs. That¡¯s more than enough,¡±


    Alecia whistled, and Maya grinned beside her.


    Alecia then spoke up. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that he has fee -¡±


    ¡°Alecia¡± Roman cut his sister off with the don¡¯t-you-dare look.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Alecia huffed and turned her face away.


    Sophia was just there, searching all their faces for answers, but no one gave her.


    Roman nudged her shoulder gently. ¡°Soph,¡±


    Sophia then turned to him. ¡°so, can you please exin the whole details of the n for me? I-I¡¯m somewhat confused,¡±


    Roman took a deep breath. ¡°Okay. Tomorrow is the program the college is organising, right? While everyone is busy and not looking, at exactly around two, I¡¯ll go and get your Nana to the airport while Maya and Alecia escort you to the airport and then, the three of us can leave. That¡¯s all I guess. Chase and his minions won¡¯t even realise it until we¡¯re gone,¡±


    ¡°Why do you want toe with my Nana and I?¡± Sophia asked.


    Maya and Alecia groaned.


    ¡°I want to do so,¡± Roman replied.


    Sophia nodded gently. ¡°T-thanks a lot. I really appreciate,¡±


    ¡°I think you both forgot the dress code. You can¡¯t leave showing off your faces like that,¡± Alecia said and faced Roman. ¡°Not when you¡¯ve made fake passports for the three of you,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of that too. You and Maya will take Soph¡¯s clothes to her while I¡¯ll change and then take Nana¡¯s own to her when I¡¯m going to pick her up. We¡¯re using masks,¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice n. I really hope nothing bad happens. I¡¯m scared that Chase would find out about it,¡± Sophia breathed out.


    Roman gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Soph,¡± His hand covered hers, whichy tly against the table. ¡°I¡¯m always going to be there for you at every step of the way,¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Don,¡±


    Not taking off his eyes from the file in his hand, Chase spoke up. ¡°Pare,¡±


    {¡°Speak¡±}


    The man moved closer to Chase¡¯s desk. ¡°I was able to gather information. She has three friends who are -¡±


    Chase cut him off with a wave of his hands. ¡°Alecia Costello. Maya Hugh. Roman Costello,¡± He then dropped the file and looked up at the man who was visibly quivering and staring at his feet. ¡°What information do you have?¡±


    ¡°They-they¡¯re helping her escape tomorrow. There¡¯s a program in the college so, their using it as an advantage to flee. Roman is going to get her grandmother to the airport while Maya and Alecia are going to get her to the airport. They have fake passports and are disguising to the airport,¡±


    With his stoic expression on his face, Chase twirled the pen between his fingers, staring into space with his lips pursed into a thin line. Absentmindedly, he hummed. ¡°Hmmm,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡±the man brought out a white envelope from his bag. ¡°I have evidence of their meeting,¡±


    Chase stretched out his hand for it.


    ¡°Here, Don,¡± With shaky hands, the man moved closer and dropped the envelope on Chase¡¯s opened palm.


    Chase tore open the envelope to take out the photographs and went through all of them. The first one was of Sophia seated alone in a booth, staring into space and chewing her nails; Chase almost chuckled at her nervousness. There was another one of her talking to her best friends with her face buried in her palms. Then again, there was one of a Boy-Roman-seated next to her, ring at the Blonde-Alecia-while blushing; Chase knew that look very well. He almost snorted out at Roman. The fool was whipped by Sophia. Andstly, there was one of the boy with one of his hands on Sophia¡¯s shoulder and the other one on her hand that was on the table; that one made Chase drop the photographs on the table harshly and he curled his fists, jaw clenching.


    Chase badly wanted to go to Roman¡¯s house and take his life there and then. But he resisted the urge. His n would be destroyed. If he took his life then, what fun would there be in torturing Sophia and her aplices?


    He blinked, uncurled his fists, and looked back at the man. ¡°What time is this program?¡± He was definitely going there. He wanted to see how good Sophia was at trying to escape. Too bad, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.


    The man replied. ¡°The other day, I overheard Sophia telling her friends the program was beginning around ten in the morning,¡±


    Chase¡¯s jaw ticked. The fool hadn¡¯t realised that he just called Sophia by her name. He wasn¡¯t allowed to do that. ¡°And when are they leaving as nned?¡±


    ¡°Two o¡¯clock, Don,¡±


    Chase nodded and reached out for his gun at his waistband. He wasn¡¯t letting the man live any longer for daring to utter Sophia¡¯s name.


    Before the man could realise it, three bullets had been buried between his eyes, and he dropped dead on the floor in the pool of his own blood.


    Poor investigator.


    Chase stood up, returned his gun to its original ce, and walked out of the office.


    ¡°Don,¡± the guard by the door bowed his head.


    ¡°Prenditi cura del corpo,¡± And with that, he walked away from there.


    {¡°Take care of the body¡±}

 CHAPTER XXXV

    ~~~


    CHASE¡¯S FOOTSTEPS HALTED the minute he stepped his foot inside the mansion, and his eyes fell on a particr innocent teenager perched on the floor in the middle of the living room. She had her books sprawled all over the coffee table and some on the floor with her pencil stuck between her lips while she stared into the space, obviously thinking.


    Definitely about her escape n.


    Chase handed his suit coat to the guard beside him and tugged off his tie too before passing it to him along with his waist coat and cufflinks, silently telling him he knew where to take it. Once the guard left, Chase rolled the sleeves of his button down to his elbow and slowly took steps towards her, the sound of his shoes echoing in the silent room.


    She still hadn¡¯t noticed him nor the sound his shoe was making.


    Once Chase stood behind her, he curled his fists into a ball on remembering her n to escape. Why not give her more reasons to escape then by fucking her there? It would be a win-win situation for him; he would make her want to leave and satisfy the aching need in his pants.


    He bent down and nted his hands firmly on her waist, making her flinch, then she stilled. Chase ignored her already tense frame and pulled her up, turning her and wrapping her legs round his torso before striding to the couch. He sat on it and leaned in, burying his face against her neck. One of his calloused fingers went to her hair and loosed it from the messy bun, making it fall over her shoulders. Hebed his fingers through her locks. ¡°I love your hair, Gattina,¡± He ced feathery kisses on her neck and then, on her jaw as she clung to his neck. ¡°You have a very beautiful skin. Do you know that? ¡°He continued dropping kisses on her neck as his other hand went to the waistband of her shorts. ¡°I want you,¡± His voice was hoarse and thick with lust. ¡°I want to bury myself in you. I want to feel myself buried deep inside you while you squeeze me to my climax,¡± By then, his hand was already caressing her butt over her panties.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia breathed out to calm the wild thumping of her heart. ¡°Chase,¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± He pulled away and looked at her in the eye. Her eyes drew him in. They made his need for her to grow deeper. Her eyes were messing with his sanity- no, insanity-and he couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°Chase, I-,¡± Sophia bit down on her lip.


    The hand kneading her butt stopped, but he kept on drawing small,zy circles over the skin. ¡°What do you want to say?¡± He then continued cing pecks all over her neck and jaw.


    Sophia released her lower lip from her teeth, refusing to meet his eyes. ¡°Chase,¡±


    No one. No one ever called him by his name to his face except her, and she wasn¡¯t even realizing that she was doing it. Others who did it behind his back called his name with fear. Her little aplices who dared to call his name were soon going to stop that soon because he was going to help them do that.


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡± He didn¡¯t look up or stop what he was doing.


    ¡°Someone is ¨C someone is going to see us, ¡°She muttered only to his hearing.


    He sucked on the skin behind her earlobe. ¡°Let them see that you¡¯re mine. After all, it¡¯s my house, and I¡¯ll do whatever I want to do,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡±She shut her eyes tight.¡± I don¡¯t want to do this,¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re going to do it, ¡°Chaseid her on her back on the couch and hovered above her, his hands travelling beneath her shirt to grope her breasts. ¡°So perfect right? So fucking perfect, it fits into my hands alone,¡±


    A small moan left her lips when he tweaked one of her nipples between his fingers. ¡± Mhhh-,¡±


    Chase pulled off one of his hands from her shirt and unbuckled his belt before pulling down the zipper of his pants.


    He then helped Sophia to get rid of her shorts and panties, then teased her folds with the tip of his cock.


    ¡°Chase -¡°Sophia arched her back. She didn¡¯t like the fact that her body reacted badly to him. Only he was capable of making her heart thump wildly in her chest. He was the only one capable of making her feel tingles and butterflies in her tummy whenever he touched her. Her mind and heart were contradicting each other. ¡°Chase -¡±


    ¡°Tell me something, Gattina, ¡°Chase pinned both of her hands above her head by circling her wrists with one of his hands while the other hand stroked his cock, rubbing it up and down her slick wetness. ¡°Will you ever leave me?¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia froze. She blinked her eyes. ¡°W-what do you-what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Tell me if you¡¯ll ever leave me, let me start nning your Nana¡¯s death, ¡°He then rammed into her with a hard thrust without allowing her toprehend what he just said. Chase gripped both of her thighs and ced them on either side of his¡¯ and pulled out of her. ¡°Tell me, Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Chase, I ¨C ahh,¡± She shut her eyes when he rammed deeply into her again. ¡°Please. You-please,¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡± He roared bucking his hips faster. The whole anger was building up in him. That image of Roman¡¯s hand on her made him angrier and he kept on his monstrous thrusts.¡± Fuck, Gattina. Tell me. Tell me if you¡¯re going to leave me,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia vigorously shook her head, tears staining her face. ¡°Chase-,¡±


    Chase wrapped her hair round his fingers and pulled her up, then stood up, not even giving her space to adjust to his size.


    He strolled towards the dinning, his cock still inside her andid her on her back on the dining table before he thrusted out of her again.


    ¡°Gattina, you¡¯re mine,¡± He thrusted back inside her, the tip of his cock hitting her g-spot. ¡°You¡¯re mine and mine only,¡±

 CHAPTER XXXVI

    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    That minute, Sophia¡¯s reasons to escape and run away piled up. She knew she couldn¡¯t continue living that kind of life. Earlier when she had returned home from college, she had second thoughts about the whole escape n but everything had disappeared into thin air the moment Chase did what he did.


    That was going to be thest time she would let him touch her.


    ~~~


    Sophia stared at her reflection in the mirror and a small smile slipped through her face. She was finally going to achieve her freedom.


    She was dressed in a baggy Tee shirt and pants along with a face cap while her hair was stuffed into the cap.


    She was in the back room in the hall where the college program was taking ce while everyone was outside. Sophia looked down at the wristwatch wrapped around her wrist.


    13:59.


    Just a minute more. She thought with a wider smile.


    The moment the watch stroked two, the loud shout of a gunshot rang through the building, followed by the screams of people and Sophia flinched.


    What was going on?


    Maya and Alecia were meant to there with her. Were they okay? Roman was meant to speak into the airport on her ear at that same time and tell her he was with her Nana but hadn¡¯t. Was he okay? Was her Nana okay?


    Suddenly, the doorknob turned and the sound of the door clicking open reached Sophia¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Maya, Alecia you both-,¡±


    Everything happened so fast in the blink of an eye that before Sophia could even turn to look towards the door, she felt the heavy weight of someone falling on her body and she went toppling down the floor with the person.


    The person¡¯s hair covered Sophia¡¯s face before the smell of blood hit her nostrils. When she pushed away the person¡¯s hair, she gasped at the familiar colour of the hair.


    Blonde.


    Immediately, Sophia softly pushed away the body andid the person on their back before staring at the person¡¯s colour drained face.


    She gasped. ¡°Alecia,¡±


    Sophia went on her knees and nudged Alecia¡¯s cheeks softly. ¡°Alecia, open your eyes,¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Alecia was unmoving. Her eyes weren¡¯t opening. Her face had lost its colour. Her lips were pale. Her hair didn¡¯t have that life to it that it usually did. Her body was cold and she wasn¡¯t breathing either.


    It made Sophia scared to the core.


    The moment Sophia saw the blood pooling around Alecia¡¯s head and staining her once healthy hair, she nched and the colour left her face. ¡°Alecia, please open your eyes. If-if this is a joke. P-please stop it. I-I-no no, ¡°Sophia caressed Alecia¡¯s face. ¡°Alecia open your eyes,¡± Then, an idea struck her mind. ¡°Wait up, Alecia. I-I¡¯ll go and find help. I-I¡¯ll take you to the hospital right away,¡±


    Sophia stood up immediately and went outside the room, walking down the hallway.


    Once she rounded a corner, her legs bumped into something on the floor and Sophia fell t on her face. ¡°Oomph!¡± She hissed and sat down, searching her body for any injuries until she froze when her eyesnded on what she had bumped into.


    Someone¡¯s legs.


    Female legs.


    Sophia slowly peeked at the face and another wave of shock hit her when she saw the person¡¯s face.


    Maya.


    ¡°Maya,¡± She crawled till she reached the person and tapped her cheeks. ¡°Maya, open your eyes,¡±


    Just like Alecia, Maya wasn¡¯t moving. The only difference was that she wasn¡¯t bloodied as Alecia was.


    ¡°Ma-,¡±Sophia went silent and she froze in her spot the moment she heard the sounds of footstepsing her way.


    Before she could realise anything or turn towards the person, likely to be the cause of what happened to both of her best friends, a cloth was ced over her nose and the smell of chloroform wafted through her nostrils, lulling her into the world of darkness.


    ~~~


    THE LOUD SCREAMS and howls of pain became clearer and louder as Sophia slipped back into consciousness, her head pounding mercilessly with a raging ache.


    ¡°Fottuto codardo. Non potresti nemmeno affrontarmi per prende, eppure affermi di ama,¡±


    {¡°Fucking coward. You couldn¡¯t even face me to get her, yet you im to love her¡±}


    Sophia knew that voice very well. She wanted to open her eyes to see the owner, just to confirm it¡¯s him. She couldn¡¯t. All she could hear was the sounds of paining from someone.


    Panic coursed through her veins as she recognized the owner of the pained voice.


    Roman.


    What of Maya and Alessia?


    She couldn¡¯t remember what happened after someone ced a cloth over her nose back at college. Thest thing in her memory was the lifeless body of¡­


    No. She internally shook her head. She couldn¡¯t think of them like that. They were okay. Nothing had happened to them.


    Another shrieking from Roman, followed by the stink of blood, had her jolting in fear, and Sophia¡¯s eyes forcefully snapped open as she breathed out. ¡°Roman,¡±


    The room suddenly became dead silent, and Sophia blinked her eyes to clear her hazy view. She wanted to see what was going on. She wanted to know.


    ¡°Soph,¡± Roman¡¯s voice came out pained. ¡°He-this man. He killed them. He killed them ¡± His remaining words came out as a groan as a punch was thrown on his face.


    ¡°Roman!¡± Sophia cried out in panic as she took note of his bloodied state. His shirt was torn all over. His face and whole body was bloodied. His face was even swollen, and his nose and lips were busted, blood seeping out of them. As a plus, he was tied with chains to a metal chair. ¡°Roman, are you okay? I-where are we? I-I¡¯lle and help you. I¡¯ming,¡± She tried to stand up but couldn¡¯t.


    The reality dawned on her when she saw that her legs and hands were bound to a simr chair with chains. She and Roman were in a room with an old bulb in the middle of the room. The room had a bad smell. More like one of blood.


    ¡°He-he killed them both. He killed them. He killed Maya¡¯s whole family,¡± Roman breathed out.

 CHAPTER XXXVII

    Sophia froze, feeling blood rushing to her ears. It couldn¡¯t be true, right?


    ¡°What-what are you saying? Where is he? Who did it? Maya? Alecia? Where are they? I- I -,¡±


    Chase was standing in a corner, watching the drama unfold between Sophia and Roman. It made him even more angrier. Sophia wasn¡¯t even looking his way. Her whole attention was solely fixed on Roman.


    ¡°He-Cha-,¡±Before Roman couldplete his sentence, Chase¡¯s fists connected with his face, and a gasp eluded Sophia¡¯s lips.


    He hadn¡¯t touched him since he walked into the room. He had only allowed one of his men to torture him and beat him up. He only wanted to do it when Sophia was awake.


    ¡°Cha-chase,¡± Sophia called out.


    Chase didn¡¯t turn to look at her, he only stared down at Roman. He snapped his fingers at one of his men standing in the room, and another bulb was illuminated in another corner of the room.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes fell on the particr spot where the light was switched on, and a louder gasp left her lips. Her eyes widened, and the color drained off her face.


    Hanging on the wall with their arms tied and pinned above their heads were the unconscious figures of Maya and Alecia, their hair falling over their faces, giving Sophia a clear view of the blood staining Alecia¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Maya-,¡± She whispered out. ¡°Alecia,¡± Sophia turned to Chase. ¡°Chase-what-what did you do to them? Please leave them out of this. They-they ¨C they all have nothing to do with this. It¡¯s-it¡¯s between me and you,¡±


    Chase knelt down in front of Roman and wrapped Roman¡¯s blonde hair around his fingers, tugging his head upwards so he¡¯d be able to match his stare. ¡°Should I tell you an interesting story, Costello?¡±


    Sophia pleaded. ¡°Chase, please,¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Chase ignored her and continued speaking. ¡°Your choice doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I¡¯m still going to tell you the story. So this is it. There was this young teenage blonde haired boy who always wanted to be an engineer. You know, his life was the perfect definition ofplete? He lived with his mum, dad and lousy twin sister. The boy and his twin sister worked in this small coffee shop along with a naive and innocent, pretty girl who happened to be his sister¡¯s best friend. He then started having this crush on that girl. It started off as a small liking for her-,¡±Chase kept quiet to ess the expression on Roman¡¯s face.


    Just as expected, he looked shocked and scared.


    Chase continued. ¡°And then, his little crush blossomed into something deeper and fierce when they all got into college. His sister and her second best friend noticed. Everyone around them noticed except from that innocent girl. She was so oblivious to his feelings, and instead of manning up to tell her, he kept it to himself like a fucking coward. He let people tease him and he blushed deeply like a fucking kid anytime he was teased about it. Then, one night, the girl he loved disappeared all of a sudden. He searched for weeks along with her two best friends and Nana, but found nothing. Eventually, her Nana stopped searching until she suddenly showed up back in college. He was the happiest man on earth to see her but he still remained a fool and said nothing about how he felt. Even when she told him and her best friends about what happened to her when she was kidnapped, he chose to remain a coward. He then brought up an escape n to help her escape the devil she was with. Do you know what he nned?¡± Chase stopped.


    ¡°Let us all go,¡± Roman breathed out. He didn¡¯t wish for Sophia to find out about his feelings like that. It was meant to be under the moonlight, where he would confess his undying love for her. Give her first kiss and ask her to be his girlfriend. Not that way. Not in a torture room and from someone else. Someone who clearly hated every fiber he was made of.


    A small sly smile appeared on Chase¡¯s lips. ¡°He nned to be the hero so he would save the day. He wanted to be a gentleman and for that, he had to escape with the girl and her Nana, leaving behind his own dreams. He thought the girl would ept him but he was wrong. So fucking wrong because she belonged to the devil. To the boy, his n was a full proof n. A well nned one where he made fake passports and ne tickets to leave his home country. He even nned a disguise for them and a particr time where they would escape from the program organized by their college under the devil¡¯s nose, but then, destiny didn¡¯t want him with her. The devil was two steps ahead of him and so, his ns got ruined at thest minute. He was taken away when he got to her Nana¡¯s ce to take her and didn¡¯t find her. The innocent girl was taken away by the devil. At the same time, his little sister was killed along with their other best friend. They were gone,¡± He made a pet sound and Sophia gasped but he ignored her. ¡°They were taken away because they betrayed the man who ruled their city, and that was the perfect punishment for betrayers. Did I tell you what happened to the family of one of the best friends? They were sent off too. Their little family was sent off by the devil to go and live happily in hell,¡± When Roman didn¡¯t say anything, Chase tugged on his hair harder. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know how tragically this one-sided love story ended?¡±


    Roman said nothing. He just let out a low grunt.


    Chase snorted out loud. ¡°At the end of the story, the devil showed that crush boy what being a man is. He tortured him. He told him a very short story. The boy might have wanted to hear more of the story but the devil couldn¡¯t tell him again. His story had ended and there was nothing to offer. After that, his parents were brought into the room,¡± At the same time, the door clicked open and two guards walked in dragging a couple.

 CHAPTER XXXVIII

    Roman and Alecia¡¯s parents.


    ¡°Roman, who did this to you? What did you do to the Don?¡± His mum cried out. ¡°Where-Where¡¯s your-,¡±Her remaining words turned into a low gasp when she saw the bodies hanging over the wall.¡± A-Alecia,¡±


    Chase ignored the crying woman and stared at Roman dead in the eye. ¡°Do you know your biggest mistake in this life? Wanting someone that was already taken was your biggest mistake and look what it has caused you. If you didn¡¯t eye my property or try to help her escape, I¡¯m sure you would have been roaming around the streets of Italy freely. Your sister would have been alive. Her best friend would have been alive. You wouldn¡¯t have to be killed and your parents would not have to be buried alive,¡±


    ¡°Chase,¡± tears leaked profusely from Sophia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Please no,¡± She shook her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this. They-this. They are all innocent. Don¡¯t drag them into this. Please,¡±


    ¡°No, Gattina,¡± Chase turned to her. ¡°I swear we all wouldn¡¯t have been here if you didn¡¯t drag them into this. You. You are the cause of everything. You are the reason you lost your best friends and one of their families. You are the reason I¡¯m taking this coward¡¯s life and you are still the dammed fucked up reason I¡¯m taking his parents¡¯ life. Only you. If you had just listened to me in the first ce and decided not to act smart, this wouldn¡¯t be happening,¡± Before anyone couldprehend anything, Chase pulled out a pocket knife and slit Roman¡¯s throat with it before the sound of air leaving his windpipe filled the room.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Roman!¡± Sophia and Roman¡¯s parents screamed.


    Roman gurgled, and blood gushed out his mouth, nose, and silted throat. Chase let go of his hair, and his head sagged as lifepletely left him.


    He died for an unrecognized and unrequited love.


    Chase flung the pocket knife away and wiped off his bloodied hands with the towel one of his men handed to him. He then motioned to Roman¡¯s parents. ¡°Fateli seppellire vivi per aver dato a luce un codardo¡± But then, Chase knew deep down that wasn¡¯t why he was killing them. He was doing it to save and free them of the pain and agony of losing their kids.


    {¡°Have them buried alive for birthing a coward¡±}


    Considering the loud shrill that left Roman¡¯s mum, Sophia knew Chase intended to do something bad, and she began to tug on the chains that she was tied with as she watched Chase¡¯s men dragging Roman and Alecia¡¯s parents. ¡°Chase, please, don¡¯t do anything to them. I-I agree I¡¯m at fault. I agree it was my fault. I-I agree I¡¯m the cause so many lives were lost today, but please spare them. Don¡¯t kill them, ¡°She wasn¡¯t able to save Maya or her family, Alecia or Roman and the guilt would eat her alive, but she could at least save their parents, right? ¡°Please. You-you can take my life also but not theirs. Free them,¡±


    Chase began to untie the chains on Sophia. ¡°Toote, Gattina. I don¡¯t back down on my words,¡± That was the only way to free Roman and Alecia¡¯s parents from the pain of losing their only children. Letting them die would help and free them.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ~~~


    The moment Chase locked the door of his bedroom, Sophia pulled away from him and rushed to the bathroom to pour out the contents of her stomach.


    The blood and everything in that room was disgusting. She couldn¡¯t take it. The sight of her best friends¡¯ bodies and that of Roman was forever going to stay etched to her mind.


    A fresh wave of tears began to fall from her eyes, and her lips quivered. Sophia shut her eyes tight and gripped the sink tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Maya. I¡¯m sorry, Alecia. I¡¯m even more sorry roman. I-I couldn¡¯t even help any of you. I didn¡¯t realize that burdening you guys with my problems would cost you and your family your life. I¡¯m sorry once again Roman. I-I didn¡¯t-I failed to recognize how you felt about me. I¡¯m such a bad person. I-,¡±


    A loud bang on the bathroom door cut her off. ¡°Gattina,e out of the bathroom,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Chase Romano.


    She hated him. She hated him with so much passion. He was the cause of all her problems. He took away her parents, her freedom, and her best friends. He took away everything and left her with a gnawing feeling of guilt.


    Chase banged on the door again. ¡°Gattina, I¡¯m not going to repeat myself again. Come out or I¡¯ll make you,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Make mesh wanted to scream out loud. She wanted to yell at him and tell him she hated him so much, but only sobs left her lips.


    Sophia froze when she heard the sound of her Nana¡¯s voice filling the bedroom with its warmth.


    ¡°Thanks so much, then,¡±


    Sophia quickly opened the door and dashed into the suddenly dark bedroom only to halt in her steps as she stared at her Nana¡¯s smiling face in the projector that was the only source of light in the room along with a burning candle.


    She was dressed in a hospital gown and was on a bed in a hospital room, talking to someone Sophia presumed was a nurse.


    ¡°What-what happened to my Nana?¡± She turned to Chase. ¡°Why-why is she in a hospital? What-what did you do to her?¡±


    Chase ignored her and picked up a knife.


    Sophia made her way towards the projector to at least touch her Nana¡¯s face but was stopped byrge palm gripping her elbow.


    She turned. ¡°Chase, please let me go to her. I-I swear, I won¡¯t ever try to run again,¡±


    Chase gripped her tighter and pulled her with him towards the bed before plopping her down on it. ¡°You don¡¯t ever listen, do you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I- I won¡¯t- ahhh, ¡°She yelped when he gripped her hair tight and pulled her up.


    ¡°Do you want your Nana to join them? Can¡¯t you see how happy she is? You want that smile to leave her face? Do you want to watch her burn into ashes alive?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened, and she shook her head. ¡°No-no, please. Don¡¯t kill her too. I-I¡¯ll have no one. The-the guilt is going to kill me,¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as guilt in our world, Gattina,¡±

 CHAPTER XXXIX

    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°I-,¡±Sophia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not part of this world. I¡¯m not a sinner,¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, you are!¡± He roared and pulled her on hisp, not letting go of her hair. ¡°You were born into this world. Agosti was born into the mafia. Giovanni was born into this world. They both signed up for it,¡±


    ¡°No. You-you¡¯re lying. Mama and Papa worked as-they-papa worked in a bank. He told me so when I was little,¡±


    Augh rumbled off Chase¡¯s throat. ¡°Bank? Poor little Sophia thinks her fucked up father works in a bank,¡± Heughed again, throwing his head back. Sophia only watched him in sheer horror. Once Chase was doneughing, he smiled at her. ¡°Your papa never worked in a bank. He did the same thing I did. He killed people, raped women, trafficked people and drugs. He did much more worse than I¡¯ve ever done,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s lips parted. ¡°You- ahhhh,¡± She screamed when she felt something hot with a pointed tip pressing against the skin below her shoulder des. It was burning so badly. She didn¡¯t know what that was. ¡°Ahhh,¡±


    ¡°I let them all go through their own share of torture before letting them die. Why not give you yours? But you won¡¯t be dying. It¡¯s only me marking you as mine, hmmm? ¡°He pressed the hot tip of the knife harder into her skin. ¡°I¡¯m only leaving my mark on you, Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia raised her hand to w at his wrists to stop it, but her actions were futile. They seemed to enrage him even more and he kept on marking her skin. ¡°You¡¯re hurting me, Chase. Please,¡± Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she saw her own blood on the knife he was using on her skin.


    ¡°It was always meant to hurt, Gattina. Once I¡¯m done, we¡¯ll let it heal, and then it would leave a scar as much as I don¡¯t want a scratch on this beautiful skin of yours¡¯. The scar will always remind you that you¡¯re mine,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t, please,¡± She pleaded.


    Sophia¡¯s begging went on deaf ears. ¡°See? I¡¯m almost done. Just thest letter ¡®E¡¯ of my name, and we¡¯ll be done,¡±


    Chase slowly took his time to carve his name on her skin before dropping her off on the bed. He dropped the knife and switched off the candle he had used, leaving only the projector.


    He wasn¡¯t done yet.


    Chase brought a bottle of liquor before soaking it in a wool and pulled her to him again, squeezing the liquor on the injury.


    ¡°Arhhhhh-,¡±


    ¡°Shah. We don¡¯t want the carving to be infected, do we?¡± He asked. ¡°So just keep quiet like a good little girl and let me get this done with,¡±


    Sophia howled in pain as Chase pressed the wool soaked with liquor on the injury. ¡°It¡¯s hurting,¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Chase dropped the already bloodied wool on a tray on the bedside table before leaning down to ce a peck on the skin there.


    C H A S E.


    He caressed the skin gently, resisting the urge to just dip his fingers into one of the letters to hurt her more, but he knew doing that would spoil the carving and it wouldn¡¯t look perfect.


    ¡°Stop crying,¡± He snapped at her. ¡°You should be happy,¡± He pointed at the projector. ¡°Your Nana is happy,¡±


    He still wasn¡¯t done yet. Just a step more and he wouldpletely drill it in her mind that she was his property.


    Chase unbuckled his belt and pulled off his pants, followed by his boxers.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened in panic. ¡°Please no,¡±


    Chase grabbed her and pulled up her gown so it was huddled around her waist. He ignored all her thrashing and pulled off her panties before thrusting his length into her. ¡°This is thest time I¡¯m going to remind you that you are my property, Gattina and I¡¯m going to be fucking you tonight like a perfect whore while I destroy this perfect little pussy,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ~~~


    They had started off with their clothes but were naked already.


    Sophia was exhausted. She didn¡¯t know how many rounds she and Chase had gone but it was tiring.


    He had tried different sex positions with her and just like he said he would, he treated her as a whore. He had fucked her on the bed both on her back and stomach, he had fucked her on her knees, against the wall, closet door, window, dressing mirror and literally everywhere in the room all the while making her look at her Nana on the projector.


    Sophiaid on her back on the bed and stared at her Nana¡¯s face on the projector, too tired to move as Chase continued his animalistic assaults on her body.


    The moment she felt his cock growing bigger in her, her stomach rolled and she milked his cock, her pussy stretching.


    Chase¡¯s pace slowed down and he grabbed her thighs, cing them on his own. He gripped her hair and made her look into his eyes, before bucking his hips. ¡°Whose property are you? Tell me,¡±


    ¡°Chase-,¡±


    He gripped her hair harder. ¡°Whose perfect little whore are you?,¡±


    Her eyes rolled. ¡°Uhh-,¡±


    A stinging smack on her ass had her gasping. ¡°Tell me, Gattina. Who is the only person that can make you feel like this? The only man that can touch you like this and not get punished? Tell me,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Uhh-you,¡± That was all she remembered before she passed out, letting Chase do whatever he wanted to her because with each hard thrust from him, Sophia gave up on her freedom.


    Chase pulled out of her and spilled his semen all over her stomach before leaning in to her ear. He then whispered. ¡°I made the darned mistake of leaving you years ago, but be rest assured I won¡¯t be doing that again because I¡¯m forever going to keep you here as mine till ourst breaths, Tigre,¡±


    ~~~


    The next morning, Sophia had woken up with an aching body, sore between her legs and a fever.


    To top it all, Chase made her stay in a room alone-with the dead bodies of Maya, Alecia and Roman for three good days.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

 CHAPTER XL

    ~~~


    Hey!!!


    As for thest chapter, I apologise in arrears to you all for not leaving a warning of physical and mental abuse, especially to those who may find it triggering and traumatising.


    I love you all


    ~~~


    SOPHIA¡¯S EYES SLOWLY opened, and she found herself in a dimly lit room, tied with a chain to a bedpost. She tried to struggle free, but the chains weren¡¯t budging one bit. She got tired, gave up andid down back on the hard mattress as tears trailed down her cheeks.


    When she closed her eyes, all she saw was the bloodied bodies of her three friends, then the mental sting of the scar below her shoulder de.


    ¡°Soph,¡±


    Her eyes snapped open and she sat up immediately when she heard a very familiar voice. Just that, it wasn¡¯t as cheerful and happy as it used to be. It was cold,ced with hatred and malice for no one but her.


    But then, the owner of the voice was meant to be dead, right? Sophia was sure she was dead. She had seen her body with her own eyes. She had seen her blood all over her hair. Why then would she be calling out to her. ¡°A-Alecia,¡±


    She was greeted with silence. No one answered her. Alecia didn¡¯t. Instead, another familiar voice called out.


    ¡°Soph,¡± Just like Alecia¡¯s, that voicecked its warmth and gentleness. That caring tone to it was gone and reced with loathing and malevolence, again towards Sophia.


    ¡°M-Maya,¡±


    ¡°Sophia Bet Agosti,¡± and thest voice came from beside her. It was so full of spite, abhorrence, spite, animosity, and hostility, no doubt directed to her.


    Sophia¡¯s head snapped to look at the empty space beside her. ¡°Ro-Roman,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the cause of all this!¡± Alecia¡¯s voice came again.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± She cried. ¡°I-I can¡¯t see any of you. I-I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be sorry now, Soph,¡± Maya called out again. ¡°It¡¯s toote to be sorry. You¡¯re toote because our families are suffering here just like we are. We are not resting! None of us have the peace we deserve over here! It¡¯s all because of you!¡±


    Maya was never that spiteful. She must have been hurt badly by Chase¡¯s actions. ¡°I-I mean my words, Maya,¡± She couldn¡¯t see them, but she could still plead with them, right?¡± I-I didn¡¯t know this would happen. I didn¡¯t know he would -¡±


    ¡°Then join us,¡± Roman¡¯s voice called from beside her again. ¡°Join us. You¡¯re the reason we were all sent over here, right? Come with us. Come and be with us,¡±


    Sophia whispered out. ¡°N-no,¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Alecia¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°You won¡¯t join us even after being the reason we and our families are here?¡±


    ¡°You-you guys aren¡¯t like this. You won¡¯t ever wish death upon anyone, so why do you want me to die?¡± Sophia cried.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We are no more what we used to be,¡± Maya said, her voice quivering a bit. ¡°We aren¡¯t in peace anywhere. We can¡¯t find peace in this world, and we want you with us! You¡¯re holding on to our peace, Sophia. Give us back our peace ande to us!¡±


    ¡°No. I-,¡±Sophia mumbled.¡± I pray for all of you, I swear. I pray to the Lord to give you peace,¡±


    ¡°The Lord doesn¡¯t ept the prayers of a sinner,¡± Roman whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a sinner,¡± Sophia managed to hug her knees. ¡°I¡¯m not a sinner,¡±


    ¡°You were born a sinner, Sophia,¡± Alecia said again. ¡°Chase told that to you. He did! Your parents were sinners! The man who kills for you is a sinner! The world you were born into is that of sinners! Everyone around you are sinners! That makes you a sinner!¡±


    ¡°Please stop it,¡± Sophia covered her ears and ced her forehead on her knees. ¡°I¡¯m not a sinner. It doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a sinner,¡±


    ¡°We hate you,¡± They all chorused out.


    Sophia¡¯s head snapped up as if to see them, and she shook her head vigorously. ¡°You-you don¡¯t hate meowed are all friends. You-I-I¡¯m sorry. Please go away. Please stop. I-I¡¯m very sorry. I-I didn¡¯t -¡±


    Maya cut her off. ¡°Come with us,¡±


    Roman¡¯s voice came as a whisper against her ear. ¡°She¡¯s right. Prove to us how sorry you are ande with us,¡±


    Sophia shook her head and dropped back her forehead on her knees, her palms not leaving her ear. ¡°I-I can¡¯t. My-My-Nana will be all alone in this world. I can¡¯t leave her,¡±


    Alecia¡¯s voice came again. ¡°If we all figure out a way to take your Nana¡¯s life, will youe with us?¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°N-No. I-I want a good future. I-I want to be a nurse. You all know that,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so selfish!,¡± Maya spat. ¡°You caused all this. You¡¯re just as fucked up as Chase Romano is!,¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sophia cried. ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡±


    ¡°Yes you are selfish,¡±


    ¡°Come with us,¡±


    ¡°Grant us our peace,¡±


    Sophia pressed her palms tightly against her ear to block out the three echoing  voices but they seemed to be getting louder.


    ¡°Come with us,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not as innocent as you look,¡±


    ¡°Give us peace,¡±


    ¡°We are restless,¡±


    ¡°We need peace,¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°No!¡±


    Sophia sat up with a jerk as her breathing grew heavier. She could feel the cold sweat trickling down her forehead as her hair stuck all over her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s -¡°She pressed the tip of her fingers against her aching head. ¡°It¡¯s just a nightmare. They-they will stop,¡± She whispered to herself in a convincing way. ¡°They-they¡¯ll stop appearing if I keep on praying for them. They don¡¯t hate me. They are my best friends. They can¡¯t hate me,¡±


    Sophia slowly got down from her bed and walked to the bathroom in slow strides. She then turned on the tap, cupped her palms, and filled them with water before sshing it all over her face.


    Once she was done, Sophia picked up the towel on the towel hanger and wiped her face. As she did that, her hands froze when she stared at her reflection in the mirror.


    She had eye bags underneath her eyes. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying herself to sleep every night.


    A sigh left her lips.


    It had been aplete month ever since that taunting night, and those three consecutive ones after it when Chase had made her stay alone in a room with Maya, Alecia, and Roman¡¯s bodies.

 CHAPTER XLI

    ~~~


    Ever since that time, she hadn¡¯t been the same. Her nightmares had changed from that of her parents to simr ones she had earlier. Her cheeks were hollow, and she had thinned down. She abruptly stopped attending college. She preferred the safe confines of her room and her food was always taken to her in there. The only thing she was grateful for and happy about was that Chase hadn¡¯t showed up in front of her after that terrifying and traumatising night. Once when Valerie had gone to check up on her, she had told her that Chase flew out of the country for work and still wasn¡¯t back yet and Sometimes, Sophia even prayed for him to just die and never return.


    As Sophia¡¯s eyesnded on the covered skin below her shoulder de, a loud voice at the back of her mind screamed at her to leave her hands at her sides and not uncover the skin to look at the scar, but her hands happened to develop a mind of their own.


    Sophia¡¯s hands reached up and one pulled down the shirt she was wearing while the other caressed the scar on her skin.


    C H A S E


    It didn¡¯t hurt again. No, it didn¡¯t. In fact, it waspletely healed, surely leaving behind its main purpose; a scar, but every time she remembered that night, Sophia could still feel the pain of a scalding hot knife tearing at her skin in form of those five letters. It mentally stung her more and the need to w on the scar and rip it off gnawed at her mind but that was impossible. It was impossible to rip off something that had be a part of her skin.


    Warm arms engulfed Sophia in a hug from behind her, before the scent of sandalwood hit her nostrils and she froze in her ce. The fingers on the scar froze also. ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes connected with Chase¡¯s dark ones and his own eyes held hers, not letting her break the eye contact. ¡°Ch.-chase,¡± She tried to break free from him.


    ¡°Stop,¡± He growled and she stopped struggling instantly. Chase ced feathery kisses on her shoulder de. ¡°Won¡¯t you wee me home? I¡¯ve been away from you for a month and I¡¯ve missed you so much,¡± He loved the way she stopped struggling. It was good that way.


    Sophia shook her head and tears clouded her vision. ¡°I-I can¡¯t. Please not tonight,¡±


    Chase passed her a boyish smile and Sophia¡¯s heart fluttered in warmth. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I wasn¡¯t talking about sex though,¡± He turned her so she could face him with his arms still wrapped round her waist and her fists on his chest. ¡°I just need a wee kiss. I promise it won¡¯t be more than that,¡± He sounded like a teenager asking his girlfriend for permission to kiss her.


    Sophia peeked at him through hershes before looking down at her fists on his chest. He was a man who always kept his promises so he wouldn¡¯t do anything more than kissing her. But what if his desires got the best of him? ¡°I-,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to kiss me, Gattina?¡± His voice was heavy with restraint. He was restraining himself from forcing a kiss on her and having her against that mirror even though it would be a good thing to have her watch him drilling himself in her.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia sighed softly. It was of no use refusing him after all. ¡°O-okay,¡±


    Chase ced two of his fingers underneath her chin and made her look up at him in the eye. ¡°Okay what, Gattina? Tell me what you want,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°I-,¡±Sophia tried to look down but changed her mind when she felt his grip on her chin tighten, ¡°I-I-,¡±


    ¡°You what?¡± He passed her that boyish smile again.


    ¡°I-I want you to-I want to-,¡±Red hue stained her cheeks and neck. ¡°I-Kiss me,¡± She then looked down in shyness.


    Chase chuckled and the sound brought warmth to Sophia heart. She didn¡¯t understand why but those butterflies in her stomach woke up and she no longer felt the gaping hole of loneliness in her heart again. ¡°I should kiss you?¡± Chase¡¯s voice broke her out of her thoughts. ¡°You should ask well for it,¡±


    Sophia looked up at him again. ¡°I-I want to-,¡±She shut her eyes tight and pursed her lips.¡± I want to give you a-I want to give you a wee kiss,¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Chase knew she was shy. It was obvious and as much as he wanted to make her open her eyes and say those words to him, he let it slide for another time. ¡°Okay then, Gattina. Give it to me. Kiss me,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened and she looked up at him. ¡°I-I can¡¯t do it!¡±


    Chase smiled and mmed her back against the wall, as he towered above her, earning a gasp from her. He ced his right hand on the wall above her head and the other one rested on her waist. ¡°Just ce your lips on mine. I¡¯ll take over from there,¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t do it,¡±


    ¡°Put both of your hands on my shoulders,¡± He said. When Sophia only looked up at him, he squeezed her waist lightly. ¡°Do it,¡±


    Sophia obeyed and ced both of her hands on his shoulders.


    ¡°ce your lips on mine. Lean in and do that,¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sophia did as she was told and that was all it took for Chase to take over the kiss in his own way.


    ~~~


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been eating?¡± Chase tucked Sophia in her bed and covered her body with the duvet. He had to pull away from that kiss in order to stop himself from doing what he promised her he wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°You look thinner. Are you sick?¡±


    So he noticed? Sophia thought. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m not sick,¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll fall sick if you don¡¯t eat. Take a look at how thinner you¡¯ve be,¡± He resisted the urge to snap and convince her of his point. He clearly couldn¡¯t. He understood the state she was in. She was still broken from what he had done to her a month ago and he couldn¡¯t afford to make her condition worse. She had to be back to normal again.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll be fine if I sleep,¡± Sophia said with a small sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m not listening to that crap. I¡¯m taking you myself to the hospital tomorrow, got it?¡±


    Sophia nodded. There was no chance for refusal.


    ¡°Do you need the lights to be left on?¡± He asked.


    She nodded, not saying a word.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Chase leaned in and stole a quick kiss before pulling away. ¡°Go to bed,¡±


    Sophia gripped his wrist before he turned to leave. ¡°Chase,¡±


    Chase stopped and stared at her face. She wasn¡¯t staring at him. ¡°Do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She sighed. ¡°Can-can I go to the church tomorrow?¡±

 CHAPTER XLII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA SLID INTO the back passenger¡¯s seat and looked up at the guard that had opened the door for her. ¡°Thanks¡±


    He said nothing. His Don never allowed any of them to talk to her unless necessary and in times like that returning her good gesture was unnecessary and uncalled for. He only kept his stoic expression on and shut the door. He went around the car to sit in the front passenger¡¯s seat while the driver roared the car engine to life.


    Sophia looked beside her and found Chase seated there, staring at her. ¡°Hey¡±


    Chase nodded at her and stered a grin on his face as he took in her whole appearance. ¡°You look pretty as always,¡± She was dressed in a pink length summer dress with a round neck. Her hair was parked into a low ponytail, and she had no makeup on.


    Sophia blushed and looked down on herp. ¡°Thanks¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Come¡± Chase smiled at her, signaling to her to move closer with two of his fingers. ¡°Come¡±


    Shyly, Sophia moved a bit close to him, but Chase had other ns. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her onto hisp.


    Sophia ced her hands on his shoulders and peeked at him through hershes. ¡°They-they¡¯ll see us,¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t dare¡± Chase pulled her in so her head was on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m their boss,¡±


    Sophia breathed out. ¡°Chase¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡±


    The vibration from his chest shot heat to her core, and Sophia mped her thighs together for friction. ¡°I-you didn¡¯t say anythingst night¡±


    ¡°About?¡± Chase caressed her locks with his fingers slowly. He knew very well what she was talking about. ¡°What did you ask for that I didn¡¯t give an answer to?¡±


    ¡°Uhh ¨C the Church?¡± She then pulled away from his chest and looked up at him with an adorable pout. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anythingst night when I asked you about it,¡± When she had asked him about going to church, he merely acknowledged her and told her to sleep before leaving the room.


    Chase pulled her head back to his chest without giving her an answer.


    That was enough to tell her he wasn¡¯t letting her even go to the church, right?


    Sophia let out a shaky breath and shut her eyes tight. A soundless sob left her lips, and that didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Chase.


    The silence enveloped them in the car till the car pulled up in front of arge building. The one Sophia recognized as the biggest hospital in Italy.


    Gemelli Polyclinic.


    The driver spoke up, breaking the silence. ¡°Siamo qui, Don,¡±


    {¡°We¡¯re here, Don.¡±}


    ~~~


    ¡°Voglio I risultati del test adesso, Matteo,¡± Chase said to the doctor that had conducted Sophia¡¯s tests.


    {¡°I want the test results now, Matteo¡±}


    They were all seated in his office. Chase was seated on a couch in one corner of therge office with a sleeping Sophia in his arms while the doctor sat in his own chair behind his desk going through some files.


    Matteo dropped the file on the table. ¡°Certo, Don. Lo prendero subito,¡± The doctor stood up, adjusted his coat, and walked around the table.


    {¡°Sure, Don. I¡¯ll get it right away.¡±}


    Chase nodded and jutted his chin at the doctor towards the door. ¡°andare,¡±


    {¡°Go¡±}


    The doctor walked out of the room, leaving Sophia and Chase alone.


    Chase looked down at her sleeping face and leaned in, dropping a few kisses on her freckles, then nose before leaving a peck on her puckered lips. ¡°Non meriti quello che e sesso ne tua vita. Essere nato in un mondo paminoso e questo, tra le bria di un fottuto gruppo di genitori di merda, vederteli portati via in cosi giovane eta, essere rapito e tenuto lontano da l¡¯unica persona che ti ama e si prende cura di te da un altro insieme digente incasinata, torturata mentalmente e presa da qualcuno diabolicoe me,¡±


    {¡°You don¡¯t deserve whatever has happened in your life. Being born into a sinful world and that, into the arms of a fucking set of shitty parents, having them taken away from you at such a young age, getting kidnapped and kept away from the only person that loves and cares for you by another set of fucked up people, tortured mentally and taken by someone as devilish as me¡±}


    A small smile graced his lips, and he shook his head at her innocence. ¡°Ma poi, allo stesso tempo, sono felice che tu sia qui con me. Sono felice che tu abbia assistito a morte di Russo e che tu sia stato rapito dai tuoi stessi fratelli perche nel momento in cui le restanti persone del nostro mondo scopriranno che sei figlia di Agosti, potresti non essere in grado di sopravvivere a quello che ti farebbero. E un bi ho preso per primo. Nessuno tranne me sara in grado di tenerti al sicuro lontano da danni e pericoli,¡±


    {But then, at the same time, I¡¯m happy you¡¯re here with me. I¡¯m d you witnessed Russo¡¯s death and got kidnapped by your own siblings because the minute the remaining people of our world find out about you being Agosti¡¯s daughter, you might not be able to survive what they would do to you. It¡¯s good I got you first. No one but me will be able to keep you safe away from harm and danger¡±}


    A light knock on the door came, and the doorknob turned before the doctor walked in. ¡°I risultati del test sono pronti, Don,¡±


    {¡°The test results are ready, Don¡±}


    Chase nodded his head at the doctor. ¡°andare avanti,¡±


    {¡°Go ahead¡±}


    The doctor peeked at Sophia to be sure she was still sleeping before opening his mouth to sleep. ¡°Don, I suoi organi sessuali sono sani e a posto. Nessun danno e stato causato dal sesso violento,¡±


    {¡°Don, her sex organs are healthy and okay. No damage has been caused by the rough sex.¡±}


    Chase silently breathed out in relief. That was the first thing he wanted to be sure was okay with her before any other thing. ¡°Allora perche cazzo sta dimagrendo? Sembra pallida e terribilmente mta,¡±


    {¡°Why the fuck then is she thinning down? She looks pale and terribly ill¡±}


    The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Si, e mta. Ma non e niente di grave. Solo un po¡¯ di febbre. Inoltre, il motivo per cui ha questo aspetto e lo stress, mancanza di sonno e l¡¯ansia. Inoltre mangia a mpena. Sarebbe consigliabile controre le sue attivita quotidiane e assicurarsi che dorma. riposati e mangia per ritrovare il peso perso,¡±


    {¡°Yes, she¡¯s ill. But it¡¯s nothing serious. Just a little fever. And also, the reason she looks like this is because of stress,ck of sleep and anxiety. She barely eats too. It would be advisable to watch her daily activities and ensure she gets sleep, rest and eat well to regain her lost weight¡±}


    The crease between Chase¡¯s brows deepened. Lack of sleep,ck of food, stress, and anxiety could lead to something worse. It was good he took her to the hospital before it got worse. ¡°Farmaci allora? Prescrivigliene alcuni. Voglio che riceva il miglior trattamento,¡±


    {¡°Drugs then? Prescribe some for her. I want her to get the best treatment. ¡°}


    The doctor passed him a small smile. ¡°Certo, Don. Le prescrivero alcuni farmaci che possono aiuta a mangiare e a dormire bene,¡±


    {¡°Sure, Don. I¡¯ll prescribe a few drugs that can help her eat and have a good sleep.¡±}


    Chase nodded.

 CHAPTER XLIII

    ~~~


    ¡°Cosa vuol dire che non si trova da nessuna parte? Trovalo. Saro al magazzino tra pochi minuti,¡±


    {¡°What do you mean he¡¯s nowhere to be found? Find him. I¡¯ll be at the warehouse in a few minutes.¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s eyelids fluttered open at the familiar sound of Chase¡¯s voice, and she looked around her surroundings. They were all in a car with the driver driving and she was in Chase¡¯s arms.


    For how long had she slept after the doctor took her blood sample? She couldn¡¯t even remember how she even fell asleep.


    Chase looked towards the guard at the front passenger¡¯s seat. ¡°Chiama vi. Ho bisogno di un¡¯altra mhina che mi porti subito al magazzino,¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    {¡°ce a call to the mansion. I need another car to take me to the warehouse right away.¡±}


    The man nodded. ¡°su di esso, Don,¡± He then pulled out his phone and dialed a number. When the person on the other end picked, he spoke. ¡°Ti mandero nostra posizione. Manda un¡¯auto e i nostri uomini per scortare Don al magazzino,¡±


    {¡°On it, Don¡±}{¡°I¡¯ll send you our location. Send a car and our men to escort Don to the warehouse.¡±}


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Sophia whispered out to Chase, cing her hand on his shoulder. ¡°You seem tense,¡±


    Visibly rxing, Chase nodded and pulled her to his chest, and he pecked the crown of her head. ¡°As much as I want to go with you to the church, I can¡¯t. An important work came up, and I have to go,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re letting me go to the church?¡± Sophia whispered.


    Chase nodded. ¡°Hmmmm,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s hands fell from his shoulder, and she barely circled his arms with her small palms in an attempt to hug him. ¡°Thanks a lot. You-you don¡¯t know how much this means to me,¡±


    ~~~


    Sophia stared at the statue of Mother Mary standing proudly in front and towering over her in the church.


    She sped her palms together and closed her eyes softly. ¡°Blessed Mother Mary, I-what have I ever done to deserve a life like this?¡± She sniffled a sob. ¡°M-my mama and papa were taken away from me at such a young age, and I was left with nightmares. I got kidnapped for witnessing a sin, and I¡¯ve been made to sin. Someone other than my husband touched me without my permission. That makes me a sinner, right? I-I always wanted a life where I¡¯d live peacefully with my Nana and be a sessful nurse but it was all taken away from me because mama and papa were born into this dangerous and sinful world,¡± A tear slid down her cheek and her voice quivered. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want this life,¡± Tears were already streaming down her face, and she shook her head vigorously. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay with him. I want my Nana. I want my freedom. I want to be a nurse. I want Maya, Alecia, and Roman to be at peace wherever they are. I don¡¯t want those haunting nightmares. They don¡¯t let me sleep. I-I¡¯m no longer who I used to be. I want to go back to who I used to be. I miss everyone. I miss my best-friends. I miss my Nana. Oh Lord, please grant my best-friends peace wherever they are. Grant me back my peace. Most importantly, grant me my freedom. I want my freedom back,¡± Sophia opened her eyes and wiped her tears with the back of her hands, then adjusted her veil overhead and let out a pained smile. It suddenly felt as if a great burden was lifted over her shoulders. ¡°Thanks, lord. Thanks for everything you¡¯ve done for me,¡± She then gently tapped her forehead. ¡°In the name of the Lord -¡°Another tap below her right shoulder. ¡°The Father¡± Another tap below her left shoulder. ¡°And the Holy Spirit,¡±


    Once she was done, she turned and walked out of the church.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± the guard she had gone to the hospital with called on to her and passed her a phone. ¡°The Don wants to speak to you,¡±


    Sophia nodded and collected the phone with shaky hands, then took it to her ear. ¡°Chase,¡±


    ¡°Gattina,¡± His deep voice came from the other end. ¡°Did I disturb your prayers?¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia shook her head and spoke when she realized he wouldn¡¯t see her. ¡°N-no. I-I just finished,¡±


    ¡°Did you like the church you were taken to? If you don¡¯t, tell me, and I¡¯ll skin both the driver and guard alive,¡±


    She shook her head again. ¡°I-It¡¯s okay. I loved it,¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Chase replied. ¡°Go home and make sure you have your meals and drugs. I¡¯ll be homete. I don¡¯t want to get home and find you hungry or hear that you barely touched your food. otherwise, I¡¯ll force the food down your throat. Am I clear?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes,¡± She said. ¡°Chase,¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Th-  thanks for letting me go to church,¡± She said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Now go home. It¡¯s notpletely safe out there,¡±


    ~~~


    Sophia curled herself into a ball under her duvet as she heard the sound of footsteps directly outside her room before the door opened and closed with a click behind her.


    She shut her eyes tighter when the scent of sandalwood wafted through her nostrils and the bed dipped beside her.


    Chase pulled off his shoes and pulled up the sleeves of his button-down shirt to his elbow before lying down on the bed. He then stretched his hand and pulled Sophia into his warm arms, earning a gasp from her.


    ¡°Why are you still awake?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I-,¡± She kept her eyes on the rings on his fingers. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sleepy,¡± and I don¡¯t know why, but I also couldn¡¯t sleep because you weren¡¯t yet back. She almost added but kept quiet. ¡°Why-why are you here? Shouldn¡¯t you be in your room?¡± She knew very well he was likely to get angry at her question and even force himself on her, but her lips had worked on their own ord.


    Chase understood she was already anticipating his anger, and he caressed her hair. ¡°Am I not allowed to see you? Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    Even if she said yes, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered to him because he would only do what he wanted to do. So, Sophia shook her head. ¡°N-no,¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me how work was today?¡± He asked.


    ¡°H-how was work?¡± She looked up at him.


    ¡°It was stressful. Nothing a small sleep wouldn¡¯t get rid of,¡± He replied. ¡°Did you eat?¡±


    Sophia whispered out. ¡°Yes,¡±


    ¡°Your drugs? Did you take them?¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°Yes,¡±


    ¡°Good girl,¡± He smiled. ¡°Tell me about the church. What did you pray for?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s hands involuntary worked on their own, and she sped one of her palms together with his free one, intecing their fingers while he silently watched her, waiting for her reply. ¡°I-I prayed for my freedom,¡±

 CHAPTER XLIV

    ~~~


    SOPHIA¡¯S EYELIDS FLUTTERED open as the warm feeling of strong arms enveloped her body. She looked up, only to be met with the sight of a handsome sleeping Chase. Her eyes locked on his face and she couldn¡¯t pull away. She stared at the way his hair fell over his forehead giving him a boyish look, the way his long, thick and fullshes rested over his cheekbone had her staring in awe. The moment her eyes fell on his thin lips, the images of all the times when he used to kiss her shes across her mind.


    How could someone so cruel, violent, and brutal look so peaceful while asleep?


    She tried to move away, but Chase¡¯s arms pinned her down tighter.


    ¡°Morning, Gattina,¡± Chase¡¯s eyes fluttered open.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s stomach did a flip-flop. If she thought his voice was sexy, then his morning voice was much sexier and hoarse. ¡°M-,¡±She ced her palms on his chest. ¡°Morning,¡±


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Chase slid one of his arms underneath his head while the other still remained around her. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t forget what I told youst night?¡±


    ¡°You have your freedom, Gattina. It¡¯s with me-beside me and with me,¡±


    That was all he had told her after she told him what she prayed for before asking her to sleep.


    Sophia blinked her eyes and nodded her head. ¡°I-I need to go,¡±


    ¡°Not after a morning kiss,¡± Chase¡¯s lips lifted up into a smirk.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened, and she blushed. ¡°I-,¡±


    ¡°Should I take it myself?¡± He raised a brow at her. His eyes flickered to her lips, then back to her big innocent eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t mind helping though,¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t kiss,¡± Sophia looked down at his chest. ¡°I¡¯ve never kissed anyone in my-,¡±


    Chase cut her off with a tug on her chin, making her look up at him. ¡°You¡¯ve kissed me Gattina. So many times,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    She shook her head. ¡°You took it away from me. You never let me kiss you myself,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re mine. I don¡¯t need to let you do it,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a property,¡± She whispered out, watching the way his jaw clenched.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter as long as you belong to me, mind, body, and soul,¡±


    Sophia let out a sigh. ¡°Please let me go,¡±


    ¡°You owe me a kiss,¡± He replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take it myself,¡±


    ¡°I told you I can¡¯t -¡°Her words were swallowed by Chase¡¯s lips on hers.


    The moment she gasped out, clutching his shoulders, Chase used the opportunity to slide his warm tongue into her mouth.


    ~~~


    ¡°Please, can I speak to Chase?¡± Sophia asked one of the guards at home.


    Neither Valerie nor Luciano was at home, and she was bored. She needed to talk to Chase about it. Sitting down alone in arge mansion where the servants feared to make eye contact with her was not what she wanted.


    She needed to be free.


    Sophia blinked her eyes when the guard didn¡¯t say a word. He just stood there, simply staring at her. ¡°Please,¡±


    The guard looked like he was contemting before he brought out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.


    The minute the line got connected, the guard spoke up. ¡°Don,¡±


    Chase spoke up from the other end. ¡°Va tutto bene? Il mio Gattina sta bene? C¡¯e qualcosa di cui ha bisogno?¡±


    {¡°Is everything alright? Is my kitten alright? Is there anything she needs?¡±}


    ¡°Va tutto bene, Don. Lei insiste per parti. o perche io-,¡±


    {¡°Everything is alright, Don. She insists on speaking to you. That¡¯s why I-}


    Chase cut him off immediately. ¡°Allora che cazzo stai aspettando? Dalle il telefono,¡±


    {¡°Then what the fuck are you waiting for? Give her the phone¡±}


    ¡°Certo, Don,¡± The man passed the phone to Sophia.


    {¡°Sure, Don}


    ¡°Gattina,¡± Chase called out.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Chase, I-I need something from you, please,¡± Sophia began.


    ¡°What do you want? Is everything okay with you over there? Should Ie home?¡±


    Sophia shook her head as if he would see her. ¡°No, no. I-I¡¯m just bored. That¡¯s all,¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I need to go out, please.¡± Her voice almost sounded pleading. ¡°I-It¡¯s boring in here! I would have preferred staying alone, but Val and Lu -¡±


    Chase cut her off before she could even mention Luciano¡¯s name. ¡°You can go,¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Chase sighed. ¡°I said you can go but be home after an hour. I¡¯ll have Valerie and the guards to follow you,¡±


    No. She didn¡¯t want to be the reason why Valerie would forfeit whatever she was doing. ¡°But -¡±


    He cut in again. ¡°Do you really want to leave the mansion?¡±


    Sophia closed her eyes softly and let out a whisper. ¡°I-I do,¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± He replied. ¡°Give the phone back to its owner,¡±


    ¡°O-okay,¡± Sophia handed the phone back to the guard with a pout on her lips.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    ¡°Don,¡±


    ¡°Chiedi ad Alessandro di organizzare almeno dieci uomini. Dovrebbero tutti vigre su di lei mentre va dove vuole. Solo un¡¯ora,¡±


    {¡°Ask Alessandro to arrange at least ten men. They should all watch over her as she goes anywhere she wants. One hour only, ¡°}


    ¡°Certo, Don,¡±


    {¡°Sure, Don¡±}


    ~~~


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sophia smiled at Alessandro as he collected the shopping bags from her and Valerie¡¯s hands.


    True to his words, Chase had sent Valerie over to take her shopping. Sophia wasn¡¯t a much fan of shopping, but it was better than staying all alone in an empty house with the maids.


    She and Valerie had just finished shopping and were going back home.


    Alessandro nodded at Sophia and opened the back passenger door, and dropped the bags on the seat. He then held the door for Valerie to get it.


    ¡°Thanks, Ale¡± Valerie passed him a sweet smile, which he clearly ignored before sliding in. Their eyes locked for a moment.


    ¡°Uhh -¡± Sophia called out. ¡°I-I need to use the bathroom, please. I¡¯m pressed,¡±


    Alessandro broke the eye contact with Valerie and nced at the other car behind theirs. They had left the mansion with an extra car filled with guards all for the safety of Sophia.


    ¡°Sure,¡± He turned to Sophia and nodded at her before leaning on the car. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sophia smiled and turned to go back into the shopping mall.


    Valerie turned to the driver. ¡°I need you to help me get water from the mall opposite us. The one I have here is finished,¡±


    Alessandro pulled away from the car and faced her. ¡°I¡¯ll get it for you, ma¡¯am,¡±


    Valerie clenched her jaw and stered a fake smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Alessandro. The driver will do that for me right away,¡±


    Alessandro opened his mouth to protest. ¡°I-,¡±


    Valerie beat him to it with a bossy tone. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get into the car while we wait for the driver and Soph? The sun¡¯s a bit too hot today,¡±


    He knew he couldn¡¯t say no to his boss. He could lose his job because of that. Alessandria nodded with a clenched jaw before opening the front passenger door to get in. He then turned to the driver. ¡°Prendile l¡¯acqua,¡±


    {¡°Get the water for her¡±}


    The driver nodded and went out of the car, leaving the both of them alone.


    Valerie called out. ¡°Ale,¡±


    Alessandro gritted out. ¡°What the fuck do you want, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sweetheart for you, Ale. We both know that,¡±

 CHAPTER XLV

    Alessandro turned to her with dark angry and stormy grey eyes. ¡°It ended the moment I found you in the arms of another man that night,¡±


    Valerie buried her face in her palms before letting out a sigh. ¡°Fuck, Ale-,¡±


    ¡°Alessandro¡± He cut her in. ¡°You¡¯ll call me Alessandro the same way my bosses do,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more than a boss to you, Ale¡± She resisted the urge to go to the front seat and seat on hisp like she used to do. ¡°We¡¯re in love! You said you love me!¡±


    ¡°You said the same but chose to cheat on me¡± Alessandro¡¯s fists were clenched at the sides as he remembered the taunting image of seeing the woman he loved in another man¡¯s arms. ¡°You looked clearly in love with that bastard!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t- don¡¯t call him a bastard. Nick isn¡¯t a bastard, ¡°She said.


    ¡°Great,¡± He mumbled under his breath. ¡°Fucking great,¡±


    ¡°Listen to me, Ale¡± She whispered out before leaning in. ¡°I-Nothing is going on between Nick and I, I swear. He-he used to be my friend a long time ago. We-,¡±


    Alessandro cut her off with a hard tone. ¡°And now you¡¯re lovers. Fucking lovers,¡±


    ¡°Will you shut the fuck up and listen to me?!¡±She shrieked. ¡°We-we lost contact and-,¡±Her remaining words died on the tip of her tongue when her eyes fell on the driver heading their way. She then looked back at him. ¡°We¡¯re not done having this conversation, Alessandro,¡±


    ~~~


    Sophia adjusted her hair as she stared at her reflection in the mirror with a small smile. Her little alone-moment was broken when the bathroom door opened.


    She turned to face the person. ¡°Just a min -¡± Her remaining words died in her throat when she saw a man standing there as he closed the bathroom door beside him.


    The first thing her eyes fell on him was the scary scar above his left eyebrow which went across his eyes and stopped on his cheek. His hair was slightly brown in color and he was wearing a ck suit. The unnerving smile on his lips had her shuddering in fear.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes flickered to the door lock, and she internally sighed in relief that the door wasn¡¯t locked before she looked back at him. ¡°You-you¡¯re in the wrong bathroom,¡±


    He raised a brow at her, his smile not fading. ¡°Am I?¡±


    Sophia frowned. ¡°Yes, you are. This is the female bathroom,¡±


    ¡°Okay then, ¡°He shrugged. ¡°Why don¡¯t we check it out? The te on the door said male bathroom when I wasing in,¡±


    ¡°N-no,¡± She shook her head. ¡°It read female bathroom. I saw it,¡±


    He moved away from the door. ¡°Let¡¯s check it then,¡±


    Sophia nodded and walked past him to open the door. She went out and checked the te on the door shock, coursing through her veins.


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± The scarred man walked out of the bathroom and smiled at her. ¡°You used the wrong bathroom,¡±


    ¡°How -¡°Sophia looked at him.¡± It¡¯s impossible. I¡¯m sure I walked into the female bathroom,¡±


    He chucked and pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath. ¡°E davvero innocente,¡±


    {¡°She¡¯s really innocent.¡±}


    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Sophia asked.


    He shook his head. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say anything, ¡°Fuck. She was so innocent. Anyone in her ce would have been able to make it out that the tes were tampered with or even changed.


    Sophia nodded. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding. I¡¯ll take my leave now,¡± She made her way to leave, but he held her arm, stopping her in her tracks.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know me, Sophia Bet?¡±


    Sophia froze at the mention of her full name and turned to him. ¡°How-how do you know my name?¡±


    He let go of her arm and shrugged. ¡°Maybe because I¡¯m your saving grace?¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Her frown deepened. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to save you from him,¡± He tilted his head to the side before pointing at her clothed scar below her shoulder de. ¡°I want to save you from who left the scar there,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes slightly widened, and she ced a protective hand over her shoulder. ¡°Who-who told you I have a scar?¡± She looked at the ground. ¡°I have no such scar. I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡±


    He chuckled and moved closer. ¡°So you mean if I shrug off the cloth over there, I wouldn¡¯t see a carving or scar of Chase Romano¡¯s name there?¡±


    He knew. There was no use hiding it again. He was the first person that had talked to her about the scar except Chase, and he sounded pretty assumed at her way of hiding it.


    ¡°Look -¡°He began. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to be with him. I know where he has kept your grandma, and I know he has murdered people dear to you. I know everything, so there¡¯s no use to trying to hide it. All I need is your co-operation. Chase Romano is my enemy as well and he has murdered people dear to me. Only I was able to survive all he had done to my family; my mum, my dad, my brothers, my wife and daughter. He murdered them all just because I witnessed his cousins murdering a pure soul. This scar on my face was given to me by him just as he had done to you. I want my revenge on him and-,¡±


    Sophia spoke, cutting him off. ¡°Do you mean you want to use me to get your revenge on Chase?¡±


    He stepped closer and ced both of his hands on her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, Sophia. You¡¯re the only way I can get to him. With you, we can lure him to the police and all the people he has murdered will get their justice. You will also get your Nana too¡± He then slid his hand in his pants pocket and brought out a business card, before cing it in her palm. ¡°This is my business card. Make sure to call me when you make your decision, but please don¡¯t ever allow anyone in the Romano household to get a hold of it. otherwise, we will be done for, and I can¡¯t even begin to imagine what he would do to your Nana,¡±


    Sophia clutched the business card in her hand and looked up at him. ¡°How-what if I-what if I get caught? My-my, Nana will be -¡±


    He cut her in immediately. ¡°That¡¯s why you need to decide quickly before it¡¯s toote. I already have the police ready, and all I need is proof from you. Don¡¯t forget to think about your Nana¡¯s wellbeing in all this. Her life depends on this,¡± At least it was good he was able to convince her. Using her Nana would be very good to get to her. Her Nana was her top priority. All he needed was time.


    ¡°Can-can I trust you? Can I trust that if I do this, my Nana will be safe?¡±


    He breathed out in relief. There was hope. ¡°Yes. You can trust me on this. Just think positively about it,¡±


    Sophia looked at his scar, a shiver running down her spine. ¡°Who-who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m udio. udio Volkov,¡±

 CHAPTER XLVI

    ~~~


    SOPHIA SLID THE business card in her trouser pocket as she walked out of the mall. The moment her eyes fell on the spot where their car had been parked, she froze.


    The man that she was thinking of betraying stood there, staring right back at her while Valerie, Alessandro, and the others weren¡¯t there any longer.


    She gulped. Had he seen her keeping the business card in her pocket? Was it all a trap to test her? What if Chase owned udio¡¯s loyalty and was using him to test her?


    There were no answers to her unasked questions.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Chase¡¯s voice broke her out of her daze. ¡°Come here,¡±


    She managed a small nod before walking towards him. ¡°You -¡°She looked around the whole surrounding for a sign of Valerie and the whole team she had been with before looking back at him. ¡°Why are you here? Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°I sent them back home,¡± He passed her his boyish smile, and her heart skipped a bit. ¡°I came to pick you up myself,¡± He then pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. ¡°I hope you enjoyed the shopping?¡±


    ¡°Uhh -¡°Sophia¡¯s eyes flickered to his dark ones, and she nodded, seeing the light gleam in his eyes. ¡°I did. I enjoyed it,¡±


    Reluctantly, Chase pulled away from her. ¡°That¡¯s great then. I always want you to be happy, Gattina. Anything for you,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Just as he was about to get into the car, Sophia clutched onto his suit jacket. Chase turned. ¡°Do you want anything in there?¡± He jutted his chin towards the mall.


    ¡°If you want to see me happy, then please let me go,¡±


    Chase¡¯s jaw ticked, and just like that, his mood was sour. ¡°Get in the car,¡±


    From the corner of her eyes, Sophia caught sight of udio, staring at them, from a distance


    ¡°Do I need to drag you into the car?¡± Chase snapped at her.


    Sophia flinched, blinked, and then parted her lips. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± She didn¡¯t like it whenever he was in a bad mood. It scared her.


    Slowly, she got into the car as the driver opened the door for her while Chase slid in beside her.


    ~~~


    Sophia stared out of the window of the car, feeling Chase¡¯s intense gaze on her. Her mind was solely focused on udio¡¯s words, and she resisted the urge to ask Chase who udio was. She really wanted to know why he took so much pleasure in murdering people and taking them away from their loved ones.


    ¡°Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia blinked away her thoughts and turned to Chase. ¡°Hmmm,¡±


    Chase leaned in and pulled her on hisp before burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of coconut on her. He ced a peck on her neck. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Sophia gripped his suit coat tighter in her fists. ¡°I-,¡±She shook her head. ¡°Nothing,¡±


    Chase looked up at her andbed his fingers through her locks. ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡±


    She bit on her bottom lip, and that had Chase flickering his eyes to her lips. ¡°I-I¡¯m not lying,¡±


    Chase averted his eyes from her lips and settled them on her freckles. ¡°I love your freckles,¡±


    Sophia said nothing. She only stared at him nkly.


    Chase locked his eyes with her almond shaped ones. ¡°Won¡¯t you say thank you?¡±


    ¡°Th -thank you,¡± She managed a small smile.


    Satisfied with that, Chase brought a few strands of her hair to his lips and pecked it. ¡°I love your hair too. A lot,¡±


    Sophia let out a shaky breath. ¡°Thanks,¡±


    He again leaned in and pecked her button nose. ¡°Even your nose. I love it too,¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Chase smiled and kissed her slowly. It was a short but sweet kiss. ¡°I love your lips and everything about you,¡± He whispered against her lips. ¡°Every fucking thing about you is perfect. Fucking perfect and I¡¯ll do anything for you. Anything, but never ask me to let you go. I won¡¯t ever let you go and even if your happiness depends on that, I¡¯d advise you to find something else to make you happy because I won¡¯t give you your happiness that way,¡±


    Sophia shuddered in fear and whispered out. ¡°Chase -¡±


    He ignored her. ¡°Anything but that. Anything but letting you go,¡±


    Sophia fisted her hands into a tight ball, clutching his suit coat. ¡°Chase, I-I want to see my Nana,¡±


    Chase stilled and pulled away, staring into her eyes. His eyes didn¡¯t have that softness it had in them earlier. They had turned stone cold, and it scared Sophia. The way his eyes looked had fear coursing through her veins. ¡°No,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s heart dropped in her stomach. ¡°W-why?¡±


    ¡°Must I give you an exnation on why you mustn¡¯t see her?¡± He snapped, and she flinched. When he saw her reaction to his sudden mood, Chase closed his eyes shut to push back the emotions he was suddenly feeling before opening back his eyes with a soft look in them. He caressed her left cheek softly. ¡°You¡¯re still a captive, Gattina. Have you forgotten that?¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia sighed lowly, and her head dropped while her shoulders sagged. Maybe she¡¯d have to maybe call udio then.


    ~~~


    Once Sophia and Chase stepped foot into the house, something small ran towards them and curled up into ball at her feet, making her stop.


    Her eyes fell on the animal¡¯s fur and instantly went on her knees to pick it up. She then looked up at Chase. ¡°It¡¯s a cat. How did it get here?¡±


    Chase wrapped his arms around her shoulder to pull her up, shing her his mega-watt smile. ¡°I got it for you,¡±


    Tears blurred her vision, and she whispered. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I always knew you loved cats, so I got her for you as a surprise. You can y with her all you want as long as she¡¯s helping to kill that boredom you feel in here. If you¡¯re tired of her, I can get you another one,¡± Fuck. He sounded so cheesy and it made him cringe internally. He was never like that.


    ¡°Really?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Thanks a lot,¡± She then hugged his torso with her small arms while her head rested on his chest. That took Chase off-guard. She had never been the one to initiate anything with him and that was her first. If only he knew getting her a cat would coerce her like that, he¡¯d have done it ever since she moved into that mansion. ¡°Chase, thank you so much. I really love the cat,¡±


    Before Chase could wrap his arms around her, Sophia pulled away and he pinched the bridge of his nose. What the fuck was he thinking? How could he have tried to hug her back? ¡°It¡¯s good you love the cat,¡±


    Sophia stroked the cat¡¯s fur as it leaned into her touch. She smiled and looked up at Chase. ¡°What should we name her?¡±


    ¡°Name her whatever you want,¡± He said.


    ¡°No. I want us both to name it together, ¡°She smiled at him.

 CHAPTER XLVII

    Her smile wasn¡¯t like the other forced and small ones she used to give him. No. It was a wide one; full of innocence and admiration with gratitude. That was probably the first time she¡¯d ever smiled like that and dammit, her smile was radiant and mesmerizing. It was so innocent and it turned him on. How could a fucking smile, something he hadn¡¯t kept on his face ever since he was a child for more than fifteen years of his life, possibly turn him on?


    ¡°Okay then,¡± He replied. ¡°But how do we do that?¡±


    Sophia tugged on his arm and tilted her head to the side. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to your- uhh -study first?¡±


    ~~~


    Sophia¡¯s eyes snapped open and she sat down immediately as tears and sweat trickled down her face.


    She had another nightmare; the same one of her three friends. But in that one they were using her. using her of being too rxed with Chase. They told her she couldn¡¯t let him have her and the only way for that was to die. They asked her to join them. Again.


    It was taking a toll on her, and she didn¡¯t like it. All she wanted was to be happy. She didn¡¯t want anything weighing on her.


    Sophia knew she wouldn¡¯t be calm unless she took milk. So, she got down from the bed and walked towards the room. Before she could open the door, she felt something soft on her feet and she looked down at the ck and white fur of her cat.


    Charlie. That was the name they had both settled on for her after searching relentlessly on Chase¡¯sptop in his study.


    The cat meowed, and Sophia bent down to pick it. ¡°You¡¯re hungry?¡± The cat meowed again and leaned into her. A giggle escaped her lips. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry. Why don¡¯t we go and get milk in the kitchen? That would be great, right?¡±


    Without waiting for the cat to make any noise, Sophia opened the door and padded down the hallway till she got to the kitchen.


    When she got to the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator but was astonished when she didn¡¯t see any milk in there.


    Sophia gently dropped Charlie and searched the cupboards but found nothing. Why did all the milk suddenly disappear?


    ¡°Looking for milk?¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Sophia froze at the sound of Chase¡¯s voice and abruptly turned to face him by the door with a ss of wine in his hands. ¡°I-,¡±


    Chase walked into the kitchen while Charlie rushed to him and rubbed its fur on his feet. ¡°You don¡¯t need it to calm down,¡±


    ¡°Did you take the milk away?¡±


    Chase leaned on the counter and stared at her dead in the eye. ¡°You should be smart enough to figure out,¡±


    ¡°Why did you take it away?¡± She asked. ¡°That¡¯s what helps me calm down every night,¡±


    He took a sip from his wine and pulled the ss away from his lips, then stared at her dead in the eye. ¡°You have me. All those nights when I used to sleep with you, you never wake up for milk,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the reason I find a cause to wake up for it,¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re -¡±


    Chase cut her in by dropping the wine ss on the counter. ¡°I know,¡±


    Sophia blinked. ¡°You-you do?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let you depend on it any longer, so I took it away,¡± he replied so causally like he was asking if she had eaten.


    ¡°I¡¯m not dependent on it, Chase,¡± She moved closer to him.


    He raised a brow. ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°I-It helps me feel calm anytime I have -¡±


    He cut her in again. ¡°That¡¯s why I said you have me,¡±


    ¡°How do you know I need you when you¡¯re the one behind everything?¡± She asked. ¡°What makes you think so?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, Gattina. All that matters is that I¡¯m here for you,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°It matters, chase,¡± She said. ¡°It matters because you¡¯ve done a lot of things to scar me. You¡¯ve mentally scarred me ever since I was a child. Even after finding me again, you stole away my peace by trapping me in -¡±


    Chase cut in sharply. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you witnessed a fucking murder. I let you go that night when I should have fucking killed you,¡± His jaw was clenched already.


    Tears blurred her vision. ¡°And that was because I witnessed a murder again,¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Not only that. You¡¯re Agosti¡¯s fucking daughter. No one rted to him was meant to live, yet I spared you and your grandma¡¯s lives. The least you can do is to be grateful,¡±


    Maybe it was the right time after all; the right time to get the answers to her questions. Everyone she knew Chase murdered had reasons for dying. Maya, Alessia and Roman had died because of their loyalty for her. udio¡¯s family was killed because he had witnessed a murder and he was lucky to live even though he narrowly survived with a lifetime scar. The man she had seen Chase¡¯s cousins kill too died because he betrayed them.


    She had to know why then her own family was taken away from her and reced with horrible nightmares for ten


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me of that,¡± She stepped closer again. ¡°Tell me why you killed my papa and mama. Tell me why everyone here hates my family. Tell my why you all hate my papa more. Why? Why does Lucas hate me so much? Why does he never miss a chance to taunt or insult me or my papa? Why does he call him names when he should pray for him instead?¡±


    No one questioned him. Chase was angry, and he was on the verge of spilling the damned truth to her. ¡°Do you want to know why? Do you want to know why your fucked up father and mother died in my hands? Importantly, do you want to know why Lucas hates you so much?¡±


    The look in his eyes scared Sophia and it happened to give her a clue that the reasons for her own misery-everything she wanted to know about-weighed more than other victims¡¯ own.


    She gulped, then nodded, her milk and Charlie long forgotten. ¡°Y-yes,¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Agosti was -¡±


    A deep voice cut Chase in by the door. ¡°A fucktard. Your father was a fucktard. That was why he was killed,¡±


    Sophia and Chase turned towards the door to face Lucas as he walked into the kitchen, with only his sweats on while his abs were out on disy.


    Sophia stuttered. ¡°Lu-Lucas?¡±


    He stared at her, pinning her with his resentful gaze. ¡°You want to know why I hate you and your damned parents? You should have asked me,¡±


    Chase growled. ¡°Lucas,¡±


    Lucas ignored Chase, not even batting an eyesh or looking away from Sophia. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth and how your father made us hate him by ruining all our lives,¡±

 CHAPTER XLVIII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA¡¯S LIPS PARTED, and she stared at Lucas , wishing she could just disappear in order to run away from the hateful re he was throwing her way. Was he really going to tell her the truth?


    Chase growled behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts. ¡°Lucas,¡±


    Again, Lucas ignored Chase. He didn¡¯t care again. He didn¡¯t care if Chase would kill him. All he wanted was to make sure Sophia got the memo that he hated her so much. She had to know that she wasn¡¯t meant to live. She should have it at the back of her mind that she was only living due to Chase¡¯s favors and if she tried anything stupid, she¡¯d be as good as dead. ¡°You call us sinners? Your father has done a lot worse than we have ever done. I hate to say this, but trust me on this. Your father has taken innocent lives. He has raped a lot of helpless women. He has trafficked people and sold them out for money. He has used a lot of people for sex ving. Would you like to know that all those helpers you¡¯ve grown up to meet for those first eight years of your life were victims of human trafficking? To make it even more disgusting, Sophia, your mother knew all about this. She supported your father in whatever he was doing. She supported every decision he made like a woman of this world should have. Her fucking mistake was being so foolish to trust him because he impregnated a marri-,¡±


    Everything happened so fast within the blink of an eye, and Lucas was interrupted by a hard shove from Chase.


    Chase turned to face Sophia. ¡°Take Charlie and go to your room,¡±


    Sophia nodded, sniffed, and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks with the back of her hand. She bent down to pick Charlie and scurried out of the kitchen, Lucas¡¯ words not leaving her mind.


    Once he was sure Sophia was out of earshot, Chase turned to   you out of your fucking senses? You could have told her the truth,¡±


    ¡°She was being too nosy. She should mind her fucking business and be grateful for being let to live,¡±


    Chase asked. ¡°Because of that, you think she should know the truth?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she knows again. I don¡¯t care if she finds out that she¡¯s my sister. I don¡¯t give a flying shit about her,¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s going to be broken, Lucas. It would destroy her if she knows all her father has done,¡±


    Lucas scoffed. ¡°She¡¯s already broken, Don. You broke her,¡± He was trying so hard not to sound too protective of her.


    Those particr words hit a nerve in Chase, and he curled his fists around Lucas¡¯ hair, pulling him closer so he could sneer his words right on his face. ¡°I am your Don and I demand respect but when ites to Sophia, I don¡¯t care about it. You won¡¯t ever talk about her like that, Lucas. She is your sister and you don¡¯t have the fucking right to talk like that about her. She¡¯s innocent. She doesn¡¯t know the whole truth so it would be best if we leave everything like that. Ignore and forget the fact that you said those words to her today. Sono chiaro?¡±


    {¡°Am I clear?¡±}


    Lucas matched Chase¡¯s stare without blinking his eyes. Maybe Chase was right, and he had acted like that on impulse. He knew very well that there was a small-no tiny- part of his heart that had that brotherly love and instincts for Sophia but he still wanted to block it all out. ¡°si, Don,¡±


    {¡°Yes, Don¡±}


    ¡°Bene,¡± Chase muttered before letting go of Lucas¡¯ hair.


    {¡°Good¡±}


    ~~~


    Sophia couldn¡¯t sleep again. Even if she had taken milk, she wasn¡¯t sure it would have calmed her. Not after seeing the look in Lucas¡¯ eye, directed towards her.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She twisted and turned on the bed, mping down on her lip to stop it from trembling and also to stop the tears in her eyes from falling.


    ¡°All that matters is that I¡¯m here for you,¡±


    Sophia sat up abruptly once those words rang in her head. She turned to look at her side and found Charlie sleeping there. She couldn¡¯t wake up the poor cat.


    Maybe she could meet Chase to help her out. Maybe he was right when he said he could calm her down.


    Sophia got down from the bed and walked out of the room, barefooted until she got to Chase¡¯s wing of the mansion. Immediately, she sighted him just as he was about to walk into his room.


    ¡°Chase,¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be her, right? Chase stopped and turned towards the direction where Sophia¡¯s voice came from. True to his thoughts, she was there, standing and staring at him.


    Chase pulled out the cigar between his lips. ¡°What¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡±


    Chase motioned for her toe forward with two of his fingers, and Sophia did so. Once she was standing in front of him, he essed her whole face, and that instant, he knew she was finding it hard to sleep. The redness of her eyes told him so. ¡°Do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t-I couldn¡¯t sleep so, I-,¡±


    Chase raised a brow. ¡°You want to stay with me?¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I disturbed you. I¡¯ll just go back to my room,¡±


    Just when she turned to leave, Chase gripped her arm and turned her to face him. ¡°Did I say you disturbed me?¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°I-,¡±


    ¡°Come,¡± He picked her up bridal style and stared into her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to ever think you¡¯re disturbing me. Am I clear?¡±


    Sophia nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°Y-yes,¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± He smiled at her.


    Chase managed to open the door of his bedroom and walked in with her, shutting it with his foot before dropping the cigar he was holding on the ashtray. He slowly walked towards therge bed and dropped her on it. Once he was sure she wasfortable, he covered her body with theforter and ced a peck on her forehead. ¡°Sleep,¡±

 CHAPTER XLIX

    Sophia grabbed his wrists when he was about to pull away. ¡°Won¡¯t-won¡¯t you sleep too?¡±


    Chase pulled away and stood up on his feet before shaking his head. ¡°I need to have a bath first, and then , I have work to do,¡±


    ¡°But -¡±


    Chase cut her in by cing his index finger across her lips. ¡°Sleep,¡±


    Sophia nodded and closed her eyes.


    When Chase moved away from her, Sophia opened her eyes and stared at him. His back facing her, and he was taking off his shirt. It was rare to find someone taking a bath in the middle of the night and Chase was an example of that.


    Sophia gulped when her eyes fell on the snake tattoo on his bare back before gripping theforter tight in her fists while she clenched her thighs together. She didn¡¯t understand what was wrong with her all of a sudden. She could feel something warm on her core and the itch wasn¡¯t unfamiliar. She normally felt it whenever Chase was around her. It was the same feeling she used to have any time he touched her down there and there was this sudden urge to ease it.


    Had she made a wrong decision by going there? That was the second time she had willingly carried herself to his room, and the first time, it didn¡¯t end up for her as she wanted. Images of Chase touching her like he had always done shed through her mind and her core clenched tighter.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    She missed him. She missed the way he touched her down there and went down on her. She missed every single thing he used to do, and that was when she realized it.


    ¡°Why are you still awake?¡± Chase¡¯s voice pulled her out of her dirty thoughts.


    Sophia looked up and found him staring at her, the intensity of his gaze harder, and it made her clench her thighs again beneath theforter.


    ¡°Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia blinked her eyes and blurted out subconsciously. ¡°I-I can¡¯t sleep because of you, and I don¡¯t know why,¡±


    Chase frowned and walked closer to the bed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Sophia didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her. She just had to say what she was feeling out loud. ¡°I-there¡¯s this itch I feel down there, and I always feel it whenever you¡¯re around. I-I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me. It reminds me of all those times when you used to -¡±


    Chase cut her in with an amused tone. ¡°Fuck you?¡±


    Sophia sat down immediately. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of that?¡±


    Sophia sighed and moved closer to her, his disyed abs, making it hard for her to breath. She couldn¡¯t remember feeling hot all over when Lucas had walked into the kitchen shirtless earlier. ¡°Fuck means sex. Like, what I do to you before? Those things. That¡¯s what fuck means,¡±


    ¡°So-,¡± She looked down on her fingers as they intertwined their selves andid on herp. ¡°Does that mean you use to- uhh-,¡± Red hue stained her cheeks. ¡°Fuck me?¡±


    His cock jerked up the moment thest words left her lips and he groaned. ¡°Yes. I use to fuck you,¡±


    Sophia looked up at him through her thickshes. ¡°Then-please do it to me,¡± She then cleared her throat. ¡°I want you to ease the itch down there so please, fuck me,¡±


    Chase almost choked on hearing her. ¡°You want me to fuck you?¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°Y-yes,¡±


    Chase took her off-guard by immediately pulling her to hisp and wrapped his palm around the nape of her neck while her fistsid on his bare chest. ¡°I didn¡¯t touch you for more than one month because I wanted you to regain yourself but once I start and after this night, I¡¯m not stopping because there¡¯ll be no going back, Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s lips parted and she stared into his dted pupils. It made her core clench with each passing second. Her curled fists loosened and her palmsy t on his chest. ¡°What-,¡± Her eyes flickered to his lips and back to his eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What I mean is that if you let me fuck you this night, I won¡¯t stop at any opportunity I get to do that after tonight. Do you understand?¡±


    Sophia nodded and bit down on her bottom lip, the need for him to touch her increasing as each second passed. ¡°O-okay,¡±


    His fingers went to her hair and he caressed it softly. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    Chase leaned in to kiss her but she pressed her palm on his shoulder to stop him. Chase stopped and stared at her. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± She looked at his lips. ¡°I want to do it myself,¡± Her eyes darted to his eyes. ¡°I want to kiss you,¡±


    When Chase said nothing, Sophia cupped both of his cheeks in her small palms and leaned in. She gently ced her lips on his¡¯ and shut her eyes, before gently sucking on his lips.


    Chase parted his lips to grant her entrance, and Sophia slid her tongue into his mouth while their lips moved in a sync.


    In less than a minute, Sophia was on her back while Chase was hovering above her, taking off her pajamas shirt. He unsped her bra and flung the fabric aside, raking his eyes over her pink and erect tits. He grinned at them, joy taking over his heart that he was the one that had that effect on her.


    When he said he loved every single fucking thing about her, he wasn¡¯t lying. Her tits were his favorite things to y with and so, he dipped his head and dropped a kiss on one of her tits. before slowly suckling on it.


    ¡°Mhhh-,¡± Sophia arched her back, and buried her fingers in his locks, pushing her tits to his face.


    One of Chase¡¯s arms went round her waist and the other flicked her other tit between his thumb and forefinger while he continued his assault on her left tit with his tongue.


    ¡°Chase-,¡±


    Chase released her tit from his lips with a pop and looked at her with a grin on his face. ¡°I can smell your arousal,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s lips parted and a moan left her lips just by hearing his voice. It was deeper than usual, thick with raw desire and lust.


    Chase dipped his head and caught her other tit in his mouth, caressing the other one. He suckled on the erect bud with his tongue, bringing Sophia to pleasure.


    Oh God. A tiny voice at the back of Sophia¡¯s mind screamed at her to stop what she was doing. It told her she was making a bad decision but she chose to ignore it. She already knew it was toote because she had signed herself off to the devil and there was no going back.


    Sophia gasped when she felt Chase¡¯s warm breath on the skin below her breasts as he left wet kisses on her stomach till he got to the waist line of her pajamas pants. Carefully, he pulled if off along with her panties before raising one of her legs so her pussy could be directly at his line of sight.


    Her core was drenched with her own glistening wetness and he watched as it clenched and unclenched, waiting to be touched. Chase used his thumb to caress her opening before sticking it inside and Sophia flinched.

 CHAPTER L

    ¡°Argh-,¡± She couldn¡¯t move. Chase held her down with his other hand while the other worked on her pussy. His thumb slid in and out of her slowly while he rubbed her throbbing clit with his forefinger.


    The minute he felt her tightening around his thumb, Chase pulled it out and took his thumb to her lips. ¡°Open,¡±


    Breathing hard, Sophia stared at Chase with confused eyes. ¡°Why- mhh,¡± Her words turned into a moan when he used the opportunity to push his thumb into her mouth.


    ¡°Lick,¡±


    Sophia gently wrapped her lips around his thumb and sucked off the salty liquid from his thumb until he pulled it out.


    Chase dipped his head between her legs and inhaled the sweet scent of her pussy before wrapping his whole mouth around her core.


    ¡°Mhhh-,¡±


    Chase pulled her closer and ced her other leg too on his shoulder before he resumed his attack on her pussy, sending her over the edge. He sucked on her, bit down on her clit andpped on her wetness like she was hisst meal on earth, not giving her the chance to get herself.


    ¡°Chase-,¡± Sophia gasped out the moment she felt her stomach rolling in knots. She ced her hand on her stomach and whispered out. ¡°There- there¡¯s something ¨C mhhh -its rolling in my-,¡± She let out a loud eye rolling moan as she shuddered and spilled all her juices all over Chase¡¯s mouth.


    He took his time to lick her off, not leaving a single drop of cum on her before raising his head to stare at her. There was a trail of cum rolling down his lips and Chase stuck out his tongue to lick it off.


    Immediately, he unbuckled his belt and dropped down his pants before pulling off his boxers and his cock sprang out, hitting his lower stomach.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened at the size of his cock. It seemed as if it had grown even more bigger.


    Her hands flew to cover her core. ¡°Chase, it-,¡±


    Chase cut her off by pulling away her hands and thrusting his length into her in one hard thrust, earning a loud shrill from her. She shut her eyes tight in pain as Chase bucked his hips to pull out before mming his cock into her again.


    ¡°Chase-,¡± She breathed out. ¡°Chase, it hurts. It hurts,¡±


    Chase ignored her and pinned her wrists above her head with one of hisrge palms and continued his movements with a gritted teeth and clenched jaw. He had told her. There was no going back and he meant every single word that had left his lips earlier.


    Chase let go off her hands and dropped her legs from his shoulders, wrapping them round his torso as he kept on thrusting his cock in and out of her while his balls pped her ass.


    Even with her tear-clouded vision, Sophia managed to get her hands up to his shoulder, holding on to him. Her hands on their own made their way to his back, gliding up and down the skin before returning back to his chest to caress the skin there and feel his hard chest. Sophia blinked back her tears and bit down on her bottom lip as her eyes studied the tattoo on his chest while her palms caressed it. It used to scare her before, but at that moment, she didn¡¯t feel scared of it again. Instead, she wanted to know who those two women burning in the fire were. She wanted to know the mystery behind the man hovering above her and exploring her body like that.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The slow and pleasurable touches she was making with her palms on his back, shoulder and chest was only driving him wild. To her, she might be exploring his skin and feeling it, but to him, it was pure seduction. The way her palms glided back and forth on his skin was her own innocent way of seduction.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Chase gritted out when he felt her walls squeezing his length tight. She was about to cum. He could feel it and he was sure he was going to explode soon.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes rolled to the back the moment Chase¡¯s movements slowed down and in a matter of seconds, she had milked his cock with her cum while he pulled out of her and smeared his own warm liquid all over her stomach.


    Chase leaned in and ced a small kiss on her lips. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    Sophia managed to pass a smile and breathed out. ¡°Good. Just-just sore,¡± Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes closed on their own. ¡°Thanks,¡± She mumbled. ¡°Thanks for helping to get rid of the itch, Chase. Thanks,¡± And she let darkness take over her.


    Chase smiled at her sleeping form and dipped his head to ce a peck on the carving of his name.


    ~~~


    Sophia whimpered when she felt the searing  pain between her legs and her eyes parted. She blinked to clear her foggy view until every single detail of what happened the previous night shed across her mind.


    Her eyes fell on the rm clock.


    04:32 am.


    Chase wasn¡¯t there with her. His cock wasn¡¯t buried in her but she could still feel the way he filled her up and a blush crept up on her face. Azy smile made its way to her lips and Sophia ced her palm over her chest to calm the erratic beating of her heart.


    What was wrong with her?


    Her thoughts were broken when she heard a small meow beside her and she looked down at Charlie.


    Gently sitting up, Sophia picked up the cat and stroked it¡¯s ck and white fur. ¡°How did you get in here?¡± When the cat meowed again, she shook her head with a light giggle. ¡°Chase brought you in here, didn¡¯t he?¡± She gently dropped down Charlie. ¡°Let¡¯s go and get Chase. I¡¯m sure he must be in his study and I¡¯m very hungry,¡±


    She got down from the bed and adjusted the sleeves of Chase¡¯s ck button-down shirt that was on her before slowly picking up Charlie.


    When she opened the door and walked out of the room with the cat in her arms, her stomach grumbled. She stopped and pouted. ¡°Let¡¯s get food in the kitchen first and then, we¡¯ll meet Chase,¡± She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and continued her journey.


    She walked down the stairs, trying not to make a sound so as to not wake anyone. Just as she was about to reach the kitchen, she heard voices from Chase¡¯s study and stopped.


    She looked down at Charlie who was staring up at her. ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    Sophia looked towards the study and her curiosity piqued up at the sight of the door left ajar.


    She knew she shouldn¡¯t be poke nosing but her legs developed a mind of their own and she walked towards there. Once she stood in front of the study, she leaned against the wall to eavesdrop.


    Slowly, Sophia closed her eyes and whispered out, her chin jutted up at the ceiling. ¡°Oh Lord, please don¡¯t get me into trouble for-,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s prayers was cut short by Lucas¡¯ voice from inside the study. ¡°I think it would be good if Sophia is told about it,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes opened at the mention of her name and she stared at Charlie. ¡°They¡¯re talking about me,¡± She whispered to it.


    ¡°How do you think she¡¯s going to react if she finds out, Lucas?¡± Chase questioned. ¡°She¡¯s going to be devastated,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s heart drummed against her chest as she feared the inevitable. She just hoped it wasn¡¯t about her-


    Her heart sank in her stomach as Lucas said the remaining words.


    ¡°She¡¯s still going to end up devastated, Don. You can¡¯t hide the truth from her that her grandma was killed because of us,¡±

 CHAPTER LI

    ~~~


    CHASE FISTED HIS hands into a ball and narrowed his eyes at Lucas, who just stood there, staring at him, not saying a word.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to put it like that, Lucas, ¡°He took a step towards Lucas.


    Lucas matched his stare, no regret in his eyes. ¡°How did I put it?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, Lucas,¡± Chase growled. ¡°I don¡¯t need to exin it to you. You said it as if we were responsible for thedy¡¯s death,¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t kill her but we definitely were responsible for it. If you didn¡¯t leave Sophia alive, fucking Volkov would have known nothing about her and he wouldn¡¯t have brought her grandma into this war between us,¡± Lucas replied.


    ¡°Lucas, you-,¡±Chase was interrupted by Charlie¡¯s meow beside his feet.


    ¡°Great,¡± Lucas mumbled, venomcing his words. ¡°Just as Sophia is nosy, her pretty little pet is not any different,¡±


    Chase ignored Lucas and looked down at the animal before picking it up. ¡°Charlie. Why are you here?¡± When the cat meowed again, Chase frowned. ¡°How did you leave my room? Is Sophia still ¨C ¡± His words died in his throat, and he froze, then stared at Lucas, who was literally ring at the poor cat. ¡°I think she overheard us,¡±


    Lucas chuckled. ¡°Sophia heard us? I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t heard her baby sobs out there,¡±


    ¡°Dammit, Lucas. You can¡¯t be dumb,¡± Chase seethed. ¡°How else would Charlie have gotten her if Sophia didn¡¯t-¡°He mped his mouth when it struck him that it was pointless exining to Lucas. ¡°I can¡¯t do this with you, right now,¡± He then rushed out of his study, leaving Lucas again.


    The moment Chase walked out of the door, Lucas¡¯ face softened, and his heart constricted with pain, guilt, and anger towards himself.


    Sophia was his sister, and as much as he wanted her to be in pain, he couldn¡¯t bear to see her in that same pain.


    With those thoughts, he went after Chase.


    ~~~


    Sophia walked down the lonely streets of Chase¡¯s estate. She wasn¡¯t sure how she had left the mansion or passed by the guards, she had just left. All she knew was that she was gone and wasn¡¯t nning on turning back.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hide the truth from her that her grandma was killed because of us,¡±


    A lone tear slid down her cheek as Lucas¡¯ words reyed in her mind. They were the reason her Nana was dead. They had taken away her Nana away from her. And who was the sole reason for all that


    Chase Romano.


    A humorless and pained chuckle eluded her lips at the thought of that certain dark-haired, dark eyed, handsome, and attractive man. He had done nothing but destroy her life and dreams but what did she do? She forgot her Nana was in his captivity just as she was, and even asked him to touch her down there, to ease the itch she felt in her core.


    What had she been thinking when she gave herself again to someone as devilish as that? Someone who didn¡¯t think twice before ending others¡¯ lives just as he had done worse to hers¡¯.


    It was first her parents, then her peaceful sleep. After that, he took her away from her only source of joy and kept her in hisrge mansion to explore her body. He took all of her friends¡¯ lives, showed her just how violent he could be by carving his name on her skin and then what? He decided to not show up for a month, only to suddenly turn into a fake gentleman. And like a naive fool, she fell for his charms, ignored udio¡¯s advice and asked Chase to-


    Sophia almost hurled up at the thought of that until she remembered udio and her eyes widened. He could help her, right? She still had the chance to turn Chase up to the police for all his crimes, right?


    The business card.


    She had left it back at Chase¡¯s mansion. She hoped no one would see it before she returned back, so, with that thought, Sophia turned back only to bump into a hard chest.


    ¡°Oomph!¡± She whined and rubbed her forehead. She looked up at the person, but before her eyes could lock with the person¡¯s own, a ck bag was thrown over her head and she gasped, struggling for breath while the assant gripped the end of the bag tighter.


    ¡°Dannazione, Ro, non possiamo ide. Che cazzo credi di fare?¡± One of the men red at the one holding the ck bag over her head while Sophia kept on struggling. ¡°IL capo vuole viva,¡± He then shoved him aside.


    {¡°Dammit, Ro, we can¡¯t kill her. What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±}{¡°The boss wants her alive¡±}


    The second man sneered, frustration evident in his tone. ¡°Che cazzo avrei fatto? Lei e fottuta ragione per cui tutto e andato in malora. Forse se lei semplicemente morisse, Boss e Chase Romano smetterebbero di seguie fottute code,¡±


    {¡°What the fuck would I have done? She¡¯s the fucking reason everything has all gone down the drain. Maybe if she just dies, Boss and Chase Romano would stop following after her like fucking tails¡±}


    Sophia shuddered at the mention of Chase. Was he the reason she was going to be killed? But no one dared to call his by his full name, not even his cousins. Chase couldn¡¯t be the one who sent those men after her. But the question was, aside from Chase, what would those people want from her?


    ¡°Hai un dannato pazzossu?¡± The first man looked at thetter¡¯s head as if looking into his brain and looked back into his eyes. ¡°IL capo non seguirebbe mai in giro una ragazzina diciottenne perche gliene frega qualcosa di lei o altro. Tutto quello che puo fare e tenee un giocattolo del sesso proprioe lei si era ingenuamente data al fottuto Chase Romano. Il suo capo e leva per scappare L¡¯ira di Romano anche per aver iso nonna e,¡±

 CHAPTER LII

    ~~~


    {¡°Do you have a fucking lose nut up there?¡±} {¡°Boss would never follow a little eighteen year old girl around because he gives some shit about her or anything. All he can do is keep her as a fuck toy just as she had naively given herself to Chase fucking Romano. She¡¯s boss¡¯ leverage to escape Romano¡¯s wrath also for murdering her grandmother and also, to use it and get back at him. Either way, it¡¯s a win win situation for us¡±}


    Sophia didn¡¯t know what they were talking about. A part of her wanted to know why it involved Chase, but arger part of her wanted to free herself first. From the way they both talked, those two men didn¡¯t seem like they were good news. Maybe, Chase¡¯s ce was much safer for her.


    Using their argument as an advantage, Sophia forcefully yanked her arm from the first man, so hard it might have left a mark on her skin, but she didn¡¯t care then. She turned on her heels and made her way to go back to the mansion.


    But Sophia waste. She always was.


    One of the men gripped her arm and pulled her into his chest, making her hit her forehead again.


    ¡°Not so fast, little girl,¡± She recognized his voice as the one whose chest she had bumped into earlier.


    ¡°Plea-,¡±before Sophia couldplete her statement, an iron object was struck on her head, hard, from behind, and she hissed out, raising her hands to cradle her head in her palms.


    She staggered on her feet the moment the first man let go of her arm, and she blinked her eyes to clear her blurry vision as she heard the faint yell of the first man at the second one-maybe reprimanding him for hitting her so hard like that-in Italian.


    She suddenly felt herself being lifted up and thrown over a broad shoulder. Thest thing her eyes saw was her hair blocking her eyes as whoever had her on his shoulder walked away with her.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    ~~~


    ¡°Chiedi a squadra di sicurezza di procurarmi le riprese CCTV de tenuta delle ultime tre ore, saro li subito,¡± Chase mmed down the telephone on his desk and stormed out of his study, his cousins trailing behind him with Charlie in Valerie¡¯s arms.


    {¡°Ask the security team to get the CCTV footage of the estate from thest three hours for me ready, I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±}


    In long strides, Chase was already in the security room, a cigar dancing between his fingers as he stood behind the head of the security team who was seated on a chair, typing something on a keyboard.


    With ast click, the guy raised his head up and stared at Chase¡¯s face, whose eyes didn¡¯t blink or leave theputer screen, which was divided into four parts, for a second. ¡°Don, il filmato che hai chiesto,¡±


    {¡°Don, the footage you asked for¡±}


    Chase nodded and took the cigar to his lips, drawing in smoke.


    Valerie pointed at the first quarter of the screen where a smallish feminine figure, dressed in a ck button-down shirt, walked aimlessly in the empty street of the Romano estate with slumped shoulders and her small hands limp at her sides. ¡°Que e Sophia!¡±


    {¡°That¡¯s Sophia!¡±}


    Chase pulled out the cigar from his lips and blew out smoke, narrowing his eyes at the particr figure Valerie had pointed at. Sure, she was Sophia. ¡°Fuck, Gattina¡± He then motioned to the guy in front of theputer. ¡°a schermo intero,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}{¡°Full screen¡±}


    The guy clearly understood what his boss meant and did as told. He put the first quarter of the screen where Sophia was showing on full screen.


    They all watched as she walked, silently until a small chuckle left her lips. What was she thinking about? Had she ran mad?


    Chase¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits, watching a familiar man on ck walking directly behind her. Sophia was too deep in her thoughts to even notice, he mentally noted, waiting for her to notice the person walking behind her. It couldn¡¯t be a coincidence that someone was just walking by. The estate belonged to Chase and no one lived in there, except him and his men. The man following Sophia was definitely not part of the Romano empire and it sparked a suspicion in Chase. All he needed to confirm his suspicions was for the man to turn so he¡¯d be able to identify him.


    Soon, Sophia stopped, and Chase could swear his heart skipped a bit. They all stared with their breaths held in their throats as Sophia turned and finally bumped into the man.


    The moment Chase saw another man appear from behind her and put a ck bag over her head, he confirmed his suspicions.


    udio Volkov took her away.


    But still, neither Chase nor anyone in the room asked the guy to stop the footage despite all of them knowing the truth. They kept on watching, listening to the two men argue up to the point where the second one hit Sophia on the head with an iron rod.


    Chase¡¯s jaw ticked. His fists curled into a ball beside him, and his eyes turned red, fierce even, staring at udio¡¯spdogs, taking a half conscious Sophia away. His Kitten.


    That minute, he swore. He swore to do a few things to those two men before going after udio because the bastard had his own special treatment.


    But first, he had to deal with those two who dared to touch something that belonged to him. He was going to do the same thing they did to Sophia and more.


    He would first suffocate the second man for an hour with a ck bag and not let him die through the torture. And then, he would chop off both their fingers, along with their tongues, beat up the second man with a simr iron rod on the head countless times and break the shoulders of the first man who had carried Sophia on his shoulder. After that, he would send their fucking heads to udio as a gift. A gift for being the first person to ever challenge him.


    That was when the battle line would be drawn between the two empires.


    ¡°Mettimi in contatto con Volkov,¡±


    {¡°ce me on a call with Volkov.¡±}

 CHAPTER LIII

    ~~~


    SAIGE HALTED ON her steps the minute her eyesnded on Sophia, who was seated on the rug in the middle of the living room, a pencil behind her earlobe while all her attention was fixed on theptop in front of her-Chase¡¯s favoriteptop to be exact.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Saige stared as Sophia tucked a strand of her brown hair that was blocking her view from theptop behind her other ear without taking her eyes off the screen of theptop on the coffee table opposite her.


    It¡¯s been almost three weeks after Sophia¡¯s kidnap, and she had already continued her normal routine in the house. Chase had even allowed her to continue studying, but on the condition that she had to do it online. Sophia knew it was either agreeing to his condition or living the rest of her life half-educated, so she agreed immediately she realized she couldn¡¯t lose both her freedom and future like that. The moment Sophia had agreed, Chase got her a newptop and when she declined it, surprisingly he let it go but gave her his favorite one.


    Sophia was innocent, and Saige knew that very well. Sophia wasn¡¯t the reason Chase got attracted to her and used his actions to hurt both herself and Saige, but it still hurt her. Thinking about it hurt badly. It hurt because she knew Sophia was much prettier than she was. It hurt because instead of her, the man she dreamt of saw something in an innocent eighteen-year-old girl. But then, the pain was much worse any time she realized she couldn¡¯t do anything to stop Chase or make Sophia disappear from his life.


    Since Sophia arrived, Saige had even travelled out of the country to take her mind off things, but nothing ever worked. Chase filled her thoughts and she wasn¡¯t able to nk those thoughts out. Sometimes, she wondered how she fell for someone as heartless as he was but all her questions remained unanswered. Her heart, body and soul wanted Chase but he wanted someone else. He wanted someone who was oblivious to the world. He wanted someone who wanted nothing but to be away from him.


    He wanted someone who only wanted her freedom.


    Saige blinked back her tears before making her way to move further into the mansion.


    Sophia heard the clicking sound of heels and looked up. That was when her eyes met with Saige¡¯s sad green ones. She passed her a small smile and a wave. ¡°Hey,¡±


    Saige stered a fake tight-lipped smile on her face, then nodded her head. She made her way to leave.


    ¡°S-Please, can I speak with you?¡±


    Saige halted and dug her nails further into her palms as she heard Sophia¡¯s soft footsteps behind her. She didn¡¯t hate Sophia. She couldn¡¯t hate the innocent girl. The girl wasn¡¯t at fault for her heart being broken. She was always going get heartbroken by Chase and his nature but a part of her hoped she could change him. Now that Sophia was around, Saige was scared Sophia would be the one to change him while she would stand and watch from the side-lines. She was already seeing those signs. Chase¡¯s sudden attitude showed her that.


    Sophia gently ced her hand on Saige¡¯s shoulder, tensing thetter. ¡°S-Sai-,¡±


    Sophia was cut short when Saige turned abruptly and snapped. ¡°What?!¡±


    Sophia flinched at the harsh tone, shutting her eyes tight and biting down on her lower lip. She gently opened her eyes, scared that Saige would snap at her again. When she was sure Saige wouldn¡¯t do anything, she took a step back, then another.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s-it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to talk to me. I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    That was what Saige was frustrated with. She badly wanted to hate every single fiber Sophia was made of; her innocence, her gentleness, her nativity, her pretty face, her angelic voice and every other thing. But then, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to even think bad about the girl. It was as if Sophia had captivated her the way she did to others.


    Saige closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and opened her eyes back. They held nothing but softness in them. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to snap at you like that, or toe off rude. I just had a lot on my mind,¡± She wasn¡¯t lying. She really didn¡¯t mean to sound as she did. She was just upset with everything. Every single thing. And it burnt her to see the girl who had the attention of the man she loved being all nice and innocent-oblivious to everything.


    Sophia nodded her head and looked down. ¡°I-,¡± She then looked back into Saige¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    Saige frowned. ¡°For?¡±


    ¡°Chase,¡± Sophia bit down on her lip again, and her eyes dropped, tears blurring her vision. ¡°I-I¡¯m very sorry about everything. He-he¡¯s your fiance, but he¡¯s-he¡¯s cheating on you with me and all. I¡¯m really sorry, I didn¡¯t mean for all that to happen, I swear. I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    Saige stepped closer to Sophia, resisting the urge to turn on her heels and ignore the girl. A woman whose fiance was doing what Chase did shouldn¡¯t be doing what Saige was about to do. She knew that very well, but she did it nevertheless. She gently ced her hands on both of Sophia¡¯s shoulders, making the girl tense.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I promise,¡± No, it wasn¡¯t. It was anything but okay to her. She was lying about that. Her fiance lusting, and she dared to think, falling in love with someone else wasn¡¯t okay. It would never be. ¡°I understand that you don¡¯t want this type of life. I don¡¯t want it either. But we have to live with it. That¡¯s how our world works,¡±


    Sophia looked up, and in an instant, she hugged Saige tight, tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking Saige¡¯s dress. ¡°You¡¯re such a nice person, please don¡¯t hate me. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m the cause of your pain. I¡¯m very sorry I didn¡¯t mean for whatever happened to happen. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hurting. I¡¯m sorry for the pains I¡¯ve caused you by showing up in your lives. I didn¡¯t mean it,¡±


    Her hands were shaking. Saige could feel her hands shaking beside her, and she struggled to raise them. She was raising them to either push Sophia away or hug her back.


    A lone tear rolled down her cheek, and the ache in her heart increased. Before she couldprehend anything herself, Saige was hugging Sophia back.


    That instant, she made up her mind to help the poor girl. Helping Sophia was like helping herself too, right?

 CHAPTER LIV

    ~~~


    ¡°Soph,¡±


    Sophia stopped and turned towards where her name was called, and her eyes met with Saige¡¯s green ones.


    A delicate smile appeared on her lips. ¡°Saige, hey,¡±


    It had been three days since they both became friends, and Saige visited the mansion every day to see Sophia. After her online sses, Sophia and Saige would stroll around thepound along with Charlie even though Saige wasn¡¯t a fan of cats. They would discuss a few things, talk about their day and have fun. Saige was a reserved and sophisticated woman, she never really talked while Sophia did most of the talking. She told Saige about how her life had been while growing up. She had left out the part of her nightmares. She wasn¡¯t ready to share that yet.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Maybe she would do that once she was sure their friendship was safe.


    Saige took slow, calm steps towards Sophia until she stopped in front of her. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing great, ¡°Sophia beamed. ¡°Just finished my online sses,¡±


    ¡°You really do enjoy them, don¡¯t you? ¡°Saige smiled, but something about her smile wasn¡¯t like the other ones she used to give Sophia.


    Sophia noticed this, and a frown marred her features. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡±


    Saige gave her a wry smile and looked around the hallway to be sure no one was listening or staring at them before she turned back to Sophia. ¡°Soph, you¡¯re too innocent for our world, and I can¡¯t watch you suffering like this,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Is everything alright? Why are you talking about this all of a sudden?¡±


    Saige sighed. ¡°I-,¡±She looked around again, then back at Sophia. A shaky breath eluded her lips. ¡°I want to help you leave this ce,¡±


    Her head felt heavy, her chest constricted, blood rushed to her ears, and her hold on Charlie loosened. Charlie jumped off from her arms and ran off. ¡°What-what do you mean?¡±


    Saige stared at Sophia to gauge her reaction. Her bodynguage gave off the fact that she didn¡¯t want to leave. It scared Saige. Sophia staying there would be her doom because she was already on the verge of losing Chase. Sophia leaving was her only hope.


    Sophia leaned against the table by the wall and ced her hands on it. ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand what you mean,¡±


    Saige walked closer and smiled. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t want to sound selfish but I¡¯m doing this also for myself. If you leave, we¡¯re both going to be on the winning side. You¡¯ll be free from Chase and this life while I-,¡±She stopped and ran her eyes across Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°I will have him to myself. I love him very much and believe me, it hurts to see him staring at you like that when I should be the one in your ce. I hope I don¡¯t sound selfish but that¡¯s just what I feel. And as much as I want Chase to be mine, I want you to gain your freedom and have the right future,¡±


    ¡°My-my-,¡±


    Saige cut her off by cing her hands on Sophia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Your Nana is dead, and you don¡¯t have any reason to stay behind if you¡¯re scared for her,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened, and her lips parted. ¡°W-how do you -¡±


    Again, Saige cut her off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I said it so bluntly. How I found out about your grandma¡¯s death shouldn¡¯t be of any worry to you. All that matters is both our happiness right now, ¡°She dropped her hands from Sophia¡¯s shoulders and held both of her hands in hers¡¯. She hated what she was about to do but it had to be done. She had been contemting against using Sophia¡¯s innocence and nativity but she finally gave it a positive thought. After all, it wasn¡¯t only for her benefit. Sophia too would thank her for helping. She was also giving the girl a chance to her long-awaited freedom. ¡°We both need to be happy, ¡°Her well-practiced fake tears glistened in her eyes. ¡°I-I won¡¯t be able to handle it if anything happened to you or my future with Chase, ¡°She bit down on her lower lip. ¡°Staying here with Chase would ruin our lives, Soph and as much as I can¡¯t bear to lose this little friendship we¡¯ve had, I can¡¯t also live with the guilt of not being able to save you when I could do that. Chase won¡¯t ever give you the future you want, Soph. He doesn¡¯t have a heart and you don¡¯t deserve someone like that,¡±


    Sophia whispered out. ¡°Do you think you deserve someone like him too?¡±


    Saige held Sophia¡¯s gaze, tightening her hold on her before she dropped her eyes to the ground and sniffed, then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I deserve him, Soph,¡± She then looked back into Sophia¡¯s eyes. ¡°But I won¡¯t be able to live without him. Hats all that matters and your presence here scares the shit out of me. It makes me feel fucking insecure, ¡°A humourless chuckle left her lips and a pained smile danced on her lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this Sophia but I can¡¯t keep it in any longer. Ifing out bare to you will ensure both of our happiness, I¡¯ll do it. Truth is, I-,¡±She gulped, hearing the wild thumping of her heart because of what she was finally going to confess. ¡°I¡¯m jealous of you, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a lie. She meant it. She meant what she had just said.


    During the three days of their friendship, she realised that she tried to deny it so many times. She couldn¡¯t be in denial forever because she knew deep down in her heart she was jealous of Sophia.


    Of course, she would be jealous.


    A painedugh threatened to leave her throat. Sophia was much prettier than she was. Saige had always thought men in their world preferred women like she was. She thought they preferred women who had a sense of fashion, women who loved parties and spending money, women who were very beautiful, sophisticated, elegant, rich, fancy and had qualities of women in the higher ss society but Chase had proven her wrong with his attraction towards a teenager who didn¡¯t care about parties or fashion.


    When Sophia said nothing, that painedugh that had threatened to leave Saige eluded her lips, and she shook her head, her tears rolling down her cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s funny, right? A woman like me feeling jealous of someone like you. Trust me, that¡¯s how I feel and only you can help me get rid of it. The more you stay behind, the more Chase would slip away from my grasp and-,¡± She choked a sob. -he won¡¯t see me again. He never acknowledged me but your presence has made it much worse. I¡¯ll kill myself if-,¡±


    Sophia was quick to pull her hands from Saige to palm her mouth to stop her from saying more. ¡°Don¡¯t say such,¡± She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t ever mention killing yourself. I-I¡¯m not worth it, trust me. I¡¯ll feel guilty for your death but-but I¡¯m scared. If I leave, what if he catches me? He- Chase is a powerful man and he-he will be able to find me. He won¡¯t hesitate to kill you just like he did with my friends, ¡°She shook her head vigorously. ¡°I can¡¯t lose you,¡±


    ¡°Then please save us both. Save us both the torture. Get your freedom and give me back my fiance,¡±


    ¡°What if he catches me? Your life will be in danger. He¡¯ll kill you,¡± Sophia¡¯s voice shook.


    She was agreeing to leave. That was good news. Saige shook her head and cupped Sophia¡¯s left cheek. ¡°He won¡¯t find you. I have everything nned out,¡±

 CHAPTER LV

    ~~~


    SOPHIA STARED AT the clothes Saige just dumped in her hands, confusion marring her features.


    ¡°Why are you staring at the clothes like that?¡± Saige¡¯s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. ¡°We don¡¯t have all the time in the world,¡±


    Sophia sighed and stared around them. ¡°I¡¯m scared. Chase¡¯s men are still out there. How will I leave?¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been hard convincing Chase to let them go shopping together but he had only agreed on the condition that they would take his men with. So, there they were in a boutique while Chase¡¯s men waited for them outside. That was the perfect way to stage Sophia¡¯s escape.


    Saige sighed. ¡°I have everything ready, Soph. I have a driver that will drive you to the airport. He¡¯s at the back door of this building,¡±


    ¡°What if someone recognizes me somewhere?¡±


    ¡°No one will,¡± Saige opened her purse, then brought out a passport and an ID. She waved it in front of Sophia. ¡°I have a fake ID and passport ready for you. You¡¯re going to the airport as Armanda Costello and not as Sophia¡¯s Bet,¡±


    Sophia stared at the photographs in the passport and ID card, then pursed her lips. ¡°The person here has blonde hair and green eyes,¡± She looked back up at Saige. ¡°I have brown hair and eyes,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, trust me,¡± Saige said and ced her hands on Sophia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°And please, don¡¯t worry about Chase finding out about me helping you. It¡¯s not difficult to lie that you tricked me or hit me and then ran away,¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Ci puo essere un altro modo per ottenere il carico oltre a iderli, sottocapo,¡±


    {¡°There can be other way to get the shipment other than killing them, Underboss¡±}


    Chase raised a brow at the man, cing both of his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on his fists. ¡°In quale altro modo -¡±


    {¡°What other way do you -¡°}


    He was cut short by the vibration of his phone on the desk, and he let out a low groan. He looked down at the phone, and his brows furrowed at the caller ID.


    Saige.


    What did she want? Wasn¡¯t she with Sophia?


    Chase nodded at his men to continue the meeting while he picked up the call. He stood up and walked to a corner of the meeting room, picking the call. ¡°Faresti meglio ad avere una valida ragione per interrompere il mio incontro, Saige,¡± He smoothed the space between his brows and let out a disapproving sigh. ¡°Che cazzo vuoi?¡±


    {¡°You better have a solid reason for interrupting my meeting, Saige¡±} {¡°What the fuck do you want?¡±}


    Saige¡¯s panicked breaths filled his ear first before she cried out. ¡°Cha-Don. Soph. I-I can¡¯t find her! She¡¯s missing!¡±


    Chase narrowed his eyes at the wall. ¡°Saige, sappiamo entrambi che non sono un fan degli scherzi. Se questo e uno scherzo, e meglio smette. Non finira bene per te,¡±


    {¡°Saige, we both know I¡¯m not a fan of pranks. If this is a prank, better stop it. It won¡¯t end well for you.¡±}


    Saige sobbed again. ¡°I-I¡¯ll never y such a prank on you, Cha- Don,¡± another sob. ¡°She-Sophia told me she wanted to use the bathroom. She-all of a sudden, she-¡±


    Saige didn¡¯t finish talking because Chase cut the call immediately, and he bolted out of the meeting room, barking out orders, leaving his men confused.


    The meeting had definitelye to an abrupt end.


    In less than five minutes, Chase had all of his men from the tracking team assembled in the living room and theirptops ced on the coffee table along with his three cousins.


    He slid his hands in his pants pocket and brought out a cigar and lighter. He lighted the cigar and took a long drag of smoke before puffing it out. That was what kept him calm. He was trying hard not to yell or act on impulse. He badly wanted to search for Sophia in every nook and cranny of the city but it was impossible at the moment. For Sophia, he was ready to burn down the whole city to find her, but he needed to keep his calm.


    Whoever had taken Sophia away was going to be a goner the moment he got his hands on them.


    ¡°Don,¡± the head of the tracking team called.


    Chase flickered his gaze to the set-upptops on the coffee table. ¡°Hai tutte le informazioni del chip che mi hai regto l¡¯altro giorno, vero?¡±


    {¡°You have all the information of the chip you got for me the other day, yeah?¡±}


    ¡°Si, Don,¡±


    {¡°Yeah, Don.¡±}


    Chase nodded and returned his cigar back to his lips, narrowing his gaze at theptops before pulling out the cigar and then blowing out smoke. ¡°Rintriarne posizione,¡±


    {¡°Track down its location¡±}


    The man frowned deeply. ¡°Don,e andra-,¡±


    {¡°Don, how is that going to -¡°}


    Chase cut him off with a growl and then am angry, frustrated snap. ¡°Ho messo il dispositivo su nuca di Sophia, dannazione! Seguilo e smett di fare domande!¡±


    {¡°I put the device at the nape of Sophia¡¯s neck, Dammit! Track it and stop asking questions!¡±}Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The man gulped and muttered out. ¡°Si, Don,¡± He turned his attention back to hisptop, signaling for the others to get to work. In less than five minutes, Sophia¡¯s location was tracked down. He looked up at Chase who was staring at them intensely. ¡°Don, l¡¯ho trovata. E all¡¯aeroporto proprio adesso,¡±


    {¡°Yeah, Don.¡±} {Don, I found her location. She¡¯s at the airport right now.¡±}


    No one kidnapped her. She chose to run away. Chase¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits.


    Don nodded and turned to his cousins, his eyes directly on Lucas. ¡°Prepara le mhine e alcuni dei nostri uomini. Riprenderemo Sophia. Qualsiasi rifiuto da parte sua di tornare qui, verra iso all¡¯aeroporto,¡±


    {¡°Get the cars and some of our men ready. We¡¯re going to get Sophia back. Any refusal toe back here from herma life will be taken in the airport.¡±}

 CHAPTER LVI

    ~~~


    She couldn¡¯t wait. Her heart was thumping wildly against its ribcage, and she didn¡¯t know why. It was either she was just too happy to leave or scared of being found by Chase or his men.


    But she had nothing to worry about. Saige had made sure no one suspected them and that Sophia left without anyone knowing in the car she arranged for her.


    No one would even be able to recognize her. Sophia was sure of that. Blonde hair wig; check. Green eye contact lens; check. Dressing style other than that of someone of her nature: check. Make up; check. Everything was ready.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Sophia was still on a que at the checkpoint. She was behind the person whose luggage was being checked. She was nervous and anxious at the same time. Her palms were sweaty, and she fisted her hands into ball, cing it on her chest. She could feel the wild thumping of her heart beneath her hands as she looked round the airport to be sure none of Chase¡¯s men were lurking around.


    Soon, it was her turn. Sophia passed a small, innocent smile to thedy in uniform standing there as her bag was slid into the CT scanning machine.


    Suddenly, the machine beeped, and thedy standing there frowned at Sophia, then pulled out her bag from the machine before dropping it aside.


    Thedy walked up to Sophia. ¡°Ma¡¯am please step aside let the others have their luggage¡¯s scanned,¡±


    With a small nod, Sophia rubbed her mmy palms on her dress and stepped aside towards where her bag was, watching as thedy walked to her, another man taking her ce at the spot.


    ¡°Is- Is there any problem, please?¡± Sophia asked thedy who was already zipping her bag open. No one aside from her had been told to move aside, and it confused her.


    Thedy looked up at Sophia. ¡°You may be carrying something illegal in your bag. That¡¯s why we have to search your bag,¡±


    ¡°But, it¡¯s only my clothes that are in there,¡± Sophia said.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be so sure,¡± thedy replied. She removed Sophia¡¯s new clothes from the bag and then raised the bag up to Sophia¡¯s line of sight. ¡°Look, there are cocaine and different types of drugs in your bag. There¡¯s also a bomb,¡±


    Sophia let out a gasp along with others who were standing there as well. ¡°I-,¡±She walked closer to the woman.¡± I swear, I don¡¯t know how it got there. I-Saige had-I-I promise, I don¡¯t know how -¡±


    She was cut in by the woman. ¡°There¡¯s no needed exnation for this here. If you want to give an exnation on how these things got to your luggage, you can kindly do that at the police station,¡±


    Blood rushed to her ears, and her knees gave out, but she somehow managed to stand on her wobbly feet. ¡°I promise; I know nothing about these drugs. Believe me,¡±


    Thedy ignored her and pulled out a small phone. She dialed a number before cing the phone on her ear. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a problem. Yeah, ady here was found with cocaine, other drugs, and a ticking time bomb,¡± She eyed Sophia up with disgust in her eyes. ¡°Yes, please. Come and take her away from here. She wants to create a scene,¡± Once she was done with the call, thedy red at Sophia. ¡°You better not create a scene here else your punishment will be doubled,¡±


    People were already gathered around, watching the drama. Some stared at Sophia with disgustced eyes while others stared at her with pity.


    Tears were already flowing down Sophia¡¯s cheeks. She then moved closer and reached out to touch thedy. ¡°Please, you have to -¡±


    Sophia was cut off by thedy who shoved her away, and she tripped. Her wig fell off, earning gasps from onlookers. She was about to fall but luckily for her, strong arms were encircled round her body, pulling her to the hard chest of the owner of those arms.


    Sophia whimper got struck in her throat when she looked up at the man holding her in his arms, with a clenched jaw and narrowed re towards thedy that had just pushed her.


    ¡°How dare you treat my sister like that?¡± He seethed and moved Sophia aside.


    Thedy scoffed, running her gaze all over Lucas. ¡°Sister? Well then, how would you feel to know your sister was nning to leave the country disguised as a blonde with a bag of cocaine, drugs, and a ticking time bomb?¡±


    Lucas gritted his teeth and moved closer to thedy, staring down at her. ¡°Sophia would never do such. I know her very well,¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± thedy¡¯s colleague sneered and moved closer. ¡°You call her Sophia, but her passport says a different name,¡±


    Lucas red at the man. ¡°Control your fucking tongue else I swear, you¡¯ll regret it,¡± He was trying so hard. So hard not to just pull out his gun and shoot them both to their deaths.


    ¡°Tell us something new,¡± thedy said with a tilt of her head. ¡°We¡¯re used to hearing that particr line from rich, arrogant bastards like -¡±


    That was the moment something snapped in Lucas. He cut her off by pulling out his gun, and instantly, he shot her colleague on the chest, rendering him dead there and then.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened. Screams and gasps followed next, and in the blink of an eye, people started running off.


    More men in uniform approached them. Lucas was faster. He began shooting at them, and in less than a minute, Chase¡¯s men followed, shooting the security guards in the building.


    ¡°Come the fuck with me,¡± Lucas growled, grabbing Sophia¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°No,¡± Sophia whimpered. ¡°I-I can¡¯t go with you,¡±


    ¡°Dammit, Sophia,¡± He red at her. ¡°If you continue behaving stubborn, I swear more people are going to die in here. Don¡¯s orders,¡±


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t want to -¡±


    Lucas cut her off by grabbing her arm. He pulled her with him until they got out of the airport as she cried.


    She was harshly thrown away by him, and she fell on her knees, directly in front of a pair of shiny ck shoes.


    A sob left Sophia¡¯s lips, and she looked up at the person wearing the shoes. Her breath hitched as she looked at his emotionless eyes. ¡°Ch-Chase,¡±

 CHAPTER LVII

    ~~~


    CHASE WAS LIVID. That was very obvious, considering the way he gripped Sophia¡¯s arm tightly as he pulled her with him up the stairs.


    ¡°Chase -¡°Sophia cried, wing onto his hands. ¡°You¡¯re hurting me, please. Let-,¡±


    She flinched when Chase stopped and snapped at her. ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± His eyes were red, narrowed into slits and the anger in them scared Sophia. She had never seen him that angry. ¡°Shut up your mouth ande with me!¡±


    Chase continued dragging her with him until he got to his room. He flung her on the bed and locked the door, before turning to her. Her contact lenses were already off, her make up smudged with tears and her arm where he had held her already nurtured a deep, red bruise.


    Sophia was tired. She was tired of being scared of him. She was tired of trying to escape and ended up being caught every time. It was time to finally face him and remind him of her rights. She had a right to her freedom.


    ¡°You¡¯re wicked,¡± She seethed out. ¡°You¡¯re a wicked man! You are a devil! You are a rapist! A man who inappropriately touches an innocent girl without her consent! Let me go this instant! You need help! You should see a doctor else- ahh,¡±


    Chase roughly gripped her hair and wrapped it round his fingers, tugging it harshly enough for her to feel pain on her scalp.


    Sophia cried out. ¡°Let me go, you murderer! You killed my Nana!¡±


    Chase gritted his teeth and tugged on her hair harder. ¡°You want me to let you go? Never!¡±


    Chase yanked off her dress from her body, turning her so she could be on all fours. He roughly pulled off his belt and wrapped the head around his fingers before she couldprehend anything, the sound of the leather meeting her skin resounded through the room.


    Chase growled. ¡°Count,¡±


    She was in pain. ¡°I- I can¡¯t- ahhh,¡± the leather belt hit her skin again.


    ¡°Can you remember how to count now?¡±


    ¡°O-one,¡±


    Another sound of the belt hitting her skin.


    ¡°Two-,¡±


    The belt met her skin again.


    ¡°Three-,¡±


    ~~~


    The saliva from her mouth was drenching the pillow along with her tears. ¡°Forty nine,¡±


    Onest stinging pain from the belt.


    ¡°Fifty,¡±


    Sophia expected to feel the leather against the skin on her back again, but she felt none. Instead, it was the sound of the belt thrown across the room she heard.


    More tears spilt from her eyes, and she bit down on her lower lip to maybe numb the stinging pain on her skin. It didn¡¯t work. Before she realized anything, Chase was pushing her panties aside and sliding his cock inside her.


    Sophia jerked up. ¡°Chase ple mhh -¡±


    Her words turned into a whimper and a moan at the same time as he bucked his hips and thrusted out of her at a fast pace.


    Chase gripped both of her hips and dug her head deeper into the pillow, not caring about the pain it would inflict on her neck. All he wanted was to have her pussy where he wanted it. Chase didn¡¯t wait for her to match up his pace. She was inexperienced. She wouldn¡¯t give him what he wanted. She wouldn¡¯t be able to give him the sex he wanted from her like the other times she innocently did.


    This sex was different. It was driven by anger. By pain. By need, desire and lust after seeing those bruises he inflicted on her back with his belt.


    It was an angry fuck.


    When Chase felt his orgasm rippling through him, his pace slowed down a bit, he gritted his teeth, hearing the erotic sound of his balls pping her clit ording to his rhythm.


    With onest thrust, Chase let out an animalistic growl, pulled out of her and spilled his seeds on the bruises on her back.


    He didn¡¯t even let her cum.


    A low, painful whimper left her lips and her whole body copsed on the bed. She had lost count of how many times she whimpered. A small grunt left her lips when Chase gripped her hair again and jerked her head up, so she could stare at him.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Sophia sobbed. ¡°You¡¯re -¡±


    ¡°Wicked, I know,¡± Hepleted it for her. ¡°But do you know what you are? You are a fucking betrayer! An ungrateful betrayer!¡± He snarled. ¡°I should have killed you all those years when I killed your parents but I was so foolish then. I shouldn¡¯t have thought with my dick and let you live. Even after then, you came back into my life. I should¡¯ve killed you again but what did I do? I thought with my dick again and let you fucking live. I took care of you, Sophia, but in my own way. I showed you what pleasure was. I fed you. I made sure you remained healthy throughout your stay here. Youcked nothing. I made sure to let you continue your studies. When you were falling sick, I gave you treatment. I made sure your grandma got the best fucking best treatment out there. I gave you what no one on this earth would have given you, Sophia,¡± He never called her by her name to her face. It was a first. ¡°Fuck, I went against my own principles for you. What did you do for me in return? You chose to betray me. You chose to show me your gratitude by running away. You even assumed that I murdered your grandma. What makes me angrier, Sophia, is the fact that I can¡¯t even kill you no matter how hard I try, ¡°His other hand went around her neck, pressing it, but not enough to choke her.¡± I so much want to kill you,¡± He stared into her frightened eyes. ¡°I want to choke you to death. I want you to die. I so much want you to go through torture so you will pay for all you and your parents have done but I can¡¯t. Do you know why? Because a stupid part of me cares the fuck for you, Sophia,¡±

 CHAPTER LVIII

    ~~~


    With that, he roughly pushed her head away and got down from the bed. He wore his trousers back and left the room, tucking his gun in his trousers holster.


    It was time to meet the person he suspected of helping Sophia escape.


    ~~~


    Saige took a sip from her wine, smiling at herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a red mid-thigh length dress, which hugged her body in all the right ces. She had a pair of stilettos on and was ready to head to Chase¡¯s mansion.


    She giggled at the sight of her hair and eyes in the mirror. She had died her fiery red hair to a chest nut brown color and was putting on a brown contact lenses. It was foolish of her, she knew but that was what attracted Chase to Sophia, wasn¡¯t it?


    She was sure now that Sophia wasn¡¯t in their lives again, Chase would want her. He didn¡¯t want her before, but with that hair and eye color, she could have him.


    Her mind reeled back to Sophia, and she stared at the time on the rm clock on her bedside table. Sophia¡¯s flight must¡¯ve taken off, and maybe the bomb must¡¯ve exploded too with her.


    Saige shook her head at her thoughts. Sophia wouldn¡¯t even have made it to the ne. She¡¯d probably be in the station by then because of the drugs in her bag.


    A sigh left her lips, and Saige sat down on herrge bed. She felt really bad for what she did. She felt guilty. But it had to be done. She knew Chase would eventually find Sophia again, so she had taken that step at thest minute after thinking about it.


    But then, with time, the guilt would wash away. She was sure of that.


    Saige frowned when she heard the loud voicesing from downstairs, and she stood up immediately hearing the loud sound of footstepsing towards her room. Were they under attack? Was her dad okay?


    Before she could do anything else, the door knob turned, and her heart skipped a bit at the sight of Chase standing there. His hair was disheveled and his dark eyes looked angry, piercing her with such an intensity she was sure she felt her core clenching.


    Her nose caught a whiff of something other than his usual sandalwood scent as he marched towards her, and her heart threatened to leap out of her throat. He smelt like sex! He had sex with someone beforeing to her ce.


    It couldn¡¯t be Sophia, right?Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Saige swallowed a lump of saliva and passed him a sweet smile. ¡°Cha-Don,¡±


    ¡°Piant con queste stronzate e dimmi verita, Saige. L¡¯hai aiutata a scappare o no?¡± When Saige said nothing, he stared into her eyes coldly, without even caring about the sudden change in its color. ¡°Non osare mentirmi. Sai di cosa sono capace,¡±


    {¡°Cut the crap and tell me the truth, Saige. Did you help her escape or not?¡±} {¡°Don¡¯t you dare lie to me. You know what I¡¯m capable of. ¡°}


    Saige took a step back and Chase took a step forward also. She took another one and he took another one towards her, copying her movements until he cornered her against the wall. She gulped lowly, feeling the sweat trickling down her forehead. ¡°What-what do you mean? Who are you -¡±


    Chase wrapped his fingers around her neck and pressed it tightly, choking the air out of her lungs. ¡°I¡¯m trying so hard not to bury my bullets in your head, I¡¯m letting you live because of the respect I have for your father, Saige but the more you keep on lying, I swear I won¡¯t hesitate to forget the respect I have for your father. I¡¯ll end both of your lives,¡±


    If it was in any other situation, Saige would have been happy. She wouldn¡¯t have been happy to be caged like that by the man she loved into submission but at that moment, it was anything like that. She was being threatened to say the truth about how she got rid of the obstacle in her happiness with him.


    She wed on his hands, tears blurring her vision. ¡°Ple-,¡± She opened her mouth to grasp some air. It wasn¡¯t possible. She couldn¡¯t breathe. Chase was going to suffocate her to death.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± Saige¡¯s father appeared by the doorway. He rushed towards them as he sighted his daughter¡¯s pale face. ¡°Let go off her. She has done nothing wrong!¡±


    Chase ignored De Luca and fished out his gun from his trouser holster then pointed it directly at Saige¡¯s forehead, the barrel scraping against her skin. ¡°Dimmi verita, Saige,¡±


    {¡°Tell me the truth, Saige¡±}


    Her eyes widened. He was really going to carry out his threat. She tapped against his hand, nodding her head with a few drops of tears falling down her eyes.


    On seeing this, Chase released his hold on her throat, not dropping his gun from where it was before.


    Saige coughed and tried to move away but Chase gripped her arm viscously. ¡°Dove cazzo stai andando?¡±


    {¡°Where the fuck are you going to?¡±}


    ¡°I-,¡± She coughed. ¡°I need water,¡±


    Chase mmed her back against the wall and red at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t let you drink water, did I? Tell me the truth. Tell me why you helped her escape? Why the fuck did you leave those drugs in her bag?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She sobbed. ¡°I wanted her gone. I was jealous. You wanted her. You didn¡¯t want me. You never stared at me the way you did with her. You never made a move to acknowledge my advances towards you. With her, she didn¡¯t need to seduce you into touching her. I ¨C I was really upset. I ¨C ahhh, ¡°Saige crouched on her knees and clutched her arm in pain, blood seeping from the wound there.


    Chase had shot her on the arm.


    He stared at her father, then back at her. ¡°Ti mandero un dottore,¡±


    {¡°I¡¯ll send you a doctor¡±}


    With that, he was gone.

 CHAPTER LIX

    ~~~


    ONE TORTUROUS MONTH.


    One month had passed by in a blur. That month was filled with nothing but torture, pain, and sadness for Sophia. Why?


    Because of Chase.


    She hadn¡¯t talked to him ¨C no, he hadn¡¯t spoken to her ¨C since the day heshed her with his belt.


    For the first few days after that incident, she hid herself in the safe confines of her room, a tiny part of her hoping he would go to her, force her to talk to him or maybe steal a kiss, but nothing happened. He ignored her.


    Then, she finally saw the truth in his words. She badly wanted to apologize. All she wanted was for him to smile at her and pull her in his arms. She tried speaking to him, but he always gave her cold shoulders. He wouldn¡¯t say a word to her, the highest he would do was walk out on her.


    Then, all of a sudden, he disappeared. He never showed up at home. And when she asked, she was told that he had left the country for work. It hurt her badly.


    And ever since then, he hadn¡¯t returned back home.


    Sophia missed him. She craved to hear his voice. She craved to look at him. She craved to feel his arms around her. She craved his touch. She craved his scent, and more importantly, she craved his presence.


    She didn¡¯t understand why she was feeling like that. She didn¡¯t care about how miserable she felt. All she wanted was Chase. She wanted to be in his presence, in his arms, and under his possessive stare.


    Sophia turned on her bed and opened her eyes, a groan leaving her lips. She turned and found Charlie fast asleep.


    She felt jealous of the cat. The cat had never found it difficult to sleep. Sophia didn¡¯t sleep at night. The only thing that helped her sleep was Chase¡¯s scent. It seemed to calm her down and lull her into sleep and she¡¯d imagine his arms wrapped around her and their legs tangled together.


    Sophia sat up and dropped her legs off her bed before gently getting down from the bed so as not to wake Charlie up. She padded towards the door, barefooted, and opened it, then slid outside.


    She exhaled lowly when she saw that no one was around. She walked towards Chase¡¯s wing of the house and walked to his room. She turned the door knob and entered the dark room, the faint scent of sandalwood engulfing her nostrils.


    Ever since she found out Chase wasn¡¯t around, she found herfort in his room. In there, she would be able to hug his sandalwood scented pillow, cover herself with hisforter since it had the same scent and she would instantly find sleep. Milk never helped again.


    Maybe she had gotten addicted to his scent because the mere perceiving of it she had, she felt that itch only him could ease between her legs.


    Sophia¡¯s lips formed into a pout as her buttnded on the bed when she realized that his scent was wearing off. She began to wonder how she would find herfort if the scent finally wears off.


    Sophia closed her eyes shut, waiting for sleep to take over her until an image of Chase¡¯s fingers inside her made her open her eyes.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    She mped her thighs shut at the feeling. It wouldn¡¯t go. It only seemed to increase. She suddenly began to feel like his fingers were inside her, pumping her.


    Sophia bit down on her lip and stared at the chandelier in the middle of the room, contemting if she could help herself.


    Her hands went to the waistline of her shorts, and she slid her right hand inside, trailing her fingers towards her clothed pussy. She let her hands linger there for a few seconds before pushing her panties aside and then began to draw slow,zy circles on her clit the way Chase used to.


    It didn¡¯t work. It didn¡¯t help.


    She then trailed her middle finger to her entrance, feeling her slick wetness on the tip of her finger, before slowly pushing it inside. She slowly bucked her hips and brought out her finger, then pushed it back inside.


    It still didn¡¯t work.


    She curled her finger and caressed her walls gently with the tip of her finger, hoping for some kind of release.


    Again, nothing worked.


    With a frustrated groan, she pulled out her fingers and buried her face in the pillow, letting out a huff.


    ~~~


    Sophia nuzzled into the nket as a small smile danced on her lips. She could feel him inside of her, mming in and out of her in a fast, hard, and rough pace. She loved it. Her body loved it.


    A moan left her lips. ¡°Chase -¡±


    Immediately, her eyes snapped open, and she expected to find him there. He wasn¡¯t there. She was only staring directly at the ceiling of his room.


    She sighed out when she realised she had a dream of Chase fucking her. Again.


    Her eyes fell on the bedside table, and a frown marred her features as she stared at a bouquet of flowers and a red rectangr velvet box beside it.


    She sat up and looked round to be sure it was Chase¡¯s room she was in and indeed, she was still there. She had never woken up to a bouquet of flowers and a red box in Chase¡¯s room before.


    She stretched her hands and picked up the flowers, her eyes falling on a small white paper in it. Her hand on its own picked it up, and when her eyes fell on Chase¡¯s crisp handwriting, an unconscious smile appeared on her face.


    Chase had written to her. Finally.


    Sophia kept the flowers beside her and giddily opened the paper fully. The content of the note was short, yet it made her heart flutter in warmth, and all her sadness vanished away.


    Happy birthday.


    That was all it read.

 CHAPTER LX

    ~~~


    Sophia stretched and picked up the box from the bedside table, then clicked it open. A gasp left her lips when she stared at the glittery diamond ne, staring right back at her.


    She picked up the jewelry, and tears clouded her vision. The gift didn¡¯t make her feel special, the fact that Chase didn¡¯t forget her birthday was what made her feel so special.


    She herself had forgotten that she was turning neen that day.


    With so much happiness, Sophia clutched the flowers and ne in the box, and then she rushed out of the room, running towards her room.


    The way she had opened the door to her room and closed it back with a loud bang had Charlie waking up, and the cat yawnedzily, before staring at her as she made her way towards him.


    Sophia sat on the bed beside him and giggled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I startled you and woke you up, Charlie,¡± She giggled again. ¡°Look what Chase got me for my birthday. You won¡¯t believe it! I woke up in his room to find these in there. It was as if he knew I used to sleep in his room ever since he left,¡±


    Charlie meowed and stared at her with a boring gaze.


    She pouted. ¡°You know? I really miss him so much. I wish he would juste home today. I can¡¯t wait to see him. And when I do, I¡¯ll hug him so tightly I won¡¯t ever let him leave,¡± She then wrapped her arms round herself with a big smile and a blush on her face. ¡°And then Charlie, we¡¯ll y a lot of fun games like we used to do with Chase. We will trouble him so much and make him pay for ignoring me for a whole month,¡± She then huffed.


    A light knock came on her door, and Sophia looked at Charlie, who was staring at her.


    Her eyes lit up, and a wide grin spread across her face. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s him! I¡¯ll go and open the door!¡± Sophia got down from her bed and rushed towards the door, opening it with a big smile.


    ¡°Happy birthday, Soph,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s smile froze when she stared at Valerie, standing there with a big smile on her face. ¡°V ¨C Val?¡±


    Valerie¡¯s smile widened, and she eyed Sophia up. ¡°You weren¡¯t expecting me?¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°I- It¡¯s not like that,¡± Sophia smiled. It¡¯s only Chase I want to see right now. She resisted the urge to say it out loud. She then moved away from the door and gave Valerie space to enter. ¡°Come in,¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Valerie passed her a sweet smile before walking into the room holding a box Sophia didn¡¯t notice earlier. ¡°Hey Charlie,¡±


    ¡°Uhh ¨C Val,¡± Sophia called. ¡°I ¨C thanks. You wished me a happy birthday and I didn¡¯t even say thanks. Thank you,¡±


    Valerie dropped the box on the bed and faced Sophia. ¡°No need for that. Actually, Don sent the box package for you. He said you should wear it in the evening,¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± She bit down her excitement at hearing Chase¡¯s name.


    ¡°A party is going to be thrown for the birthday girl obviously!¡± Valerie grinned. ¡°Well, I should leave. There¡¯s so much to do. I also need to contact a stylist for your make up,¡±


    ¡°Valerie,¡± Sophia called once Valerie ced her hand on the doorknob.


    Valerie stopped and turned. ¡°Do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°Is-,¡± Sophia stepped closer. ¡°Is Chase going to be at the party?¡±


    Valerie¡¯s mood shifted. ¡°I really don¡¯t know,¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s upset with me, right? He¡¯s still upset,¡± Sophia said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say, Soph. Chase is unpredictable. You can¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on with him. But it¡¯s okay. He still cares a lot, ¡°With that, she was gone.


    ~~~


    The ceiling of the hall was nearly twenty feet high and up there hung a massive chandelier that illuminated the entire hall with a shimmering gold. Vases of red roses were ced on top of short white columns adding a floral colour to the function. The sound of chatters and lightughs could be heard from the sophisticated women there as their husbands-businessmen- were catching up and making deals with each other while waiters and waitresses moved round with trays of drinks and water.


    Sophia had a minimal make up on. She was dressed in a white gold coloured ball gown adorned with the diamond earring and ne Chase had gifted her. She had a pair of ss wedges on her feet and her hair was styled into a side braid, giving her a princess look.


    Beside her on the table was Valerie, dressed in a ck, stunning ankle length dress which hugged her curves. She had her dark, silky hair pulled into a tight bun.


    Lucas and Luciano well, they were both d in ck suits and white button-down shirts underneath. Their hair was gelled backwards.


    In short, the three siblings looked like they had walked out of the magazine.


    All of a sudden, the hall went dead silent. The atmosphere changed and cowards began to sweat.


    Everyone knew whose presence was enough to evoke such a silence.


    Chase Romano.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Sophia¡¯s head whipped towards the entrance and her heart leapt in joy. He was standing there, looking like the main celebrant, in all his glory, d in a ck suit as usual with a ck button-down shirt beneath. His hair was gelled to the side. His cold eyes essed the whole hall, as if searching for someone until they stopped on her and they softened.


    The moment their eyes locked, Sophia¡¯s breath hitched and her stomach did a flip-flop. The butterflies in her stomach gained consciousness and her heartbeat increased erratically.


    His gaze was so intense, yet soft. Lust danced in his eyes and Sophia felt the Goosebumps erupting all over her skin.


    Her heart dropped in her stomach the moment his eyes hardened again and he turned away.


    She couldn¡¯t help it. Sophia wanted to be in his arms. So, catching everyone off-guard, she stood up from her seat and ran towards him, clutching her dress in her fists while everyone¡¯s eyes followed her as the sound of her wedge hitting the tiles resounded through therge hall.


    Before Chase could realise it, Sophia had thrown herself into his arms, wrapping her small ones round his torso while her head rested on his chest.


    A sob left her lips. ¡°I missed you,¡±


    ¡°Sophia,¡± Chase¡¯s voice was cold, hard and emotionless. It didn¡¯t have that softness he used only for her in it. He didn¡¯t even call her Gattina. Her heart sank in her stomach. ¡°Let go off me. This is not the time for your childishness,¡±


    Sophia shook her head and tightened her hold on him. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go. Please hug me back,¡± She whispered to him.


    Chase gently ced his calloused hands on her shoulders and pulled her away from him. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for all this. We¡¯ll talkter,¡±


    She shook her head stubbornly. ¡°I want to-,¡±


    Chase narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°Sophia,¡±


    Sophia blinked back her tears and nodded. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll talk to meter. Promise me you won¡¯t ignore me again,¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Chase mumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to youter. Just go back to your table,¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t promise me,¡± She said.


    ¡°I said I¡¯ll talk to you. I don¡¯t need to make a promise I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll fulfil, Sophia,¡±


    She wiped the lone tear that had fallen down her cheek and nodded, then turned back towards her seat.

 CHAPTER LXI

    The party continued in full swing. Everyone resumed their business and before Sophia could realise it, time had passed.


    It wasn¡¯t yet time for her to cut her cake. The MC had announced that the party had only gone halfway and there was still a lot to happen.


    Sophia just sat gloomily on her seat, refusing drinks from Sophia and others. All she could think of was Chase. He upied her thoughts and she couldn¡¯t wait to talk to him.


    Her eyes fell on him going towards the bathroom and an idea popped into her mind. That would be the best time to talk to him.


    She stood up and shed Valerie, Lucas and Luciano a smile. ¡°Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom,¡±


    Lucas ignored her and turned his face away while the remaining two nodded.


    ~~~


    ¡°Cha-Don,¡±


    Chase stopped in his tracks at the mention of his name at the familiar voice. He turned and narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Saige?¡±


    Saige sighed and walked closer to him. ¡°Are you still upset with me about what I did?¡±


    Chase ignored her question. ¡°Do you have something important to say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± She sighed again and tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I ¨C I betrayed you. I was scared and I felt insecure. I thought you¡¯d fall in love with-,¡±


    He cut her off. ¡°Sophia?¡±


    She dropped her head and her shoulders sagged. She then looked back up at him. ¡°I love you,¡±


    ¡°Is that why you chose to frame her?¡± Chase asked. ¡°What if we hadn¡¯t gotten there in time? If Lucas didn¡¯t do anything, she¡¯d have been locked up in jail for a crime she¡¯s innocent of or worse still, dead because of that bomb. The people in the airport would have died from the explosion because Sophia wouldn¡¯t have made it to the ne before the bomb went off, Saige,¡±


    ¡°This is the reason why I feel insecure. This is why I feel jealous of her,¡± A tear slid down her cheek. ¡°You never care for me the way you do for her. You don¡¯t freak out like this for me and I¡¯m your fiancee. She¡¯s not your fiancee,¡±


    ¡°Sophia is my responsibility,¡±


    ¡°You chose to keep her as your responsibility. If you had killed her, I wouldn¡¯t have done what I did. I wouldn¡¯t have lived with the insecurity that someone that¡¯s barely twenty years old woulde and snatch you from me,¡± She stepped closer to him. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry I sound disrespectful but I have no choice. I love you so much I can¡¯t imagine my life without you,¡±


    ¡°I promised to marry you, Saige. I wouldn¡¯t go back on my words,¡± Chase said.


    ¡°But will you give your heart to me the way I¡¯ve given mine to you?¡± More tears kissed her cheeks.


    Chase said nothing.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Saige moved closer again, their chests brushing. ¡°Fine. Forget about love. I¡¯m desperate for you, Chase. I need you badly. Please just give me your word onest time that you will marry me. Promise me again that I¡¯ll rule your kingdom beside you as your queen. Promise me that I¡¯ll be the mother of your kids. Promise to make love to me as you do with her,¡±


    ¡°Saige-¡±


    She shook her head and gripped thepels of his suit. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to live without you, Chase,¡± She croaked out. ¡°I-I¡¯ll kill myself, I swear. I ¨C I love you,¡±


    ¡°I promise, Saige, I¡¯ll marry you,¡± Chase said. ¡°I already made the promise to you and your dad before. I¡¯ll not go back on my words. Don¡¯t ever speak of killing yourself,¡±


    ¡°Seal the promise with a kiss,¡± She replied. Chase turned his face away, and she cupped one of his cheeks, making him face her. ¡°Please, just one kiss. You¡¯ve never touched me the way you touch her,¡± She encircled her palm around the back of his right hand and ced it on her waist, holding it in ce. ¡°You never stare at me the way you stare at her,¡± She guided his palm to her ass. ¡°You don¡¯t know how it messes with my sanity any time I see you staring at her like that. Like you did today,¡± She then guided his palm again to her lower back. ¡°I almost lost it when she hugged you like that. You¡¯ve never let me hug you. You never touched me. Please do something tonight. Do something to help me. I -I¡¯m ready for any type of fuck as long as it¡¯s from you. Just see me for once , please,¡±


    Chase made no attempt to pull his hand away from her. He simply stared into her eyes, reeling in the pain they held. She was sad. He had made her sad. But she should have known. Love didn¡¯t exist in their world. ¡°Saige,¡±


    Saige stepped on her toes so their breaths could mix. ¡°Please. Just one kiss. Kiss me and I¡¯ll be rid of my insecurities. Kiss me and seal your promise. Just a kiss, please. I¡¯m close to losing my mind because of you and your negligence. Just help me out today. Save me,¡±


    He was the only one that could save her. He knew it. But kissing her would be nothing like kissing Sophia. He wouldn¡¯t get the satisfaction from kissing her.


    As if she knew what he was thinking, Saige brushed their lips together. ¡°It must not be like Sophia¡¯s,¡± She whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to be like that. It has to be ours. Just kiss me, please. I¡¯m desperate,¡±


    Chase knew it wasn¡¯t right. But Saige was his fiancee, right? She also needed him. He might not be satisfied but he couldn¡¯t be the reason for whatever would happen to her if he refused her.


    Covering the tiny distance between them, Chase mmed his lips on Saige¡¯s warm ones. Immediately, she opened her mouth and he slipped his tongue inside. Her hands left his cheek and went round his neck, disappearing into his hair.


    Saige¡¯s eyes closed on their own ord and a moan left her lips. Chase turned her so her back was against the wall while he devoured her lips even though it wasn¡¯t the way he wanted. He wanted someone else¡¯s lips.


    He wanted a particr neen-year-old girl to be the one in Saige¡¯s ce.


    Saige¡¯s heart filled with warmth. Finally, she had him. She had the man she loved.

 CHAPTER LXII

    ~~~


    HE¡¯D LOST IT. Chase was sure he lost his senses the moment he realized he had actually kissed Saige.


    Chase pulled his hand away from her waist and took it to hers, unwooding her arms away from his neck before he pulled away from the kiss, earning a pout from her.


    He stared at Saige¡¯s swollen lips, and his gaze flickered back to hers. Her green eyes didn¡¯t look dead and sad anymore. There was only lust swiveling in them and he was sure if it was Sophia, he would have taken her there and then.


    ¡°Dammit¡± He raked his hands through his hair and turned his back to her, mentally scolding himself for what he did.


    He wasn¡¯t meant to care.


    He shouldn¡¯t have cared when he saw the sadness in her eyes. It reminded him of the simr ones in Sophia¡¯s eyes. What the fuck was he thinking?


    Great. He was thinking of how he couldn¡¯t be responsible for whatever happened to Saige in the future as she threatened. That was why he had agreed to kiss her.


    He was changing.


    He wasn¡¯t the person he used to be any longer. That nonchnt and indifferent part of him was getting reced with care. And that had started the moment Sophia waltzed back into his life. He just didn¡¯t think that care would be extended towards Saige.


    Saige ced her hand on his shoulder, and he tensed. ¡°Chase,¡±


    ¡°What do you want again, Saige?¡± He turned to face her, seeing another sh of hurt in her eyes. ¡°I already sealed the promise with a kiss. That¡¯s all,¡±


    ¡°Is that all it was to you?¡± She asked. ¡°Was that kiss only for sealing a promise? Didn¡¯t you feel anything? Nothing? Not even a spark? An erection?¡±


    His next words were going to hurt her. Chase was fully aware of that, but it was the truth. The sooner she epted it, the better and less painful it would be for her. ¡°I felt nothing,¡±


    That was all he said before walking away.


    ~~~


    Heartache.


    That was what she had felt seeing them like that. Seeing Chase kissing Saige without hesitation hurt badly. Did what they both shared mean nothing to him that he had to kiss someone else?


    Sophia was definitely forgetting that Saige was his fiancee. She was always the one meant to stand beside him.


    Sophia slid down the bathroom door and clutched her dress at the chest side, hoping to just rip off her heart apart from her body to stop her from feeling that type of pain.


    She had never felt it before. That was the first time she ever felt like that, and it was killing her, wing at her heart and causing a painful ache to settle there.


    She had a smile when she was going to talk to Chase after she left the table. But her smile had disappeared the moment she stepped into the hallway and sighted Chase with Saige. Saige was tugging on his suitpels, begging him to do something while tears rushed down her face. Sophia remembered her heart had skipped a bit when she saw Saige brushing their lips together, whispering something to him and she badly wished she could hear what they were saying.


    Her heart had shattered into pieces when Chase kissed Saige.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Tears kissed her cheeks as she sat on the bathroom floor, remembering every single thing that she had seen. It hurt badly.


    Somewhere at the back of her mind, Sophia knew what she felt. She knew she no longer hated Chase. She didn¡¯t hate him again.


    She had started developing feelings for him. For the man who stripped her of every single thing she had.


    At this realization, Sophia wiped her tears with the back of her sleeves and stood up. She stared at herself in the mirror, grateful that she hadn¡¯t put on too much makeup else it would have been smudged.


    She smiled at herself, pushing back the image of Chase and Saige at the back of her mind. She didn¡¯t care. All she wanted was to tell Chase about how she felt towards him.


    Maybe he would stop ignoring her then. He wouldn¡¯t treat her with so much coldness again since that was what he had always wanted from her since, right?


    ~~~


    Chase made his way towards Sophia¡¯s table. A frown took over his features when he didn¡¯t find her seated on her seat. ¡°Dov¡¯e Sofia?¡±


    {¡°Where¡¯s Sophia?¡±}


    Valerie opened her mouth to say something but mped it shut when she sighted Sophia directly behind Chase with a huge smile on her face.


    Chase¡¯s frown deepened when he noticed Valerie¡¯s facial expression and how her eyes stared at something ¨C or rather, someone-behind him, and he turned.


    ¡°Boo!¡± Sophia giggled.


    Chase said nothing. He stared at her intensely. Her cheeks looked rosy, and hershes were somewhat damp. ¡°Were you crying?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s heart skipped, and she peaked up at him, a blush staining her cheeks. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t,¡± She lied.


    She was lying. Chase was fully aware of that. ¡°You said you wanted to talk,¡± He ran his eyes over her face.


    Sophia nodded and wrapped her palms round his arm. ¡°Yeah,¡±


    Chase ced his hand gently on hers that was on his arm and stared at her into the eye. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go,¡±


    Just as they were about to go, a gunshot rang in the hall, and Sophia flinched, her eyes widening in horror. Screams filled the ce and people began to scramble away for their dear lives, hiding under their tables and running towards the door. Men in camouge outfits, covering their faces with clothes continued to shoot around, shooting anyone their guns were pointed at. Chase¡¯s men joined the gun fight, shooting at the men.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Chase turned to his cousins who were already shooting at the camouged men. ¡°Non potreste organizzare una festa senza alcun pericolo ibente? Dannazione,¡±


    {¡°Couldn¡¯t you all arrange a party without any looming danger? Dammit¡±}


    One of Chase¡¯s men ran towards them and whispered something in Lucas¡¯ ear.


    Lucas paled and stared at Chase. ¡°Questi uomini provengono dall¡¯impero di Azymir. Il loro emiro vuole Sophia,¡±


    {¡°These men are from Azymir empire. Their emir wants Sophia. ¡°}


    Chase froze and turned to Sophia, who was still staring at him, with scared eyes. He then turned to Lucas. ¡°Unisciti agli altri. Nonsciare che nessuno degli uomini di Mirzasci viva. I loro corpi devono essere quelli che se ne vanno da qui. Portero subito Sophia in salvo,¡± He turned to leave with Sophia, sping her hands in hisrge ones.


    {¡°Join the rest. Don¡¯t let any of Mirza¡¯s men leave her alive. Their bodies must be the ones leaving here. I¡¯m taking Sophia to safety right away.¡±}


    ¡°Don,¡± Lucas stopped him. Chase turned. Lucas stared at Sophia, then back at Chase. ¡°Per favore, prenditi cura di lei. Se possibile, nonscia s. Non possiamo perde,¡±


    {¡°Please take care of her. If possible, don¡¯t leave her alone. We can¡¯t lose her.¡±}


    Chase nodded and bent down, then picked Sophia in his arms before rushing towards the empty hallway with her.


    ¡°Chase,¡± Sophia asked once he dropped her down on her feet. ¡°What-what is going on? Why are there so many men shooting at everyone?¡±


    Chase cupped her cheeks gently and caressed her skin. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. Everything will be alright,¡± He cooed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be scared, mm?¡±


    Sophia clutched his suitpels in her fists and nodded. ¡°Chase,¡± She stared up at him with her tear ¨C filled eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t ignore me like you did. It hurts. I-I missed you. I couldn¡¯t sleep without you beside me. Everything was bad. I-I wanted you around me. I wanted you to touch me again. I-I didn¡¯t hate you again,¡± She shook her head. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, please. Don¡¯t leave home. Don¡¯t stay away from me again or else, I won¡¯t ever talk to you. Chase, I  I -,¡±


    Before Sophia could say anything again, Chase¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at something ¨C someone ¨C behind her. He was quick to turn her around so the bullet aimed at her would hit him instead.


    The time the bullet pierced into his shoulder, he had already shot the man that shot the gun. The man fell dead on the floor. Chase groaned in pain.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± He cradled her cheek, gritting his teeth. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Chase,¡± Sophia pulled away from him and knelt down on the floor as he did. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Are you sure you¡¯re okay? You look like you¡¯re in pain,¡±

 CHAPTER LXIII

    She would surely be oblivious to what happened. Both Chase and the man that had intended to shoot her had their guns on silencer. Sophia didn¡¯t hear the guns going off and didn¡¯t see when Chase had even brought out his gun and returned it back to his pocket.


    Chase nodded at her. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± His jaw clenched when Sophia ced her hand on his shoulder and unintentionally pressed the bullet wound there. ¡°Dammit, fuck!,¡±


    Feeling something warm and sticky on her fingers, Sophia pulled her hand away and gasped when she saw blood on it. ¡°You -¡± She looked at Chase¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding! How ¨C how did it happen?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. I¡¯m okay,¡± He managed to stand up and held her wrist. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll take you somewhere else,¡±


    Sophia ignored him and yanked her wrist from his palm. Turning around, her eyes fell on the injury. ¡°How did you get shot? What happened?¡± She was too concentrated on him that she didn¡¯t see the other man¡¯s bodyying dead behind them.


    Sophia made him bend down on his knees.


    Chase sighed. ¡°I told you it¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m not going to die,¡±


    She ignored him again and leaned in to blow the injury. ¡°You-you¡¯re going to be okay,¡± She then tore a fabric from her dress, staining the dress with her bloodied hand. Her hands were shaking, but she ignored them. All she wanted was to see Chase okay. ¡°I-I¡¯ll tie this around your shoulder to apply pressure on the wound. It-It would stop the blood from rushing too much,¡± That was something she¡¯d had learnt once during studying. She wasn¡¯t yet a sessful nurse but she could still help save him before everything got settled.


    ¡°No, Gattina,¡± Chase growled. ¡°Just leave it. It¡¯s not safe here,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°What if something happens to you?¡± She raised one of his arms up and wrapped the torn fabric there, covering the wound tightly with it. She then moved to his front and tied it, ignoring his protests. ¡°See? It¡¯s all done,¡± She ced both of her small arms under his arms and helped him stand on his feet. ¡°We-we can go wherever you want us to go now. I-I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be a first aid kit there,¡± She wrapped his other arm gently around her shoulders.


    ¡°Your shoulders will hurt,¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯re too smallpared to me,¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Sophia stopped and turned to him. ¡°You didn¡¯t think about it all those times you used to do those things to me,¡± A blush crept up her face and neck. ¡°Allow me to do this, please,¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Easy,¡± Sophia whispered and dropped Chase on the ground and turned to lock the door. ¡°Are youfortable seated here?¡±


    Chase groaned and nodded. ¡°I am,¡±


    Sophia turned and locked the door of the room and began to open some drawers. They had finally found somewhere to stay in until everything was settled and everywhere was safe.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Chase tried to stand up.


    Sophia was quick to turn and pushed him back to sit down, throwing a small re his way. ¡°Just sit here. I¡¯m looking for the first aid box in there,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a fucking first aid box. My men are out there shooting at those bastards. I need to be there,¡±


    Sophia ced her hands on her hips and her re deepened. ¡°You can¡¯t go anywhere in that condition,¡± She pointed at his injured shoulder, then looked back into his eyes, determination and stubbornness swivelling in hers¡¯. ¡°They should understand that,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fucking stubborn,¡± He shed her his billion dor smile and her heart skipped a bit.


    She hoped her heart wouldn¡¯t drop from skipping too much. Was that even possible? Sophia mentally smacked the back of her shoulder.


    To hide the blush that had crept up her face, Sophia turned and continued opening the drawers until her eyes fell on a transparent box. Her eyes lit up, and she brought it out, showing it to him. ¡°See, I found a first aid kit,¡±


    ¡°How are you going to use that?¡± Chase looked at the box in her and looked back at her as she knelt in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯m a nursing student, Chase,¡± She said and dropped the box beside her. She leaned in to loosen the knot she tied on the fabric, trying hard to ignore the way his harsh, rugged warm breath fanned her forehead.


    Sophia peaked at him through hershes, only to find him staring at her with an intensity which made those butterflies in her stomach wake up again. Her breath hitched and her lips parted. Her fingers on the knots of the fabric froze.


    Chase gaze flickered to Sophia¡¯s lips and he stared back at her innocent eyes. Her eyes told him things he didn¡¯t believe. Her eyes told him she wanted him as much as he wanted her at that moment. Her eyes screamed the words ¡®fuck me¡¯ and he gulped lowly, telling himself he was only imagining things.


    Sophia hated him. She didn¡¯t want him like that. That was what he thought.


    ¡°Gattina,¡± His voice came out hoarse, thick with restraint.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    She whispered out. ¡°Chase,¡±


    He gulped again, maintaining eye contact. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Stop it,¡±


    Her eyes fell on his lips and she didn¡¯t miss the way his tongue came out to lick his lower lip, before she stared back into his eyes. ¡°How? H-how am I looking at you?¡±


    ¡°Like that,¡± He swallowed a huge lump of saliva. Chase¡¯s hands suddenly had a mind of their own. One of them held her waist in a firm grip while the other travelled to the nape of her neck, caressing the skin. ¡°As if you want me to eat you. You¡¯re staring at me as if you want me to fuck you into oblivion,¡±


    Was it that obvious? Sophia¡¯s face turned beetroot red and she bit down on her lower lip.


    However, Chase didn¡¯t miss that slight movement. His eyes locked back on hers. ¡°Don¡¯t do that?¡±


    Her hands that were on the knots were already caressing his chest innocently. ¡°What?¡±


    He stared at her lips as she pulled it again with her teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t bite down on your lip. I only have a little control over here,¡± Fuck. He was so hard. So painfully hard and he was sure he¡¯d end up with the blue balls. So much for wanting to give her space. After one month of ignoring her, he was back to her again, losing every ounce of his self-control.


    Just like Saige had done, Sophia leaned in, brushing their lips together. ¡°Kiss me like you kissed her,¡±


    Chase froze on the spot, unable to pull his eyes from her captivating ones. So she had seen them? ¡°You -¡±


    She cut him off by brushing their lips again. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Just kiss me or I¡¯ll do it myself even if I¡¯m inexperienced,¡±


    ¡°Gatt -,¡±


    Chase¡¯s remaining words were swallowed by Sophia as she pressed her soft, warm and full lips on his thin ones.

 CHAPTER LXIV

    ~~~


    THAT WAS WHAT a kiss should be like; mind ¨C blowing, toe curling and leaving you wanting for more. That was the type of kiss Chase and Sophia were sharing.


    Sophia was a terrible kisser. She knew that. Chase knew that as well, and so, she let him take the lead, giving him entrance into her mouth.


    Sophia was already lying on the ground while Chase towered above her, devouring her lips like a hungry man. Of course, he was a hungry man. He was hungry for Sophia¡¯s petals and staying away from them for a full month was making him lose it.


    An involuntary moan left Sophia¡¯s lips as Chase slipped his tongue out of her mouth, nipping on her lower lip before trailing wet kisses along her chin and jawline. One of his handsid beside her head against the floor, holding his weight while the other one travelled to her dress, squeezing her waist.


    Sophia¡¯s hands roamed around his back, and she mistakenly pressed on his injury, earning a growl from him.


    ¡°I- I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    She tried to sit up so she¡¯d check the injury, but Chase pressed her down and used his knee to part her legs, settling his right knee between them, and he returned his lips back to hers.


    One of his hands travelled to her zipper, tugging on it. Sophia arched her back to give him ess, and he sessfully dragged down the zipper of her dress.


    Another moan slipped out of her mouth when he lightly squeezed her breast, his lips travelling to her corbone and leaving kisses there. He stopped directly on her corbone and bit down on the skin.


    ¡°Mhh-,¡± Sophia whimpered, tugging on his hair. She bucked her hips so she¡¯d grind herself against his knee, and when he noticed this, Chase pulled his knee away from her Centre. A whimper escaped her lips.


    Chase sucked on the spot he had left a bite, kissing and nipping on the skin while his other hand went back under her zipper to unsp her bra.


    They were both startled by the vibrationing from Chase¡¯s pocket, followed by the sound of his ringtone.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Chase groaned in displeasure and pulled away from her, resisting the urge to just ignore the call, lean in and suck on her slightly red, swollen lips.


    Sophia blushed and sat up. ¡°Uhh -¡± She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. ¡°I-I think you should pick it,¡±


    Chase fished out his phone from his pocket, and his eyes narrowed at the caller ID.


    Lucas.


    Swiping the screen, Chase brought the phone to his ear. ¡°Quello che e sesso?¡±


    {¡°What happened?¡±}


    Lucas replied from the other end. ¡°Ovunque e libero, Don. Nessuno degli uomini di Mirza e rimasto qui vivo. I loro corpi gli sono stati tutti inviati secondo i tuoi ordini,¡± He heard Chase groan out and his tone changed to a worried one. ¡°Stai bene, Don?¡±


    {¡°Everywhere is clear, Don. None of Mirza¡¯s men left here alive. Their bodies have all been sent to him as per your orders.¡±} {¡°Are you okay, Don?¡±}


    Chase gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t need to -hey!¡±


    Chase was cut off by Sophia, who snatched the phone from him and ced the phone on her ear. ¡°Uhh ¨C Lucas. It¡¯s me, Sophia. Uhh-,¡± She then looked back at Chase. ¡°Actually, He-Chase got shot, and I don¡¯t know how it happened. Please, we need help. We¡¯re in an empty room in the left wing of the hallway. Please be here quick. He¡¯s losing a lot of blood,¡±


    She then cut the call.


    Chase red at her. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°You clearly needed help,¡± She pursed her lips and stood up as she started struggling to pull up her zipper. ¡°Just have some rest before hees here. Lucas will definitely find us,¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Seeing that she was struggling with her zipper, Chase stood up and ced his hands on her shoulders, then turned her back towards him.


    Sophia twisted and turned back to face him. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    Chase took a step closer, a smile taking over his features. ¡°I want to continue from where we stopped,¡±


    Her cheeks reddened, and she red at him with a pout. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t stress your shoulder,¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He arched a brow and took a step forward. She took one step backwards. ¡°You weren¡¯t thinking that when you asked me to kiss you, were you?¡±


    Her blush deepened. ¡°Stop,¡± She took another step backwards.


    ¡°Did I start anything?¡± His lips quirked up into a smirk. ¡°You were the one who started it,¡±


    She red at him again as heat crept up her body. ¡°I-Stop it ¨C ahh,¡± She gasped when her back met the cold wall. ¡°Don¡¯t- Don¡¯te any closer,¡±


    Chase didn¡¯t break eye contact, and neither did he stop walking until he stopped an inch away from her. ¡°Now you¡¯ve got me wondering where that new courage came from,¡± He closed the remaining distance between them and leaned in, whispering into her ear as his hot breath fanned her cheeks while his lips brushed her earlobe. ¡°I¡¯m suddenly imagining myself pounding into your wetness while I tie you to the bedpost for being so disrespectful towards me,¡± He pulled away and stared into her eyes. ¡°Do you imagine it?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s pussy clenched at his words.


    Chase looked down and found her mping her thighs together. His smirk widened, and he stared back into her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you loved dirty talk,¡± He kissed his teeth with a tsk.  ¡°I¡¯d have used them a long time ago,¡±


    ¡°Chase -¡±


    ¡°You want me to fuck you as I just imagined?¡± He ced both of his hands on her shoulders and turned her back towards him, before leaning down. His lips brushed her shoulder des and he dropped a peck there while one of his palms rested on her waist. Sophia shivered as he whispered against her skin. ¡°As much as I want to know your answer to my question and know your own imagination, we don¡¯t have much time for that. Your hands could barely reach your zipper, I thought of helping ¡°His other hand held her zipper and he zipped it up for her.


    His lips rested on her shoulder de and he pulled away the minute the sound of the doorknob turning reached their ears.


    Lucas¡¯ voice came. ¡°Sophia? Are you both in there?¡±


    Sophia bit her inner cheek to clear the blush on her face. ¡°Yeah, Lucas. We-,¡±She nced at Chase who had an amused look in his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re in here. I¡¯ll open the door for you,¡±


    She walked towards the door and unlocked it before turning the door knob open.


    Lucas ran his eyes over her. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡±

 CHAPTER LXV

    ~~~


    Chase swallowed the pill prescribed for him before looking at Lucas. ¡°State tutti bene? C¡¯e qualche persona ferita?¡±


    {¡°Is everyone alright? Any injured person?¡±}


    Lucas stared at Sophia, who was seated at the edge of Chase¡¯s bed before looking back at Chase. ¡°Nessuno dei nostri uomini e risultato morto. Solo pochi feriti e uhh-Saige¡±


    {¡°None of our men turned up dead. Just a few injured ones and uhh-Saige¡±}


    Chase frowned. ¡°Cosa le e sesso?¡±


    {¡°What happened to her?¡±}


    ¡°Actually,¡± Valerie stepped forward and passed Chase a nervous smile. ¡°De Luca is panicked and well- uhh-one of Mirza¡¯s men took her away. She was kidnapped, and they said they¡¯ll only be returning her if ¨C ¡± Her eyes flickered to Sophia and then back at Chase. She exhaled. ¡°They¡¯ll only be returning her in exchange for Sophia,¡±


    Sophia froze.


    Chase turned his hardened gaze to Lucas. ¡°Hai detto che tutti gli uomini di Mirza erano morti. Come hanno potuto portare via Saige?¡± He was already throwing theforter from his body and standing on his feet. ¡°Siete tutti un gruppo di scihi. Lo sapevate, ma mi avete permesso di farmi curare invece di trovare modi per riporta indietro!¡±


    {¡°You said all of Mirza¡¯s men were dead. How could they have taken Saige away?¡±} {¡°You are all bunch of fools. You knew thus but allowed me to take treatment rather than finding ways to bring her back!¡±}


    Sophia was quick to rush towards Chase to hold his arm. ¡°You ¨C you need to calm down. You aren¡¯t doing well. The doctor said you might have a fever if you don¡¯t have some rest,¡±


    Chase gently ced his hand on hers and pulled her hand away from his arm. ¡°Saige is my fiancee and my responsibility. She¡¯s a member of this empire, and I can¡¯t leave her to those insufferable bastards to do as they wish. I¡¯m going to find a way to bring her back to De Luca,¡±


    ¡°The only way to get her back home is to give Sophia to them,¡± Valerie said.


    ¡°Sophia is not going to be given to Mirza,¡± Lucas dragged Sophia¡¯s arm and pulled her behind him, protectively hiding her. ¡°Anyone who wants to take her has to pass through me first,¡±


    ¡°No one was ever going to take her to Mirza, Lucas,¡± Valerie said. ¡°I was just stating it,¡±


    ¡°Fine then,¡± Luciano called. ¡°The only option we have is to invade their territory. That¡¯s the only way we can get Saige back home,¡±


    ¡°I- I can be of help,¡± Sophia moved away from Lucas¡¯ back. ¡°We can all make a n and find a way out,¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t some high- school bullshit, Gattina, ¡°Chase¡¯s tone was hard. ¡°You and Valerie are going to stay back home with a few men on guard. Lucas, Luciano, and I will leave right now with some of our men,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Valerie knew better than to protest.


    Sophia declined. ¡°This isn¡¯t about high school. Chase. Saige¡¯s life is in danger, and if I can be of some help, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll help,¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking out of your mind, Sophia?¡± Lucas dragged her upper arm and turned her towards him. ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere. You¡¯re staying back at home with Val and that¡¯s it. We¡¯re all going to bring Saige back. She isn¡¯t only your friend and you¡¯re not the only one that cares the fuck for her. She¡¯s going to be the queen of our empire also and we¡¯ll do all we can to save her,¡± He didn¡¯t mean his words. They were all to make Sophia back down from wishing to help.


    Lucas never really liked Saige, and he didn¡¯t care if she was marrying his cousin or not. His dislike towards her had turned into hatred the day she tried tond Sophia in trouble at the airport.


    Before Sophia could utter any word, Lucas¡¯ phone rang.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± He fished out his phone from his pocket and walked towards a corner to pick up the call. In less than a minute, he was back to where he was standing, Staring at Chase. ¡°It¡¯s one of our men that just called. Mirza has returned Saige. She¡¯s been taken to one of the guest rooms by the head of the maids and a doctor has been called. She isn¡¯t in good shape,¡±


    ~~


    Saigeid on therge bed in the guest room, staring at the ceiling without saying anything when they all walked in.


    Sophia gasped at the sight of Saige.


    She was bruised all over. Her fiery red hair was sprawled all over her face, her eyes looked dead staring into empty space, her lips were chapped as blood trailed down her chin, her dress was torn at different ces. There were bruises all over her arms, thighs, chest area and other parts of her body especially her face which looked as if she¡¯d been blown and pped. There was also blood trickling down the middle of her thighs.


    Another gasp left Sophia¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, say something,¡± The head of the maid held Saige¡¯s cold palms in hers, urging her to speak. Saige remained mute, saying nothing.


    ¡°She-,¡± Tears glistened in Valerie¡¯s eyes and the remaining words flew out of her mouth without her realizing it.¡±They raped her!¡±


    That was when something snapped in Saige. It was as if she had been jolted back to her senses and she hurriedly got down from the bed, her eyes scanning over them all.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The moment her green eyesnded on Chase, a sob cracked from her lips. ¡°Chase,¡± She rushed towards him and threw herself in his arms. ¡°Chase,¡± More tears spilt from her eyes, and she clutched onto his arm, shaking her head. ¡°They-those men. They took me away. They-they forced me. They were tired of waiting. They said they were tired of waiting for you to bring her to them. They-they made fun of me, Chase. They said horrible things about me. They said you didn¡¯t care about me. They said you preferred her over me and that was why you didn¡¯t take her to them. They said I am a pathetic excuse of woman who couldn¡¯t satisfy her fiance that he even had to find satisfaction in a teenage girl. I told them it was a lie but they hit me. They told me to shut up that I was a useless and worthless woman. They called me degrading names as they took turns with me. They wanted her. They wanted to keep her. When you-,¡± She gripped his cor and looked at him in the eye. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take her to them? They-they forced their selves on me. They were-they were five of them. They forced me. It was hurting. It still hurts. Why-why didn¡¯t you take her to them? If you-if you did they wouldn¡¯t have touched me like that. They wouldn¡¯t have been my firsts,¡±

 CHAPTER LXVI

    ~~~


    The moment her green eyesnded on Chase, a sob cracked from her lips. ¡°Chase,¡± She rushed towards him and threw herself in his arms. ¡°Chase,¡± More tears spilt from her eyes, and she clutched onto his arm, shaking her head. ¡°They-those men. They took me away. They-they forced me. They were tired of waiting. They said they were tired of waiting for you to bring her to them. They-they made fun of me, Chase. They said horrible things about me. They said you didn¡¯t care about me. They said you preferred her over me and that was why you didn¡¯t take her to them. They said I am a pathetic excuse of woman who couldn¡¯t satisfy her fiance that he even had to find satisfaction in a teenage girl. I told them it was a lie but they hit me. They told me to shut up that I was a useless and worthless woman. They called me degrading names as they took turns with me. They wanted her. They wanted to keep her. When you-,¡± She gripped his cor and looked at him in the eye. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take her to them? They-they forced their selves on me. They were-they were five of them. They forced me. It was hurting. It still hurts. Why-why didn¡¯t you take her to them? If you-if you did they wouldn¡¯t have touched me like that. They wouldn¡¯t have been my firsts,¡±


    ¡°Shhh, calm down, Saige,¡± Chase held both of her wrists and pulled her away from him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he took her to the bed. ¡°The doctor is on his way. He¡¯ll be here right away,¡±


    ¡°No. No,¡± She shook her head again. ¡°The doctor won¡¯t help. He won¡¯t make me forget. He-the doctor won¡¯t return me back to who I was. I-I won¡¯t be a virgin again with his help. I-I kept myself for you, Chase. You-they took it away,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they all pay for all they did, I promise,¡± Chase cupped her cheeks as he sat her down on the bed.


    The tears didn¡¯t stop flowing. ¡°You-you caused it all. You chose her over me. You chose that girl over your fiancee. You didn¡¯t take her to them. Now look at what they did to me. You  she ¨C I hate her,¡± Saige grabbed the rm clock on the bedside and threw it towards Sophia but Lucas was quick to drag Sophia away because she was too shocked to move. When the rm clock fell off on the floor and broke, Saige became outraged. ¡°See what I¡¯m saying! Everyone cares about her more than me! They all prefer her! She should have just fucking died that day from the airport! I¡¯m going to kill her!¡± She stood up from the bed. Before Chase or anyone could stop her, she had already hurled herself towards Sophia, ignoring the searing ache between her legs and had her hands round her neck. ¡°I hate you! I hate you! Die! You¡¯re the reason I¡¯m in pain!¡±


    ¡°Sai-,¡± Sophia¡¯s face had paled. She was wing at Saige¡¯s hands so she¡¯d let her go. Saige was stronger than her.


    Chase and Luciano were pulling Saige away but she wasn¡¯t letting go. Lucas was holding onto Sophia¡¯s arm trying to pull her away from Saige too.


    Lucas was enraged. He didn¡¯t realize when he raised his fist andnded a punch on Saige¡¯s face, breaking her nose.


    That was when Saige finally let go off Sophia and staggered on her feet. Without looking at the damage he had caused on Saige, Lucas patted Sophia on the back as she coughed while Valerie poured water for her from a jug to drink.


    That was the time the head of maids walked in with the doctor.


    Saige¡¯s hands were shaking as she pressed them to her bleeding nose while Chase wrapped his arms around her shoulder to pull her back towards the bed.


    ¡°Doctor, she¡¯s the patient. Give her an injection to calm her down and put her to sleep before doing anything else,¡±


    ¡°Yes, Don,¡± The doctor nodded and got to work.


    He opened his kit and brought out a syringe along with an antidote in a small bottle. Using the syringe, he filled the polypropylene with the correct dose of injection before injecting it into Saige¡¯s arm as she struggled to be let free.


    Before a minute, she fell asleep.


    ¡°You can run your tests on her now,¡± Chase nodded to the doctor.


    The doctor nodded.


    Chase walked towards Sophia and pulled her into his arms. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Her eyes stung with unshed tears. Sophia wanted to cry but she couldn¡¯t. Her neck where Saige had held her hurt a lot and she was sure there was a bruise there.


    Stifling a sob, Sophia pulled away from Chase and ran out of the room as the tears finally rushed down her cheeks.


    ~~~


    MIRZA HAD TO know his ce. He had to be taught not to evade a territory that wasn¡¯t his, and Chase was going to be the teacher. Chase had never evaded Mirza¡¯s territory, thetter didn¡¯t have the right to do that and then have him men rape thedy that would rule the Romano empire beside Chase. He had to be taught a lesson, or worse, sent to his death.


    Valerie¡¯s voice pulled Chase out of his thoughts. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s going to be affected mentally? Would you suggest a therapist?¡±


    The doctor just finished running a check-up on Saige, who was still unconscious. Her injuries had all been taken care of, and she was wearing a simple ankle length night dress while aforter was draped over her lower body. ¡°I can¡¯t say. I¡¯m not entirely sure. She has to be awake, so we¡¯d be able to know what effect the assault had on her,¡±


    ¡°But -¡± Luciano looked at Saige¡¯s sleeping posture, dread coursing through his veins at the thought of her trying to harm Sophia like she had just done. ¡°She acted violent before injected to sleep. Would that keep on happening?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The doctor sighed and stared at Saige, too. ¡°As I said, she has to be awake before we conclude,¡± He stared at Luciano. ¡°But to be honest, she¡¯s one of the few assault victims I¡¯ve seen acting so violent after- uhh-,¡± He stared at Chase who had his eyes on Saige with a cigar between his lips. He looked back at Luciano. ¡°- an assault. It¡¯s rare for assault victims to behave like that. But mind you, she¡¯s likely to go through emotional stress. She would also crave attention and want to be around people she trusts the most

 CHAPTER LXVII

    ~~~


    ¡°Does that mean she¡¯s going to be clingy towards Don?¡± Lucas asked, resisting the urge to scoff.


    ¡°If she feels safe with him, yes. But it still depends on how she feels. Some victims prefer to be left alone,¡± the doctor assured. ¡°Most importantly, you should all be there for her. Sometimes when assault victims are left alone with no one to be there for them, they tend to suffer from low self-esteem. That would lead to depression and then, mental instability will jump in. Again, having that mental in bnce might make her remember the assault. She could also want to harm or kill herself. If you really don¡¯t want her going through something as torturous as that, you should always be beside her. You can also help through therapy. She would not even have to get to the stage of feeling lowly about herself with the help of a therapist,¡±


    ¡°Saige is a strong woman,¡± Valerie blinked the tears clouding her vision. ¡°She¡¯ll pass through it all. We¡¯ll all be here for her,¡±


    Lucas snorted. Luciano red at him. Chase remained indifferent.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now. If there¡¯s anything else, do inform me. I¡¯ll be here immediately,¡±


    ~~~


    His posture screamed dominance and power, daring anyone to disrespect him. Chase¡¯s had his left ankle ced on his right knee, jaw tight, cigar held by his fore and middle finger ced between his lips, dark eyes staring intently at the sixty-something-year old man wearing a multi-colored royal mantle seated opposite him, matching his stare.


    One had a look of amusement in his eyes, his lips curled into a sly smile while the other one¡¯s eyes held a brewing storm, ready to be unleashed. His hands itched to just drag out his gun and empty the bullets in the other one¡¯s skull.


    None of them made a move to say anything. They simply stared at each other, the thick silence in the room upied by only the two of them, engulfing them.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    The one with the sly smile broke the silence. ¡°Whenst did we meet or speak to each other, Romano?¡± He showed off his brownish-yellowish set of teeth. ¡°What pleasure do I owe you for this unexpected visit and that, as early as six A. M. Don¡¯t tell me you spent the night on -¡±


    Chase cut him off by flinging his cigar at the man¡¯s face. ¡°Cut the crap, Mirza and tell me why the fuck you decided to evade my territory when I didn¡¯t do the same to your fucking empire,¡±


    Mirza chuckled, hiding his displeasure towards the way Chase just treated him with his cigar. ¡°I¡¯m sure my message was clearly sent to you. Give me the girl,¡±


    Chase scoffed, maintaining his demeanor. ¡°And you think like a fucking coward I¡¯ll give her to you? Nice try, Mirza. Give me another threat,¡±


    ¡°Romano, you wouldn¡¯t want to know what I would do if you don¡¯t hand over the pretty girl to me,¡± Mirza said.


    ¡°Having your men to assault a high member of the Romano empire didn¡¯tpel me into giving her to you. What other way do you have?¡±


    Mirza rested his back on the couch, and a grin took over his features. ¡°So it¡¯s true? You value a mere teenager over a high member of your empire. You chose a neen year old girl over your fiancee. Never heard of that,¡±


    Chase snorted out loud, not saying a word.


    Mirza continued. ¡°Give the girl to me. I¡¯ll make her much happier than you¡¯ve ever done. After all, her father used to be an old friend of mine. He wouldn¡¯t have a problem with me tying the knots with her,¡±


    ¡°You have a fucking family and here you are lusting over a girl whose grandfather you can be,¡± Chase¡¯s hands were already shaking beside him as he tried hard not to just shoot Mirza there and then and take his life. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the least ashamed?¡±


    ¡°For someone who was trained by a wonderful uncle, your hands are shaking,¡± Mirza sneered. ¡°Your father¡¯s brother didn¡¯t teach you to refrain yourself from shooting someone who deserves to die, did he?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not talking about him, Mirza,¡± Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Mirza¡¯s words reopened his past wounds. The ways his uncle used to train him shed through his mind.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Mirza smiled widely. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about my men. The ones whose dead bodies you sent to mest night,¡±


    ¡°I want those men here right now, Mirza,¡± Chase stated the main purpose of his visit. ¡°I want those men that dared to assault my fianceest night,¡±


    ¡°You want them sent out for your sexy cousin?¡± Mirza raised a brow. ¡°Valerie Romano is a walking sexism, I must say. I would love to try her out before -¡°He was cut off by the sound of Chase¡¯s gun going off and a bullet piercing through his shoulder. He groaned.


    Chase was already standing, ring at him as Mirza¡¯s men rushed into the room, pointing their guns at him.


    ¡°What are you all waiting for?¡± Mirza growled in pain at his men. ¡°Finish him,¡±


    Before the men could start shooting, Chase already had his arm wrapped around Mirza¡¯s neck, the barrel of his gun ced on the old man¡¯s temple. They all halted.


    ¡°If any one of you makes a move, I swear I¡¯ll fucking end his miserable life. You all know I¡¯m capable of it,¡± Chase pressed the barrel tighter. ¡°Drop your guns!¡± He bellowed.


    Another groan of pain left Mirza¡¯s lips, and one of the men stepped forward to help him, but before he could reach them, Chase shot him in the chest. He fell to the ground instantly.


    He returned the gun to Mirza¡¯s temple. ¡°If you don¡¯t want this old bastard dead with his brain sttered here for you all to eat, drop your guns on the coffee table. Now! ¡°He tightened his hold on Mirza, pressing his forearm into the old man¡¯s shoulder where he had shot him.


    The men all dropped their guns on the coffee table.


    Chase leaned in to whisper to Mirza¡¯s ear. ¡°Ask those five fucktards toe out. Ask your men to call out the five men that dared to assault my fiancee. They¡¯re all going to pay for what they did,¡± Chase pressed the gun tighter against his temple. ¡°Will you order them toe out, or should I just take matters into my hands? Should I blow off your brains? Answer me, old man, Dammit!¡±


    Mirza was shivering. He had indeed underestimated Chase. ¡°You-,¡± He groaned, motioning to one of his men. ¡°Call them. Call those five colleagues of yours¡¯ that I asked to rape thedy,¡±


    The guard didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Will you go and get them, or should I send you to your death like I did to this fool lying here on the ground?¡± Chase red at him. ¡°Go!¡±


    The guard scurried away.


    In less than five minutes, the guard returned with five of those men, all staring at the ground.


    The moment Chase saw them, he waved his guns at them. ¡°Less talk, more action. Five of you move here,¡±


    They did as instructed.


    Cowards. Chase pointed at the guard who had called them in. ¡°You¡¯re a betrayer. In my empire, my men never sumb to the enemies. No matter whose life is at risk even if their held at gunpoint. They don¡¯t rat out their friends,¡± With that, he shot the man between the eyes and the manid dead on the ground.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Mirza growled. ¡°You can¡¯te here and kill my men like that,¡±


    ¡°Do you want to be next? You want toy down your life for them?¡± Chase gritted out. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to join both of your men, shut the fuck up. This is nothingpared to evading my territory or asking for her. It¡¯s nothingpared to assaulting my fiancee,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Romano,¡± The old man begged as dizziness washed over him. The pain from the gunshot wound on his shoulder was bing worse. It was soon going to make him slip into unconsciousness.

 CHAPTER LXVIII

    ¡°It¡¯s not in my dictionary, Mirza. Too bad,¡± Chase stared at another guard. ¡°You- get me ropes from wherever you keep them. Get diesel and a lighter. My lighter is too precious to be used on cowards,¡±


    The guard didn¡¯t move. Doing what Chase asked of him would lead to his death. Not doing it would also lead to his death.


    ¡°Are you deaf?¡± Chase snarled at the guard. ¡°Go get what I asked of you or get ready to join your friends,¡±


    The man scurried away as well.


    Soon, he was back with ropes, a gallon of diesel and lighter in his hands, shaking like a chicken beaten by the rain.


    ¡°Tie the five of them up,¡± He motioned towards the five men who assaulted Saige. ¡°Tie them up!¡±


    The guard tied them up, ignoring their cries and pleadings.


    ¡°Open the gallon and empty the diesel on them,¡± Chase ordered. When the man did so, Chase pointed at the lighter on the ground. ¡°Pick it up. Switch it on and set them aze. They should be grateful I¡¯m offering them a peaceful death. If I had the fucking time, I¡¯d torture them so much they would prefer to be set on fire. Now do it. Noints,¡±


    In five minutes, those five men were on fire, screaming for their lives as the smell of burnt flesh consumed the whole room.


    Chase tapped on the hearing device on his ear. ¡°Entra e prendi gli uomini rimasti. Dovrebbero morire tutti a causa di un¡¯esplosione all¡¯interno del loro camion piu grande di fronte all¡¯edificio ,¡±


    {¡°Come in and take the remaining men. They should all die from an explosion inside theirrgest truck in front of the building.¡±}


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this, please, Romano,¡± Mirza pleaded. ¡°Don¡¯t do what you¡¯re nning on doing, please,¡±


    Chase ignored him.


    Not up to ten minutester, Lucas and Luciano were barging into the building with their armed men, dragging all of Mirza¡¯s men. They were all loaded inside theirrgest truck as Chase ordered. Before a minute passed, there was an explosion.


    All of Mirza¡¯s men were dead.


    Chase leaned in to whisper in Mirza¡¯s ear. ¡°You hear that? The bomb went off. Your men are gone. Your empire has been destroyed because of one silly mistake you made,¡± Chase chuckled, dragging the old man with him.


    Outside his mansion, there was an empty private jet.


    ¡°Please spare my life, Romano,¡± Mirza pleaded. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this to me,¡±


    Chase motioned for his men to take Mirza. As instructed, they tied his hands and legs to his back and pushed him inside the jet.


    Chase stared at Luciano. ¡°E stato tutto impostato?¡±


    {¡°Has everything been set?¡±}Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Luciano nodded. ¡°Si, Don. Il jet e stato impostato in modalita automatica e si schiantera direttamente nell¡¯oceano che hai richiesto. Una volta che si schiantera li, il corpo di Mirza non verra nemmeno trovato.¡±


    {¡°Yes, Don. The jet has been set to automatic, and directly to crash in the ocean you asked for. Once it crashes there, Mirza¡¯s body won¡¯t even be found.¡±}


    Mirza didn¡¯t understand Italian. The grin on the three Romano men¡¯s faces had dread settling in his stomach. He didn¡¯t know where he was being taken to. He didn¡¯t know how he would end up.


    Before he could open his mouth to beg, a duct tape was used to seal his lips so he wouldn¡¯t be able to speak for the time being.


    Chase took slow, predatory steps towards the jet, staring into Mirza¡¯s scared eyes. That was the type of look he lived for. The look of fear in people¡¯s eyes made him feel proud. A proud smirk appeared on his lips the minute he remembered how he had taken away his uncle¡¯s life. His uncle made life hell for him. He tormented him and his ways of training have affected his mental health, Chase knew that.


    It was nice seeing his uncle¡¯s friends who encouraged that he be trained that way be killed with his own hands. It brought a different type of joy andfortable feeling to his heart. His uncle and friends made him the monster he was. That same monster was the one that had destroyed them all, starting from his uncle, then his other friends.


    Mirza was the second to thest on the list.


    Chase had been patiently waiting for an opportunity to end Mirza and his empire. He had to thank the heavens and his lucky stars for making Mirza do what he did the previous night. If Mirza hadn¡¯t made that move, Chase wasn¡¯t sure of when he¡¯d have found a chance to bring him to his downfall.


    Chase stared into Mirza¡¯s eyes, not blinking his eyes for once. ¡°I want to send you to someone dear to me,¡± Chase said, his voice dead. ¡°Tell him he should be proud of his nephew. Tell your friend that I¡¯m doing a good job at keeping the empire running and destroying those who want it ruined. Tell him I still see him in my sleep every night because he hasn¡¯t ever left my head. Tell him he evades every second of my thoughts and I still have his words reversing their selves like gold on my palm whenever I make decisions. Tell him I¡¯ve never forgotten him for a second and that I hope he reciprocates how I feel. Tell him I love him but I don¡¯t regret cutting him off from life because that was the only way to stop him from fucking up his three children as he did to me and my sanity,¡± Chase always recited these particr verses to all his uncle¡¯s friends that he made sure he murdered. It was Mirza¡¯s time.


    Chase leaned in and pulled off the tape from Mirza¡¯s lips with a harsh tug, making the man wince.


    ¡°Cha-,¡±


    ¡°No matter how you scream, Mirza, no one will hear you. Send my regards to my uncle and don¡¯t forget to tell him I really expect him to be proud of me. If my messages aren¡¯t delivered, I¡¯ll hunt you down even in death. We¡¯ll continue from where we stopped in hell,¡± Chase pressed a button and the doors of the jet closed slowly. Just before it could closepletely, Chase mouthed to Mirza. ¡°Bye,¡±


    Once the jet was lockedpletely, Luciano pressed a button on a remote and the jet took off, leaving them all there, staring at the jet flying off.


    He then nodded his head to Lucas. ¡°Wipe off anyone rted to Mirza from the face of earth,¡±


    The cracking sounds of things burning and the smell of fire reached Chase¡¯s ears and nose.


    Mirza¡¯s house had been set up in mes.


    Nine people down; Chase¡¯s Uncle-Antonio Romano- and his eight friends. One more person left.


    Just one person left and everything will be over.


    Pietro Romano. His coward of a father.

 CHAPTER LXIX

    ~~~


    THE ACHE BETWEEN her legs and all over her body were dull. She didn¡¯t feel it as she tried to move her body and softly her eyelids parted, followed by a raging headache.


    Well, that wasn¡¯t dull.


    Saige stared at the familiar ceiling of Chase¡¯s mansion before a memory of herself being punched by Lucas on the face made its way to her mind, and she winced on remembering the pain it caused on her. Her delicate hands raised up to her face and she pressed her fingers gently on her nose, to check if there was blood there or not before bringing the fingers to her line of sight.


    There was no blood.


    She breathed out a sigh of relief and dropped her hand beside her on the bed, then sat up slowly. The first thing she came in contact with as she sat up was her reflection in the mirror opposite the bed and she gasped.


    She had never looked that hollow.


    Her hair was a tangled mess. Her eyes were sunken, and she had dark circles around them. Her lips weren¡¯t as chapped as they were when she was sent back home, but it wasn¡¯t any better either.


    On instincts, Saige¡¯s hands flew to her hair, and she buried her fingers in her curls before getting down from the bed. She limped towards the mirror, ignoring theforter that she had thrown away from her body.


    She blinked at her reflection in the mirror to be sure she was the one there and walk out of the illusion in her head.


    Nothing changed.


    Her red hair didn¡¯t look as beautiful and fiery as it used to look before. It didn¡¯t have that much life in it either, and the curls at the tip were a worse definition of tangled than the main hair.


    Her eyes.


    The dark circles didn¡¯t disappear either. Her green eyes had lost its warmth, and it made her heart hammer against her chest. She wasn¡¯t like that. She was never like that until¡­


    A sob left her lips when she remembered how she had been raped by those men, and she shut her eyes tightly to block the images from flooding into her mind.


    Even while closing her eyes, she could still see them. She could hear her cries of plea. She could hear the sounds of the blows and ps thrown her way. She could hear the whimpers that had escaped her. She could see the images. The images of those vile men filling her up with their irritating manhood were stuck to her mind.


    ¡°No,¡± She whimpered, shutting her eyes tighter. Her hands shook, but she managed to bring it up to her ears. ¡°Stop please,¡± Another whimper left her lips as she shut her ears with her shaking palms. ¡°Please, spare me,¡± tears flowed down her cheeks like a river.


    She was already crouched down on the ground, knees to her chest, arms around her knees, back resting against the dressing table. The tears didn¡¯t stop, and neither did the sobs escaping her lips nor the tormenting image.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s going to be affected mentally? Would you suggest a therapist?¡±


    Saige froze when Valerie¡¯s voice yed in her mind. She suddenly remembered hearing faint and distant voices while she was asleep.


    Again, Valerie¡¯s distant voice made its way to her mind. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s going to be affected mentally? Would you suggest a therapist?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say. I¡¯m not entirely sure. She has to be awake, so we¡¯d be able to know what effect the assault had on her,¡±


    Did that mean she was mad? Had the assault affected her mentally?


    No. Saige shook her head. She couldn¡¯t be mad. Nothing was wrong with her. She knew she was okay. She had always been okay.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°She acted violent before injected to sleep. Would that keep on happening?¡±


    Her eyes snapped open when she remembered throwing an rm clock at Sophia. She had even tried choking her to death while ming her for being the reason for her condition.


    ¡°As I said, she has to be awake before we conclude¡­ But to be honest, she¡¯s one of the few assault victims I¡¯ve seen acting so violent after  uhh ¨C an assault. It¡¯s rare for assault victims to behave like that. But mind you, she¡¯s likely to go through emotional stress. She would also crave attention and want to be around people she trusts the most ,¡±


    ¡°Does that mean she¡¯s going to be clingy towards Don?¡±


    ¡°If she feels safe with him, yes. But it still depends on how she feels. Some victims prefer to be left alone¡­ Most importantly, you should all be there for her. Sometimes when assault victims are left alone with no one to be there for them, they tend to suffer from low self-esteem. That would lead to depression and then, mental instability will jump in. Again, having that mental in bnce might make her remember the assault. She could also want to harm or kill herself . If you really don¡¯t want her going through something as torturous as that, you should always be beside her,¡±


    She was mad. She had officially ran mad. Saige scrambled to her feet at the thought of that. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m not mad,¡± Her hands shook as she fumbled through the drawers for ab. ¡°I¡¯m not a mad woman. I can only be mad if I¡¯m left alone. I¡¯ll run mad if Chase leaves me. I can¡¯t be mad. No,¡±


    She finally got hold of ab there and stared at it. Her hands didn¡¯t stop shaking. They were still shaking. What would anyone think if they saw her hands shaking like that? The doctor had already told them they were chances of her suffering from mental instability, right?


    ¡°Saige is a strong woman¡­ She¡¯ll pass through it all. We¡¯ll all be here for her,¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± She brought theb to her hair and startedbing. ¡°I¡¯m a strong woman. Even Valerie knows. I¡¯m strong. I can be helped,¡±


    ¡°You can also help through therapy. She would not even have to get to the stage of feeling lowly about herself with the help of a therapist,¡±


    Theb dropped from her hand immediately she remembered the doctor¡¯s words again.

 CHAPTER LXX

    Therapist.


    Seeing a therapist meant she was out of her senses, yeah?


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not out of my senses,¡± She bent down to pick theb, then continuedbing her hair. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I ¨C I don¡¯t need a therapist. Only crazy people do. Even Valerie said I¡¯m a strong woman,¡± a smile appeared on her face, and theb fell from her shaky hands again, making the smile disappear.


    Immediately, the image of herself being raped shes in front of her eyes, and her knees buckled.


    ¡°Again, having that mental imbnce might make her remember the assault,¡±


    Saige staggered on her feet, and her buttnded on the bed. She stared at her shaky hands and buried her fingers in her hair to untangle them since theb wasn¡¯t working.


    ¡°I-I have to leave. I need to go home. They-Chase would choose Sophia over me again once he learned that I¡¯ve lost it. Who would want an assaulted, mentally unstable woman to rule his empire beside him?¡± A throaty, painedugh left her lips. ¡°He-I can¡¯t allow that to happen. I can¡¯t let Sophia win again? So what if she has his mind and body? I ¨C I can have the title of his wife. I have to do something to help myself. Dad-dad will help me. He will get me drugs so I won¡¯t have these seizures. They will stop, and I-I¡¯ll be back to normal. No one will even know I had this little moment,¡±


    Cold sweat trickled down her face, and she gulped before tightening her hands into a ball to stop them from shaking.


    ~~~


    Sophia¡¯s hands involuntarily went to her throat, where Saige had choked her, and she caressed the skin. She had applied ointment on the bruise, but it was still hurting. It just didn¡¯t hurt as bad.


    Sophia dropped the pen in her hands on the reading table as her mind reeled back to Saige.


    Was she okay? Had she woken up?Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Since she left the guest room after pushing Chase away, Sophia hadn¡¯t talked to anyone or seen anyone except the maid that took her breakfast to her in her room.


    A knock on her door startled her, and she let out a croaked e in¡¯ without turning towards the door.


    She heard the sound of the door knob twisting, and the door creaked open before the person walked in.


    ¡°Soph,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s head whipped towards the door, and a nervous smile appeared on her lips seeing Valerie standing by the door side holding two wrapped boxes in her hands. One wasrger than the other.


    ¡°Hey,¡±


    Valerie gently dropped the boxes on the bed and walked towards Sophia, pointing at the bruise on her neck. ¡°How are you? I hope it¡¯s not hurting?¡±


    Sophia swallowed and nodded her head. ¡°Not as bad as it wasst night. I feel better,¡±


    Valerie smiled nervously. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re fine. Sorry about what happened. It doesn¡¯t happen frequently. Saige was-she was the first it had happened to. I can assure you won¡¯t ever have to witness anything like that again,


    Sophia nodded. ¡°Uhh ¨C have a seat opposite me,¡± She pointed at the seat opposite hers.


    The atmosphere was tense, and they could both feel it.


    Valerie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not here to stay for long,¡±


    ¡°Oh okay then,¡± Sophia nodded.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Valerie motioned towards the boxes on the bed. ¡°These boxes are from Lucas and I. He sent you therger one. Mine is the small one. Sorry for thete birthday gifts,¡±


    Sophia stood up immediately and rushed to her bed, unwrapping therge box. ¡°Lucas really sent me a gift?¡±


    Valerie smiled. ¡°Yeah,¡±


    Sophia didn¡¯t say a thing. She continued to unwrap her gift with a smile on her face. She knew he always hated her, but of recent, he had changed, and she noticed it.


    Sophia gasped as she stared at the gifts inside the box; a big, white, customized Teddy bear with the writing ¡®Happy birthday, freckles¡¯ on it, a new phone, choctes andstly a ss of perfume.


    Sophia stood up and dashed out of the room to look for Lucas but stopped when Valerie gripped her wrist.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t at home,¡± Valerie said.


    Sophia¡¯s smile fell, and she frowned. ¡°Where did he go?¡±


    Valerie ced both of her palms on Sophia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°He went to Pakistan with Don and Luci. They should be back anytime soon, ¡°It was so damn hard to bite her tongue so she wouldn¡¯t tell Sophia about her being their baby sister. She always wanted to tell her every time she was around her and that was why she decided to distance herself a bit from Sophia.


    ¡°Pakistan?¡± Sophia¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°Why?¡±


    Valerie waved it off. ¡°Just a small task,¡± How could she tell Sophia that they had gone to end Mirza and his empire? He was the bad guy, but someone like Sophia would still think he didn¡¯t deserve death. It was best to leave her innocent-minded.


    ¡°Okay then,¡±


    ¡°So, I have someone to meet up with right away,¡± Valerie patted Sophia¡¯s hair. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore my gift even though Lucas got you a bigger one. Be expecting one from Luci too,¡± Valerie winked and leaned in to drop a peck on both of Sophia¡¯s cheeks before leaving.


    ~~~


    ¡°Dad,¡±


    Saige opened De Luca¡¯s study and rushed in frantically. Leaving the Romanopound wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do because no one knew she had woken up. She had to sneak out of the main mansion before using authority of being the Don¡¯s fiancee over the security guards by the gate.


    ¡°Sweetheart,¡± De Luca stood up from his chair and went round the table, rushing towards her. He cupped her face. ¡°Are you okay? Hope those men didn¡¯t do anything to harm you? Look how you¡¯ve changed in just one night,¡±


    ¡°Dad,¡± She wrapped her arms around his neck, and a lone tear rolled down her cheeks. ¡°They-he made his men rape me. Dad I¡¯m no longer a virgin, and I¡¯m scared Chase won¡¯t want me anymore. He never wanted me. His rejection would be worse. I need help, Dad. I¡¯m losing it,¡±


    De Luca managed to stand on his buckled knees. He pulled away from the hug and walked her to the couch, wiping away her tears. ¡°Does he know?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I-I just left thepound. I-I was given treatment there. I¡¯m scared,¡±


    He pecked her on the forehead. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be scared of, sweetheart. He wouldn¡¯t let Mirza go scot-free. I know Chase very well. He¡¯s like a son to mean you don¡¯t need to be scared that he¡¯s going to leave you. Chase isn¡¯t a man to judge women like that,¡±


    She shook her head, her tears rushing down her face. ¡°That¡¯s not the issue, dad,¡± She looked at her trembling hands. ¡°Dad, I-I¡¯m scared I¡¯m affected mentally. They were talking about itst night. I need your help, dad. I need help. I don¡¯t want to run mad. Chase wouldn¡¯t want me. He wouldn¡¯t think twice before calling off this marriage. I-I¡¯m losing it, dad,¡±


    ¡°Calm down, sweetheart, ¡°De Luca cooed. ¡°You¡¯ll see a therapist right away. You won¡¯t -¡°

 CHAPTER LXXI

    ~~~


    Saige cut off her father. ¡°No!¡± She gripped his cor. ¡°Can¡¯t you understand me and what I¡¯m going through, dad? I ¨C I can¡¯t see a therapist. I ¨C everyone will think I¡¯m out of my mind. It won¡¯t get past Chase¡¯s ears and that would be the end. I can¡¯t live without him. I will kill myself, dad. I can¡¯t see a therapist. I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m only mentally unstable at the moment. Just a few anti-depressants will help, dad. I¡¯m sure of that,¡±


    ¡°Listen to me, sweetheart,¡± De Luca blinked back the tears glistening in his eyes , seeing his only child in that condition. ¡°Stop saying things like that. Nothing is wrong with you. You aren¡¯t losing it. You¡¯re probably still in shock after what happenedst night to you. You just need a therapist, trust me,¡±


    ¡°I told you I don¡¯t need a therapist!¡± She shoved her dad away and stood on her feet, running her fingers through her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t need a therapist. Only people who are out of their minds need it,¡±


    ¡°No, my child,¡± De Luca held her hands. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Not only people who are out of their mind need therapists. You are a victim of assault. You need a therapist to talk to you about certain things. Without the help of one, you won¡¯t be able to get past through it and you might jump into depression. You¡¯ll end up finally losing your mind then,¡±


    ¡°Let go off me!¡± She screeched and pushed her dad away. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. I only want Chase. I don¡¯t want a doctor. I don¡¯t want a therapist. I¡¯m okay. I just need those pills to help me forget, that¡¯s all, and if you won¡¯t help me, I¡¯ll do it myself. If you try to stop me, I swear on mum¡¯s grave that I¡¯ll kill myself. I won¡¯t even allow you find my body,¡± She walked out of the study.


    ¡°Saige!¡±


    She ignored De Luca and went straight upstairs to her art room. Once she got in there, she locked the door and faced all her work.


    First, when she discovered her talent in art, she realized she loved drawing only things of nature. Everything had changed the moment she met Chase.


    She disposed of her nature drawings. Her art room was only filled with drawings of Chase and every single posture she had imagined him in.


    She walked towards the one of him lighting a cigar without an ounce of emotion in his face and expression. She softly caressed his eyelids since his eyes were on the cigar he was holding, then the stubble on his jaw. ¡°Chase,¡± She whispered, cing her cheeks on the frame. ¡°I love you so much,¡± She smiled. ¡°I love every single thing about you,¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Her eyes flickered to the other frame where a small boyish smiley on his lips. She had never seen him smiling, but she had imagined him smiling at her when she drew that one. She walked to the frame and trailed her fingers over his lips. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see you smiling at me like this. I want to be the one to change you, can¡¯t you see that? I want to be the reason you have a smile on your face. I want to be the only woman you smile at. Is it so hard to understand?¡±


    She then looked at the frame next to that one. In it, he had her pressed against the wall with his face buried in the crook of her neck while her handsy on his back. That art was another part of her imagination. She walked slowly to the frame. ¡°Remember when you cornered me a month ago like this?¡± Sheughed. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted you to corner me like this, not the way you did that day, threatening to kill me for a mere teenager,¡± She chuckled again. ¡°But then, I know. I know that after our wedding, this will be us. All these drawings will be a reality one day. You will have me cornered against the wall like this,¡±


    Next to that frame was another one purely based on her imagination. Again. Chase had herying on her back on his bed while he was towering above her, their lips locked in a kiss. They were both barely clothed. ¡°Thanks, Chase. Thanks for kissing mest night. Thanks for showing me that you care about me, ¡°A tear cascaded down her cheeks and she slid down, sitting on the ground while her eyes roamed over all the drawings.


    There was another one of Chase pulling off his shirt, revealing the snake tattoo on his bare back and she giggled at it, remembering what actually motivated her to draw it. That incident had happened a year before. She had passed by his room once and when she noticed the door was ajar. She peeped in and that was the sight her eyes caught that day. Ever since then, she hadn¡¯t been able to forget it.


    Then, there was another one of Chase in a gym, his bare tattooed back on disy. Just as she had seen the one of him removing his shirt, that was how she had caught a glimpse of him in the gym. She wondered how his chest would look it. She wondered what the tattoos on his chest would look like also. Too bad, she had never gotten a chance to see it. She would only be able to see it after their wedding. Sheughed at the thought.


    Again, there was another frame, based on another imagination. Drawing things, she imagined wasn¡¯t hard for Saige. She was imaginative artist and in that frame, was Chase seated behind his desk, left ankle ced on his right knee, cigar between his lips held by his fore and middle finger while staring at her.


    Saige smiled at the next frame. That one was simple. Chase was staring at something while his silly, dark hair was wet and falling over his forehead He wasn¡¯t wearing any shirt on, so the water from his hair was trailing down his chest. Saige didn¡¯t know the exact size of his abs or muscles so she drew the one that she imagined on him along with a bare chest without tattoo. She had baldy wanted to draw his front view so she didn¡¯t bother about the tattoos on his chest.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Saige whispered, burying her face in her palms when she realized she couldn¡¯t even stop staring at the unending number of frames she had of him. ¡°I love you, Chase. I love you so much it hurts,¡±

 CHAPTER LXXII

    ~~~


    THE MOMENT HE walked through the front door of his mansion with his underboss and Consigliere beside him, Chase barely caught sight nor registered the presence of the petite girl whose hair was flying around as she whirled towards them, invading his nostrils with her coconut shampoo before hurling herself into his underboss¡¯ arms.


    Chase and his underboss froze. His consigliere whipped his head towards them.


    ¡°Thanks for the gift, Lucas,¡± Sophia wrapped her small arms tighter around Lucas¡¯ torso, pressing her cheeks further into his chest. ¡°I love them,¡±


    Lucas lips parted, but no sound came out. Realising he was speechless, he raised his eyes towards the staircase, catching Valerie¡¯s eyes as she smiled down at him, her eyes urging him to just hug their sister back. He slowly raised his arms up and wrapped them around Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡±


    That was the moment Chase¡¯s jaw hardened, and his eyes narrowed into slits, throwing death res at Lucas, who was oblivious to it. He wasn¡¯t supposed to feel possessive of Sophia because she was in her own brother¡¯s arms but he still did. He wasn¡¯t meant to feel jealous of his underboss for having his little sister in his arms, but Chase felt it. The problem was just that he wanted her to only be in his arms alone. Not even her brothers had the right to have their arms around her like that.


    He tried so hard to ignore them both by lighting a cigar and cing it between his lips, but a torturous voice at the back of his head screamed to him to pull them both apart. The tiny, reasonable part of him told him to leave them both. It told him they were siblings and had no chance of starting a romantic rtionship but the loudest and persistent voice-the same one that against all odds, used him to stop Luciano from making a move on Sophia-told him something else. It screamed at him that Lucas may be a responsible person to not nurture romantic feelings for his own sister but what guarantee did he have that Sophia wasn¡¯t nurturing a crush on Lucas considering the way she had thrown herself on him, especially since she didn¡¯t know he was her brother?


    Luciano, on the other hand, was burning with jealousy. He had always liked Sophia ever since she arrived in their house. But then, his boss had warned him to stay away from her. He had done his best to stay away and then what? She was hugging the same man that always hated her existence for no reason.


    They were all fucked up in their own different ways, especially when it came to Sophia who was oblivious to everything around her.


    His jealousy controlled his mind, and Luciano strode towards the two, then he gently ripped Sophia from his brother¡¯s arm before he whirled her to face him. ¡°Weren¡¯t you expecting a gift from me, sweet cheeks?¡±


    Lucas¡¯ brows lifted, and his lips curled up into an amused smile, watching his twin brother¡¯s obvious jealousy towards him. At that moment, he wondered how Luciano would feel and react after finding out the girl he was growing feelings for was their baby sister whom they all thought had died with their mum.


    A smile took over the confused expression on her face, and Sophia innocently pouted, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°I¡¯m upset with you. Very very upset, Luciano,¡±


    Luciano raked his fingers through his locks, a tight smile on his lips as he tilted his head to the side. ¡°What did I do, sweet cheeks?¡±


    Sophia fake red at Luciano. ¡°You¡¯ve been ignoring me,¡±


    Heughed and ruffled her hair. ¡°Is that all? Well then, I¡¯m ready to crawl all day at your feet for forgiveness,¡±


    ¡°Crawl at your feet for forgiveness,¡±


    Those words heavily repeated themselves in Chase¡¯s mind, threatening his insanity and he turned towards them, clearly upset that Sophia seemed to have dreams of men like Luciano and not him who was never gentle.


    Chase watched as a blush stained Sophia¡¯s cheeks, and she opened her mouth to say something. He beat her to it. ¡°Where¡¯s Saige?¡± He clipped out.


    Sophia¡¯s heart skipped a bit at the mention of Saige, and she turned towards Chase, who wasn¡¯t staring at her again, but at Valerie, who had already descended down the stairs and was standing by the foot of the stairs.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t left the guest room since, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯s awake,¡± Valerie said. ¡°But I¡¯ll go and check on her,¡±


    Valerie turned and walked back up the stairs towards the guest room while her thoughts remained on Sophia¡¯s rtionship with the three Romano men.


    Chase cared for, and wanted Sophia. Valerie smiled at the thought of him suddenly being caring after so many years. She loved the fact that Sophia had somehow unknowingly brought a little light to Chase¡¯s dark life. It wouldn¡¯t be long before Chase would finally be out of Antonio¡¯s mind ws.


    Then Lucas. He was the one whose growing rtionship with Sophia made Valerie happier. He was finally learning to ept Sophia as their sister. She giggled when she remembered how nervous Lucas had been when he got Sophia¡¯s gifts, thinking she wouldn¡¯t like them.


    Luciano. He obviously loved Sophia or was still in the process of doing so. But then, he would obviously get his soft heartbroken because Chase would never give him a chance with her. Not because of anything, but clearly because of the fact that she was their little sister.


    Valerie¡¯s thoughts stopped when she halted in front of the room that Saige was in. She gently turned the doorknob and opened it, her eyes first falling on theforterying on the floor.


    Her brows creased into a frown, and she walked into the room, leaving the door open. She walked further into the room, and her eyes fell on theb on the floor along with a few strands of Saige¡¯s hair tangled in it.


    Her eyes fell on the bathroom door, and she strode there, her heart thumping wildly against her chest with fear that something had happened to Saige, or worse, she had inflicted harm on herself as a result of the effects of the assault.


    She knocked on the bathroom door softly. ¡°Saige? Are you in there?¡±


    No reply.


    She leaned in and ced her ear against the door for any sound from inside but she was met with silence again. Her hand fell on the doorknob and she unknowingly turned it, opening the door.


    Valerie¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at the empty bathroom before gasping out loud.


    Saige was missing.


    She turned on her heels and ran down the stairs to inform everyone, but she halted in her steps at the staircase when she saw a panicked Sophia, a least worried Lucas, an indifferent Luciano and¡­


    Her eyes searched frantically for Chase, but he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Where¡¯s Don?¡± She held onto the railing as she rushed down the stairs. ¡°I-I can¡¯t find Saige in the guest room. She-,¡±


    ¡°Shhh,¡± Luciano pulled her against his chest and ran his hands up and down her back. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Breathe,¡±


    Valerie struggled to pull away. ¡°Saige is missing!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not missing, Val!¡± Lucas snapped. ¡°She has lost her mind!¡±


    That was when Valerie managed to pull away from Luciano and turned to her other brother. ¡°What-what do you mean she has lost her mind? She-she wasn¡¯t affected mentally, was she?¡±


    ¡°Damn, she was,¡± Luciano said. ¡°Don just received a call from De Luca for help and he has gone over to his house,¡±


    Valerie panicked and turned to Luciano. ¡°What ¨C what did he say?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°He said she has lost her mind,¡± Lucas said. ¡°He didn¡¯t really exin. He was panicked so Don said to stay back at home. He¡¯s going to take care of everything,¡± Lucas walked towards her and turned her towards him, cing his hands on her shoulders. ¡°You worry too much about everyone. There¡¯s nothing to panic about. Just have some rest,¡±

 CHAPTER LXXIII

    ~~~


    Saige took deep breaths, struggling to calm herself down , as her father¡¯s words rang in her mind.


    ¡°Help me, Romano. She has lost her mind. My daughter has lost it and I can¡¯t lose her. She¡¯s all I have,¡±


    Shortly after she had left her art room, she was going to her dad¡¯s office to talk things through with him and make him understand when she heard him talking to Chase on the phone. That had immediately stopped her from meeting him and she rushed back to her room once she heard that Chase wasing over.


    He wasing for her. That means he at least cared.


    That was the first step to love, right?


    At the thought of that, a small smile appeared on her lips. ¡°Chase cares about me and he¡¯sing for me. I have to dress good for him and falsify dad¡¯s words about me losing my mind. Once I¡¯m sure he¡¯s convinced, I¡¯ll ce an order for the anti-depressants,¡±


    In less than fifteen minutes, she was staring at her reflection in the mirror with her lips stretched into a wide smile, already dressed up in a green knee-length dress. She had creamed her hair andbed it, then concealed the eye bags around her eyes.


    ¡°Saige,¡±


    She flinched slightly at the sound of her dad¡¯s voice, followed by her door opening and then him walking in with Chase following closely behind him.


    Her smile widened at the sight of Chase and she fidgeted with her fingers. ¡°Dad,¡±


    De Luca halted in his steps. She looked normal, not the way she looked a few hours before and it surprised him. What was going on?


    However, before De Luca could say a thing, Saige walked past him and went to Chase. ¡°Chase, thanks,¡±


    Chase¡¯s brows furrowed into a frown and he stared at De Luca who looked equally confused. ¡°Is this some sort of game or a prank? If it is, stop it,¡±


    Saige internally squeaked in joy, seeing that her n was working. She silently cleared her throat. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m saying thanks for helping me. I-I¡¯m grateful for what you did for me back at your ce,¡±


    Chase¡¯s tone was hard. ¡°I did nothing for you, Saige. What the fuck are you saying? I think you¡¯ve really lost it,¡±


    Her breathing elerated and Saige looked down at her shoes, hoping Chase didn¡¯t hear the sound of her breaths. ¡°I-,¡± She looked up at him, her fake tears glistening in her eyes. ¡°You really helped me by calling the doctorst night. I don¡¯t know what I would have done to Soph if not for you. I feel bad of myself,¡±


    ¡°How did you leave thepound without anyone knowing?¡±


    ¡°I was scared,¡± She held his warm hands in hers¡¯ and Chase quickly snatched his hand away. Her heart gnawed with pain at his action and Saige swallowed the lump in her throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to touch you,¡±


    ¡°I asked you a question Saige,¡± Chase insisted. ¡°How the fuck did you leave thepound without anyone¡¯s knowledge?¡± He dragged each word slowly, an obvious- hidden meaning behind them. He obviously meant that she shouldn¡¯t dare lie to him.


    Saige took a step back and stared into his emotionless eyes. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry I left. I-I was really scared. I ¨C I had heard your cousins¡¯ conversation with the doctorst night while I was asleep. I thought everyone would think I¡¯ve lost it, so I snuck out. I thought dad would be able to help but he-he also thinks I¡¯ve lost it,¡±


    ¡°No one thinks you¡¯ve lost it for fuck¡¯s sake, Saige,¡± Chase¡¯s words came out frustrated. ¡°The doctor said you¡¯d have to be awake before any conclusion regarding the effect of the assault would be discussed and you running off like that would only solidify that you¡¯ve truly lost it. Why would you think you¡¯ve lost your mind?¡±


    ¡°Everything was scary,¡± She ced both of her palms on his arms, leaving them there when he didn¡¯t push them away. ¡°I ¨C when I woke up, I didn¡¯t look like myself. My ¨C my hair wasn¡¯t normal. I had eye bags under my eyes and ¨C everything just wasn¡¯t normal. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what I did and how I treated Soph. I thought I had actually lost it. That was why,¡±


    De Luca spoke. ¡°And what about the dru-,¡±


    She was quick to turn and cut in sharply. ¡°I¡¯ll see the therapist, dad. I¡¯ll see a therapist as advised. Personally, after thinking it through, I realised that I actually need one. You were right,¡±


    Chase said nothing. He stared at both father and daughter, trying to find any hint of lie between the both of them. He found none. It was either he had suddenly lost his ability to see through people¡¯s lies or they were saying the truth.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that you¡¯re going to see a therapist,¡± Chase slid both of his hands in his pockets and left it there. ¡°It would be good for you,¡±


    Saige turned and smiled.


    Chase stared at the both of them suspiciously before nodding at De Luca. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now,¡± He turned to leave.


    ¡°Don,¡± Saige quickly stopped him by cing her hand on his shoulder.


    Chase turned, making her hand fall back at her sides. ¡°What?¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Can-,¡± She moved forward again and ced her hand on his arm. ¡°Can you please stay a little longer?¡±


    Chase shoved her hand away from his arm and narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°I¡¯ve never stayed behind for you, Saige and today won¡¯t be the first either. If this is all about Sophia even though you¡¯re being unreasonable regarding it, you have nothing to be worried about,¡±


    Saige stretched her arm to touch him again. ¡°But-,¡±


    Chase cut her off by taking a step back, then without acknowledging her, he nodded at De Luca. ¡°If there¡¯s anything serious, let me know. You have nothing to worry about because I¡¯ve taken care of Mirza and his men,¡± He ced a cigar between his lips and lighted it, then put the lighter back in his pockets before turning to leave as only the sounds of his shoes on the tiles resounded through the room. He stopped by the door side but didn¡¯t turn to face them. Chase pulled out the cigar from his lips and blew out smoke.


    ¡°Make sure she sees a therapist, De Luca. I won¡¯t rule my kingdom with a mentally unstable woman by my side,¡±


    In a blink of an eye, Chase was gone, the only evidence of his presence, the lingering sandalwood scent in the air.

 CHAPTER LXXIV

    ~~~


    SOPHIA SQUINTED HER eyes at whatever was on theptop as she tried to understand it.


    She flinched away from theptop on her reading table when she heard a knock on her room door, followed by the sound of the door opening.


    Before she could turn to look at the person, the person called out. ¡°Soph,¡±


    Sophia froze, unable to move. Blood rushed to her ears, and her breathing elerated. Her mind clogged up with a particr shback, and sweat trickled down her face. Her hands began to shake and they involuntarily went to her neck where she had been choked.


    She gulped down, feeling her fingers shaking against her neck as she remembered the terrifying moment of almost dying in Saige¡¯s hand.


    The person called from behind her again. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Sophia flinched and stood up, turning to stare at Saige, who was smiling at her as if she hadn¡¯t tried to kill her twice or thrown hateful words at her on her birthday. ¡°S -,¡± Her voice shook. ¡°Saige,¡±


    Saige¡¯s smile slipped off on noticing Sophia¡¯s reaction. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She dropped her clutch on Sophia¡¯s bed along with the small box she had in her hands and rushed to Sophia. She ced her hands on her shoulders, staring at her face moisturized with sweat but Sophia shoved her hands away and took a step back. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is everything okay?¡±


    Sophia shook her head, wing at her throat. ¡°N ¨C no,¡±


    Saige walked to the bedside table and fetched water for Sophia from the jug there into a ss cup, then walked back to her. She pressed the ss to Sophia¡¯s lips. ¡°Here have-,¡±


    Sophia cut her off by shoving the ss away harshly, making it slip from Saige¡¯s hand and shattering into pieces on the floor. Her eyes for a second didn¡¯t leave Saige¡¯s face, searching for any sign of hate towards her.


    Saige snapped. ¡°Are you out of your mind?!¡±


    Sophia flinched again, this time tears flowing down her cheeks. She could see Saige¡¯s expression changing into an angry one, and she feared that she would try to kill her again because of her jealousy towards her.


    Saige took deep breaths to calm herself down. After days of mulling over it, she had decided to finally visit the Romanopound so she would apologies for how she behaved towards Sophia. She didn¡¯t feel bad about it. At first, she felt bad and guilty about it, but after Chase¡¯s attitude towards her the day he went to her dad¡¯s ce, every atom of friendliness and fond towards Sophia vanished. She realized that she should never feel bad for behaving that way towards the obstacle in her happiness. She just knew that apologizing to Sophia would earn her Lucas¡¯ mercy, seeing the way he had punched her that day, along with everyone else¡¯s mercy as well.


    She let out an exhale. ¡°Look, Soph, I-,¡± She then stepped forward to hold her hands in hers¡¯ but Sophia took another step backwards, halting Saige¡¯s hands mid-air and leaving her angry once again ¡°Stop behaving like a child now. I came to -¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing here?¡±


    They both looked towards the door to find Lucas standing there and staring down at Saige with a re that was enough to send her six feet beneath the ground if possible.


    It was Saige¡¯s turn to stutter. ¡°L ¨C Lucas,¡±


    Lucas ignored her and stalked towards Sophia, ignoring the shards of ss and water on the ground. He ran his worried gaze over her face. ¡°Are you okay? Did she do anything to you?¡±


    Sophia refused to meet his eyes. She was staring at Saige, who had her eyes downcast in fear. ¡°She -¡± She stared back at Lucas. ¡°She did nothing. I was just scared after what happened thest time, and that¡¯s why I threw away the ss of water she gave me to calm me down. She did nothing, Lucas,¡±


    Saige breathed out in relief and went closer. ¡°She¡¯s right, Lucas. Actually, I came over to apologies for what I did thest time. I also came to give her ate birthday gift,¡± She turned to the bed and picked up the box she had arrived with, then passed it to Sophia. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Have it,¡±


    Lucas snatched the gift box from Saige and harshly dropped it on the reading table. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need your gift. We are all here to give her what she wants,¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do what I did the other day intentionally,¡± Saige almost snapped at him frustrated. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in my right senses the other day, and I was hurt. That¡¯s why I behaved like that towards her,¡±


    ¡°What guarantee do I have now that you¡¯re in your senses, Saige?¡± Lucas turned to her. ¡°You may still be affected mentally by the assault for all I know. Go home and have some rest,¡±


    Saige closed her eyes and let out a breath before opening them back again. ¡°I¡¯ve been seeing a therapist, Lucas,¡± Lies. She wasn¡¯t seeing any therapist. She had turned to anti-depressants, lying to her father that she was seeing a therapist. She was lying to everyone. She was only truthful to herself. ¡°Since that night, I¡¯ve been seeing a therapist, and I believe I¡¯m getting better now,¡±


    Lucas leaned in and sneered at her face, maintaining eye contact with her. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re seeing a therapist or not, Saige. All I know is that you are out of your mind. You aren¡¯t mentally okay and I don¡¯t want you anywhere close to Soph,¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She breathed out. ¡°Why do you suddenly care for her?¡±


    ¡°Why I care for Sophia is none of your fucking business, Saige. Stay in yourne and don¡¯t ever think of talking to me or Sophia. Also, stay away from Val. You¡¯re not good for her. Now take your gift from here and leave this ce,¡± He bit out.


    Saige gritted her teeth, fisting her hands into a ball so tight her nails were digging into her palms. ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to chase me away from here, Lucas. I¡¯m going to be your Donna,¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re mentally unstable,¡±


    He was right. Saige dropped her eyes to her feet, hoping Lucas hadn¡¯t seen the truth in her eyes. ¡°Fine,¡± She took a step backwards and looked up at him, ignoring the amused smirk dancing on his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll leave, but I¡¯m not taking the gift with me. Only Sophia has the right to refuse it,¡±


    Lucas snorted back augh, the amused look on his face not faltering a bit. ¡°Okay then. Let¡¯s do you a favour, and spare the remaining sanity you¡¯re trying to hold onto by epting your gift, mm?¡±


    Saige stared at Sophia, who was staring right back at her. ¡°You¡¯d have still epted it either way, right?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± Sophia mped down on her lower lip. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but thanks. I appreciate the gift a lot,¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Saige¡¯s face flushed in embarrassment. She clenched and unclenched her fists, then clenched them back. In her head, she could already see herself hurling towards Sophia, gripping her hair and leaving scratch marks with her nails all over her pretty face. It was so bad her imaginations would remain in her head.


    Lucas wouldn¡¯t even let her step a foot near Sophia.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave,¡± She grabbed her clutch from the bed and stormed off.


    Lucas heard Sophia breathing out in relief behind him, followed by her voice. ¡°Thanks foring,¡±


    A small smile appeared on his lips, and he turned to face her. ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll leave,¡± He turned to leave.


    ¡°Lucas,¡±


    He stopped and lifted one of his brows at her. ¡°Hmmm,¡±


    ¡°Can ¨C can I ask you a question?¡± She took a step towards him.


    He slid his hands in his pockets and turned to her, his smile not wavering for once. He already knew what she was going to ask. ¡°Ask away,¡±


    Sophia was hesitant at first. Lucas was nice to her, and she was scared that if she asked him, he would go back to being the mean person he used to be to her. ¡°Why ¨C why are you being so nice to me?¡±

 CHAPTER LXXV

    ~~~


    I can no longer be mean to my baby sister. He almost said, but bit his tongue. ¡°Would you believe me if I said I realized how mistaken I was for seeing you differently from others?¡± When he saw the visible frown of confusion on her face, he walked closer and ced his hands on her shoulders. ¡°What I mean, freckles, is that I¡¯ve seen you for who you truly are. I thought you were a whiny brat, and that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t like you. I¡¯ve realized you¡¯re different from that,¡± She had never been a whiny brat. He was just lying and he secretly hoped she¡¯d buy his lie.


    ¡°I never knew I was a whiny person?¡± She tilted her head to the side with a smile on her lips.


    That¡¯s because you¡¯re not. I just needed an excuse to hate you then. ¡°I said I thought you were a whiny person, freckles,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s smile widened at the nickname. Freckles. ¡°Why are you calling me that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± His lips quirked up into a smirk. ¡°Freckles?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes,¡±


    ¡°Because you have freckles,¡± just like our mum.


    ¡°Luciano once told me your mum had them, ¡°She giggled, not noticing how Lucas had frozen on the spot. His smile had dropped. ¡°He also said she has simr hair and eye colours with me,¡±


    Lucas finally found his voice. ¡°Luciano told you that?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°He also said I remind him of your mum,¡± Her smile dropped as she finally noticed his facial expression. His smile was gone, and he looked upset. At least he wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry if I said anything wrong. I-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Lucas shook his head, realizing how scared she had been. ¡°What you said just seemed to remind me of her,¡± He blinked back his tears so she wouldn¡¯t see them. He wasn¡¯t trained to cry. ¡°I¡¯m sure Luciano cried when he talked about her to you,¡±


    She nodded, a small smile returning back to her lips. ¡°He always cries whenever she¡¯s talked about?¡± When Lucas nodded, she giggled. ¡°Luciano is a cry baby just like me!¡±


    ¡°Mum¡¯s topic is a sore one for us,¡± He said.


    ¡°I understand. Especially when she  uhh ¨C died with your baby sister,¡± Sophia said, oblivious to the way Lucas¡¯ posture changed as he stared at her with a frozen smile. ¡°I miss my mama and papa too. Don¡¯t you miss your papa?¡±


    Lucas¡¯ jaw hardened, and his eyes turned cold. Fierce, even. ¡°No,¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t like a father to us. He didn¡¯t care about us,¡± He replied. ¡°He¡¯s an asshole,¡±


    Sophia tilted her head to the side. ¡°Like Chase?¡±


    He ignored her question. ¡°I think you have your studies to continue with,¡± He motioned to theptop on her reading table. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the reason you miss your remaining lectures. I¡¯ll leave now,¡± He smiled. ¡°You¡¯re free to open your gift box too. I can never take that right away from you,¡±


    ~~~


    Sophia walked barefooted towards Chase¡¯s room and looked around the hallway. When she was sure no one was around, she turned the doorknob, and the door opened. She did an internal happy dance that the door wasn¡¯t locked.


    Once she stepped into the room, she closed it behind her and went towards the bed before slipping beneath the covers.


    She had made sleeping every night in Chase¡¯s room a habit, and she was grateful he had never been there to catch her because he hadn¡¯t been in the country since he left De Luca¡¯s ce the other day. But then, a part of her knew he was aware of what she was doing.


    A gasp left her lips when she felt warm, strong arms lifting her off the bed, and then, pulling her into the owner¡¯s warm, hard chest.


    Immediately, the familiar scent of sandalwood hit her nostrils, and she clutched his shirt in her small fists, snuggling into his chest. ¡°I missed you,¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± His voice vibrated through his chest, and she could hear the sound of his heart beating. ¡°I could say the same too,¡± He sat down on the bed and ced a kiss on her hair as she ced both of her legs on either side of him. ¡°I missed you, Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    She looked up at him, a deep blush staining her cheeks and neck. ¡°You did?¡±


    He cradled the back of her head with one of hisrge palms while the other one held her to him. He pressed her head against his chest again. ¡°Have I ever lied to you,¡±


    ¡°So I take it you¡¯re no longer upset with me?¡± She asked.


    ¡°What did you do? Why would I be upset with you?¡±


    ¡°For trying to run away. I¡¯m sorry,¡± She apologized.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t upset. I don¡¯t think I can ever be upset with you,¡± He smiled. ¡°I just needed to give you space,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the space was for, but it really helped me realize how wrong I had been. I would¡¯ve died that day if Lucas didn¡¯te for me,¡± She said.


    Your brother would always be there for you. He bit back his unsaid words. ¡°Hmmm,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still sorry,¡±


    Chase shook his head at her. ¡°Don¡¯t say sorry. Any one in your shoes would have done the same thing you did. Who would ever want to be with someone like me?¡±


    Sophia managed to pull away from him and stared at him in the eye. ¡°You want me to go? You¡¯re letting me go?¡±


    Chase stared deep into her eye, trying to find something in there. He wanted to find her determination to leave him. He found nothing. ¡°I would never do that,¡± He swallowed the bile in his throat at the thought of her wishing to leave. ¡°Do you want to go?¡±


    Sophia ced her head on his chest and wrapped her small arms around him tightly. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to leave,¡± Not when I love you. She wanted to add.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to leave again? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because you¡¯ve given up the fight against me,¡± He said, amusement in his voice.


    ¡°No,¡± She shook her head. ¡°I want to be yours''¡±,


    Chase felt a warm feeling spreading in his chest and he closed his eyes shut, allowing her words to sink in. ¡°Say it again,¡±


    ¡°I want to be yours¡¯, Chase,¡±


    Chase held her shoulders and gently pulled her away so he would look into her eyes. ¡°Say it again. Look into my eyes and say those words,¡±


    Sophia smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°I¡¯m yours¡¯. All yours,¡±


    That was all it took for Chase to m his lips on hers¡¯ earning a loud moan from her. His cock jerked up at the sound and he wrapped her hair around his fingers while his other hand cupped her left breast, caressing it through her pyjamas shirt.


    Sophia arched her back and Chase tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss, devouring every corner of her mouth. He pulled away from the lips and attacked her corbone, sucking on the skin.


    ¡°Chase, please-,¡±


    He growled against her skin. ¡°Please what?¡±


    ¡°You-,¡± Sophia tightened his hair in her fists. ¡°Touch me please, I want you,¡±


    Chase stood up, and turned around so she wasying on her back on the bed and he towered above her small frame, groping her breasts. ¡°Fuck,¡± He continued his attack on her corbone, biting, sucking and licking. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much. I want to explore every single part of your body throughout the night,¡±


    ¡°What if-,¡± She moaned as his lips swirled around her clothed left tit. ¡°What if I want to sleep?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± He unwrapped his lips from her tit and looked up at her, his eyes dted, swirling with lust in them, just like his voice was hoarse, thick and heavy with desire. A carnal desire for her. ¡°You can sleep while I take what¡¯s mine,¡±

 CHAPTER LXXVI

    ~~~


    SUNLIGHT BEAMED THROUGH the curtains, falling onto the floor of the master bedroom. Laying atop of a dozen pillows with theforter pushed aside, Sophia spread her legs wider and gripped Chase¡¯s dark hair tighter.


    He had been up for hours, already ying with his toys. His pussy that she promised.


    His mouth covered her pussy, tongue circling her clit, sucking and teasing; and urging her stomach to build an orgasm.


    Sophia squirmed, arching her back off the mattress, and cried in euphoria.


    Chase¡¯s hands held her hips still, keeping her in ce while he tongues fucked her. In and out, up and down and twirling left and right. The harsher his movements, the louder she moaned, and the wetter her pussy got.


    Her climax built, tightening the muscles in her core, and she came, bursting with peaceful pleasure. Her cries rang out, filling the bedroom along with the sound of Chase¡¯s sloppy slurps.


    He wasn¡¯t done.


    He hovered above her. Laying among the bedding with her brown curls spreading around her, she looked like an angel. A fallen angel who had gotten a taste of sin. Her bare chest heaved tempting his mouth to her breasts.


    Chase smirked and kissed her passionately. His tongue, still with the taste of her juices, darted inside her mouth, and she groaned; the saltiness spreading on her taste buds.


    ¡°You like the way you taste, don¡¯t you?¡± He teased, biting down on her lower lip.


    Chase flipped her over so she was on her stomach and lifted her ass over. He buried his face in between her ass cheeks, running the tip of his tongue from the rigid flesh of her anus, to the soft ps of her pussy.


    He inserted his tongue in her wet hole and pushed one of his fingers into her tight anus. Sophia jerked, surprised at the invasion.


    ¡°Rx, Gattina,¡± He hushed. ¡°I¡¯m just ying,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Chase¡¯s free hand reached her clit, and he pinched it, begging for another orgasm. Sophia¡¯s legs trembled momentster from another overwhelming sensation.


    Gathering her juices on his tongue, Chase slid it to her anus and dipped the tip inside. Sophia froze, and a soft cry escaped her lips. She sensed his intentions, and it sent chills to her bone.


    Hearing her whimpers, Chase cradled her into hisp. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± He murmured. ¡°I won¡¯t take you there unless you want me to,¡±


    Wrapping her arms around his neck, they stayed entangled, tracing each other¡¯s skin with their fingers. Until scratching was heard outside the door.


    Charlie.


    Smiling, Sophia wrapped her nakedness in a sheet and skipped to the bedroom door, letting the cat inside. She jumped onto the bed where Chasey with only a pillow covering his front.


    Charlie tiptoed to the head of the bed and watched Chase with curiosity. Chase rolled his eyes. He reached to tickle under her chin, and she purred in delight.


    Sophia crawled onto the bed andid on her stomach as she yed with Charlie¡¯s fur.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to teach her some tricks,¡± She stated. ¡°But I need to get her more treats,¡± She turned to Chase. ¡°Do you think you can drive me to the pet store?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be busy today,¡± He sighed. Paperwork and unanswered emails were piling up. As much as he wanted to ignore them and be with her, he couldn¡¯t any longer. ¡°I have a lot of paperwork to do today,¡±


    ¡°Alessandro?¡± She tilted her head to the side, on remembering her body guard. ¡°Or perhaps one of your men?¡±


    His jaw clenched, not liking the idea of letting her out without him. They¡¯ve only been danger lurking around her so far, and he couldn¡¯t take risks.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± She pursed her lips after he failed to give her an answer. ¡°Tell me something. When did you return back home?¡±


    Chase looked up at her, and a small smile danced on his lips. ¡°Early enough to catch you sneaking into my bed,¡±


    ¡°How did you get in?¡± She asked, a smile taking over her features. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear the sound of the door opening,¡±


    He lifted a brow and stered a wide grin on his face. ¡°Maybe because I was already in the room? Tell me for how long you¡¯ve been sneaking into my room,¡±


    ¡°This is your house. You should know,¡± She replied.


    ¡°Still,¡± His tongue darted out to lick his upper lip. ¡°I want to hear it from you,¡±


    She stared at him in the eye. ¡°Since my failed attempt to escape with-uhh-¡± Her throat clogged up.¡±- Saige¡¯s help,¡±


    ¡°Missed me that bad, huh?¡± He asked, his lips curled into a sly smirk.


    Sophia blushed.


    ~~~Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    With Charlie in her mint coloured bed, Sophia flickered through her lesson notes-one she had asked Valerie to help print out for her. The semester wasing to an end, and she was all caught up with her assignments. Especially since it was the only entertaining thing she could do except from ying with Charlie and being around Chase.


    At that moment, she wished she could spend her coge days like other normal students where she would wake up in the morning, have a bath, dress up, and have breakfast made by her mama. She would kiss both her parent¡¯s goodbye before running off to leave for college. In college, she¡¯d have a group of friends whom she can tell about her crush and so on.


    But none of that would happen.


    A lone tear rolled down her cheeks. None of what she wanted would ever happen because she was in captivity of a dangerous family, receiving the care and attention her family would¡¯ve given her.


    Guilt stirred in the pit of her stomach, wrapping her pathetic self in its palm and squeezing her in an iron grip. Tension built in her muscles, pressing down her shoulders and immobilizing her movements. The heaviness of it pushing her down lower and lower. Dizziness washed over her and she suddenly felt like crying. She wanted to scream and cry.

 CHAPTER LXXVII

    ~~~


    ying lover with her captor; her abuser, while he had a fiancee who loved him as much as she did, if not more. She was a disgrace; something shameless that deserved nothing less than to be looked down upon. No longer could she even use the excuse of being controlled by fear because she didn¡¯t fear Chase any longer.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    He wouldn¡¯t hurt her. Not like before, anyways.


    She had even fallen in love with him, and there was no going back because she wasn¡¯t sure she could survive without him.


    She couldn¡¯t live without him any longer.


    Charlie stared at Sophia with those sharp features. Herpany was nice, but she was so bored to death sitting in the mansion.


    Sophia bit her lip, a n formting in her head. The city was within reach, and she had been outside enough times to know buses passed outside the estate.


    Immediately, she stood up and rushed into her walk-in closet. She changed into a white button-up and wide leg denim jeans.


    Chase, with other necessities for the cat, also purchased a pet carrier in the form of a cyan coloured backpack. Sophia shrugged on the carrier with Charlie inside. Rummaging through the drawers and vanity, she found some spare pesosying around and took it.


    She went out of the room and headed for the stairs, tiptoeing her way out. Instead of taking the front door where she would be spotted, she snuck out through the back door and circled the mansion. Without Chase¡¯s permission, the guards wouldn¡¯t let her out.


    So, grabbing two empty bin boxes, she darted across the backwn and used the bushes as cover for her antics. Throwing one box over the wall, she used the other one to hurl herself over and down the other side. Thankfully, the boxes were just high enough.


    Charlie hissed in annoyance at the bumpy ride.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± She muttered and nced side by side to be sure the coast was clear.


    She ran out of the empty streets of the estate, smiling at her ability to sneak out. Just as she rounded the corner out of the estate, she spotted a red busing down the street. She reached the stop just in time for it to slow down for her.


    Stepping inside the bus and paying the fare, Sophia sat down on the raggedy seats with a victorious smile. She cooed at Charlie, who meowed back.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your mama awesome?¡±


    Nearly an hourter, they were I¡¯m the middle of the city, wandering aimlessly. In the end, Sophia followed some tourists overhearing them chatting about a nearby mall. She maintained a safe distance so as not to look like she was stalking them.


    Once the mall came into view, Sophia¡¯s eyes lit up, and she picked up the pace. The massive brick building was spawning with people eating McDonald¡¯s and carrying familiar shopping bags. People were dressed in jeans and T-shirts, no designer brands nor thetest chic upper-ss attire.


    This was for normal people.


    Sophia stepped towards the entrance, grinning with anticipation, trying to remember thest time she was at a mall or when she hadst seen a McDonald¡¯s.


    The sounds of sirens reached her ears, catching her attention, and she craned her neck. She witnessed four SUVS, followed by police cars, pulled up to the curb side. Squinting her eyes for a closer look, her breath lodged in her throat.


    Chase and Alessandro with horde of officers were marching towards the entrance; towards her.


    Sweet Jesus.


    Uneasy, Sophia¡¯s gaze darted between the mall and Chase, trying to decide which way to go. In the end, whatever she chose, there was ever only one oue. She would be dragged back home and be forced to face Chase¡¯s fury.


    ¡°I can exin,¡± She cried once he reached her.


    Chase gripped her wrist in an iron grip. His face twisted in annoyance and murder. It screamed at her to shut up andply.


    But she¡¯d gotten that far; what was the point of going home?


    ¡°Wait!¡± She pleaded, dragging her heels onto the concrete floor. ¡°We¡¯re here now. Let¡¯s go inside,¡±


    Chase turned around, his face morphing into an angry snarl. Grabbing the back of her head with his free hand, he pushed her face closer to his. Her heart leapt in surprise. Her mouth had gone dry and her pulse quickened, beating erratically.


    Why was he so angry? They were happy together in the morning.


    ¡°One more word from you and I¡¯ll shove my cock down your throat,¡± He threatened lowly, malice shing in his dark eyes.


    Sophia huffed, not caring about his threats. She stood her ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored!¡± She snapped in exasperated. ¡°I sat in the mansion all day with nothing to do!¡±


    A crowd had gathered, and the officers were doing their best to usher them away. Sophia spotted Alessandro leaning against one of the SUVS, watching them fight. He was smoking a cigarette, taking a drag and puffing it out.


    He shook his head in disapproval, but then his brows furrowed, eyes zooming into the redser pointer directly at Sophia¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Sniper!¡± He shouted, diving behind the SUV.


    Chase turned to face Sophia, his eyes going to the red mark on her chest. Instantly, he pulled her to his body, curling his arms around her protectively; blocking her from the sniper¡¯s view. He caged her between the floor and his body, ensuring she waspletely covered.


    Meanwhile, at Alessandro¡¯s yelling, Chase¡¯s men moved in unit, dashing out of the SUVS dressed in all ckbat uniforms, each with earpieces in one ear.


    The soldiers with high precision rifles were searching the skyscrapers with their high-magnification optics.


    Screams of distress rang in Sophia¡¯s ears, and people were running around like sitting ducks.


    Chase grunted, catching her attention, and she gazed up at him through hershes. Sweat was gathering on his forehead, face pale like he was running a high fever.


    Was he sick?


    Sophia¡¯s hands reached up to cup his cheeks. ¡°Are you -¡±


    Her remaining words stuck in her throat as she stared at the wet pool forming on the shoulder side of his shirt, getting bigger and bigger.


    She looked down at her own shirt and found it stained with blood; Chase¡¯s blood.

 CHAPTER LXXVIII

    Sophia inhaled sharply, unable to utter a single sound.


    Another grunt from Chase and a wheeze. Blood poured on her jeans from the new fresh wound on Chase¡¯s left side.


    Everything seemed to move in slow motion and silence. She didn¡¯t hear the screams or the sirens until her own voice cut in, piercing the veil and ringing out in her ears. She let out an ear splitting scream and gripped Chase¡¯s front in desperation.


    They were being gunned down, out in the open.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chase rasped out. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you,¡±


    Then suddenly, he was ripped from her as his men pulled him up. Sophia reached out and managed to hold his fingers. She was tugged forward, with security covering her from all sides. They were stirred into the SUVs and once inside, she jumped as several bullets hit the car but they never broke through.


    The car was bulletproof.


    ¡°Go,¡± Alessandro ordered the drivers. ¡°Go back to the mansion,¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s go to the hospital, ¡°Sophia cried out.¡± Chase was shot. He¡¯s hurt,¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Chase sat up, leaning his head back. ¡°This is nothing. I¡¯ve had worse,¡±


    In less than forty-five minutes they reached the mansion and Sophia ran after Chase who was unfazed by his wounds, her stomach churning at the sight of blood staining the ground.


    Once inside, she released Charlie from its confinement and searched for Chase. She found him in the kitchen, discarding his jacket and dress shirt, not wincing at all.


    She watched everything with an incredulous look.


    Alessandro was next to him, filling the sink with hot water as another guard ran in with a first aid kit. She watched Alessandro preparing the piers, disinfecting them and leaving them to dry on a clean towel.


    He was going to pull out the bullets himself. Her stomach churned again.


    It seemed they had done that a lot of times. They have seen worse than that.


    ¡°Go to my bedroom,¡± Chase ordered stoically. ¡°Wait for me there,¡±


    ~~~


    Immediately she walked out of the bathroom, Sophia jumped at the sight of Chase seated on the couch in his room, sipping the red liquid from the wine ss he was holding. She held the towel tighter on seeing that he was stark naked as the day he was born.


    As if feeling her gaze on him, Chase turned towards the bathroom and ran his eyes over her, watching the way her wet lips parted as she stared at him. His eyes followed the trail of water that dropped from her wet hair whichid on her shoulder until it disappeared beneath the white towel she had wrapped around her small frame.


    He returned his eyes back to hers. ¡°Take off the towel,¡±


    Sophia frowned. ¡°What do -¡±


    He cut her in. ¡°I said take it off,¡± He dropped the ss and stood up, his cock limp between his legs. He stalked towards her in slow, predatory steps anger swirling in his eyes. ¡°I said take off the towel,¡± He snarled.


    Sophia gulped and moved backwards till her back hit the bathroom door, and a gasp left her lips. ¡°I ¨C what did I  ahh,¡± She flinched when he mmed one of his palms against the door above her head.


    ¡°Will you take off the towel, or should I help you do it?¡± He seethed out, leaning his face closer to hers that she had to push her head deeper against the bathroom door.


    ¡°Chase,¡± Her shaking hands went to his chest, and she ced her tiny palms against it. She gulped, her eyes darting to the bullet wound on his shoulder. ¡°How -¡± She looked back into his eyes. ¡°How¡¯s your injury? You ¨C you should have rest,¡±


    ¡°How should I rest when you want to leave me?¡± He asked, his other hand skimming beneath the towel as he tugged on the material. ¡°Hmm? Tell me,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She swallowed. ¡°I would never leave you, I swear,¡±


    Without allowing her to fully register what was going on, Chase raised her left leg and ced it on his right thigh the second he pulled off the towel, discarding it on the ground. ¡°You were going to leave me today. You took Charlie away,¡±


    ¡°No. No,¡± She gasped, trying to make him understand as her eyes widened. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ll never leave you. I wasn¡¯t nning on doing so, trust me,¡±


    Without taking his eyes off her scared ones, he rasped out. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in trust,¡±


    ¡°O-okay then. By whatever you believe in, I didn¡¯t n to-ahh,¡± Her words were reced by a painful cry which left her throat the moment he roughly shoved his cock inside her pussy.


    She wasn¡¯t even ready. It was so painful.


    ¡°Chase-,¡± She bit down on her lip and gripped his shoulders tightly as tears blurred her vision. ¡°Chase -¡±


    He didn¡¯t listen to her. He was blinded by rage. All he saw was red, and all he felt was anger. He pulled out of her and mmed back inside her without letting her take a breath. ¡°You listened to that bastard. You agreed to leave me,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± Sophia tapped on his shoulders, tears already falling down her cheeks. ¡°I ¨C who are you -¡±


    He cut her off. ¡°Volkov. You collected his card. You agreed to leave with him,¡±


    Sophia blinked her eyes as the familiar name settled in her mind. She had heard that name somewhere. She couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°Chase  who  mhh ¨C  is he?¡±


    Chase gripped her hair and tugged her head backwards. ¡°The name doesn¡¯t ring a bell? Well, the face would, ¡°Thrust.¡± He has a scar across his left eyebrow and eye, ¡°Thrust.¡± He has brown hair, ¡°Thrust.¡± He wore a ck suit the day he met you in the shopping mall when you went with Valerie, ¡°He dipped his head and sucked on her corbone, moving his hips in a fast pace, not giving her space or time to adjust to his size. ¡°Does that ring a bell? Do I need to call his name fully?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Her brain picked it up instantly. She remembered the man with a scar across his left eyebrow down to his cheek. He was the same man that had walked in on her in the bathroom the other day. He was the same man that gave her a business card and asked her to call so she could be able to send Chase to prison for killing her friends and murdering his family.


    How did Chase find out about them meeting?

 CHAPTER LXXIX

    ~~~


    Sophia¡¯s lips formed an ¡®O¡¯ shape when she felt the tip of Chase¡¯s cock in her lower stomach and she gasped out. ¡°You- u- udio,¡±


    ¡°So you remember, huh?¡± He increased his pace as his anger doubled. ¡°Tell me something. Tell me how he was able to convince you to take his card. Tell me how he touched you that he was able to convince you faster than I did to make you mine. Tell me, Sophia,¡±


    ¡°Chase,¡± She dug her nails into his skin. ¡°I-,¡± Her breathing came out short andboured. ¡°I can¡¯t take it any-any longer,¡±


    Before she could realize anything, Chase pulled his cock out of her and dragged her to the bed by the hair. He made her go on her knees, all fours and he gave her a smack on her ass cheek, earning a whimpered- moan from her.


    He pushed down her hair deep into the bed, along with her neck, not caring if her neck would snap or not. He didn¡¯t care if she wasfortable. He only cared about his ownfort and how he would punish her for even thinking of betraying him. Shouldn¡¯t she have known that anyone who wanted him down was his enemy and she wasn¡¯t meant to even support the person?


    Not giving her a chance to say anything, Chase spread her pussy lips and thrusted his cock deep inside her tight carnal.


    He didn¡¯t let her pick up the pace at which he was going at. It wasn¡¯t as if she actually knew how to do it.


    Once he felt his orgasm building, Chase pulled out of her and shoved his cock into her tight anus forcefully. Sophia yelped in pain and a scream tore from her lips at the intrusion. She had never been touched or fucked there before.


    He just had to be her first in a lot of things.


    Chase pulled out of her butthole and smirked at the blood on his cock before pushing his dick back inside her butthole, fucking the tight hole.


    Another wave of orgasm built in him and he loaded his cum in her anus, before slipping out of her.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Sophia fell on her back, watching him as tears fell down her eyes while he used the white towel that had once been on her body to wipe off the blood off his dick.


    After that, he ignored her, not even sparing her a nce. He walked back to the couch and sat on it, then continued drinking his wine as if nothing had happened.


    Sophia¡¯s silent whimpers reached his ears, and he red at her, snapping. ¡°Shut up, Sophia. I only punished you for trying to betray me,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She croaked out, fighting her raging feelings. ¡°I didn¡¯t try to betray you, I promise,¡±


    Seeing her like that brought a weird sense of satisfaction coursing through his veins even though he didn¡¯t like to see her tears.


    He only preferred being the cause of her tears. No one else was meant to make her cry, or else that person would pay.


    He stood up and walked back to the bed, then pulled her into his arms, ignoring her cries of protest.


    He cradled her small frame and leaned his head on the headboard, stroking her hair. ¡°I love making you cry. Do you realize that?¡±


    Sophia pressed her palms on his chest and tried to pull away so he would let her go, but he tightened his hold on her. ¡°Chase-,¡± She sobbed.


    He continued. ¡°It¡¯s crazy how I enjoy making you cry any time you refuse toply with what I want and then end up feeling bad for making you cry, right?¡±


    Sophia didn¡¯t say anything.


    He tightened his arm around her, making her wince. ¡°Say something,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± She shut her eyes tight and mped down on her lower lip to stop a sob from leaving her mouth.


    ¡°You told mest night that you want to be mine,¡± He said. ¡°But you ran off today. Did you run off to meet Volkov?¡±


    She shook her head vigorously. ¡°No. No,¡± She cried. ¡°I didn¡¯t go to see him. I -I even forgot that he ever approached me. I -I only wanted to step out of the mansion for a little moment. I never intended to run, Chase. I promise,¡±


    ¡°Why did you collect the business card when he met you?¡± He asked. ¡°Tell me, why?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She raised her head and looked up at him, staring into his eyes. He didn¡¯t look happy about what he did to her. He didn¡¯t look upset about it either. ¡°He -he told me he wanted justice for his family. He said you killed his family. He said you left that scar on him. I- I was scared for my Nana. I thought you¡¯d kill her and-¡°A sob broke out from her lips and she shook her head at him, cradling his face. ¡°I swear; I didn¡¯t go to meet him today. I -I haven¡¯t even seen him since that day. I¡¯m sorry, Chase,¡±


    He didn¡¯t blink his eyes, but it was obvious he was hurt. He felt it wrapping itself around him and he hated that he felt something as agonizing as that. ¡°If he was right about me killing his family, would you have helped him? Would you have betrayed me to get justice for him?¡±


    He wondered how she would feel if she found out udio had done nothing but lie to her about his identity. Yes, Chase had given him that scar and had been the one to wipe off udio¡¯s family, but the reasons the bastard had given her were wrong. How would Sophia even feel to find out that udio was responsible for her Nana¡¯s death and her kidnap?


    It was better to leave the truth unsaid. He couldn¡¯t bear to watch her in pain. Telling her about udio would terrify her and open old wounds about her Nana¡¯s death in her heart.


    Sophia shook her head, cing pecks all over his face. ¡°No. No,¡± She cried. ¡°I would never betray you. I won¡¯t, I promise. I said itst night and I¡¯ll say it again that I only want to be yours. I want to be yours because I-,¡±She shut her eyes and held her breath, preparing herself for her next words. Once she had gained a little courage, she opened her eyes and stared at his eyes filled with curiosity of what she would say next.


    Maybe he was waiting for her to say those three words.


    ¡°I will never betray you or leave you, Chase. I¡¯m forever going to be yours because I love you,¡± She hurled herself into his arms and hugged him tight, oblivious to the way he had stilled; unmoving, unblinking. ¡°I love you,¡±

 CHAPTER LXXX

    ~~~


    SOPHIA TOOK A deep breath and switched on theptop in front of her on the reading table. As she typed in the password, she waited for the system to go to the home page.


    While waiting, her mind drifted off to Chase. The previous night back in his room, she had told him she loved him because she was very sure of how she felt. But then, he said nothing. He didn¡¯t smile at her neither did he show any reaction.


    Nor did he say it back.


    Did that mean he didn¡¯t feel like that towards her? Did that mean he didn¡¯t love her?


    No. She shook her head. Chase loved her. She was sure of it. She might notpletely know much about love, but from the little she knew, Chase was showing signs of love towards her.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    He cared for her; he would do anything for her. He loved listening to her ramble off about her day. He wouldy down his life for her. He would smile at her alone even when he did it for no one. He touched her the way a man in love would do to his woman. He used to make love to her. He would-


    Really? Was that love? A voice at the back of her mind whispered to her, and his actions from the previous night shed through her mind.


    He had forcefully touched her against her will and said hurtful things to her. He told her he didn¡¯t believe in trust when trust should be the foundation of love. He used her of trying to leave him and in the end when she told him how she felt, he went stiff. She waited for him to reply her, do something to show he felt the same or even say the words back, but he didn¡¯t.


    He simply put her to bed and told her to sleep. When she pestered him about it, he snapped at her and said he had work to do. That had been the end of the conversation because he didn¡¯t give her a chance to say anything to him again. He dressed up in fresh clothes and left her alone in the room, the four walls of the room being the only witnesses of her confessed love.


    He didn¡¯t love her back.


    A lone tear slipped down her cheek, and her heart constricted with pain at the thought. Once she realized theptop was on the home page for a long time and she hadn¡¯t noticed because she was too deep in her thoughts, she sighed.


    Before she could click on the app where she normally had her online sses, her eyes fell on the Google app next to it.


    Google helped a lot.


    She instantly shifted the cursor, and the arrow fell on the Google app. She clicked on it and went straight for the search bar before typing her question.


    ¡®If you tell someone you love them and they don¡¯t say it back, does that mean they don¡¯t feel the same?¡¯


    As Sophia waited for the search results, she held her breath by biting down on her lower lip as her heart hammered against her chest. What if Google said he didn¡¯t love her back?


    Immediately, the search results came up, and her eyes lit up. She scrolled down until she got to an answer. She ran her eyes over the words there, reading them to herself.


    ¡®If you told your partner you love them and they didn¡¯t say it back, don¡¯t beat yourself up. It¡¯s important to honour your emotions and deep feelings for your partner even if they aren¡¯t reciprocated (or reciprocated yet). Give your partner space to ept these powerful words and what they mean for your rtionship.¡¯


    The answer didn¡¯t satisfy her, so she scrolled down for another one.


    ¡®And remember, it¡¯s not necessarily a red g if they don¡¯t reciprocate right away. Rtionship andmunication expert Chloe Batore says your partner may just not be prepared with an answer. ¡°It is absolutely normal for one person to say ¡®I love you¡¯ first and not hear it back.¡± ¡®


    Was it really normal to not be told ¡®I love you¡¯ back?


    ¡°You¡¯re in love?¡±


    Sophia jumped in her seat at the sound of the familiar voice and quickly shut theptop down. She stood up from her chair and looked towards her room door, finding it closed just as she had left it.


    How did Saige get in, then?


    Saige exined. ¡°I guess you were too concentrated on your search that you didn¡¯t hear me knocking. I even came in and closed back the door. Sorry for my bad manners,¡±


    Sophia turned to her and nodded her head at her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Saigeughed. ¡°I was actually just looking for Cha-Don,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s heart skipped a bit at the remainder that thedy in front of her was Chase¡¯s fiancee.


    Saige was getting married to the man she loved.


    Sophia narrowed her eyes at her. ¡°And you thought you¡¯d find him here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the thing,¡± Saigeughed it off to clear the tension between them. ¡°I was left with no choice. He wasn¡¯t in his study and since you both have been close buddies, I thought I could check in here,¡± She tilted her head to the side, both of them knowing fully well what she meant. ¡°After all, who knows what might be in here?¡±


    Sophia retorted back in anger and obvious jealousy towards Saige. ¡°What if you had walked in and saw us both in bed then?¡± She continued. ¡°Well, just so you know, Chase and I do nothing in my room. We meet up in his room,¡±


    That seemed to have struck a chord in Saige. Her eyes and the way she fisted her hands into a ball beside her, digging her nails into her palms, said it all.


    They all gave her away.


    Her breathing came out in ragged forms as she tried to control herself. She couldn¡¯t do anything to Sophia. If she did so, it would be the end for her. Chase would break off the engagement.


    Sophia walked to the bedside table and poured water for Saige in a ss cup. She strode back to her and handed the water to her. ¡°Have water. You don¡¯t look okay,¡±


    Saige narrowed her eyes at Sophia, and collected the water before gulping it down her delicate throat. When she was done, she handed the ss back to Sophia, who collected it and dropped it back in its ce.


    ¡°Thanks,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I said. I shouldn¡¯t have said it. I was upset about something,¡± That was right. She was upset about the whole love issue and she had lost control of her tongue when Saige walked into her room and spoke to her like that.


    Saige managed to pass a fake smile to Sophia. ¡°Is it about your little search? Tell me who you¡¯re in love with,¡± Saige said, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Lucas? Luciano? Alessandro? Who?¡±

 CHAPTER LXXXI

    ~~~


    Sophia stared at the smile on Saige¡¯s lips, a tiny, selfish part of her, that she never knew existed in her, telling her to tell Saige it was her fiancee she loved. It told her to snatch the smile away from her. ¡°It¡¯s no one,¡± Sophia replied before she could do or say something she would regret.


    She didn¡¯t understand why she was suddenly behaving like that. Maybe, that was how love worked¡­?


    ¡°But what you were search-,¡±


    Sophia cut her off. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious,¡± She turned her back to her.


    Saige was aware Sophia was lying. She clearly knew who Sophia was in love with and she hated to think of it. She had only asked her who it was because she wanted confirmation but it seemed Sophia¡¯s reply didn¡¯t matter because her bodynguage was enough to clear Saige¡¯s doubt.


    So, Chase hadn¡¯t told Sophia he loved her? Saige raised a brow at the question. That had to be why Sophia was searching up for answers to why he hadn¡¯t reciprocated the words.


    Saige opened her mouth to say something but halted when her eyes fell on the gift box on the reading table. ¡°You still haven¡¯t opened the gift I gave you yet?¡± Disbeliefced her words and voice. ¡°Ouch. That hurt more than I thought it would,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sophia turned to Saige, obviously sorry. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to ignore it just like that. I had a lot going on, and well, I-¡±


    Saige cut her in. ¡°Are you still upset with me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, honestly,¡± Sophia said. ¡°I- I just find it hard to understand why you would really think of me as an obstacle between you and Chase when he -¡± Sophia almost choked on herst words. ¡°When he -he¡¯s already marrying you. I don¡¯t find anything to be insecure about,¡± She looked down at her feet, unable to look at Saige.


    It was finally time toe out in the open and end the silent, internal rivalry between them. ¡°Is it Chase you love?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s head snapped up, and she looked at Saige in the eye.


    When Sophia didn¡¯t say anything, Saige continued. ¡°I always knew it. I knew it when I caught a glimpse of your search that you love him. You don¡¯t need to lie,¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask in the first ce?¡± Sophia asked.


    ¡°Because I needed confirmation!¡± Saige snapped, and Sophia flinched. ¡°I needed to be sure you weren¡¯t being an actual betrayer by falling for a betrothed man!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about me being a betrayer because that¡¯s not who I am!¡± Sophia retorted back, her angering up in waves. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that because I have never tried to kill someone I im to be friends with out of jealousy,¡±


    Saige¡¯s voice went octaves lower, and she asked in disbelief. ¡°Are you calling me a betrayer?¡±


    ¡°If your conscience tells you that you¡¯re one, then listen to it,¡± Sophia replied.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind, Sophia?¡± Saige asked. ¡°You just called me a betrayer,¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t call you one, Saige. Don¡¯t put words in my mouth,¡± She sounded fearless on the outside, but deep down, a fear of Saige was brewing in her. Saige had tried to kill her twice. She wouldn¡¯t think twice before trying it again because they were both alone in her room where it would be easy for Saige to finish her off and run away.


    Saige stepped closer to Sophia, snarling at her. ¡°Well then if you think I¡¯m a betrayer, fine, you¡¯re free to think so. I just want you to know that I won¡¯t hesitate to eliminate whatever tries toe between my fiancee and I, and if you¡¯re thinking of doing so, Sophia, you better back down before it¡¯s toote,¡± She snapped her fingers. ¡°We both know how I can be if you look back at those two times I¡¯ve tried to kill you. Be warned, I won¡¯t ever give up,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really out of your mind,¡± Sophia whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not out of my mind, Sophia,¡± Saige seethed out. ¡°I¡¯m just iming back my territory,¡±


    Sophia scoffed. ¡°As if he would ever im you,¡±


    That was thest straw.


    Saige hurled herself towards Sophia. ¡°You bi-,¡±


    She was cut off by the sound of the door opening, and Valerie walked in with a worried look on her face.


    ¡°Is everything alright in here?¡± She asked, her eyes darting between Saige, who looked like she was about tobust out of anger, and Sophia, who looked indifferent. ¡°I was passing by, and I heard your voices,¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophia passed Valerie a tight-lipped smile. ¡°Everything is okay,¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Saige faked a smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now,¡± Without saying anything else, she headed for the door.


    She walked past Valerie and was out of the door.


    Valerie peeled her eyes away from Saige¡¯s retreating figure to Sophia. ¡°You sure everything was okay in here?¡±


    Sophia nodded, her smile not falling off. ¡°Yeah. Just a little argument friends normally have,¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious you both aren¡¯t friends,¡± Valerie walked towards Sophia. ¡°Is this about Don?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sophia rushed out immediately. ¡°I -I¡¯m sorry, but if you can, please excuse me. I¡¯ve already missed a few minutes of my lectures,¡±


    Valerie smiled and cupped Sophia¡¯s cheek. ¡°Sure then. I¡¯ll take my leave now. Take care, Hun,¡±


    Valerie left.


    Sophia slumped on her chair and fisted her hands, bringing them to her racing heart, the look of disdain in Saige¡¯s eyes for her not wavering off her mind as well as the conversation they had.


    Sophia never knew she had that part of her in herself. It seemed to have just started existing the moment she realized she loved Chase and the only person that would face it was Saige because she was the only one against her feelings.


    Sophia knew there and then that a battle line had been drawn between she and Saige.


    A love battle was going to wage between the both of them, and Chase was the prize.

 CHAPTER LXXXII

    ~~~


    CHASE¡¯S DARK EYES didn¡¯t flutter for a second as he stared out of his study room window at the petite girl ying around with her cat in the garden and a wide smile dancing on her lips, oblivious to his unwavering stares.


    ¡°I love you,¡±


    Even after a week of hearing those three words, they still rang like bells in his head, reminding him that he was yet to break another person¡¯s heart just like he had done to Saige.


    He couldn¡¯t love Sophia. He was incapable of love because he wasn¡¯t made for it. That strong feeling didn¡¯t exist in his world because it was destructive, at least, that was what he was taught.


    But then, the fact that love wasn¡¯t an existing feeling in their world wasn¡¯t the problem. The main problem was from him. The main problem was him. He was the main problem.


    He couldn¡¯t reciprocate those feelings because reciprocating them would be as good as giving Sophia hopes for the future, and they didn¡¯t have a future together. He couldn¡¯t have a future together with anyone because he wouldn¡¯t be there for it. He wanted to destroy his uncle and father¡¯s hard work and dreams for the Romano empire. That would be the only way to end the torture he was going through. Ending the torture was ending the empire and himself.


    Once he was done burning down the Romano empire to ashes for his dad to see, he would make sure to be there to watch his father end his own life in a painful and agonizing way. That was the only reason he had allowed his father to live else the man would¡¯ve been long gone even before his own brother.


    After his father, he himself would follow next. He would kill himself and allow his cousins to live a peaceful life.


    That was his only aim, and he couldn¡¯t let Sophia¡¯s feelingse in the way.


    Chase slid both of his hands in his pockets and brought out a cigar and lighter. He lighted the cigar and returned the lighter back to his pocket, then ced the cigar between his lips. He took a long drag from the cigar and puffed it out.


    As if feeling his gaze on her, Sophia spun and their eyes met. Chase¡¯s breath hitched in his throat when she waved at him with a smile and turned away to continue ying with Charlie. A sigh left his lips as he realized that he hadn¡¯t stared into her eyes for a whole week and it was making him lose his mind.


    Ever since she told him about her feelings, he hadn¡¯t been able to look at her. He solely ignored her and didn¡¯t go to his room unless she left in the morning after sleeping over there in the night. He was aware she needed that muchfort.


    He heard a small, gentle knock on the door and that was when he blinked his eyes away from the suddenly empty spot he was staring at. He had been too lost in his thoughts to even realize Sophia had left the garden.


    He drew the curtains and turned away from the window, then faced the door. ¡°Come in,¡±


    The door opened, and Sophia walked in with Charlie in her arms. ¡°You¡¯ve been ignoring me for a week. Did I do anything wrong this time?¡±


    He dropped the cigar in the ashtray and locked eyes with her. ¡°Why then did you decide to confront me about it today. You should¡¯ve done that the moment you realized how I was behaving towards you,¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t give me any chance to meet you, chase, ¡°She replied.


    Chase narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°If this is about your infatuation, stop it,¡±


    Sophia nched, and her grip on Charlie loosened. The cat jumped down from her arms and ran out of the room. ¡°You think I¡¯m infatuated by you?¡±


    Chase remained indifferent. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I know,¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t. If you knew a thing, you wouldn¡¯t have ignored me for a week because I told you how I felt about you,¡± She said, frustration clear in her voice.


    ¡°You¡¯re still a teenager, Sophia. You aren¡¯t even up to twenty. You don¡¯t know anything about love,¡± He said, picking up a book from his shelf.


    She retorted back fiercely. ¡°Age isn¡¯t required when ites to love, Chase!¡±


    Chase said nothing. He simply stared at her without saying a word. He watched as her chest rose and fell slightly and then, back into her eyes. ¡°Have you studied?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s lips parted, but no sound came out. She cleared her throat. ¡°What do you mean by that? We¡¯re talking about my love, and you suddenly decided to change the topic to something else?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Chase walked towards her and stopped when he was directly in front of her that she had to crane her neck so she would be able to look at him in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to change the topic, Gattina,¡± He raised his hands and rubbed his knuckles over her cheek, feeling her shiver at his touch as his rings slightly brushed her skin. ¡°I simply care about your future,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia opened her mouth to say something, but the only sound that came out was a wince. She blinked at him, trying to understand what this was all about. She had been talking about her love, but then the whole topic was changed. Her heart screamed at her to move away from him and continue what she was saying, but she didn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t. His touch was doing things to her and her mind was fogged up. She had suddenly lost her senses. ¡°Ch -Chase,¡±


    ¡°Tell me what you want,¡± He leaned in, happy that his little distraction game was working. He could clearly see her resolve breaking. ¡°Tell me what you want, and I¡¯ll give it to you,¡±


    Without realizing it, she blurted out. ¡°You,¡±


    Chase smiled at her and his other hand went to her waist, holding her in a firm grip. He stopped caressing her cheek and cupped the cheek. Leaning closer, he whispered against her lips. ¡°Good thing, I want the same,¡± When Sophia said nothing and only clutched his suitpels in her fists, he brushed their lips slightly. ¡°I want you,¡±


    ¡°Chase, we-,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want me?¡± He asked, staring into her eyes. ¡°You just said it that you want me. What¡¯s the matter now?¡±


    ¡°Chase, I-,¡±


    Chase gently pushed her to the door, locking it in ce. ¡°You promised you were mine,¡± He kissed the side of her lips. ¡°Remember?¡±


    ¡°I-I know,¡±


    ¡°Then, if you want the same thing, why are you trying to stop me?¡± He rubbed his erection through his pants on her thigh as he grazed the tip of his nose on her cheeks. ¡°Do you feel how badly I want you? Don¡¯t deny us both the satisfaction,¡±


    She didn¡¯t know why she was trying to stop it when she really wanted him as much as he did. ¡°Chase, I-,¡±


    ¡°Kiss me, Gattina,¡± He whispered, licking her earlobe, then her neck, sucking on the skin. ¡°Kiss me,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    That was all it took for Sophia to fall for Chase¡¯s little seduction. She gripped both sides of his face and pulled him up so she could have ess to his lips. Without wasting a second, she ced her lips on his¡¯.


    Chase growled and tilted her head to the side so as to deepen the kiss. His hand that had cupped her cheek travelled to the nape of her neck as he felt her burying her hands in his hair, tugging at the ends of his curls.


    Sophia moaned against his lips. ¡°Chase -¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t control myself, Gattina,¡± He murmured against her lips, pulling away to stare at her lust-clouded eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you here in my office,¡±


    Sophia smiled gently, leaning in to kiss him again. ¡°You¡¯ve done it before. It won¡¯t cause any harm to do so this time. Take me on your desk,¡± She locked their lips again.


    Chase ced both of his palms on her thighs and raised them up. Sophia jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist, wrapping her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss.


    Chase kneaded both of her butt in hisrge palms and she let out a moan, arching her back. Once he reached his desk, he shoved all the things on it to the ground, and ced her on it, before running his dted eyes over her body and she squirmed under his gaze.


    Chase ripped her shirt from the neckline in the middle, and she gasped. He leaned in to attack her corbone. ¡°I always get you new clothes. Recing this one won¡¯t be a problem at all,¡±


    Sophia unbuttoned his suit coat and shrugged it off his shoulders. As she struggled to unbutton his waist coat, she groaned. ¡°You wear too many clothes!¡± She smacked his chest, earning augh from him. Even the sound of hisugh seemed to turn her on even more.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to take off my shirts, Gattina,¡± He unbuckled his belt. His hands reached her back, and he unsped her bra, flinging it across the room. ¡°You¡¯re mine. Say it,¡± He dipped his head and wrapped his lips around one of her tits.

 CHAPTER LXXXIII

    ~~~


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia moaned as she felt him sucking on her tits , arching her back. ¡°I -I¡¯m yours. All yours,¡±


    In less than ten minutes, Sophia was naked, on her back with opened legs while Chase stood between her legs, stroking his hard cock in his palms and guiding it towards her sleek entrance.


    Without waiting for anything else, he slipped his cock into her pussy, feeling her walls stretching by his length.


    Sophia wrapped her legs around his hips. ¡°Chase,¡±


    Chase said nothing. He pushed deeper, hitting her g-spot before pulling out again and pushing himself back in, fucking her balls deep.


    Her breasts bounced with each thrust and the sloppy sounds of his cock mming against her wetness filled the room along with her moans. When Chase felt her walls tightening around his dick, he turned her so she was on her stomach. He gripped both of her wrists and pinned them on her back as he plummeted his length in and out of her.


    He used his other hand to smack her hard on the ass, leaving a stinging pain behind. ¡°Say you¡¯re mine again,¡±


    ¡°Mhhh-,¡± Sophia moaned. ¡°I- I¡¯m yours. I¡¯m yours, Chase. All yours,¡±


    ~~~


    She pushed her bedroom door open and it mmed against the wall. She didn¡¯t care about the sound it made. She immediately walked further into the room and shut the door with a loud bang, dashing towards her wardrobe.


    Ignoring the sound, the door made, Saige¡¯s hands shook and she hurriedly pulled open the wardrobe. She quickly brought out the bottle of her pills and managed to open it. She was meant to take a pill, but at that moment, she didn¡¯t care.


    She could feel her headacheing in and she was sure she was on the verge of having an episode. She couldn¡¯t let her dad see her like that, especially when she knew his loyaltyid with Chase. The moment he found out the truth that she hadn¡¯t only refused to see a therapist but had also finally lost it, he would hurriedly tell Chase about it and that would definitely not be where everything would end.


    Chase would leave her.


    ¡°No. No,¡± She brought out three pills from the bottle and held it in her shaking palms. She was quick to grab a ss of water from the bedside table and then, swallow the pills.


    Once she swallowed the pills, she sat down on the ground, pulling on her hair as she waited for the effects of the drugs to finally settle in.


    The effects didn¡¯t settle in. She still couldn¡¯t rx. Her hands didn¡¯t stop shaking and her headache didn¡¯t subside.


    The only thing she could think of was Chase and Sophia. Hearing their sounds of pleasure from outside Chase¡¯s study even without seeing them clearly told her what they were doing in his study.


    ¡°Say you¡¯re mine again,¡±


    ¡°Mhhh  I  I¡¯m yours. I¡¯m yours, Chase. All yours,¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She yelled and pushed the jug of water from the table, breaking it into pieces.


    ¡°Say you¡¯re mine again,¡±


    She was meant to be the one in Sophia¡¯s ce. She was meant to be the one Chase imed like that. It wasn¡¯t meant to be a neen year old girl who had no insight to how their world worked.


    Saige¡¯s mind began to conjure up images of Chase and Sophia actually fucking like she had heard those sounds from them.


    ¡°No. No,¡±


    She was always meant to understand that was how their world worked. She knew Chase was always bound to find pleasure from someone else apart from her but she couldn¡¯t ept it. She couldn¡¯t ept it because it was too hard to.


    ¡°I hate Sophia,¡± She mumbled as she picked up the bottle of her pills again and put another three on her palms. She pushed the bottle beneath her bed. She picked up the ss if water she had remained earlier and used it to swallow down the pills, remembering the doctor¡¯s words about using the pills.


    ¡°On no circumstances should you take more than a pill any time you are or about to have an episode. If you take a pill and it doesn¡¯t calm you down, it means you¡¯re the one who isn¡¯t helping. You should try to think of happy moments especially with your loved ones and you¡¯ll eventually calm down but no matter what, don¡¯t take more than one. Overdose of these drugs can lead to serious or worse mental problems even if it doesn¡¯t ur immediately,¡±


    ¡°Happy moments,¡± She mumbled. ¡°I have no happy moments. Chase is the only one I love. He¡¯s my loved one, and we don¡¯t have any happy moments together. It¡¯s all because of her. I hate her. I hate Sophia,¡±


    The voices of the men that raped her and the whole images found their way back to her mind.


    ¡°No. No. No,¡± She covered her ears to stop the voices. ¡°No. Stop. No, please,¡±


    They weren¡¯t stopping. They seemed to be louder and clearer.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Her hand found the ss cup and she mmed it on the bedside table, breaking it into two. She pressed it tightly against her palm as she watched the blood dripping from her palm while the pain from the injury settled in.


    ¡°You¡¯re a worthless fiancee,¡±


    ¡°Looks sexy though. It¡¯s shocking how her fiance finds satisfaction in a mere teenager instead of her,¡±


    ¡°Who knows what he might have seen in the girl to dump his fiance like that?¡±


    ¡°Who cares? All we¡¯ll have to do is fuck this one here,¡±


    Saige raised her other wrist to her eye level before bringing the other ss in her hand close to it.


    She would¡¯ve stopped. If there was something to make her stop, she would¡¯ve. But there was none. The only things she could think of only encouraged her to go ahead with what she wanted to do.


    ¡°Say you¡¯re mine again,¡±


    Saige raised the edge of the ss and let it hover above her wrist for at least a second. Immediately she shed her wrist with it, the door opened and her father showed up, staring at her surrounding with shocked eyes.


    His eyes finally settled on her. ¡°Sweetheart, what ha -¡± He gasped when he saw the blood rushing from her wrists and rushed to her, kneeling in front of her. ¡°Sweetheart,¡±


    Saige¡¯s vision became blurry, and De Luca ced both of his palms on her cheeks. ¡°Dad, I-,¡± She didn¡¯t get toplete her words because her eyelids closed, and she weed the darkness.

 CHAPTER LXXXIV

    ~~~


    SOPHIA STARED AT she and Chase¡¯s intertwined fingers with a smile as sheid on his chest while his back was on bed after another mind-blowing sex in his bedroom from the study. His cock was still inside her and none of them made an attempt to move away.


    Chase¡¯s fingers that were drawing small circles on her back halted before he continued again. ¡°What are you thinking of?¡±


    Sophia managed to look up at him, and her smile widened. ¡°Has anyone ever told you that your fingers are beautiful?¡±


    Chase smiled. ¡°You have,¡± He leaned in and pecked her nose. ¡°A lot of times,¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Sophia ced her head back on his chest and dropped a peck on the skin. ¡°I love you,¡±


    Chase went still, unable to say a word again.


    Sophia looked up at him with a smile again. ¡°I love you,¡±


    He rasped out. ¡°Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop me, please,¡± She dropped her eyes and dragged her nose on his chest slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t stop me from telling you how I feel,¡±


    ¡°Sophia, you-,¡± He was cut in by the sound of his phone ringing on the bedside table. A groan left his lips, and he stretched his hands to pick up the call.


    A frown marred his features when he stared at the caller ID.


    De Luca.


    Sophia gently ran her fingers at his sides. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    Chase nodded and ced both of his hands around her arms before slowly picking her up. He gently dropped her on the bed. ¡°Excuse me,¡± He sat up and swiped the pick button. ¡°De Luca,¡±


    De Luca¡¯s panicked voice reached his ears. ¡°Don, please help me. It¡¯s Saige,¡±


    Chase sighed and rubbed his forehead with his palms. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with her?¡±


    De Luca replied immediately. ¡°She -she tried to kill herself. She slit her wrist,¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Chase muttered. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at the hospital. I rushed her to the hospital and I¡¯m scared. I can¡¯t lose my daughter, Don. She¡¯s my life,¡±


    ¡°What hospital?¡± Chase asked with a sigh.


    ¡°Gemelli Polyclinic,¡±


    He shouldn¡¯t care. He wasn¡¯t meant to care. Sophia was the reason he suddenly started caring for everyone around him. His care was only meant to be for her, but he was extending it out to others.


    Chase pushed back his hair. ¡°I¡¯ll be there shortly. Don¡¯t panic, De Luca. She¡¯ll be okay,¡± He cut the call.


    Before he could stand up, Sophia ced her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Who was on the call?¡±


    ¡°De Luca, Saige¡¯s dad,¡± Chase sighed. ¡°She tried to kill herself today,¡±


    Sophia gasped. ¡°W- what?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. I have to leave,¡± He tried to stand up.


    Sophia clung to him. ¡°Please don¡¯t go. She¡¯ll be okay. You don¡¯t have to be there,¡±


    Chase pulled her hand away from him and passed her a small smile. ¡°She¡¯s all her dad has. He needs someone to be there for them both, and me being her fiance, have to be the one because I respect De Luca like my father,¡± He then stood up and cupped her cheeks. ¡°Be a good girl for me and take care of yourself. I¡¯ll be home before you realize it, mm?¡±


    Sophia blinked back her tears, her hands holding his wrist as she pouted her lips. ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± He stole a short kiss and walked to his closet.


    Sophiay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, pain tugging at her heart that the man she loved was going to be there for another woman.


    Did he love Saige? Was that why he hadn¡¯t told her he loved her back?


    No. She shook her head and swallowed a huge lump of saliva. Chase wouldn¡¯t love Saige and still seek satisfaction from her, another woman, right?


    ~~~


    Chase nodded at De Luca once he reached the panicked man. ¡°Is she okay? What did the doctor say?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be here shortly,¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Don,¡± the doctor greeted as he walked out of the room Saige was admitted in. ¡°Greetings, De Luca,¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s she doing?¡± DE Luca asked. ¡°Is my daughter alright?¡±


    The doctor nodded. ¡°Her condition is stable, and she¡¯ll be awake any moment from now, but there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to know regarding the patient,¡±


    Chase frowned. ¡°Is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°No. No. No,¡± the doctor shook his head. ¡°I just wanted to know if she¡¯s suffering from any mental instability or any sickness regarding the mental health that guarantees she takes anti-depressants,¡±


    ¡°What the fuck do you mean?¡± Chase growled. ¡°Stop beating around the bush,¡±


    The doctor heaved a sigh. ¡°An overdose of anti-depressants was found in her blood,¡±


    Chase turned to De Luca. ¡°Has she been taking drugs?¡±


    ¡°No. No,¡± De Luca replied and turned to the doctor, fear evident in his eyes. ¡°What do you mean by that? My daughter has no mental sickness. She¡¯s mentally alright,¡±


    Chase stared at the doctor. ¡°Is that all you have to say? Do you have anything else to say?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± He replied. ¡°I was only informing you about it. The drugs could lead to something fatal when taken too much. You should be careful,¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Chase nodded at the doctor.


    The doctor nodded and left.


    Immediately, Chase turned to De Luca. ¡°I fucking told you to make her see a therapist. Do you think fucking anti-depressants would help? It would only worsen her situation. Now look where your daughter is! That exins why she tried to kill herself. She even went ahead and took an overdose!¡±


    ¡°I promise it¡¯s not like that, Don,¡± De Luca said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about it. I thought she was seeing a therapist. She told me she was seeing one and I didn¡¯t want to meddle in her affairs,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what almost cost you her fucking life, De Luca!¡± Chase snapped. ¡°I respect you, De Luca,¡± Chase raised his forefinger and pointed it at him with an angry scowl on his face. ¡°Once your daughter regains consciousness, make sure you drill it in her brain that she should fix herself up before thinking of getting married to me, else, I¡¯m breaking off the engagement,¡±


    With that, he was gone.


    De Luca dejectedly opened Saige¡¯s room and walked in, watching her sleeping form.


    He sat on the stool beside her bed, and a tear fell down his cheek as he stared at her paled face. ¡°What have you turned yourself into, my daughter? Do you think your mum would be happy seeing you like this? Your mum wouldn¡¯t be proud to have an obsessive and insecure daughter,¡± He shook his head and wiped the tear that had fallen down his cheek with his handkerchief. ¡°Where did I go wrong in my training, Saige? I¡¯ve always tried to make time for you. You nevercked anything whenever it came to love, so why can¡¯t you understand Chase? He must not love you to take care of you and cherish you. What you feel for him isn¡¯t love. You¡¯re crazily obsessed, and you think Sophia Bet is going to snatch him away from you. Your obsession won¡¯t take you anywhere. It would only snatch him away from you,¡±


    As if she could hear her dad¡¯s words, Saige¡¯s lips parted, and she whispered out. ¡°No. No. Chase can¡¯t leave me,¡±


    De Luca cupped her cold cheeks on realizing that she was still unconscious. ¡°All will be well, my child. All will be well,¡±


    Saige¡¯s eyelids fluttered open, and she groaned at the headacheing in before her eyes fell on her dad. She darted her eyes across the whole room and then looked back at De Luca before she let out dryly. ¡°Where¡¯s he?¡±


    De Luca smiled at her and shook his head. ¡°He left,¡±


    Saige tried to sit down, but De Luca was quick to stop her. ¡°He came?¡± A smile formed on her lips. ¡°Does that mean he cares? Does that mean he loves me back? He loves me, right, dad?¡±


    ¡°Someone must not love you to care about you, sweetheart,¡± Her dad caressed her hair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Saige, he doesn¡¯t love you,¡±


    That seemed to snatch away her smile. ¡°It¡¯s not true,¡± She tried to sit up. ¡°It¡¯s a lie. He-he loves me. If he didn¡¯t love me, he wouldn¡¯te for me,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken,¡± De Luca shook his head at her. ¡°He was very upset. Anti-depressants were found in your blood. You told me you were seeing a therapist, Saige. You lied,¡±


    ¡°Dad, I-,¡± She pulled off the IV drop from her wrists and stood up on her feet, ignoring the ache all over her body. ¡°Dad, I need to see him. I have to talk to him. He has to understand that I can¡¯t live without him. He has to understand how I feel. He-,¡± She ran her hands through her curls. ¡°Please don¡¯t stop me, dad. Don¡¯t stop me,¡±


    She bolted for the door.

 CHAPTER LXXXV

    ~~~


    ¡°Don,¡±


    Chase stopped when he was about to enter the car and turned towards the entrance of the hospital building to find Saige standing there, still on a hospital dress.


    She rushed to him, ignoring the nurses running behind her to stop her. She stopped in front of him with a smile before hurling herself into his arms.


    ¡°Saige,¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± She pressed her face deeper into his chest. ¡°You- you came for me. You came,¡±


    Chase ced his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. ¡°You refused to see a therapist after I told you to do so,¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t,¡± She moved closer. ¡°I- a therapist won¡¯t help me. Only you can. Only you can help me,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not out of my mind,¡± She ced her right palm on his left cheek. ¡°I¡¯m in love. I¡¯m in love with you, Chase. I love you,¡±


    Chase held her wrists in his palms and pulled them away. ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me to do something you¡¯ll hate, Saige. See a therapist and make things easier for yourself and your father,¡±


    ¡°If I see a therapist, they¡¯ll think I¡¯m mad! Everyone would think that I¡¯m mad!¡± She yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? Seeing a therapist means I¡¯m out of my mind, and I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m not out of my mind. I¡¯m perfectly okay. It¡¯s just the fact that Sophia is always around you that makes me behave like this. She¡¯s the cause of all my insecurities,¡±


    ¡°So what do you want now?¡± He asked, narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Marry me soon,¡± She pleaded at the verge of tears. ¡°Cha -Don, marry me. I promise I¡¯ll do anything you say withoutint. I- I¡¯ll see a therapist. I¡¯ll do anything you ask me to do,¡±


    ¡°You need rest, Saige,¡± Chase sighed. ¡°Have some rest. We¡¯ll talk this through once you¡¯re okay,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay enough for this conversation,¡± She said. ¡°All you have to do is say yes,¡±


    Chase motioned for the nurses toe over and take her back inside the hospital.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me, please,¡± She cried as they struggled to drag her in. ¡°Chase, please. Don¡¯t do this ¡±


    Her wails filled the surrounding as she was pierced with an injection to make her fall asleep. Once she was unconscious, Saige was ced on a stretcher before taken back into the building.


    Without acknowledging De Luca, Chase turned to enter his car.


    ¡°Don,¡±


    Chase stopped and turned to him. ¡°Che cosa?¡±


    {¡°What?¡±}


    De Luca sped his hands together and stepped closer, tears glistening in his eyes. ¡°Look at the condition my daughter is in. She needs help,¡±


    ¡°Find her a therapist, De Luca,¡±


    De Luca shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s only going to see one if you give her what she wants and she only wants to be with you. Please, give my daughter the happiness she deserves. I can¡¯t bear to see my daughter in this mess. I can¡¯t bear it. It¡¯s hurting,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already getting married to her, De Luca. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. All she needs at the moment is a therapist,¡± Chase insisted.


    ¡°Saige is stubborn, Don. She won¡¯t see one if you don¡¯t get married to her sooner than expected. I can¡¯t lose my daughter. I¡¯m scared she¡¯s going to do something worse and I won¡¯t be there to save her like I did today. Please, Don. My daughter¡¯s life depends on you. Without you, she is nothing. Please don¡¯t do this to her,¡±


    Chase¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits. ¡°De-,¡±


    De Luca cut him off. ¡°I¡¯ll do all I can for you to get married to my daughter, Don. I¡¯ll grovel at your feet for my daughter¡¯s happiness. Please, give her what she wants,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you groveling for something as petty as that, De Luca,¡± Chase said. ¡°I have a lot of respect for you and making you beg won¡¯t help boost my ego so I won¡¯t let you do that. However, I¡¯ll think about the whole marriage issue,¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Chase,¡±


    Chase stopped at the sound of Sophia¡¯s voice and turned to face her. She was standing by the kitchen door, wearing one of his button-down shirt and a woolen sock.


    She walked towards him, her small petite body swallowed by the shirt. Once she reached him, her smile widened. ¡°You said you¡¯d be back home immediately. Itste in the night,¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Chase replied. ¡°Important work came up at the warehouse. That¡¯s why I took longer than expected,¡±


    ¡°OH,¡± She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. ¡°How¡¯s she? How¡¯s Saige?¡±


    Chase¡¯s mood dropped. ¡°She¡¯s fine now,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that she¡¯s okay now,¡± Sophia passed him a small smile.


    ¡°Why are you still up by this time?¡± Chase looked at his wristwatch. ¡°It¡¯ste, and you should be in bed,¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for you,¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have,¡± He replied.


    ¡°I wanted to,¡± She said. ¡°I was bored, and since no one was home, I made something for the both of us,¡±


    Chase lifted a brow. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing big. Come,¡± She sped their hands together and dragged him towards the kitchen. She opened the fridge and brought out the tray of cupcakes on it. ¡°See,¡±


    ¡°You made cupcakes,¡± He said. ¡°They look nice,¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you try them out?¡± She tilted her head to the side. ¡°Nana taught me how to make nice cupcakes. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love them. I made them all in different vors,¡±


    ¡°No, thanks,¡± He pecked her cheeks. ¡°I don¡¯t take sugar,¡±


    ¡°At all?¡± She asked, her mood dropping.


    ¡°Nope,¡± He smiled at her. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do this,¡± He pinched her cheeks when he noticed her foul mood. ¡°Why don¡¯t you package them for me? I¡¯ll have them all tomorrow at the warehouse,¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°You won¡¯t give them to the workers?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± He replied, a hidden meaning behind his next words. ¡°I don¡¯t share what¡¯s mine,¡±


    Sophia blushed and moved closer to him, standing on her toes to peck his cheeks. ¡°I love you,¡±


    ¡°Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel the same way about me?¡± She asked, her eyes searching his. ¡°Didn¡¯t you always love me?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, Gattina,¡± Chase closed his eyes. It was then, or never. ¡°There was never meant to be love between us,¡± He opened his eyes again.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°What then did we share all those times? What did all that sex mean?¡±


    Chase shrugged and cupped her cheeks. ¡°You have to understand what I¡¯m saying, Sophia, that love doesn¡¯t exist in this world we live in. I can¡¯t love you,¡±


    She staggered on her feet, and his hands fell at his sides. A lone tear fell down her cheeks, and her heart constricted with pain as if she had been stabbed in the heart. ¡°You- you- you¡¯re lying,¡±


    Chase sighed. ¡°You¡¯re naive, Sophia, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t understand, but with time, you will definitely understand why I can¡¯t love you,¡±


    ¡°But I love you,¡± She whispered, clutching her chest as if to rip off her heart as she slid down on the ground. ¡°I love you,¡±


    ¡°No, Sophia. You don¡¯t love me,¡± He knelt down in front of her and cupped her cheeks, making her stare at him in the eye. ¡°You don¡¯t love me. It¡¯s just a normal teenage infatuation. You¡¯ll realize that, and everything will go back to the way it used to be,¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t say so about my feelings. I love you so much,¡±


    Chase leaned in and stole a short kiss from her lips. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. You¡¯re only infatuated,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, chase,¡± She held his wrists in her small palms. ¡°You¡¯re breaking my heart. It hurts. Please stop,¡±


    Chase pulled his hands away from her and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°I want to, but I can¡¯t stop. If I stop, I¡¯m scared you might end up like Saige. I don¡¯t want you to end up like her,¡± He whispered against her hair as she hugged him back. ¡°You don¡¯t love me. You don¡¯t know anything about love. I¡¯m not the one for you,¡±

 CHAPTER LXXXVI

    ~~~


    SOPHIA WALKED DOWN the stairs with a smile on her face. Her smile disappeared the moment she bumped into Saige at the foot of the stairs.


    Saige was smiling as if the world had beenid atop of her palms. ¡°Hey, Soph,¡±


    Sophia stared at her for a few seconds before replying. ¡°Hey,¡± She passed her a tight-lipped smile. ¡°How are you feeling now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks,¡± Saige¡¯s smile widened. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to ask about my health, though,¡±


    Sophia frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Saige asked. ¡°You seem not to like me because I¡¯m uhh-getting married to the man you¡¯re infatuated with,¡±


    ¡°Just because I love someone you¡¯re getting married to gives me no reason to hate you, Saige,¡± Sophia replied. ¡°And for your information, I¡¯m not infatuated by Chase,¡± Sophia leaned in and snarled right on Saige¡¯s face. ¡°I. Love. Him,¡±


    Saige scoffed and took a step backwards. ¡°As if he feels the same about you,¡±


    Sophia red at Saige. ¡°He woulde around soon. I¡¯m sure he hasn¡¯t realized how he feels yet. A little push from me will eventually help him do so,¡±


    Saige folded her arms across her chest and pressed her lips into a thin line. She kissed her teeth and passed Sophia a sly smile. ¡°If Chase ever really loved you, trust me, Soph, he would havee to terms with that. Why I¡¯m saying this is because he is a man who knows what he wants the moment he sets his eyes on them,¡±


    ¡°The way he knows he doesn¡¯t want you?¡± Sophia asked. The moment she saw how Saige¡¯s face paled, she instantly hated herself for rubbing that on her face. When Saige said nothing, Sophia leaned in and smiled, trying hard to hide the regret of her words in her eyes. ¡°I love Chase a lot, Saige, and I won¡¯t let your ways scare me off so easily. I¡¯m going to fight for him until he realizes just how much he loves me in return, I promise,¡±


    Without letting Saige say a word, she walked past her to the kitchen.


    The moment Sophia walked into the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and brought out a bottle of water. She opened it and chugged down the whole contents down her throat before resting her palms on the kitchen counter while trying to control the way her heart was beating erratically.


    Her own words hit her like a truck, and she ran her fingers through her hair at the realization of what she had done.


    She shouldn¡¯t have done that. She shouldn¡¯t have behaved so shamelessly towards Chase¡¯s own fiancee. She shouldn¡¯t have shown how jealous of her she was.


    Before she could dwell in her regrets, the possibility of her words found their way to pacify her. She could actually make Chase realize his feelings for her. She was sure he loved her just like she did. It wasn¡¯t just an infatuation. She knew what she felt.


    ¡°There was never meant to be love between us,¡±


    ¡°You have to understand what I¡¯m saying, Sophia, that love doesn¡¯t exist in this world we live in. I can¡¯t love you,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re naive, Sophia, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t understand, but with time, you will definitely understand why I can¡¯t love you,¡±


    ¡°No, Sophia. You don¡¯t love me,¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t love me. It¡¯s just a normal teenage infatuation. You¡¯ll realize that, and everything will go back to the way it used to be,¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t. You¡¯re only infatuated,¡±


    ¡°I want to, but I can¡¯t stop. If I stop, I¡¯m scared you might end up like Saige. I don¡¯t want you to end up like her,¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t love me. You don¡¯t know anything about love. I¡¯m not the one for you,¡±


    His words weren¡¯t true. He was the one for her. She only felt safe with him and no one else. She only cared about him and yearned to be with no one else but him. Her love couldn¡¯t be misunderstood as a teenage infatuation.


    That wasn¡¯t all.


    Chase felt the same about her. If he didn¡¯t love her, he wouldn¡¯t have done all he did for her. He wouldn¡¯t kill men and bend his rules for a mere girl like her. He just didn¡¯t want to ept his feelings because he thought their world didn¡¯t work like that. But with time, he would realize and ept his feelings.


    She would help him love her.


    ~~~


    ¡°Soph,¡±


    Her eyes snapped open at the harsh sound of the familiar female voice that called out to her.


    The same voice called again, and it seemed to havee from above her. ¡°Soph,¡±


    Sophia craned her neck, feeling the chills running down her spine because of the fear coursing through her veins.


    It couldn¡¯t be another nightmare.


    She gasped out lowly when her eyes fell on Maya, hanging above the wall, staring down at her with her eyes filled with hatred.


    Sophia quickly sat up and looked at Maya¡¯s state. She was dressed in a normal tee shirt and jeans, the same cloth she had on her body when she was killed, and her hair was messy.


    ¡°M- Maya, ¡°She rasped out, staring around the room to be sure it was actually her room she was in. ¡°How- how did you get to my room?¡±


    Maya smiled. For the first time ever since she appeared in Sophia¡¯s dreams, she smiled. But it was a different type of smile. The smile on her face was wicked, full of mischief, mirroring the one in her dead eyes.


    ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t find your room? Did you think I¡¯d keep on showing up in that disgusting room where Roman was murdered in cold blood?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s heartbeat skyrocketed, and her hands shook. ¡°You -you- what are -¡±


    ¡°You have a nice room, I must say, ¡°Maya ran her eyes over the room and looked back at Sophia, her smile not fading. ¡°No wonder you refused to join us even after finding out your Nana is here with us,¡±


    Sophia stuttered. ¡°That¡¯s no -it¡¯s not -¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± another familiar voice came from the other side of the wall. ¡°We know you love him,¡±


    Sophia turned towards the direction and gasped at the sight of Alessia. Just like Maya, she was still dressed in the clothes on her body when she was killed. The only difference was that she was all bloodied, just like she had been killed.


    ¡°A-Alessia,¡±


    Alessia giggled then cooed, finding humor in Sophia¡¯s fear. ¡°Aw. Chase Romano¡¯s little Kitten is scared?¡± She giggled again before her smile fell, and her expression was reced with an angry one. ¡°You should be terrified. My brother died because of you! He was murdered because of you, and you decided to betray his feelings by falling in love with the same man who killed him,¡±


    ¡°You should be at least ashamed of yourself, Soph,¡± Roman¡¯s voice called. There He was all bloodied. His clothes were torn, and there was blood dripping from his throat where he had been slit. That wasn¡¯t all. He was tied up to the simr chair he was killed on. ¡°I loved you,¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about your feelings!¡± She cried. ¡°I didn¡¯t know! I knew nothing,¡±


    ¡°Now that you know, what¡¯s stopping you froming to us?¡± Maya asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re living because you¡¯re in love with Chase Romano,¡±


    ¡°I- I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sophia cried, tears rushing down her cheeks as she bowed her head. ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t kill myself,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better you do that now rather than waiting for when he would get married to that insane woman,¡± Alessia said. ¡°It would hurt you to watch the one you love getting married to another person. Soph. Make things easy for yourself. End this all,¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be doing this for yourself alone, Soph,¡± Roman called. ¡°It still hurts me to see you waiting for a man who feels nothing for you. He can¡¯t love you, Soph. Don¡¯t cause your heart more damage than you already have. Give up ande to us. We are your friends and we love you. Juste to us and your Nana,¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°No. No. I can¡¯t,¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°I told you all she¡¯s a selfish bitch!¡± Maya sneered.


    ¡°No,¡±


    ¡°Maya is right, Soph. You think of yourself alone. You are selfish,¡± Roman said. ¡°I wonder how I fell for you,¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Sophia covered her ears with her palms. ¡°Stop,¡±


    ¡°Come to us,¡±


    ¡°We will stop if youe to us,¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re only making things easy for you,¡±


    ¡°Your Nana misses you,¡±


    ¡°Your Nana was killed and butchered into parts because of you,¡±


    ¡°We were cut short of our lives because of you,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a betrayer,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bitch,¡±

 CHAPTER LXXXVII

    ~~~


    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Sophia hugged her knees and covered her ears tighter with her palms. ¡°Stop!¡±


    Immediately, the door busted open and Chase rushed in with Lucas behind him.


    He sat beside her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling him closer to her.¡± Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°You¡¯re a betrayer,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bitch,¡±


    ¡°Come to us,¡±


    Her shoulders shook violently and she didn¡¯t raise her head up. ¡°No! No! Go away,¡±


    Chase pulled her onto hisp and hugged her protectively. ¡°Shhh. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here. It¡¯s just a nightmare,¡±


    ¡°Let them go,¡± Sophia cried. ¡°Make them stop. Make the voices stop. I don¡¯t want to hear them,¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not here,¡± Chase cooed, pecking the crown of her head. ¡°They¡¯re not here. It¡¯s just me. You have nothing to worry about,¡±


    Sophia murmured. ¡°Make then stop. I can hear them,¡± She looked up at him and gripped the cors of his shirt. ¡°They are upset with me. They hate me. They called me a betrayer. They said I betrayed Roman. They- they want me to join them,¡±


    ¡°Your friends would never wish you death,¡± Chase cupped her cheeks and stared into her teary eyes. ¡°They love you. No matter what, they would never hate you. It¡¯s all in your head. You¡¯re overthinking. Did you think about them before going to bed?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± She shook her head, more tears falling down her cheeks. ¡°You don¡¯t get it. They- they looked real. Roman was- he was tied up to the simr chair and- there- there was blood on his throat. Alessia looked-she had blood all over- I- I- they hate me. They want me dead. They- I can¡¯t live with-,¡±


    Chase cut her off. ¡°Shhhh. Breathe in and then, have water,¡± He collected the ss of water Lucas was holding. He brought it to her lips. ¡°Drink,¡±


    Sophia parted her lips and drank the water before Chase pulled the ss away and handed it back to Lucas.


    ¡°Are you fine now?¡±


    She didn¡¯t let go of his cor. ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡±


    Chase turned to Lucas. ¡°Go. We¡¯ll finish up the work in the morning. I¡¯ll go to bed with her,¡±


    Lucas protested. ¡°But, Don, she¡¯s -¡±


    Chase cut him off, knowing what Lucas was about to say. ¡°We both know she¡¯s safe with me. I won¡¯t harm her,¡±


    Lucas let his eyes linger on Sophia for a while. When he saw how she wrapped her arms around Chase¡¯s torso, resting her head on his chest, he nodded, fully aware that she felt safer with his cousin. ¡°Goodnight,¡±


    He dropped the ss on the bedside table and left.


    Chase gentlyid Sophia on the bed andid next to her after pulling off his shoes. He covered both their lower bodies with theforter and scooped her in his arms, entangling their legs together.


    Sophia had her head on his chest and her left hand on his torso, while one of his arms was wrapped around her waist with the other one wrapped around her shoulders.


    Chase pecked her hair. ¡°You didn¡¯t go to bed in my room. Why?¡±


    Sophia snuggled deeper into his arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be all over you,¡±


    ¡°Did Iin about you being all over me?¡± He asked, stroking her hair.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t need toin for me to know I was being too clingy,¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Who says you¡¯re clingy?¡± He asked. ¡°In fact, I know you were trying to stay away from me for other reasons apart from what you just said,¡±


    ¡°I-I wanted to give you time,¡±


    ¡°Time for what? I don¡¯t remember asking for time from you,¡±


    She breathed out. ¡°Actually, I wanted to give you time to realize your true feelings. I heard one needs to give their partner time and space in order to realize how they feel about them. I wanted the same,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have been hurting yourself by staying away,¡± He sighed.


    She looked up at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Chase¡¯s hand that was stroking her hair went to his face, and he rubbed it over the skin before letting out. ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t have realized anything,¡± He returned his hand to her hair. ¡°I hate to hurt you like this, but you really need to understand. The more you keep on holding onto this feeling, the more you¡¯ll get hurt, Sophia. I don¡¯t mean to sound this blunt but that¡¯s the truth. I don¡¯t love you,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s heart sank in her stomach and tears glistened in her eyes, threatening to fall, but she blinked them back, enduring the painful lump at the back of her throat. ¡°But-,¡± A tear slid down her face and she mped down on her lower lip. ¡°Can I -Can I still fight for you? Can¡¯t I still fight to make you realize how you feel?¡±


    Chase sighed again. ¡°You¡¯re naive and you¡¯re bound to get hurt again and again. Don¡¯t do this to yourself,¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s all I want,¡± Another tear slid down her face, soaking the fabric of his shirt. ¡°I only want you. I only want to be with you. I want you because I love you,¡±


    Chase shut his eyes tight and opened them back after a few seconds, staring into her doe eyes brimming with more tears. ¡°Go to sleep. It¡¯ste,¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Have you heard that the Don is getting married in two weeks¡¯ time?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s hand that was taking the pasta to her lips shook and the fork fell into her te with a loud sound, startling the gossiping maids that were in the kitchen.


    Sophia¡¯s heart drummed against her ribcage, and tears clouded her vision, stopping her from seeing anything.


    She couldn¡¯t breathe. She found it hard to breathe. There was no way she¡¯d have been able to breath after hearing the little gossip from the maids in the kitchen who didn¡¯t know she was listening to them.


    Luckily for her, she was alone on the dining table. Sophia gulped down her orange juice and took the pasta to her lips again, trying to ignore what she just heard.


    When she opened her mouth to slide the fork inside, her hands shook and the pasta fell back into the te.


    One of the maids rushed out of the kitchen towards her. ¡°Are you okay, ma¡¯am?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s hand clutched the fork in a tight grip and she stood up, ignoring the maid¡¯s question. ¡°Where¡¯s Chase?¡±


    ¡°Uhh -he¡¯s in his study with-,¡±


    The maid didn¡¯t get to finish because Sophia was already out of the dining area, storming towards Chase¡¯s study.


    They had been together after her nightmare the previous night but he said nothing to her. He didn¡¯t tell her about his wedding date fixed with Saige. She would have-


    What would she even have done?


    A scoff threatened to break out of her lips as she remembered why Saige looked so happy when they had met. No wonder she was hell bent on rubbing her happiness on Sophia¡¯s face.


    She didn¡¯t bother to knock on the door. Sophia pushed it open, earning both Chase and Lucas¡¯ attentions as they stared at her with worried gazes.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    When Chase stared at the way she gripped the knife in her hands, he nodded at Lucas. ¡°Leave us alone,¡±


    Lucas nodded and left.


    ¡°Trouble in paradise?¡± Chase stood up and walked around his desk.


    Sophia walked closer to him, craning her neck to be able to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re getting married,¡±


    His face remained indifferent. ¡°I know,¡±


    ¡°To her,¡±


    ¡°It has always been her,¡± He replied bluntly. ¡°Saige has always been the one I¡¯m getting married to,¡±


    ¡°And me?¡± Sophia¡¯s voice shook as she tried to hold in her tears. ¡°What will happen to me and my feelings then?¡±


    Chase wrapped hisrge palm around her wrist and gently opened her palm, making the fork fall on the floor.


    Sophia shrieked out. ¡°Say something!¡±


    Chase¡¯s face morphed into that of anger and annoyance. He tightened his hold on her wrist and headed towards the door, dragging her with him.


    ¡°Where are you taking me to?!¡±


    Chase stopped and turned to her, eyes zing with anger. He leaned in and snarled on her face. ¡°You want to be with me, right? Fine then. Stop asking questions ande with me,¡±

 CHAPTER LXXXVIII

    ~~~


    THE CAR PULLED up in front of a huge, white building with a screech, which had Sophia¡¯s heart jumping in her throat. She turned to look at the building and then at Chase who was seated beside her, looking as calm as ever, as if he wasn¡¯t the same angry man before they left the Romanopound earlier.


    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± She frowned, looking back at the building, then at him. ¡°A marriage bureau? Why?¡±


    Chase looked at the driver and Alessandro. ¡°Lasciaci,¡±


    {¡°Leave us¡±}


    They chorused. ¡°Si, Don¡± And then, they were out of the car, leaving Sophia and Chase alone.


    {¡°Yes, Don¡±}


    Before Sophia could say a thing, she was pulled into Chase¡¯sp. His hands held her shoulders in a tight yet gentle manner. He rasped out. ¡°Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Chase,¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡± He threw his head back on the chair and closed his eyes, adding to Sophia¡¯s confusion again. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get hurt, Sophia. I can¡¯t watch you in pain,¡±


    Sophia swallowed. ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡±


    Chase opened his eyes and stared at her without raising his head up. ¡°I want us to get married,¡±


    That exined the white dress he made her wear at a boutique after dragging her from the mansion.


    Sophia heart skipped as his words sank in, and her lips parted. ¡°You-,¡±


    Chase raised his head up and stared at her in the eye, cupping her cheeks with one of hisrge palms. ¡°Don¡¯t say no. I want you to be happy, and if being with me will make you happy, I¡¯m ready to marry you. I¡¯ll be your husband, and you¡¯ll be my wife,¡±


    ¡°S- Saige?¡± She asked. ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll still marry her,¡± He replied. ¡°I have to,¡± He had to marry her too.


    Marrying Saige was his first step to the gateway of destroying the Romano empire.


    ¡°Then why are you marrying me?¡± Sophia questioned.


    ¡°I made this decisionst night after seeing you in that vulnerable state. I want to be the one there for you. I want to protect you and keep you safe,¡± He replied. ¡°If you¡¯re mine, I want to be yours too. I want to reciprocate that, at least,¡±


    Tears glistened in Sophia¡¯s eyes, and she hurled herself to hug him. ¡°I love you,¡± She murmured against his chest. ¡°I love you,¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Chase smiled and patted her hair. He hade to understand that no matter what he wouldn¡¯t be able to change her mind about what she thought she felt for him. It was better to leave her like that than hurt her with the truth that she was only infatuated.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and make me yours,¡±


    ~~~


    Sophia and Chase walked out of the marriage bureau, hand in hand, as a couple with a wedding band on each of their ring fingers. She didn¡¯t care if their marriage was a secret one. She didn¡¯t care if it was meant to be kept secret. All that mattered was that Chase was hers¡¯.


    Sophia smiled at their interlocked hands as the diamond band shone brightly, the sun reflecting through it. She couldn¡¯t believe she was finally with the man she wanted. The man she loved. She couldn¡¯t believe she, MS Sophia Bet was Mrs. Sophia Romano.


    It was too hard to believe because almost an hour ago, she was an unmarried woman. It was so surprising how she was even allowed to marry him at her age. But then, she was already past the legal age of marriage by a year.


    ¡°Chase,¡±


    He didn¡¯t look at her. His attention was on his phone. ¡°Hmmm,¡±


    ¡°I love you,¡±


    Chase moved his eyes away from his phone and looked at her with a small smirk on his lips. ¡°I know,¡±


    Sophia blushed and looked away. Chase ced his sunsses over her eyes, dark amusement dancing in his eyes. He seemed happy, relieved, and more confident like it was a normal thing for him to just get married.


    Soon, the driver walked out of the car and opened their doors for them. They both slid in, and the driver drove away


    Chase¡¯s next words to the driver were short and full ofmand ¡°Portaci all ¡®hangar,¡±


    {¡°Take us to the hanger¡±}


    In less than an hour, Sophia and Chase were settled in one of his private jets.


    Sophia stared at the interior of the jet in awe. ¡°I love it,¡± She looked at Chase, who was seated, typing into his phone. ¡°Where are we going to?¡±


    Chase looked up at her and smiled. ¡°Where couples go after their marriage,¡±


    Sophia gasped and let out a squeal of joy. ¡°We¡¯re going for our honeymoon?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Chase replied and looked back at his phone to continue typing.


    ¡°You¡¯d have told me about it. I have no clothes to wear!¡± She whined.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. I have our things sorted out there already. Our presence is all that¡¯s remaining,¡± he said without looking up. ¡°After all, telling you about the honeymoon would no longer make it a surprise, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Sophia sat next to him. ¡°And others?¡±


    ¡°They think we¡¯re both on a vacation,¡± He replied.


    ¡°A vacation is too sudden,¡± She tilted her head to the side. ¡°By the ways, you were working when I went to your office,¡±


    ¡°Lucas and Luciano aren¡¯t useless,¡± He replied.


    ¡°Tell me about the mafia,¡± She urged. ¡°I really want to know what it¡¯s about,¡±


    He still didn¡¯t raise his head up. ¡°Why do you want to know about it?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m your wife, and I have every right to know about what you do,¡± She replied.


    Chase finally looked up, and a smirk tugged at the end of his lips. ¡°You¡¯re already using your title,¡± His smirk widened. ¡°I thought I¡¯d use mine first,¡±


    ¡°You left me with no choice,¡± She smiled. ¡°You still need to tell me about the mafia, remember?¡±


    ¡°In our world, the wives don¡¯t interfere in their husband¡¯s affairs,¡± He said.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why Saige has no right toin about you cheating on her with me?¡± She asked, amusement dancing in her eyes as she stared into space. ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± She pursed her lips into a thin line and stared back at him. ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t want to be like her. I want to the wife that will change the mafia world,¡±


    ¡°If you change the mafia world, Saige will have the right to fight against you,¡± He said.


    She winked innocently. ¡°Then I¡¯ll exercise my rights as your main wife to her,¡±


    His voice came out stern, giving no space for disobedience. ¡°You won¡¯t do that, Sophia,¡± He gritted out. ¡°No matter what,¡±


    She was enjoying pissing him off. She wanted to know his reaction to her words. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a coward,¡±


    Chase¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits and he wrapped her hair around his fingers forcefully, tilting her head up so he could grip her chin with his other hand. He leaned in, snarling at her face in obvious annoyance. ¡°I. AM. NOT. A. COWARD,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s lips curled up into a sly smile. Her mind told her to stop what she was doing, but she was far too gone. She wasn¡¯t stopping. ¡°Then announce to the world that I¡¯m your wife,¡±


    ¡°We both know it¡¯s impossible,¡±


    ¡°Is it because you¡¯re a coward?¡± She asked, not breaking eye contact.


    ¡°I¡¯m anything but a coward,¡± Chase rasped out, his eyes mirroring the lust in her own eyes.


    She scoffed. ¡°Feed that to your ego,¡±


    Chase growled, tightening his hold on her hair. ¡°Sophia,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too upset,¡± She smiled, cing her palms on his chest. ¡°You made me who I am today. You ruined my innocence, remember?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t teach you to be a disobedient little girl, Sophia,¡± He said.


    Sophia glided her palms seductively over his chest, wondering where she had gotten the courage to do so even though she had learnt through her numerous research that it was a way of flirting and seduction. Maybe Chase was the only one capable of bringing out that part of her.

 CHAPTER LXXXIX

    ~~~


    She swallowed, hoping her courage wasn¡¯t thinning away. ¡°Maybe I want to get punished,¡±


    Chase groaned, his cock hard from her little game of seduction and his grip on her hair loosened. ¡°Where did you learn all that from?¡±


    She shrugged, using the opportunity to stand up and walk away from there.


    He growled in displeasure at herck of answer to his question. Chase turned to her, grabbing her arm. ¡°I asked you a question. Where did you learn all that from?¡±


    Sophia smiled at him. ¡°Rx, I was only pulling your legs,¡± She giggled. ¡°I wanted to get a reaction from you,¡±


    Chase¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°And? Did you get one?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know,¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t read you, so I don¡¯t know if I actually got the reaction I wanted. I¡¯m not an expert in all these,¡±


    Chase smiled at her, pulling her closer so he could wrap his arms around her small waist. ¡°You¡¯re still innocent, huh?¡±


    Sophia fake ¨C red at him with a small pout. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡±


    His left brow lifted. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± She said.


    ¡°Well then,¡± He let go of her waist. ¡°Let¡¯s see how this goes,¡±


    Sophia made her way to turn and walk away, but he gripped her arm again, bringing her to his chest.


    ¡°Cha-,¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    She was cut off when he gripped her chin with his thumb and forefinger before angling her face better so she could look at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get to kiss my wife,¡±


    Nervousughter eluded her lips, and she blushed profusely as he called her his wife. A warm feeling settled in her at the reality that she was actually his wife. Chase Romano¡¯s wife.


    Chase leaned in to kiss her, but she was quick to cover her lips with one of her palms. She then removed her hand and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s wait,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a tease,¡± He said in displeasure at her refusal. ¡°Won¡¯t you just let me kiss you, at least?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Nope,¡±


    ~~~


    She was tired. It wasn¡¯t a long flight from Italy to France, but it still made her tired.


    Sophia leaned her back on the car seat, her eyes not leaving the wedding band on her finger. She could feel Chase¡¯s eyes on her, as if waiting for her to say something while she was just seated there, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she had gotten married to the man who was marrying another woman in two weeks¡¯ time.


    She nced at his hand and saw the tinum wedding band, not the one that belonged to Saige, but the one she had slipped into his fingers while uttering the words, ¡®I do¡¯. They were almost identical. The only difference was that the ones they were both wearing had their initials engraved on the inside. He probably got himself the same kind of ring because he didn¡¯t want anyone to know about them. Obviously.


    She suddenly felt like a dirty little secret.


    ¡°Roll up the partition,¡± Chase ordered the driver.


    The partition was smoothly rolled up, giving Sophia and Chase the privacy they needed.


    His voice came out hard. ¡°Sophia, say it,¡±


    She furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you are thinking, spit it out,¡± The sharp edge to his tone told her that he wasn¡¯t in a good mood again.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± She said, faking a smile at him. ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about anything,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not fucking ying around,¡± He gripped her arm and whirled her around to face him. ¡°There¡¯s something going on in that pretty little head of yours¡¯. Whatever it is, say it,¡±


    ¡°Saige-,¡± She breathed out. ¡°You¡¯re getting married to her soon,¡± She locked eyes with him. ¡°Publicly,¡±


    ¡°Is this what it¡¯s all about?¡± He let go off her arm. ¡°We talked about this already,¡±


    ¡°We talked about nothing!¡± She shrieked out. ¡°We didn¡¯t talk about anything. You only told me you have to get married to her,¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have a problem with all this back when we were on the jet,¡± He sighed. ¡°You were pulling my legs about it,¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯vee to think about it now,¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s been bugging my mind ever since we left the jet. I can¡¯t watch my husband getting married to another woman,¡±


    ¡°You will have to,¡± His words came out harsher than he intended to, earning a flinch from her. ¡°You will sit in the audience with the rest of the guests on that day. You won¡¯t speak to anyone. You won¡¯t tell anyone that you and I are secretly married. Do you get that?¡±


    A tear cascaded down her cheeks and she swallowed the lump at the back of her throat.


    ~~~


    Sophia walked into the en-suite as Chase walked in behind her, none of them saying a word. The tension between them from the car ride was still heavy.


    ¡°Sophia,¡±


    Sophia stopped but didn¡¯t turn to face him. She was still upset about what he said to her back in the car.


    The hairs at the back of her neck stood up as she felt his presence behind her, his looming height towering above her small figure.


    She heard him take a deep breath before asking. ¡°Won¡¯t you speak to me?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like the ce?¡± He asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I can arrange for another ce for us,¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± She croaked out, her heart tightening in pain as she remembered his words. ¡°I-,¡± She swallowed the lump at the back of her throat. ¡°I like the ce,¡±


    Of course, anyone would. It was Bora Bora after all, and it was such an expensive honeymoon destination, but she didn¡¯t care. Someone who hadn¡¯t met Chase Romano would think he was a romantic man.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem happy about it,¡± He replied, fisting his hands at his sides. ¡°Are you upset?¡±


    Really? Was that all he could ask? She resisted the urge to yell at him.


    Sophia turned to him and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not upset,¡± She lied. ¡°I¡¯m just tired,¡±


    Chase sighed and held her small hands in his. ¡°Gattina,¡± when she didn¡¯t say anything or try to pull her hands from him, he held her chin and jerked it up softly. ¡°Look at me,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia looked up at him. ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡±


    He ignored her words and gripped her chin tightly. ¡°You¡¯re my wife and I fucking expect you to have my back now,¡±


    She sucked in a deep breath, feeling her tiny resolve breaking. She understood what he meant. She was meant to be his other half and support his decision. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, looking into his eyes. She meekly nodded, telling him she would try her best.


    He exhaled loudly through his nose before dropping a soft kiss on her lips. It was a small peck, nothing else. He let go of her hands and reluctantly took a step back, cupping her cheeks. ¡°Do you understand what I mean?¡±


    She leaned into his touch before whispering. ¡°Yes,¡±

 CHAPTER XC

    ~~~


    THE BATHROOM DOOR opened, and Sophia walked out of it, dressed in a white, silky, strapped night dress with its robe hung over her shoulders, both stopping below her knees, that Chase made her wear.


    Her hands that were using a towel to dry her hair stopped when her eyes fell on the suddenly changed room. The room was decorated with candles. There were rose petalsid on the bed and a table for two was set in the middle of the room.


    Before she could move any further into the room, a strong, warm, and muscr pair of arms were wrapped around her waist from behind and her hands fell limp at her sides along with the towel. The moment the scent of sandalwood hit her nostrils, she knows who it was.


    Her body tingled, and goose bumps erupted all over her skin when he buried his face in the crook of her neck, making her breath hitch in her throat.


    His voice came out husky against her skin. ¡°Tell me you like it,¡±


    A small smile slipped into her face, and she ced her hands on his arms that were wrapped around her waist before she leaned further into his touch. ¡°I love it,¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He grazed her skin with his warm lips. ¡°You love it?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± She said.


    Chase spun her around so she could face him. ¡°Say it again,¡± He wrapped her arms around his neck, staring into her eyes. ¡°Say you love it again,¡±


    ¡°I love it,¡± She whispered


    ¡°I love it,¡± She whispered


    ¡°I love it,¡± She whispered


    ¡°You look breath taking.¡± He ced both of his palms on her waist gently. ¡°I could fuck you all night,¡±


    She fake-red at him, a blush creeping up her cheeks again. ¡°What was all the decoration about?¡±


    He lifted a brow. ¡°How were you expecting our wedding night to be?¡±


    She blushed. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± She replied softly. ¡°I just wanted something special,¡±


    ¡°Well then, expect this night to be a special one because everything will happen the way you want it,¡± He caressed her cheeks with his knuckles.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Do I get a thank you kiss instead?¡± He asked. ¡°You owe me one, though. We didn¡¯t seal our marriage with a kiss,¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She looked up at him, a deep red color coating her already flustered cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s notpulsory. And I don¡¯t think a marriage needs to be sealed with a kiss, Chase,¡±


    He puckered out his lips into a pout. ¡°Too bad I know nothing about all that,¡± He gripped her chin and pursed his lips into a thin line. ¡°All I want is to kiss you right now,¡±


    She smacked his chest with her fist, not hard enough to hurt. ¡°You¡¯re such a big baby!¡±


    He lifted one of his perfectly arched brows. ¡°Am I?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± She whined. ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°What you did with your lips,¡± She said. ¡°Why would you pout your lips,¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I still want my kiss,¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°You won¡¯t give up, will you?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± He let out, stressing on the ¡°p.¡±


    Sophia gently ced her palms on his shoulders and stood on her toes as he tightened his hold on her waist. She angled her face closer to his, and just when she brushed their lips, the doorbell rang.


    She jumped a little and moved backwards. Chase groaned, letting out strings of curses.


    She blushed again and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. ¡°I¡¯ll go and get the door,¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Chase was quick to hold her arm. When she frowned, he smiled. ¡°No one gets to see what¡¯s mine. Not when you¡¯re dressed like this,¡± Without letting her say a word, Chase walked past her and went to open the door.


    After exchanging greetings with them, their room attendant walked in with a waiter into their ensuite. They were both dressed in their specific uniforms, and the waiter was pushing a food trolley with different types of food arranged neatly on it, well covered.


    The waiter arranged the dishes and drinks on the table in the room as well as tes and other necessary things they would both need.


    Once they were done and the table was perfect enough, Chase nodded at them, indicating that they should leave.


    ¡°Why are there so many dishes here?¡± Sophia asked once the room attendant and the waiter left.


    ¡°Because I want you to be able to eat anyone you wish to have,¡± He ced his hand on her shoulders and made her sit on the chair he pulled out for her before pushing it back. ¡°And you didn¡¯t eat much before leaving home,¡±


    ¡°How could I have eaten? I lost my appetite the moment I heard you were marrying her,¡± She replied.


    Chase sat down on the chair opposite her. ¡°Remind me to fire the maids that go around gossiping,¡±


    She yfully raised a brow, terribly failing at it. ¡°So you¡¯re going to fire those innocentdies because they talked about your wedding with Saige?¡± She asked, leaning on her seat. ¡°Obvious enough, you didn¡¯t want me to find out,¡±


    ¡°That way? No,¡± He uncovered the lid of the tter and began to dish out the rice in both of their tes. ¡°I¡¯d have rather told you myself,¡±


    ¡°When would you have done that, then?¡± She tilted her head to the side. ¡°I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t have done that today, or else we won¡¯t be here right now,¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I found out that way,¡±


    ¡°Either way, I¡¯m firing those maids,¡± He said, serving her chicken. ¡°Because of them, you missed your lunch, and you found about my marriage date in a hurtful way. I never intended for you to find out like that,¡± He pushed her te to her front. ¡°Eat up,¡±

 CHAPTER XCI

    ~~~


    ¡°The dish was nice,¡± Sophia said as the waiters packed up the tes and other things on the table. ¡°I loved it,¡±


    Just when the waiters left and they were both left alone, Sophia made her way to the bed, but she was gripped by the waist and hurled into a strong pair of arms.


    She ced her palms on his chest and looked up at him, heat creeping up her skin at his touch. ¡°Chase -¡±


    ¡°I want more desserts,¡± He said, his voice husky as he leaned in to trail his nose along her cheeks. ¡°I want you,¡±


    ¡°Chase, you-,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our wedding night,¡± He cut her off, one of his hands losing the sash on the robe. ¡°We have to do this,¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± She replied, a shy smile dancing on her lips. ¡°I just feel- uhh-¡±


    ¡°Shy?¡± He dropped the robe from her shoulders, and it fell at her feet. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be shy about,¡± He dipped in and dropped small kisses along her jawline, making her clutch his shoulders tightly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen and touched every single thing,¡± He trailed his fingerszily over her clothes waist. ¡°I¡¯ve tasted them, even,¡±


    ¡°Chase-,¡±She moaned, shutting her eyes tight and mping her thighs together. ¡°Mhh-,¡±


    ¡°Just say the words, Gattina,¡± He said, inching his fingers upwards to y with the strands of her night dress. ¡°Say the words, and I¡¯ll give it to you. I¡¯m letting you give me full permission to touch you today,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Chase -¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She moaned out. ¡°Make love to me. Have me all you want please. I need you,¡±


    Chase smirked against her skin, dropping the strand of her night dress from her shoulder. ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t have much time to back out,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never given me a chance to object or back out,¡± She rasped out, lust clouding her features. ¡°Don¡¯t do that today. It¡¯s our wedding night after all,¡±


    Chase roughly gripped her chin and jerked her face upwards so he could kiss her. Her heart skipped a bit, and her mind went hazy with his intoxicating cologne. He tasted like the dessert they just had; sweet, perfect. Perfectly sweet.


    Sophia¡¯s body reacted to him on its own ord. Her toes curled, and a pleasure-filled warmth pooled in her lower stomach. Everything about him was hypnotic. The scent, taste and tongue even. God! She wanted more¡­


    His hand that was on her waist pulled her body over his as hey on the bed, Sophia hovering above him, while the other hand caressed the back of her head in a loving yet firm manner.


    Sophia¡¯s heart thumped against her chest as he helped her up, and she wrapped both of her legs around either side of his torso. She found it hard to control the adrenaline rush she felt as the kiss grew more profound; a lump formed in her throat and her heartbeat grew violent.


    The hand that rested over the back of her head slowly trailed down her shoulders, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.


    A cold breeze touched the skin of her back, and she realized what he had done. He had pulled off the straps of her night dress, huddling it at her waist as his fingers touched her bare back.


    Instinctively, her hands went to his hair, and she tugged on the dark locks, then pulled them harshly, her nails scratching his scalp. He moaned into her mouth.


    She felt him getting hard underneath her, and her hips rolled on their own ord. Chase shuddered, and there was a sound that left the back of his throat; a half growl, half moan.


    Sweet Jesus! That was the most arousing sound he had ever made.


    Sophia¡¯s body felt alive; it burned with intensity like it had caught fire. She felt herself getting wet as she rubbed herself on his clothed erection.


    She tangled her fingers more into his hair. It was so soft; nothing about him felt that way.


    The rush of pleasure that rushed through her body was so maddening frightening, but also satisfying at the same time.


    A hand wrapped around her throat, and Chase pulled her back, biting her lower lip as it stretched between them. He let go of her lower lip with a harsh tug, and then stared at her lips with a dark, heavy- lidded, lust -filled eyes.


    She pulled her lower lip into her mouth, licking it. She swallowed; the only sound that resounded in her ears was her heavy breathing and heartbeat.


    ¡°Cosi dannatamente bello,¡± He murmured against her lips, and his deep, lust- filled voice was spine-tingling.


    {¡°So fucking beautiful¡±}


    And then, he pulled her in by the neck and kissed her hard.


    The second kiss was so deep, so passionate, and it left no room for any more thoughts. The only thing they both felt was a need-a need for each other.


    Sophia rocked her hips against him, telling him what she wanted from him. She was breathless. Her body ached for more than just kisses. She needed more than that. She needed him.


    She fisted his shirt, tugging roughly at the buttons of the ck shirt; she wanted to open them and run her hands over his sculpted chest.


    Chase groaned softly, low in his throat, and suddenly, he rolled them over, their body tangled intimately, their lips still locked as he hovered above her.


    He pulled back and stared into her doe eyes; his forehead against hers. They breathed each other air and their lips were swollen.


    Sophia ran her hands all over his strong shoulders and muscled arms. ¡°I want you, chase,¡± She moaned out the words. ¡°I need you badly,¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Chase¡¯s lips curled into a devilish smile. ¡°You have no fucking idea that I¡¯m the one who needs you more, Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}

 CHAPTER XCII

    ~~~


    CHASE LEANED BACK his knees resting on either sides of Sophia¡¯s thighs. With his eyes locked on her, he began to loosen his tie. The act was so simple yet arousing.


    His dark gaze burned into her skin as she struggled a little underneath him. ¡°Stay still,¡± He ordered, and she stopped moving immediately.


    Sophia felt her heart beating wildly in her ears and throat, and her whole body heated up. He pulled off his tie in a swift movement, and the sound of it was enough to sweep an icy shudder through her veins.


    His cold, acidic expression scared her, but at the same time, she still wanted him so badly. She couldn¡¯t understand how she could feel both emotions simultaneously.


    The next was his belt. She watched as his ringed fingers slowly unbuckled his belt, his eyes locked on her face. It annoyed her how he took his time to do so when he could clearly see how she needed him.


    He pulled the belt out of the loops and tossed it aside, too. When he wasn¡¯t expecting it, she slid from underneath him. She got on her knees and cupped his face, pulling him in for another kiss.


    It made it easier for her to touch him as they were face to face, kneeling before each other. Sophia¡¯s small hands travelled down his body, and she tugged the bottom of his shirt out of his pants. Chase¡¯s hands went to her night dress and he ripped the silky material off her body, flinging it somewhere across the room.


    He pulled away from the kiss and his gaze dropped down to her body. His dark gaze took in every inch of her body and it sent a shiver running down her veins, which made her rub her thighs together as she felt a warm, heated pool between her legs. She was still wearing her bra and panties, but his heated lust-clouded eyes set every single nerve ending of her body on fire.


    He wasn¡¯t kissing her anymore, neither was he touching her. He rubbed his thumb over his lower lip, and then, both of his hands grabbed onto her waist, tugging her closer.


    She looked at his face while all of his attention was on her body as if that was the first time he had ever seen her like that. His hands slowly glided down her sides. He simply stroked her skin; her hand fisted his shirt over his shoulder while the other disappeared into his hair again.


    He caressed her body like he loved every single curve.


    He lowered his hands and grabbed her ass,nding a p there, which made her flinch. A moan bubbled from the back of her throat when he did it again.


    With her impatient fingers, Sophia pushed off his shirt off his shoulders. She glided her hands down his tattooed chest, tracing his tattoos until she tucked her fingers into the waist band of his pants.


    Chase grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged her hair to the side before he nipped and sucked on her neck, corbone, and top of her breasts.


    It was all happening so fast; their hands were all over each other. Her nails scratched his skin countless times, and he only groaned in approval.


    His one hand wrapped around her hair while the other one went to her back, then unsped her bra in one single click, roughly tossing it on one side with the rest of their discarded clothes. He did it so effortlessly that she began to wonder how many bras the man in front of her had opened in his lifetime.


    Not caring about her newfound confidence, Sophia palmed his considerably sizable erection from over his pants and rubbed it up and down. He let out a low growl as his eyes travelled to her hand working over his cock.


    Without wasting any more time, Chase ripped off the ck,cy panties she had with only one hand, and the sound of the material being ripped off resounded around them.


    And then, his rough, firm hand was between her legs, cupping her core aggressively and eagerly.


    She moaned, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, his fist holding her hair in ce.


    ¡°Open your eyes,¡± He ordered.


    She moaned softly, trying to open her heavy ¨C lidded eyes. ¡°Cha-,¡±


    He glided two of his fingers up and down her folds, spreading the wetness before plunging them inside her.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Her head fell to his shoulder as she tried to muffle her moans while his fingers worked inside her, going faster and deeper.


    The movement of her hand over his cock faltered; her head on his shoulder as her knees went weak. She didn¡¯t know if she could hold the position any more. Her thigh shook, shivered and jerked as he picked up the pace.


    The wet, sloppy sound of his fingers plunging her core resounded in the air around them, and she rocked her hips against his hands.


    Suddenly, she was flung on her back over the mattress as Chase hovered above her. His hand that was in her hair went to her neck, his fingers digging into the sides of her neck. At the same time, his other finger worked between her legs.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    She closed her eyes once more and pressed her head deeper into the soft mattress; her toes curled as pressure started to build in her lower stomach.


    His grip on her neck became harder; both of her hands were on his wrist as he mercilessly fucked her with his fingers, reminding her of the night he had taken her innocence for the first time. He didn¡¯t let her think too much about that night. His thumb found her clit and he pressed it down as his fingers went in and out¡­ in and out¡­


    ¡°Oh God,¡± She moaned. ¡°Chase ¨C please-¡±


    The pressure became unbearable; her thighs shook, and her mind turned hazy as she exploded on his fingers. A shudder filtered through her body, and warmth seeped into her veins as she came.


    Sophia heard the sound of his faintughter before he pulled his fingers out of her and glided them up her body, leaving a wet trail over her stomach and between her breasts, then he plunged the same fingers into her mouth.


    She sucked herself off his fingers; he pulled them out and kissed her hard, brutally and breathlessly.


    There was nothing gentle about Chase Romano.

 CHAPTER XCIII

    ~~~


    He finally let go of her throat to adjust her body underneath him. Her hands went to his pants; she unbuttoned them before tugging them down his legs.


    Once his pants and boxers were discarded, Chase fisted his cock in his palms, stroking it gently as he looked into her eyes. He leaned down and took one of her tits in his mouth, nipping it before sucking it into his mouth.


    One hand stroked his length while the other one groped her breasts, his fingers twisting and turning her tit, tugging them harshly. A delicious sensation spread through her body, and she softly ran her hand up and down his back.


    He took both of her tits in his mouth in turns. He pulled back and thennded a few gentle ps, watching as they shook from his assault.


    His other hand went to her throat; he squeezed it, all the while looking into her eyes as he glided the tip of his cock up and down her entrance coated with her wetness.


    ¡°Who do you belong to?¡± He asked, his expression tense, his voice hoarse.


    ¡°You-,¡± She breathed out with difficulty.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine?¡±


    ¡°Yes-,¡± She nodded her head as tears pooled in her eyes because of his burning fingers at the sides of her neck.


    His eyes fell on the scar he left below her shoulder de, before he looked back into her eyes. ¡°Say my name,¡±


    ¡°Cha-,¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you, Sophia,¡± He added a little pressure to her neck. ¡°Say my name,¡±


    ¡°Chase-,¡±She breathed out, her hands going to her wrist.


    ¡°I want to be gentle with you,¡± He said. ¡°But I can¡¯t. I¡¯m not a gentleman,¡±


    Without letting her say a word, he mmed his cock into her in one hard thrust.


    ~~~


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Chase grunted in Sophia¡¯s ear.


    His movements gained momentum and he settled in a desirable pace for both of them. Sophia¡¯s soft mewl along with the sound of their flesh meeting filled the bedroom.


    They had been up all night, having sex and Chase still wasn¡¯t tired. Every time Sophia closed her eyes to sleep, a wave of orgasm woulde waking her up.


    One of Chase¡¯s hands held her face, pushing it towards his as while the other one held her leg up. He kissed her, their tongues meeting in the middle of a passionate session. Sophia moaned in his mouth as the tip of his cock hit a sensitive spot within her.


    Chase continued to hit that spot, pumping his hips harder and deeper, eager to give her what she wanted.


    ¡°Cum for me,¡± He murmured.


    Her cry of pleasure and bliss bounced off the walls. Her body shook as she orgasms for the uncountable time with a beautiful and satisfied expression on her face.


    Blinking a few times, Sophia met Chase¡¯s dark and lustful gaze. She closed her eyes resting her head on the pillow as she waited for him to reach his own high.


    Chase rocked his hips thrusting his cock deep inside her carnal. She was stretched, sensing both pain and pleasure. He aimed for that sensitive spot again and she convulsed, creaming all around his thick shaft.


    Euphoria swept across her body in a weing embrace and she couldn¡¯t help the moans and mewls that left her. Orgasming and losing herself in pleasure felt so good, especially after a week and couple of days without it. It relieved her stress and soothed away all her worries, Chase¡¯s presence with her reminding her that he was hers¡¯. Solely hers¡¯.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Chase whispered in her ears. ¡°Move your hips,¡±


    His teeth tugged at the flesh, sucking and licking; tasting all he could of her.


    Sophia didn¡¯t realize she was meeting his thrusts until he had encouraged her to do so. She was rotating her hips, lifting and pushing it back against him. Chase groaned loudly. He wasn¡¯t vocal during sex, but with Sophia, he couldn¡¯t help it. The exhration was too overwhelming that it drew such sounds from him.


    He rolled her over so she wasid on her stomach up with her ass up-a puppy position. He gave her round and firm ass a fresh p and it resonated round the room, exciting him. She was fucking gorgeous. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her.


    Chase thrusted roughly, powering through her tiny wall¡¯s resistance.


    God. He was hitting her in all the right ces that she was drunk on the bliss.


    ¡°More,¡± She murmured into the pillow.


    Adhering to her demands, Chase gripped her waist tightly, while he fucked her hard rough and fast. She was screaming and they were both sure everyone would hear that. They didn¡¯t care.


    Sophia reached down to pinch her clit, circling it and rubbing it to give herself that extra high. She was close to climaxing again and with the way her walls clenched around him, her legs tightening and pressure gathering quickly-it was going to be a big, mind -blowing one.


    She rubbed harder, needing to get it.


    Chase reached behind her, grabbing her hands and holding them behind her. She groaned in frustration at the loss of the additional pressure.


    ¡°You need to wait for me,¡± Chase told her. ¡°We¡¯ll get it together,¡±


    Sophia nodded and quietly uttered. ¡°Hurry,¡±


    Chase rocked his pelvic roughly, pulling out so only his tip would remain inside her. He mmed home, causing Sophia to cry out. Her walls gripped his cock tightly and at any moment, her orgasm would burst through so, Chase quickened his pace until she beds moved with them, mming against the intricately designed wallpaper.


    ¡°Cum now,¡± He rasped out, throwing his head back with his face twisted.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    They both came, exploding with pent up arousal. Sophia twisted, jerked and shuddered from her orgasm; a release she badly needed. Her cream along with Chase¡¯s semen leaked out of her pussy, caking them in the white juice.


    Chase slowly grunted while slowly pumping her fill with his cum. He lowered his head and bit down on Sophia¡¯s butt, then sucked the flesh to leave a nice hickey on her ass.


    No one would be able to see it but him and if anyone did, he would pluck out their eyes and feed it to them.


    ¡°That was amazing,¡± He kissed her mouth chastely.


    Sophia passed him a weak smile and theyid, enveloped in each other¡¯s bodies. Chase brushed his lips against her forehead. He looked down at her, resting against his chest; she was dozing off. Exhausted.


    He gently drew patterns on her skin, egging her to sleep.


    ¡°Sleep,¡± He instructed softly, cuddling her.


    Sophia softened in his arms. Her hands that held onto his biceps fell limp between them and a small sigh eluded her lips as she softly closed her eyes.


    A small smile spread on Chase¡¯s lips as he stared at her.


    Never. He would never let her go no matter what because he couldn¡¯t live without her, her pretty face, her sweetness, those innocent eyes that only he had to see the lust-filled part of, her hair, and every other thing.


    He couldn¡¯t live without her everything because she already had her wrapped around her little finger.


    It was just too bad he still couldn¡¯t let himself fall in love with her.

 CHAPTER XCIV

    ~~~


    HAVE YOU EVER attended your own husband¡¯s wedding, especially when it was a crime for a man to marry more than one woman in your country?


    That was the situation Sophia was in, except that her own was much more hurting because no one knew of her two weeks old wedding to Chase. It stung because she was even seated on the first row beside Valerie while Lucas stood beside Chase at the altar.


    Bile rose in her throat as the song for the bride¡¯s arrival yed, and Saige, dressed in a white beautiful wedding dress while covering her face with the veil, walked down the aisle towards Chase, her arm linked with her father¡¯s while she held a bouquet of flowers in her other hand.


    That was what Sophia always wished for. She always wished for a wedding like that. A wedding where her dad would hold her like that and walk her down the aisle towards her Prince Charming.


    It was just so unfortunate that her dad wasn¡¯t there two weeks ago to hold her like that and walk her down the aisle towards Chase when she was getting married. Her own wedding was a secret one which no one knew about.


    She was being envious of Saige; Sophia was well aware of that but she had no choice. Why wouldn¡¯t she be envious when Saige had a father who was always there for her? Why wouldn¡¯t she be envious when Saige was getting married to the man she herself was secretly married to? And publicly at that.


    Saige had everything Sophia wanted.


    Tears welled up in Sophia¡¯s eyes as Chase held both of Saige¡¯s hands in his while they stood, facing each other at the altar, staring into each other¡¯s eyes as if the world was non-existent to them. Saige looked obviously in love but Chase?


    He was unpredictable. No one could even guess if he loved his bride or not.


    Sophia was jerked out of her thoughts when the priest announced in the hall if there was anyone who objected to the wedding. She clutched her dress in her fists, resisting the urge to yell and tell everyone she was Chase¡¯s wife. She wanted to. Her heart screamed at her to do it but her mind told her not to. Her mind told her that listening to all Chase¡¯s demands was like winning his heart and if she really wanted him to love her, she would have to be patient with him.


    And like a helpless teenager in love, Sophia said nothing, hoping that little action of understanding would help her win Chase.


    She stared at Chase, a part of her hoping he himself would object to the marriage and say he had a wife already. But she was disappointed. He just stood there without moving or blinking his eyes away from Saige and for a split second, Sophia felt the woman in front of him was beautiful that he couldn¡¯t even take his eyes off her to look at her who was hurt.


    One look from him would have been able to assure her that he was still hers. That look would have helped relief her but he didn¡¯t turn to do so. Courage radiated off him as if he knew she wouldn¡¯t dare say the truth. He knew he had drilled it in her head that she couldn¡¯t tell the truth to anyone no matter what.


    The tear she had silently tried to blink away finally rolled down her cheek, and her chin wobbled as she watched Chase lock lips with Saige after exchanging their vows.


    That was when she stood up to leave, and Chase pulled away from Saige, turning to face her direction. From the corner of her eye as she walked away, ignoring Valerie¡¯s call, Sophia saw Chase trying toe after her but Saige held his arm and whispered something to him.


    Sophia sniffed back her tears and approached Luciano, who was in the driveway because he didn¡¯t want to attend the wedding ceremony.


    ¡°Sweet -¡±


    She cut him off. ¡°Please take me back home,¡±


    ¡°But the main party hasn¡¯t started yet. Why do you -¡±


    She cut him off again. ¡°Please just take me home. I don¡¯t want to be here. I don¡¯t feel okay,¡±


    Luciano¡¯s eyes instantly filled with worry, and he moved closer to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She shook her head, thinking of a lie. ¡°Nothing serious. Just a mild headache,¡±


    ¡°I can take you to a hospital nearby,¡± He replied politely.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s really okay,¡± She faked a smile she hoped he would believe. ¡°I think I¡¯ve been stressed out because of school and other stuffs. I just need to take a nap,¡±


    Luciano stared at her for a while. Sophia was a terrible liar, and it was obvious she was lying.


    If she didn¡¯t want him to know what was really wrong with her, it was okay. He would wait for her to open up herself.


    ¡°Okay,¡± He helped her open the front passenger seat. When she was settled in, he closed the door and jogged to the driver¡¯s seat before settling in. The engine roared to life and he drove out of the building, stealing short nces at her. ¡°If you need someone to talk to, I¡¯ll always be here, sweet cheeks,¡±


    Sophia looked at him with a small smile, gracing her lips. ¡°Thanks,¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    He stretched his hand out and ced it on hers before giving it a gentle squeeze.

 CHAPTER XCV

    ~~~


    ¡°Where¡¯s Sophia?¡± Chase demanded from Valerie once he saw her at the party.


    Valerie replied. ¡°Uhh  she was beside me during the wedding ceremony. She got upset about something and left. She didn¡¯t even answer me when I called out to her. I don¡¯t know what made her upset,¡±


    ¡°Go,¡±


    Valerie nodded and left.


    Chase ran his hands through his hair, frustration gnawing at him. He knew why she had gotten upset and left the hall. What if something happened to her?


    ¡°They both looked cute together,¡± a voice belonging to a female came, followed by a giggle behind Chase.


    Another person chuckled. ¡°I always knew the Don¡¯s consigliere was sweet and flirty, but I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d fall in love really quick because of his reputation as a yboy. Luciano Romano loves to sleep around. He looked madly in love with her,¡±


    ¡°Anyone would be madly in love with her,¡± the first person replied. ¡°She¡¯s pretty and innocent. I wonder how she ended up in the Romano mansion. She was sitting next to Valerie Romano at the wedding hall,¡±


    Chase whipped his head towards them both, and their eyes widened as their breaths got stuck in their throat. He narrowed his eyes at the second girl. ¡°What did you say about Luciano?¡±


    ¡°He he -he,¡± She stuttered, looking at her scared friend for help before facing him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I- I didn¡¯t mean to -¡±


    Chase gripped her arm in a firm grip, seething out. ¡°What did you say about him being in love with an innocent and pretty girl?¡±


    They had already drawn attention to themselves. ¡°He they -they left together in his car, so I thought he loved her. He looked like he really loved- ahh,¡± She yelped when he pushed her into her friend¡¯s arms and turned away.


    Chase fished out his phone from his pocket and dialled Luciano¡¯s number.


    On the third ring, Luciano picked up. ¡°Do -¡±


    Chase cut him off. ¡°Sei con Sophia?¡±


    {¡°Are you with Sophia?¡±}


    Luciano¡¯s reply was brief. ¡°Si,¡±


    {¡°Yes¡±}


    ¡°Come, sta?¡± Chase¡¯s voice dropped to a worried one. ¡°Sta bene?¡±


    {¡°How is she? Is she alright?¡±}


    ¡°Sta bene,¡± Luciano replied.


    {¡°She¡¯s alright.¡±}


    Chase silently breathed out in relief. ¡°Passale subito il telefono. Voglio parle,¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    {¡°Hand over the phone to her right now. I want to speak to her.¡±}


    Luciano sighed deeply. ¡°Sta dormendo in questo momento,¡±


    {¡°She¡¯s asleep at the moment.¡±}


    Chase frowned. ¡°Allorae stai con lei?¡±


    {¡°How then are you with her?¡±}


    ¡°Ha dormito ne mia mhina mentre tornavamo a casa. Non siamo ancora tornati a casa,¡± Luciano said. Before Chase could ask more questions, he continued. ¡°Lei era affamata, quindi siamo andati a pranzo in un ristorante. o perche non siamo riusciti a tornare a casa prima,¡±


    { ¡°She slept off in my car on our way back home. We haven¡¯t gotten back home yet.¡±} {¡°She was famished, so we went to a restaurant for lunch. That¡¯s why we weren¡¯t able to get home earlier. ¡°}


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Chase gripped his phone tight in his hand as he imagined Sophia and Luciano having lunch together. His mind went haywire as he remembered those girls¡¯ words and the thought of people thinking they were both a couple. He had always been aware of Luciano¡¯s feelings towards her, and he was afraid it would cause a destruction. Luciano was still oblivious to the truth that she was his baby sister. ¡°Take care of her,¡± With that, he cut the call and slid the phone in his pocket as he watched De Luca walking towards him.


    ¡°Don,¡± De Luca passed him a fatherly smile.


    Chase ignored the smile and slipped his hands inside his pockets to bring out his cigar and lighter. He lighted the cigar and returned the lighter back to his pocket, then held the cigar between his thumb and forefinger. He stared into De Luca¡¯s eyes.¡± Hai ottenuto quello che volevi, De Luca. La tua principessa ora e una donna felicemente sposata. Penso che sia ora di sdebitarmi,¡±


    {¡°You got what you wanted, De Luca. Your princess is now a happily married woman. I think it¡¯s time to repay me,¡±}


    De Luca smiled. ¡°Darti quello che vuoi non e un problema, Don. Chi sono io per negarti i tuoi desideri. L¡¯unica cosa che mi confonde e il motivo per cui vuoi disperatamente que chiavetta USB,¡±


    {¡°Giving you what you want is not a problem, Don. Who am I to deny you of your wishes? The only thing I¡¯m confused about is why you desperately want that sh drive}


    Chase red at him. ¡°Non ricordo che fossi troppo curioso di sapere cosa non ti riguarda mentre mi imploravi di sposare tua figlia,¡± He leaned in and sneered on his face.¡± De Luca, fai tutto il possibile affinche io prenda que chiavetta dove mai Antonio Romano l¡¯aveva nascosta eunque tu non andraicuriosare per scoprire cosa c¡¯e dentro Una volta che l¡¯avrai consegnamelo a me. Nel momento in cui scopro che hai fatto qualcosa di diverso da quello che ti avevo chiesto di fare, iopromettilotua figlia paghera per questo. Fara qualcosa di molto piu che cercare di idersi,¡± He then straightened up and patted De Luca on the back, a hidden meaning behind his next words. ¡°We both know I don¡¯t break promises


    {¡°I don¡¯t remember you being too curious about what¡¯s not your business when you were begging me to marry your daughter.¡±} {De Luca, just do all you can to ensure I get that sh drive from where ever Antonio Romano had it hidden away and no matter what, you won¡¯t go snooping around to find out what¡¯s inside it. Once you get it, hand it to me. The moment I find out that you did anything other than what I asked you to do, I promise, your daughter will pay for it. She¡¯s going to do something much more than trying to kill herself¡±}


    ~~~


    Chase dropped his suit coat and waistcoat on the armrest of the couch in his room. He sat down on the couch, and a small sigh left his lips as he remembered Sophia while tugging off his tie.


    He had to check up on her.


    He stood up and made his way towards the door.


    ¡°Chase,¡±


    Instead of turning the doorknob to leave the room, he turned towards the source of the voice only to find Saige standing by the closet door, staring at him.


    She was putting on a white silky night dress and a simr colored robe on it topliment her red hair. It was obvious she had just taken a bath considering the way her damp hair kissed her skin. She scented feminine likevender.


    How could he have forgotten already that he had married her?


    ¡°Is there anywhere you want to go?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± He replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to see Sophia,¡±


    Saige¡¯s heart sank in her stomach, and she clenched her fists tightly beside her, feeling her nails digging into her palms.


    Just the mere mention of Sophia¡¯s name was enough to upset her. And then, her own husband was going to see her on their wedding night? They were meant to make love to each other and not ignore one another like he was doing to her. She had specially bathed and dressed like that to seduce him but it was obvious she had no effect on him.

 CHAPTER XCVI

    ~~~


    The thought of Sophia being the only one who could turn him on made her hate the girl.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be with me tonight?¡± She asked, moving closer to him. ¡°It¡¯s our wedding night, and we should be -¡±


    Chase cut her off. ¡°You won¡¯t give me the pleasure I want, Saige,¡± He replied. ¡°Only Sophia does,¡±


    His words struck her like an arrow straight to the chest, and her knees buckled.


    How could the man she just newly married openly tell her on their wedding night that she couldn¡¯t give him the pleasure he wanted? How could he even tell her a barely twenty year old girl was the only one who could give him pleasure?


    ¡°What-,¡± Her throat clogged up. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Look, Saige,¡± Chase sighed. ¡°What you want is not going to be possible because there would be no satisfaction in having sex with you. I only find satisfaction with Sophia. Only us both can give each other what we want,¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re going to have sex with her on our wedding night?¡± She asked. ¡°This night is meant for the both of us. She can¡¯te between us!¡±


    ¡°I understand what this night means to you, but it¡¯s already bad that I don¡¯t find any meaning in it with you,¡± He said.


    ¡°But I love you,¡± She whispered, clutching his cor in her fists. ¡°I love you, Chase, and I wish to spend this night with no one but you,¡±


    ¡°Loving me will only hurt you, Saige,¡± Chase held both of her wrists and gently dropped them by her sides. ¡°I can¡¯t love you back,¡±


    ¡°Then do you love her?¡± Tears brimmed in her eyes. ¡°Do you love Sophia?¡±


    ¡°Even if I do, it won¡¯t make a difference, Saige,¡± He said. ¡°Your wish has always been to be married to me, and here we are. I don¡¯t want you expecting more from me. Go to bed. Goodnight,¡±


    ~~~


    Luciano gulped down the contents of the vodka bottle down his throat, hoping to drown away his miseries, but they seemed to intensify the more he remembered how fragile Sophia had looked while sleeping and calling out to Chase.


    ¡°Don¡¯t marry her, please. I -I love you,¡±


    When he had taken her to her room when she was asleep and was about to leave, she had held his wrists and muttered those words. It didn¡¯t take a minute for him to know who she thought he was. Worse still, he didn¡¯t need a genius to tell him she was in love with Chase.


    The girl he loved was in love with his cousin.


    Did Chase love her back? Did Chase know about her feelings?


    A painedugh left his lips as he stared at the pool with a simr pained expression at his own foolish questions.


    Obviously, Chase must¡¯ve known how she felt about him. Even the way he seemed protective and possessive of her was enough to tell Luciano that Chase loved her.


    That exined the vacation they had gone for two weeks before. They must¡¯ve finally realized how they felt about each other and needed time alone from everyone.


    ¡°Luci,¡±


    Luciano turned at the sound of his brother¡¯s voice. ¡°Hey, Lucas,¡±


    Lucas walked closer to him and frowned. ¡°Why are you drinking?¡±


    ¡°I want to forget my sorrows, Lucas,¡± He replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Lucas sat next to him.


    Luciano dropped his head, and his lips formed into a pout. ¡°She loves someone else. She doesn¡¯t love me,¡±


    Lucas¡¯ chest tightened as the realization of Luciano¡¯s words settled in. ¡°She loves Don, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡±


    A small smile crept up Lucas¡¯ lips. ¡°He¡¯s the best person for her. She is the best for him also. Don is changing,¡±


    ¡°And me?¡± Luciano looked at his twin in the eyes. ¡°What about me? Am I not fucking good enough for her?¡±


    ¡°No,¡±


    Luciano¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Why?¡±


    Lucas replied. ¡°Because you both aren¡¯t meant to be,¡±


    Luciano stood up and red at his brother. ¡°What the hell are you saying? Can¡¯t you see how I love her? I thought you could fucking see and understand how I feel,¡±


    Lucas stood up too and faced his brother. ¡°I understand how you feel, Luciano, but you also have to understand that Sophia is not for you. You can¡¯t love her,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even understand you again,¡± Luciano chuckled dryly. ¡°When she came here, you were all rude and mean to her. Now you care. You even care about who can and can¡¯t love her. What¡¯s your fucking problem?¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re drunk,¡± Lucas replied. ¡°It¡¯ste. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow,¡±


    ¡°I might be drunk, but I can still understand what the fuck you¡¯re saying!¡± Luciano snapped, frustration gnawing at him. ¡°What do you mean by I can¡¯t love her? It¡¯s my heart and I¡¯ll chose who it falls for. My heart wants Sophia,¡±


    Lucas was already beginning to lose his temper. ¡°You can¡¯t love her, Luciano, ¡± He seethed out. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Exin shit to me and I¡¯ll understand,¡± Luciano said, flinging the vodka bottle into the pool. ¡°Tell me why I can¡¯t love her,¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you shit, Luciano,¡± Lucas raked his fingers through his hair. ¡°Just go to bed and stop thinking about someone that can¡¯t be yours,¡±


    That seemed to enrage Luciano and he gripped Lucas by the cor sneering on his face. ¡°I love Sophia. Don¡¯t ever try to talk me out of my feelings,¡±


    Lucas pushed Luciano away harshly. ¡°Are you fucking insane?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Luciano snapped. ¡°I¡¯m fucking insane because I¡¯m in love,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it, Luciano?¡± Lucas asked, anger looming over his features. ¡°You¡¯ll end up getting hurt!¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck will I get hurt?¡±


    ¡°Because what you feel for her is forbidden,¡± Lucas balled his fists at his sides. ¡°You aren¡¯t meant to love her! Sophia is not someone you can love!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Luciano urged. ¡°Why can¡¯t I fucking love-,¡±


    Lucas cut him off. ¡°Because she¡¯s our fucking sister, Luciano!¡± That seemed to shut Luciano up. ¡°Sophia is our sister! She¡¯s the sister we thought we lost with mum,¡±


    Silence followed. The two brothers stared at each other, the sound of their heavy breathing filling the ear.


    None of them broke eye contact. One was trying to call himself down and think of an exnation for spilling out the truth and the other was searching for a hint of lie in his brother¡¯s words. He was desperately trying to understand what he just heard as blood rushed to his ears.


    They stood there, unaware of the person standing in the shadows, watching them.


    She had heard every single word uttered by the both of them from the beginning of their heated argument to the end where a secret was mistakenly spilled.


    A secret that was sure to change her life.

 CHAPTER XCVII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA JERKED AWAKE and sat up the moment she realized she had just had a bad dream. Her eyes fell on Chase, who was seated on the couch in her room, staring at her as if she was the only one in his world.


    ¡°Ch ¨C chase,¡±


    Chase dropped the cigar between his lips on the ground and stepped on it, turning off the fire before walking towards her in small, predatory steps.


    He sat on her bed and stared at her as she stared back at him. ¡°You left the wedding hall. Why?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s brows pulled into a frown before realization dawned on her that he was actually married to someone else other than her. ¡°You  Saige  she -,¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in my room,¡± He said. ¡°You want to meet her?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± She shook her head. ¡°I-,¡± She hurled herself towards him. ¡°You won¡¯t leave me, right? I ¨C I had a very bad dream just now. You ¨C you left me. You told me you loved her and that she was your only wife. You divorced me and threw me out of your lives. You-you-,¡±


    Chase cut her off by cing his lips on hers. When she clutched his cor tightly, he reluctantly pulled away from the kiss and cupped her cheeks. ¡°It was just a bad dream. It won¡¯t ever be a reality,¡±


    Sophia stared up at him through her tear-clouded vision. ¡°Promise?¡± She mumbled. ¡°Promise me,¡±


    Chase leaned in to drop a small, short kiss on her lips. ¡°I promise, Gattina,¡± He pecked her lips again. ¡°I¡¯m yours alone,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck, feeling his arm going round her waist. ¡°I love you, Chase,¡± She sobbed. ¡°I love you,¡±


    He didn¡¯t like the way she was crying. It hurt him and made him feel a painful tug on his heart. Chase pulled away from the hug and stared into her eyes, wiping the tears falling down her cheeks ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    Sophia smiled through her tears and shook her head. ¡°I- I¡¯m just overwhelmed, that¡¯s all. Except for my Nana and friends, I¡¯ve never felt like this with anyone. And- I-,¡± She swallowed. ¡°I was scared of -¡±


    He cut her off. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be scared of,¡± He smiled at her.


    ¡°Will you go to her tonight?¡± She asked, a selfish part of her hoping he would just say no. ¡°Will you- will you both consummate your marriage tonight?¡± Her heart squeezed in pain, and she could hear the erratic sound of her heart beating.


    Chase shook his head. ¡°Even if I wanted to, I won¡¯t,¡± He replied. ¡°I can¡¯t because you¡¯re the only one who can affect me in that way. You¡¯re the only one who can turn me on,¡±


    Sophia wrapped her arms around his neck again. ¡°Please stay with me tonight. Don¡¯t go to her. Just stay with me,¡±


    ~~~Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°What the fuck do you mean Sophia is our sister?¡± Luciano asked Lucas the minute he found his voice.


    Lucas raked his hands through his hair and let out a sigh. ¡°Dammit,¡±


    ¡°Say something, Lucas,¡± Luciano urged. ¡°How can Sophia be our sister? We saw the still-born mum gave birth to that day. It was buried beside mum¡¯s grave in front of us. How could the baby be Sophia?¡±


    ¡°That child we buried is not our sister,¡± Lucas replied. ¡°The baby was taken to the ICU mum gave birth to Sophia in after she was killed,¡±


    ¡°What do you mean mum was killed?¡± Luciano frowned. ¡°The birth of the baby wasplicated, and that was why we lost them both! Fucking stop speaking in tongues and exin shit to me,¡±


    ¡°Mum was killed. Agosti Bet killed her,¡± Lucas replied. ¡°He killed our mum the moment she birthed Sophia and took the baby away. He reced our sister with his wife¡¯s still ¨C born child,¡±


    Everything seemed hard for Luciano to believe. His brother was a closed off person, but he was the only one, except for Chase, who was able to read or see through him.


    It was obvious in his eyes that he was saying the truth.


    Luciano¡¯s breath hitched in his throat, and his head suddenly felt heavy. How could he have fallen for his sister?


    Sophia, his sweet cheeks, was his baby sister. That was unbelievable.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± He mumbled, staring into his brother¡¯s eyes. ¡°It can¡¯t be true,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you a note mum wrote before she was taken into the ICU,¡±


    ~~~


    Luciano stared at the wrinkled paper Lucas had just slid into his hand when they walked into his room.


    The writing on it indeed belonged to their mum. The note had a few drops of dried tears on it.


    Luciano read the first line.


    My two little heroes,


    Luciano¡¯s hand gripped the paper tightly as his eyes stayed glued to the words on the first line. The words that he yearned to hear from his mum for years.


    My two little heroes.


    That was what she called him, and Lucas. She always used to call them both her two little heroes ever since they were kids until she died-was killed.


    A lump clogged up in his throat, and he found it hard to swallow it down. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could read the letter any longer. The contents would break him.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Lucas said, sensing Luciano¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Read it. I think it¡¯s time you finally learn the truth,¡±


    Mustering a little courage from his brother¡¯s words, Luciano let his eyes settle over the remaining contents of the note.


    My two little heroes,


    I hope that when you¡¯re reading this, you¡¯ll be in good health. I know it¡¯s confusing how I¡¯ll write a note to you both before entering the ICU for my operation when you have hopes that we¡¯ll meet after the operation.


    The good news first is that I¡¯m giving birth to a baby girl. Val is going to have a little sister and you are both going to have another person to be protective of. Maybe then, Val is going to have a little bit of fresh air but that doesn¡¯t mean you should suffocate this baby too.


    Luciano could imagine his mum rubbing her bloated stomach like she used to do when she was pregnant.

 CHAPTER XCVIII

    ~~~


    He continued;


    Now, I hope you both will be able to take the bomb that I¡¯m about to drop on you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to make it out of the ICU. Even if I go out of there, I¡¯ll being out as a corpse, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯re only reading this because I¡¯m dead. I made a friend over here. She¡¯s the nurse that gave you this note because I specifically asked her to give it to you both if I don¡¯t make it out alive. If I had made it out alive, I¡¯d have asked her to get rid of it. I trust her enough to do so.


    The baby I¡¯m giving birth to isn¡¯t your full sister. She¡¯s not your father¡¯s daughter. She¡¯s Agosti Bet¡¯s daughter, and I hope you still take her as your full sister and not a step-sister. I know you¡¯re probably confused because of this. I really want to apologies for not staying loyal to your father. My excuses won¡¯t bail me out, I know, but still, I hope you forgive me as you read this.


    The mafia world works unjustly. It¡¯s unfair to us women but it doesn¡¯t guarantee that we cheat on our husbands. I was lured by Bet through his lies and deceit and that was how I ended up carrying his child. You¡¯re both not even up to ten and it¡¯s so sad you have to find out about this at this age. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to take the guilt of my infidelity with me to my grave.


    Your dad had stopped giving me the attention I wanted. I craved love from him but I got none as per how the mafia world works. A naive part of me, even after all these years, thought your dad felt at least something for me and I wanted to bring it out. I met his best friend to help me out. I thought Agosti was helping me when he told me to-


    Luciano narrowed his eyes at the dried tear drop that was there. He continued;Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    I thought Agosti was helping me when he told me to sleep with him. I found it hard to agree with him because all my loyaltyid with your dad. Agosti had a wife and I brought it up, heughed it off and reminded me of how the mafia world worked. When I told him I wasn¡¯t allowed to cheat, he told me no one would find out. I was stupid to have believed that was the only way to get a reaction from Antonio so I could at least find a bit of emotion for me. I had been desperate for his love, but that doesn¡¯t still count as an excuse for cheating.


    I agreed. I slept with Bet and I got pregnant, so I didn¡¯t even let your dad find out that I cheated. I didn¡¯t have it in me to tell Antonio it wasn¡¯t his child when I saw how happy he looked about the news. He was rarely happy with the things I tried to do and I didn¡¯t want to make him upset, so I kept quiet. I didn¡¯t tell him about the baby. But I told the baby¡¯s real father. I told Agosti and he suggested that I aborted it. Thinking about your father, I refused to abort the baby. I kept it and well, I don¡¯t know what happened to him, but Agosti suddenly agreed to keep the baby but on the condition that his best friend wouldn¡¯t find out that it was his own child. I agreed because I didn¡¯t want your dad to find out too. It would¡¯ve reduced my chances of winning over him.


    By the time I realized that I didn¡¯t only cheat on your dad because I wanted a reaction from him, it was alreadyte. I finally registered that I needed a man to touch me in a loving manner. That was what Agosti had done for me.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t up to thirty minutes since Agosti¡¯s wife gave birth and I heard she gave birth to a still- born. Since both of us were to give birth in the same hospital, I used the excuse that nobody was with me here, so I went to check up on Gio. When I went there, I learnt the truth the hard way. I learnt that Agosti had only agreed to let me keep my baby because he had ns of taking it away from me. I overheard him telling the doctor that he expected her to birth a still-born baby because her pregnancy had beenplicated from its third month. That instant, I also caught the drift that I was only infatuated with your dad because if I really loved him, I would never have cheated. I didn¡¯t have it in me to see Gio again and luckily for me, she was still unconscious, so I didn¡¯t see her.


    I rushed back to my hospital room. I needed to think of a way to escape. I found none. I knew your dad would¡¯ve still found me. I gave up.


    So, here I am. Here I am writing a long letter to you few minutes before I¡¯m taken to the ICU where I¡¯m likely to be killed so my baby will be taken away from me.


    I¡¯m leaving but I know Chase will always be there for you all. He cares for you all even though your dad has messed with him and his sanity. I¡¯m sure Chase will never try to take out his anger and frustration of what your dad is doing to him on you all. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s better than that.


    Your sister is going to be taken away by Agosti Bet. Please, don¡¯t let him get away with it. I want you to take her back from him and give her a good life when you¡¯re capable of doing so. Take care of her and when she¡¯s of age, tell her the truth about her birth.


    I have no words for you. All I want you both to know is that I¡¯m deeply sorry for what I¡¯ve done and that I love you all deeply.


    Please take care of yourself and don¡¯t be like your dad, his brother, or even Agosti. Be the type of men that would see the good in people and respect them. This is my dying wish.


    I¡¯ll always love you.

 CHAPTER XCIX

    ~~~


    It was surprising that Luciano didn¡¯t cry after reading the letter. He only squeezed the paper in his fists and looked at his brother dead in the eye. ¡°Did the nurse give this to you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lucas shook his head, waiting for his brother¡¯s outburst. ¡°I came across it in Don¡¯s things when dad was sending him to the training school,¡±


    ¡°When was that?¡± Luciano asked, an edge to his voice. The storm in him was brewing. ¡°Since when have you known about this letter and the whole truth?¡±


    ¡°Twelve years ago,¡± Lucas replied. ¡°That was when we were fif-,¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t get to finish. A punch wasnded right on his nose and blood sttered from the spot he had been punched.


    Luciano red at his brother. ¡°That¡¯s for hiding the truth from me,¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Lucas lifted his fingers and touched the ce where he had been punched. He stared at the blood sticking on his fingers and his lips curled into a smirk. ¡°I expected it,¡±


    The amusement in his eyes made Luciano angrier. ¡°You should have fucking told me about it,¡±


    ¡°And have you hate everyone? No,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°You would have hated mum. We both know what your hatred feels like,¡±


    ¡°Now look who I hate,¡± Luciano snorted. He was acting all cool about it. ¡°Does Val know about it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t hate me, Luci,¡± Lucas smirked. ¡°Valerie knows about it,¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you were mean to Sophia?¡± Luciano walked to the table in front of the couch in the room and picked a pen, twirling it between his fingers. ¡°You hated her because she¡¯s our sister,¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t hate her, Luciano,¡± Lucas walked closer. ¡°She¡¯s innocent in all these. If anyone is to be hated, it should be Bet fucking Agosti. I wish I could kill him all over,¡±


    Luciano dropped the pen and turned to his brother. His lips curled up into a smirk and his brow lifted. ¡°Pray tell me, why will I hate my own sister?¡±


    ~~~


    Saige shut the bedroom door and hugged her robe to her body, her mind reeling back to the conversation she heard between Lucas and Luciano as she tried to digest it all in.


    Sophia was their little sister. Sophia was the baby everyone thought had been birthed as a still-born.


    She filled a ss with water from the jug on the bedside table and gulped it down. She sat down on the bed and ran her hands through her hair.


    It was an obvious answer that Agosti had killed Be so he could rece his still-born child with Sophia, but then, it felt like there was another reason for it.


    It couldn¡¯t be a co incidence that his wife and Be were giving birth in the same hospital on the same day.


    And then, if Chase knew Sophia was his cousin, why would he go ahead and fuck her?


    There was more it and Saige knew it would help her get rid of Sophia. Indeed, finding out about Sophia¡¯s real parent was enough to change her life.


    But for that, she needed to get her hand on the note she had seen Luciano reading in Lucas¡¯ room.


    She was d she went towards the pool after Chase¡¯s rejection. Before she could get to the pool, she had overheard them talking about Luciano loving Sophia. She decided to hide in the shadows and listen to everything hoping to find something she could use to manipte her way into getting rid of Sophia.


    At the end, she got what she didn¡¯t expect. She even followed the brothers to find out more and that was when Lucas had given Luciano the note their mum left for them.


    For the first time, Saige was d Chase rejected her. If he hadn¡¯t rejected her, she wouldn¡¯t have found out about something so powerful to use against Sophia.


    She smiled.


    All she needed was to get her hands on the letter so she would know the remaining details of Sophia¡¯s birth.


    It would help her know why Chase was fucking Sophia even after knowing she was his cousin.


    Too bad, Saige didn¡¯t know her quest for that note would be useless.

 CHAPTER C

    ~~~


    THERE WAS A thick silence heavy in the air. As they all had their breakfast, no one said a word.


    Sophia was in a cheerful mood. She was eating and innocently bobbing her head side by side as she silently hummed to a song. Saige was watching Lucas and Luciano, who were silently eating as if they didn¡¯t have a small argument the previous night, from time to time as she used the silence to conspire on how to get the note. Valerie was just being herself as she basked in the silence while eating. And Chase was just¡­ indifferent.


    Saige¡¯s lips curled up into a sly smile when her eyes fell on the bruise Luciano¡¯s punch had left on Lucas¡¯ nose. ¡°Lucas,¡± She fake- gasped, breaking thefortable silence in the dining room. ¡°Did you have a fight with someone?¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Everyone stopped eating, and all their eyes were on Lucas.


    Lucas frowned and shot her an irritated look. ¡°What?¡±


    She stared at the bruise. ¡°You have a bruise on your nose. Looks like it was a bad punch,¡±


    Lucas was the cool, reserved, and responsible type of person who never got into fights, unlike Luciano. Lucas, getting into a fight, surprised Chase, and he looked at him. ¡°Lucas,¡± He didn¡¯t need to say more. His eyes were asking for an exnation.


    ¡°This,¡± Lucas rubbed the spot where Luciano had punched him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious,¡±


    ¡°Since when did you start getting into fights?¡± Chase asked, dropping his cutlery in his te.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get into a fight, Don,¡± He replied. ¡°It¡¯s just -¡±


    Luciano cut him off. ¡°I punched him,¡±


    Saige raised a brow. ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your business why he punched me, ¡°Lucas snapped.¡± Just mind you fucking business and eat,¡±


    ¡°I was only worried about you,¡± She shrugged. ¡°After all, you¡¯re my-,¡± She directed her gaze to Sophia who was staring right back at her. ¡°You¡¯re my husband¡¯s little cousin,¡± Her gaze snapped back to Lucas. ¡°Please don¡¯t-,¡±


    Luciano cut her off in a cold, icy voice. ¡°You want to know why I punched him? Fine,¡± He ced both of his palms tly against the table, gazing into her green eyes. ¡°I punched him because he fucking hid something from me,¡±


    Lucas¡¯ voice came out hard, full of warning. ¡°Luciano,¡±


    Interesting. Saige smiled slyly. ¡°It¡¯s so bad that your own twin brother would hide something from you. From the looks of it, whatever he may have hidden from you is important. Why don¡¯t you share it with all of us? We¡¯re a family,¡± She smiled at Sophia. ¡°Aren¡¯t we, Soph?¡±


    Chase said nothing. He stared at the three of them, trying to understand what was going on.


    One thing was clear; Lucas and Luciano were hiding something, and Saige was trying to manipte Luciano into saying it out. But what could it be? He only hoped it wasn¡¯t the truth about Sophia¡¯s real mother.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring her into this,¡± Lucas warned.


    Saige ignored him. She stared back at Luciano, her smile growing wider. ¡°Tell us,¡±


    Luciano shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not as serious as you think it is, Saige. It¡¯s just that Lucas is in love with the girl I love,¡±


    Saige¡¯s smile dropped, and a frown masked her expression. It was a lie. She was sure Luciano was lying.


    She wanted to make sure the truth came out to the open. ¡°Is love allowed in the mafia world?¡±


    Lucas was tired of whatever she was trying to y at. She sounded as if she knew something and wanted them to say it out. He couldn¡¯t give her the satisfaction. ¡°I see. You¡¯re trying to be a perfect Donna. It¡¯s nice to see that you¡¯ve finally epted that love doesn¡¯t exist in our world. I¡¯m happy you¡¯ve finally managed to walk out of your delusion that Don would reciprocate your obsession,¡±


    Her right palmy tly against the table, and she snapped, her eyes narrowing into slits. ¡°Lucas!¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Chase retorted. ¡°Enough of all this. If you want to have arguments, don¡¯t do that here,¡± He turned to look at Saige who was seething with anger, ring daggers at Lucas who had a smug look and smile of satisfaction on his face, showing that he had hit the spot he wanted to hit in Saige. ¡°You are the Donna, Saige. I won¡¯t tolerate such behaviour from you,¡±


    Saige scoffed. She stood up, scraping the chair on the tiles, knowing Chase would be upset with her for what she just did. ¡°Excuse me,¡± and she walked away.


    Sophia stared at everyone on the table. She had lost her appetite the moment Saige imed Chase as her own husband in the room. It was expected.


    She slowly stood up. ¡°I- I¡¯m going to my room. Enjoy your breakfast,¡± She left as well.


    Chase leaned his back on his chair and rubbed his face with his palms before letting out a sigh. ¡°Vedo che Luciano sa verita adesso,¡±


    {¡°I see Luciano knows the truth now¡±}


    ~~~


    Sophia slowly walked down the stairs till she reached Chase¡¯s study. She knocked on the door, and once she heard a muffled e in¡¯ , she opened the door and walked in.


    Chase was seated behind hisrge, ck desk, working on hisptop, a few papers scattered all over the desk. He wasn¡¯t putting on his suit coat and waist coat any longer. They were both dropped neatly on the arm of the chair while the sleeves of his button-down shirt was rolled down. His dark hair which was gelled in the morning, was looking unruly and dishevelled, as if he had raked his fingers through them a thousand times as a few strands fell over his forehead.


    Without looking up from theptop, he asked. ¡°Any problem, Gattina?¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia bit down on her lip and nodded. When she realized that he wasn¡¯t looking at her, she spoke up. ¡°Yes,¡± She gulped lowly. ¡°I¡¯m bored,¡±


    Chase whipped up his head to look at her, and Sophia¡¯s heart fluttered as she stared at the single strand of hair that was falling over his eye. Her stomach did a flip flop at the intensity of his gaze on her. ¡°Come,¡± Chase¡¯s voice broke her out of her thoughts, and she swallowed.


    Sophia took slow steps towards him. She went around the desk and plopped up on the desk, directly in front of him beside hisptop.


    Seeing the way, she made herselffortable on his desk, Chase shut hisptop, pushed it aside, and then gathered all the papers on his desk before putting them in a file. ¡°You said you¡¯re bored?¡± He turned to face her.


    Sophia nodded. ¡°Can I go out?¡±


    Chase raised a brow at her. ¡°To?¡±


    ¡°Anywhere,¡± She replied, her hands finding their way to his messy hair. She pushed back the strands that were falling over his forehead back to their main original ce. ¡°I want to leave the house. Val isn¡¯t around. Lucas and Luciano went out together, and myptop is boring now. I¡¯m tired of ying all the games on it,¡±


    Chase plopped his elbow on the desk and held his chin between his fingers, staring at her. ¡°You can download new games,¡±


    Sophia pouted. ¡°But I want to go out,¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Chase¡¯s hands went to her silky locks, and he caressed them gently, threading his fingers through them. ¡°I think I¡¯ve told you how much I love your hair, it¡¯s texture and its colour,¡±


    ¡°Countless times,¡±


    ¡°And your freckles?¡± He looked at them smeared below her eyes. ¡°Have I told you I love them a lot too?¡± He looked into her eyes.


    ¡°Are you trying to change the topic?¡± She asked.


    Chase shrugged and pulled his fingers from her hair. ¡°You can take it any way you want,¡±


    Sophia folded her arms across her chest. ¡°Chase,¡±


    ¡°You can watch movies on yourptop, Sophia,¡± He replied, not looking at her as he switched back on hisptop.


    ¡°I¡¯ve watched them all,¡±


    ¡°Download new ones,¡± He said, still staring at theptop screen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± She whined. ¡°I want to get a tattoo,¡±


    Chase¡¯s fingers that were above the keyboard halted, and he looked back at her, disbelief and shock contorting his features. ¡°You what?¡±

 CHAPTER CI

    Sophia blushed and nodded. ¡°I said I want to get a tattoo. Please take me to a tattoo shop,¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± He asked. ¡°Do you even have any idea what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    She shrugged like it was no big deal. ¡°I know what I¡¯m saying. I want to get a tattoo,¡±


    ¡°A tattoo of what?¡±


    Sophia winked; she failed at it. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡±


    Chase stared at her for a while, his insecurities kicking in.


    What if she met Luciano to take her to the tattoo shop if he refused?


    Luciano was her brother; he knew that but a part of him was still scared Sophia would go to Luciano, after all, she didn¡¯t know he was her brother. Luciano was aware of the truth that she was his sister, but earlier in the dining room, he hadn¡¯t said anything about his romantic feelings towards her. He inly refused to discuss it and had walked out after saying he would continue watching out for her.


    And then his romantic feelings for her? Wouldn¡¯t he let them go?


    ¡°Cha-,¡±


    Chase cut her off. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go,¡±


    In less than thirty minutes, they were standing in a tattoo shop.


    ¡°Give me your gun,¡± Sophia stretched out her small palm towards Chase.


    Chase frowned and looked up at her smiling face. ¡°What do you need my gun for?¡±


    ¡°Just pass it,¡± She wiggled her palms impatiently. ¡°We don¡¯t have all day,¡±


    Chase let out a sigh and pulled out his gun from his trouser holster before cing it on her palms. He saw how her palms started shaking, and he took the gun back. ¡°What do you fucking need my gun for when you can¡¯t even hold it?¡±


    Sophia sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t give it,¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°But-,¡±


    His voice came out stern. ¡°Sophia,¡±


    She pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get the tattoo again,¡± She walked past him towards the tattoo shop entrance and he followed her, holding her arm.


    ¡°Where the fuck is you going to?¡± He asked. ¡°You said you wanted to get a tattoo and you¡¯re leaving me in here. Stop being a whiny little brat,¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not giving me what I want,¡± She pulled her arm away from him. ¡°Let¡¯s go back home. I¡¯lle with Luciano another time, ¡°She turned and walked out of the building without casting him a nce. She dejectedly walked back towards his car with her shoulders slumped.


    Luciano.


    Chase ran his hands through his hair, as his eyes followed her retreating figure, earning a curious stare from the receptionist. Anyone who saw him would be curious to why he looked frustrated.


    He was the Don after all.


    Chase imagined Sophia holding Luciano¡¯s hand like she had held his¡¯ when they were entering the tattoo shop and his heart burned with rage. His mind pricked at him with possessiveness and he rushed towards the car, grabbing Sophia¡¯s arm before she could enter the car.


    Who would ever think there woulde a day when the Don of the Italian mafia would be insecure and jealous for a mere neen year old girl? Scared of losing her to another person, who was her own brother, even.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you my gun to do what you want to do. Happy now?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s lips stretched into a smile and a grin took over her features.


    ~~~


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    Chase averted his eyes from his phone and looked at Sophia who had just finished getting her tattoo.


    ¡°Look,¡± She nudged her chin towards her left shoulder. She was wearing an off-shoulder top, so it was easy to look at the tattoo on her shoulder.


    CR. His initials.


    That was what was tattooed there on her left shoulder. It was tattooed in a cursive design simr to the one he had on his gun and the ring they had used for their wedding.


    That exined the reason why she wanted his gun.


    He looked back at her, seeing the giddy look on her face as she waited patiently for him to react or say something.


    To say he loved the tattoo.


    He pointed at the tattoo. ¡°That stuff hurts like shit,¡± He said. ¡°How were you able to endure the pain?¡±


    She stepped closer and whispered only to his hearing. ¡°You endure a lot for the ones you love,¡±


    Chase held her wrist and pulled her out of the shop after tucking back his gun in its ce.


    Once they were settled in his car, he turned to her, pointing at the tattoo. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sophia frowned and turned to him, ignoring the sore pain from the tattoo on her shoulders. ¡°This is to show that I¡¯m yours,¡±


    Chase ran his hands through his hair and sighed. ¡°A tattoo, really? Are you out of your mind?¡±


    ¡°I love you,¡± She said. ¡°If there are even other ways to show that I¡¯m yours, I¡¯d follow them,¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± He whispered. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t have a problem with you trying to show that you belong to me but a tattoo is too extreme,¡±


    ¡°How is it extreme?¡± She hissed out in pain from her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re married and I don¡¯t see a reason why I shouldn¡¯t get a tattoo of your initials on me,¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯tst forever, Sophia,¡± He said. ¡°You got a permanent tattoo on your skin and it would hurt you any time you look at it in the future,¡±


    His words were like a knife sliced through her heart. Sophia¡¯s throat clogged up and she croaked out. ¡°What- what do you mean?¡±


    He leaned in and cupped her cheeks in his palms. ¡°What I mean Sophia, is that, I won¡¯t be there in the future. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt any time you look at the tattoo. You¡¯ll be forced to remember me,¡±


    She held one of his wrists in her palm. ¡°And what do you have to say about the carving of your name on the skin below my right shoulder de? Do you think I won¡¯t use it to remember you even if I didn¡¯t get the tattoo?¡±


    ¡°As much as I don¡¯t want to, we¡¯ll find a way to get rid of it from your skin,¡± He replied, staring into her teary eyes. ¡°I will do anything to make you forget me because I won¡¯t be there for you,¡±


    A lone tear fell down her cheeks, and she sniffed. ¡°You¡¯re hurting me with all these words. Why won¡¯t you be there for me in the future? Do you want to let me go?¡±


    ¡°Gattina-¡±


    {¡°Kitten-¡°}


    ¡°Do you think finding a way to get rid of the scar will make me forget you?¡± She shook her head as more tears cascaded down her cheeks. ¡°I- you¡¯ve be a part of me, Chase. I¡¯ll never forget you. No matter what, Chase, you¡¯ll forever be a part of me,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say this,¡± He used his thumb to wipe her tears. ¡°You don¡¯t know what the future holds for us. I wish I could change it, but I can¡¯t. We¡¯ll end up apart from each other in the end,¡±


    ¡°Stop saying all these,¡± She shook her head and hurled herself into his arms. ¡°I love you, and I can¡¯t live without you,¡± She hugged him tight as she ignored the pain on her shoulder. ¡°If you¡¯re saying all these because you don¡¯t love me back, I¡¯ll wait for you. I¡¯ll give you all the time you need because my love is strong enough for the both of us. I¡¯ll wait but don¡¯t ever talk about leaving me. If-,¡± She pulled away, staring at him, her face wet with tears. She cupped his cheeks. ¡°I- I- Without you, there¡¯s no me. Without Chase, there¡¯s no Sophia. Say it,¡±


    ¡°Gattina-¡±


    {¡°Kitten-¡°}


    ¡°Say it,¡± She dropped a peck on his lips and pecked his nose, then his forehead. ¡°Say it. Say that without Chase, there¡¯s no Sophia, and without Sophia, there¡¯s no Chase. Say it,¡±


    When Chase said nothing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and burst into another round of tears.


    Her body went limp.

 CHAPTER CII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA STARED AT her reflection in the mirror with a pained look. She was dressed in a simple ck sleeveless dress, which Chase had sent over to her immediately she woke up in the evening, with a note saying they were going to have a date that night. The dress stopped mid-thigh and she wouldn¡¯t lie that she didn¡¯t love it.


    She had matched the dress with a stiletto and beautiful set of jewelleries. Her hair was curled at the tip, and it bounced freely across her shoulders to her mid back. Thanks to the stylist Chase had sent to her, she had put on a simple, light make up.


    Her eyes fell on the tattoo on her shoulder, which she had gotten earlier in the afternoon, and a sigh left her lips as tears blurred her vision at the remainder of Chase¡¯s obvious distaste towards it.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    She lifted her hands and softly caressed the skin. It was still sore and a bit swollen, but not as bad as before and it made her wonder what Chase must have done to help reduce the sore after she fell unconscious in his car.


    A knock on her door startled her, and her hands fell by her sides. ¡°Come in,¡±


    The door opened, and one of the maids dressed in a white button-down shirt and navy blue knee-length skirt walked in with a radiant smile on her face.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± She bowed respectfully. ¡°The Don has requested your presence at the roof-top. I¡¯m to take you there as per his orders,¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡±


    ~~~


    The roof-top was decorated simply yet elegantly. Except for the few candle-light decorations there, a table for two was present also.


    Sophia walked further into the space as the maid went away. Before she could take in the scenario, a pair of warm, strong, and muscr arms wrapped around her, and she froze, feeling the owner¡¯s hot breath fanning the skin on the nape of her neck.


    ¡°Ch- Cha-,¡±


    He simply cut her off with a simple peck on her skin. ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± She replied, cing her hands on his arms that were still around her. ¡°I- I love it,¡±


    ¡°There are stars in the sky,¡± He unwrapped his arms from her waist and turned her to face him. ¡°We can star- gaze if you want,¡±


    She peeked at him through hershes. ¡°Okay,¡± She dropped her head down.


    Chase frowned and held her chin gently between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it up. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Sophia nodded. ¡°Yes,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± He tightened his grip on her chin, making her wince out. ¡°What¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m okay,¡± She passed him a tight-lipped smile. ¡°Just tired,¡±


    ¡°Are you still upset about what happened today at the tattoo shop?¡± He asked and stepped away from her the moment she didn¡¯t reply. ¡°I already exined everything to you,¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was upset about that, Chase,¡± She sighed. ¡°I- I¡¯m not just in a good mood. I don¡¯t feel good,¡±


    Chase stepped closer and ced one of his palms on her cheeks, caressing her cheekbone with his thumb, his gaze soft on her. ¡°Is it the sore from the tattoo that¡¯s hurting? Tell me what the problem is,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± Sophia stared into his eyes, wondering if she could actually just say what was wrong with her. She was scared. Ever since she woke up, she hadn¡¯t been able to get their conversation from the tattoo shop out of her mind.


    What if she approached the topic and Chase got upset, then said something hurting to her?


    No. She internally screamed at herself. She couldn¡¯t do anything to upset him. If Chase got upset with her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually the sore,¡± Her smile widened at the thought of him caring about her. ¡°But I¡¯ll be fine with you by my side,¡±


    Chase nodded, deep down, knowing what was actually wrong with her. ¡°Okay then,¡± He held her small hand in his, then walked her to the table.


    He pulled out a seat for her, and she sat down, muttering a ¡®thanks¡¯ to him, before he pushed back the chair. He went round the table and took his seat opposite her.


    ¡°Why did you n a date?¡± She asked, smiling at the idea.


    Chase smiled at her. ¡°I wanted to make up for what happened earlier today,¡± He stretched his hands and held her hands in his. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to be hung up on all that. Just so you know -¡± His eyes went to the tattoo. ¡°The tattoo is nice. I love it,¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± She blushed.


    Chase averted his eyes back to hers. ¡°You look stunning in this dress,¡±


    ¡°The dress is from you. Obviously, it would be stunning,¡± She replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the dress, Gattina,¡± His voice turned hoarse, thick with restraint. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you in the dress,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    She tilted her head to the side. ¡°Either way, thanks,¡±


    Two maids arrived with a serving trolley, and on it was a dish served and arranged neatly. They both ced each te for Chase and Sophia in front of them along with a ss of wine each before leaving.


    Sophia twirled the pasta in her fork and brought it to her lips before swallowing it. Her taste buds exploded with the taste of the dish, and a moan left her lips.


    Her eyes widened, the fork dropped on the te from her hand and she quickly ced her palm on her lips on realizing what she had just done. On instincts, she looked at Chase, who was staring at her intently without saying a word. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    Chase smiled, shaking his head, and then blurted out. ¡°I feel jealous of the pasta,¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d be the only one capable of earning that sound from you,¡± He said, taking a deep breath. ¡°I guess I have a rival now,¡±


    She let out a smallugh and then pointed at his untouched food. ¡°You aren¡¯t eating, why?¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡± He asked. When she said nothing, he continued. ¡°I won¡¯t. Not until you tell me what you think about the food,¡±


    ¡°I love it,¡± She smiled, taking a sip from her wine. She dropped the ss back on the table. ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡±


    Chase smiled. ¡°Your moan said enough,¡±


    She blushed.


    ¡°Remind me never to cook for you,¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯d always choose the meal over me,¡±


    Sophia gaped at him. ¡°You made the dish?¡±


    Chase nodded, twirling the pasta in his fork before bringing it to his lips.


    ¡°I never knew you could cook,¡± She remarked. ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone that can cook,¡±


    He lifted a brow. ¡°Do I?¡±


    ¡°When and where did you learn how to cook?¡± She asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.


    ¡°My mama,¡± His tone dropped, and his eyes hardened. ¡°I loved staying with her in the kitchen whenever she cooked,¡±


    ¡°Is she still alive?¡±


    Chase¡¯s jaw clenched, and his hold on the fork tightened. Sophia didn¡¯t notice it. ¡°No,¡±


    Sophia gently ced her hand on his¡¯, then caressed it, whispering out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡±


    Your father should be the one sorry about that. Chase looked up from their hands and stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡±


    Sophia reluctantly pulled her hand away and twirled her pasta on her fork before taking it to her lips. ¡°Can you tell me about her if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°She was the only woman I ever loved my whole life,¡±


    Immediately the words left Chase¡¯s lips, Sophia¡¯s heart skipped, then dropped in her stomach, and the fork in her hand fell into the te with a loud nk.


    His eyes softened. ¡°Are you okay? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± Sophia swallowed the huge lump in her throat and nodded, then stood up. ¡°Excuse me,¡±


    She scurried off.

 CHAPTER CIII

    ~~~


    Sophia gripped the kitchen counter tightly. Her head felt heavy, and she breathed in, then out, trying hard to control her breathing.


    ¡°She was the only woman I ever loved my whole life,¡±


    Her heart sank deeper in her stomach, and she shut her eyes tight, biting down on her lower lip.


    She wasn¡¯t meant to feel jealous of herte mother-inw. It was normal for every son to love his mum. It was a normal thing for a son to love his mum, so she wasn¡¯t meant to feel jealous of thedy.


    She didn¡¯t know who Chase¡¯s mum was, but from the way he said those little things about her, it was obvious he loved her so much.


    It hurt. It hurt her so badly that Chase loved someone else but wasn¡¯t even able to reciprocate her own feelings. But that person was his mum, right? It was normal. She was meant to understand.


    She couldn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t understand that fact ore to terms with it.


    Sophia moved away from the counter and opened the refrigerator. She took out a bottle of water and uncapped it, then gulped down half of its contents.


    ¡°Trouble in paradise?¡±


    Sophia slightly jumped in her ce. The bottle fell off from her hand to the tiled floor, and the remaining contents spilt out of the bottle.


    She abruptly turned to thedy standing by the doorway, smiling at her coyly. ¡°Saige,¡±


    ¡°You look troubled,¡± Saige walked into the kitchen. ¡°Can I be of help?¡±


    Sophia retorted. ¡°No,¡±


    ¡°Oh -¡°Saige¡¯s words died in her throat, and her smile died when her eyes fell on Sophia¡¯s ring finger. She frowned at the wedding band on the finger.


    Sophia followed Saige¡¯s line of sight, and the moment she realized what she was looking at, her eyes widened, and she quickly hid her hand behind her back.


    That was when Saige looked up at Sophia, who was staring back at her. ¡°Why do you have a ring on that finger?¡± She pointed towards the direction where Sophia had hidden her hand. ¡°And that too, a wedding band,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± Sophia said. She made her way to walk past Saige, but thetter was having none of it.


    She grabbed Sophia by the arm and shoved her back into the kitchen. ¡°Who are you married to? And when did that happen?¡±


    Sophia tried to maintain her fearless posture. ¡°I said it¡¯s none of your business. Let me go,¡±


    ¡°Not until -¡± That was when Saige¡¯s eyes fell on the tattoo on Sophia¡¯s shoulders. She stared back into her eyes. ¡°Why do you have Chase¡¯s initials on you? Why do you have a tattoo of his initials?¡±


    Sophia said nothing.


    ¡°You little minx!¡± Saige hurled herself towards Sophia. She gripped her hair in her fists as if she would pull them off. ¡°You aren¡¯t as innocent as you look, right?¡±


    Sophia held Saige¡¯s wrists, trying to push her away. ¡°Let go off me, Saige,¡± She cried out.


    ¡°You¡¯re a betrayer!¡± Saige shrieked. ¡°How dare you get a tattoo of my husband¡¯s initials on yourself?¡±


    Saige was stronger than Sophia. As ady born into a mafia world, she had been trained. Sophia was no match for her, and it scared Sophia that she would kill her.


    ¡°Let go, Saige,¡± She cried again. ¡°You¡¯re hurting me,¡±


    Saige gripped Sophia¡¯s hair tighter without letting go.


    It was either one of them against the other.


    Adrenaline rushed through her body the moment Sophia felt her head being jerked up before the counter. Before Saige could hit her head against the counter, Sophia held onto her shoulders and harshly pushed her away from herself.


    As a result of the harsh impact of Sophia¡¯s push, Saige hit her waist hard on the kitchen counter. She winced out in pain. She lost her footing and went toppling down the floor but before she could reach the ground, Chase held her shoulders firmly.


    She was lucky he had reached the kitchen just in time to save her from further embarrassment.


    He stared at Sophia, who was breathing heavily with her hair out of ce and a few strands of it sprawled all over her face. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Looking at Chase¡¯s hand on Saige¡¯s shoulder doubled Sophia¡¯s anger, and she fisted her hands beside her, ring at his hands.


    On noticing Sophia¡¯s anger, Chase helped Saige bnce on her feet before dropping his hands beside him. ¡°I asked a question,¡± He didn¡¯t break eye contact with Sophia. ¡°What happened here?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your wife who, instead of minding her own business, prefers to poke her nose in other people¡¯s affairs?¡± She bit out.


    ¡°You call what I did poke nosing?¡± Saige shrieked, trying hard to ignore the pain on her waist. ¡°You have a fucking tattoo of my husband¡¯s initials on your shoulder and expect me to just keep quiet about it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care whether youin about the tattoo or not. It¡¯s my skin and I¡¯ll do what I want to do with it,¡± Sophia remarked. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have attacked me first,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t regret my actions and I will do it again if need be,¡±


    Before Saige could get to her, Sophia grabbed a knife from the knife-stand and pointed it at her. ¡°If youe any closer, I swear, I¡¯ll slit your throat. Try me,¡± Her hands shook as she held the knife. She wouldn¡¯t do as she threatened. She had no violent bone in her body.


    Saige stopped and turned to Chase, who was staring at them both. ¡°Are you listening to what she¡¯s saying? She isn¡¯t even as innocent as everyone thinks she is,¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about innocence, Saige, so don¡¯t underestimate me,¡± Sophia said, her voice shaking, and Saige turned to face her. ¡°I can do anything for the man I-¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Chase cut her off. ¡°Sophia,¡± He walked towards her and snatched the knife from her hand. When he dropped the weapon on the kitchen counter, he gripped her arm and pulled her out of the kitchen with him, towards his room, ignoring Saige.


    ¡°Let go off me!¡± Sophia yanked her arm from his grip the moment they walked into his room. ¡°Go and meet her. She¡¯s hurt,¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± He asked. ¡°Why did you have to threaten her?¡±


    ¡°Ask her why she attacked me first,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being childish, Sophia,¡± He said.


    ¡°Well then, I think you¡¯d love to know that your wife is being unreasonable at the moment, ¡°She retorted back, folding her arms across her chest.


    Sophia wasn¡¯t the type to act like that, but Saige had been getting on her nerves with her attitude. It wasn¡¯t helping at all that Chase was keeping their rtionship secret because of Saige.


    ¡°Stop saying it like that. You¡¯re my wife,¡± He bit out. ¡°You are my legal wife,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see you treating me as one,¡± She dropped her hands beside her and walked closer to him. ¡°What type of husband tells his wife he won¡¯t be there with her forever?¡±


    ¡°Dammit, Sophia,¡±


    ¡°Let me go, Chase,¡± She muttered, her voice full of pain. ¡°If you won¡¯t give me what I want, let me go,¡±


    The thought of letting her go burned his ego. He couldn¡¯t let her go. Not until he took hisst breath.


    Chase took her off guard and gripped both of her arms, then shoved her against the wall. He gritted out. ¡°We both know that¡¯s impossible,¡±


    She stared into his eyes, not backing down. ¡°Then reciprocate my feelings,¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t tell people to love you back,¡±


    Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°You made me love you,¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have,¡± He said, caressing her cheeks. It was so surprising how the atmosphere between them both had changed all of a sudden. He dipped his head and ced small kisses all over the tattoo on her shoulder. ¡°Forget about love, Gattina. What matters is that we belong to each other,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}

 CHAPTER CIV

    ~~~


    SOPHIA CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD what Chase was trying to do the moment his fingers went to her zipper as his lips caressed the skin of her neck. He was trying to distract and seduce her from trying to talk about her feelings like he had done to her in his study.


    Gathering up enough courage, she ced her hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. ¡°I can¡¯t do this,¡±


    Chase took a step back, hurt at her rejection. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She closed her eyes and opened them. ¡°I can¡¯t do this, Chase. I- I can¡¯t do this with you. Not until you tell me you love me,¡±


    ¡°We discussed this already,¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t!¡± She snapped. ¡°We didn¡¯t discuss any of this, Chase. Any time I try to talk about it, you simply end up trying to distract me from the topic, or I sometimes end up in tears. You¡¯re hurting me and I hate it,¡±


    He took a step towards her and caressed her cheeks gently with his knuckles, his rings slightly grazing her skin. ¡°So what do you want?¡±


    She gulped, trying not to lean into his touch. ¡°Your heart,¡± She didn¡¯t break eye contact. ¡°I want you to feel for me what I feel for you,¡±


    ¡°You want me to get infatuated with you?¡±


    His words felt like an arrow sent to her chest, slicing through it. ¡°I¡¯m not infatuated, Chase,¡± tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°I love you,¡±


    Chase leaned in and brushed their lips together. ¡°I told you love doesn¡¯t exist in our world,¡±


    ¡°I want to make it exist,¡± She replied. ¡°I want to change the mafia world,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not possible,¡± He said, pecking her lips as his arm went around her waist. ¡°You can¡¯t change this world. Only I can do that,¡±


    ¡°Then do it for me,¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Chase¡¯s lips lifted into a smirk, and he pulled away a little, gazing into her eyes. ¡°I can do anything for you, Gattina, but not that,¡± He was back with brushing their lips again, trying to coax her into a kiss. ¡°I can even bring everything to your feet, but not my heart,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°But that¡¯s all I want. I want your heart,¡± Her voice came out desperate.


    ¡°How can I give you what I don¡¯t have, Gattina?¡± He asked. ¡°My heart was taken away from me ever since I was little,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia said nothing. She fisted his suit coat in her hands and listened to the sound of her heart drumming wildly against her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m yours, Sophia Romano,¡± Chase pulled her bottom lip between his lips, gently sucking on it. He reluctantly let go of her lip and stared deeply into her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m yours, and you have nothing to worry about if Saige is your problem,¡±


    ¡°Why then did you marry her? You¡¯re hurting her as well,¡± Sophia whispered.


    ¡°She signed herself up for it,¡± Chase said, twirling her hair between his fingers as he stared at the curls with admiration. ¡°She chose to get her heart broken,¡±


    The words left her lips before she could barely register them. ¡°You¡¯re cruel,¡±


    That seemed to stop Chase, and he averted his gaze from her hair to her eyes, his lips curling up into a triumphant smirk. ¡°I know, Gattina. I know,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°What type of man are you?¡±


    ¡°A cruel one,¡± He smiled, caressing her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m a cruel man. I¡¯m the cruel man you happen to want so badly. I¡¯m the cruel man an angel as you can¡¯t stay away from,¡±


    Angrily, Sophia pushed him away from her, and he stumbled a bit before regaining his posture. ¡°I hate you!¡±


    A flicker of emotion appeared in his eyes and disappeared almost immediately. It was so fast that she could barely register it. He smiled smugly. ¡°Do you?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe that was the type of person she had fallen in love with. How could she have been so foolish to fall in love with an inhuman person like him? He didn¡¯t care about anyone¡¯s feelings. He only cared about himself. Yes, Saige pissed her off but she would never wish something as bad as what Chase was doing to her for her.


    But nothing could change the fact that she still loved that inhuman man even after all the pain he had caused her.


    The moment he saw the tears rapidly flowing down Sophia¡¯s cheeks, Chase¡¯s eyes softened, and he went closer to her. ¡°Gattina,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    Sophia immediately raised her hand up to stop him, and he stopped. She dismissed the shock she felt as he did as tell and shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯te close to me,¡± She cried. ¡°Don¡¯te close to me or touch me, Chase. Not until you change who you are,¡±


    After saying that, Sophia dashed out of the room.


    ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,¡± Chase gritted out and kicked the wall while running his hands through his hair.


    ~~~


    Sophia shut her bedroom door with a bang  and leaned her back on it, slowly sliding down the door. She sat on the ground and hugged her knees to herself as her tears increased.


    ¡°I¡¯m a cruel man. I¡¯m the cruel man you happen to want so badly. I¡¯m the cruel man an angel as you can¡¯t stay away from,¡±


    The look in his eyes scared her. He didn¡¯t look like the Chase she knew. He wasn¡¯t the Chase that would cradle her face and say sweet nothings to her till she eventually calmed down.


    The one she saw was cruel. He was brutish and nothing close to the Chase she had fallen in love with.


    Yet, she still loved him. She loved him in every way he was.


    A small, gentle knock on her door made her flinch a little, and she immediately stood up. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    The person replied. ¡°It¡¯s me, Val,¡±


    Wiping her tears, Sophia opened the door and passed Valerie a fake smile. ¡°Hey, Val. You¡¯re back already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Valerie eyed her warily. ¡°I just returned and was on my way to your room when you ran past me crying. Are you okay?¡±


    Sophia meekly nodded. ¡°I- I-,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Don, right?¡±


    Sophia shook her head immediately. ¡°No. No. It¡¯s just that I-,¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re in love with my cousin, Sophia,¡± Valerie said. ¡°I think we¡¯ve passed this stage where you lie all the time,¡±


    Sophia let out a shake breath. ¡°It hurts,¡±


    Valerie passed her an understanding smile. ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophia replied, moving away from the door to give Valerie a way to walk in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I let you stand there,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Valerie dropped her bag on the bed and turned to Sophia, who was staring at her. ¡°Tell me what the issue is,¡±


    ¡°He-,¡± a single tear rolled down her cheek. ¡°He doesn¡¯t love me. He¡¯s only hurting me,¡±


    ¡°Do you think Don loves you?¡± Valerie asked. ¡°Have you tried to see if he loves you from his actions towards you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°He cares about me a lot. He can¡¯t bear to see me hurt and all, yet he ims be doesn¡¯t love me. I don¡¯t even understand him at all. There¡¯s a part of me that wants me to believe he really loves me but then, I get hurt again and again each time he says something else,¡±

 CHAPTER CV

    ~~~


    ¡°You¡¯re innocent, Sophia,¡± Valerie held Sophia¡¯s hands in hers. ¡°And I think it¡¯s pretty normal to panic when the one you love doesn¡¯t say the same, especially when it¡¯s your first love. But then, have you tried giving him time?¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°When I told him I wanted to, he told me not to. He said he wouldn¡¯t realize a thing even if I gave him time,¡±


    Valerie smiled a little. ¡°No one part of us was raised to fall in love and I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why Don is holding back or maybe he hasn¡¯t realized his feelings yet. We all know how much he cares about you. He does that more than everyone else and I haven¡¯t seen him behave like that towards anyone after his mum and sister. Give him time and try not to be too overbearing. Don¡¯t suffocate him with your feelings and trust me, he will realize how he feels about you,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Sophia said after thinking about it. ¡°What you¡¯re saying is right,¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Valerie chirped. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to exercise some patience, then? After all, one can do anything for their loved ones,¡±


    Sophia smiled.


    ¡°By the way -¡± Valerie pointed at Sophia¡¯s shoulder.¡±-you have a nice tattoo over there. It¡¯s nice,¡±


    Shyly, Sophia blushed. ¡°Chase said the same,¡±


    ~~~


    The moment Valerie ced her hand on the door knob of her room, a rough hand was ced on her mouth, and her eyes widened in shock.


    There was an invader in the mansion.


    Before she could make any further noise, the person¡¯s arm went around her waist, and she was pulled away from there. She tried to struggle, but the person didn¡¯t let her go.


    Once they reached a dark and quiet part of the house, the person let her go.


    She regained her posture. ¡°What the -,¡± She gasped when she stared at the person. ¡°Alessandro!¡±


    Alessandro said nothing. He stared at the only woman he had fallen in love with against the mafia world rules, but the truth was, he was ready to do anything for her. Even if it meant breaking the rules again and again.


    Valerie Romano was his weakness.


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± She red at him. ¡°You scared the shit out of me,¡±


    ¡°What else would I have done?¡± He stepped closer, sounding as calm as ever. ¡°You weren¡¯t talking to me or listening to what I was trying to say,¡±


    ¡°Oh great,¡± She iled her arms in the air. ¡°Look who said I wasn¡¯t listening to what I was trying to say when he did worse,¡± She poked his chest with her index finger. ¡°Alessandro, you gave me the silent treatment for more than a month because you thought I was cheating on you with Nick,¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to do a payback here?¡±


    She stepped back from him. ¡°Take it however you want,¡±


    ¡°Fuck, sweetheart, ¡°He muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I did nothing to deserve that,¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She folded her arms across her chest. ¡°Can you remember when you-,¡±


    He gripped her arm tightly and pulled her closer to him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter because I love you. I love you, Valerie and you know that,¡±


    Suddenly, the lights went on, followed by a deep voice before they could even realize what was happening.


    ¡°What the fuck going on here?¡±


    Alessandro let go of Valerie, and she took a few steps backwards as she stared wide-eyed at her brother, who didn¡¯t look in any way, pleased by what he saw.


    ¡°Lucas,¡±


    Lucas walked towards them. ¡°I said what the fuck is going on here?¡±


    ¡°Lucas, I- I-,¡±


    Alessandro stepped in. ¡°We¡¯re in love,¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Valerie muttered. ¡°This idiot is going to get himself in trouble,¡±


    Lucas narrowed his eyes at Alessandro. ¡°What the fuck did you just say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing serious, Lucas,¡±Valerie jumped in and stopped directly in the middle of Lucas and Alessandro. ¡°He was only pulling your legs,¡±


    ¡°I clearly heard him telling you he fucking loved you,¡± Lucas gritted out. ¡°I fucking don¡¯t have hearing problems, Valerie. Stop lying and tell me the damned truth,¡±


    ¡°The truth is that Valerie and I are in love,¡± Alessandro held Valerie¡¯s hand and stepped forward to stand by her side. ¡°Valerie and I love each other,¡±


    Lucas looked taken-aback for a moment before he regained his calmposure. It was so shocking that someone in his shoes was looking that calm, but then, that was how Lucas was. ¡°Since when?¡±


    Valerie knew her brother very well. He was the calm- before- the- storm type. ¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± She was only trying to protect Alessandro. Lucas was likely to get him killed, not because of the fact that they had both gone against the rules of their world, but because he was over protective of her. ¡°We¡¯re not in love,¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck are you hiding the truth?¡± Alessandro gripped her arm and turned her to face him. ¡°Let¡¯s tell him the truth,¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking out of your mind?¡± Valerie almost snapped. ¡°Lucas won¡¯t spare your life,¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s true, then?¡± Lucas smirked and they turned to face him. ¡°You both love each other, then?¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Valerie frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not angry?¡±


    Lucas shook his head. ¡°As much as I want to, I can¡¯t,¡± He stared at Alessandro. ¡°Alessandro is capable of taking care of the one he loves. That¡¯s something I¡¯m so damned sure of,¡± He moved closer to him, a warning glint in his eyes. ¡°Take care of my sister else, I won¡¯t hesitate to chop off your balls,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill him?¡± Valerie asked. ¡°You¡¯re the underboss and you¡¯re allowing us to go against the rules,¡±


    Lucas turned to Valerie and smiled. ¡°Sophia is changing that in her own innocent way,¡± He then faced Alessandro again. ¡°Both of my sisters¡¯ are your responsibility. You hold one¡¯s heart and you have the other one¡¯s life to protect. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re going to do it, but neverpromise one for the other,¡±


    Valerie gasped. ¡°He- he knows the truth?¡±


    ¡°Alessandro and I have always been close buddies and I trust him enough to keep it a secret,¡±

 CHAPTER CVI

    ~~~


    SAIGE SCOWLED IN displeasure at the sight of the wedding band still on Sophia¡¯s ring finger as she took a spoon of her breakfast to her lips.


    The dining room was silent as everyone had their meal. There was a pin drop silence, and she internally let out a scoff. Too bad the sound reached everyone¡¯s ears because she made it out loud.


    When everyone¡¯s attention whipped towards her, Saige dropped her spoon on her te and stered a fake smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to -¡±


    Lucas cut her off with a loud snort and continued eating. Everyone returned their attention back to their food as well. Valerie passed her a small smile and resumed eating too.


    Saige¡¯s eyes narrowed on the band on Sophia¡¯s finger, and she looked up, only to find Sophia staring back at her. It had been a week since the incident in the kitchen but Saige still couldn¡¯t take her mind off the ring.


    Sophia shifted in her seat and hid her hand under the table.


    Saige gave her a sly smile and turned to Chase. ¡°Don,¡±


    Irritated at her behaviour, Chase dropped his spoon in his te harshly and snapped his head at her, obvious irritation contorting his features. ¡°What?¡±


    Lucas snickered. Luciano barely passed them a nce. Valerie pursed her lips into a thin line. Sophia¡¯s heart skipped a bit.


    ¡°I was wondering something,¡± Saige averted her gaze to Sophia before continuing. ¡°I was wondering why she has a wedding band on her ring finger,¡±


    Luciano and Valerie stopped eating. There was a frown on both of their faces.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡± Lucas red at Saige.


    Sophia¡¯s heartbeat skyrocketed, and she swallowed. ¡°What- what are you -¡±


    ¡°Do you want to deny the fact that you have a wedding band on your ring finger, Sophia?¡± Saige asked, raising a brow at her. ¡°Show us your left hand, then,¡±


    ¡°I- I-,¡± Sophia looked at Chase, who was staring back at her, his eyes daring her. Daring her to do what? She didn¡¯t know. She couldn¡¯t read him.


    ¡°What is she saying, freckles?¡± Lucas ced his hand on Sophia¡¯s shoulder, and she looked at him. ¡°Let me see your left hand?¡± His eyes fell on her hand under the table. ¡°Why is it under the table?¡±


    Saige replied. ¡°Her hand is under the table because there¡¯s a ring on one of her fingers. I just don¡¯t understand who she got married to,¡± She looked at Sophia in the eye. ¡°Tell us who the man is, Soph. Who did you -¡±


    Chase¡¯s voice sliced through the air, cutting Saige¡¯s drama off. ¡°We¡¯re married,¡± When silence met his words, he continued. ¡°Sophia and I are married. I¡¯m the man whose ring she has on her finger,¡± He held Saige¡¯s eyes with his as he stood up, towering above them all. ¡°Do you want to know anything else, Saige?¡±


    Sophia panicked. ¡°You-,¡±


    Immediately, Saige stood up, and a shriek left her lips. ¡°You can¡¯t be married to her. I¡¯m your wife!¡±


    Chase slid both of his hands in his pockets. ¡°She is also my wife,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s illegal!¡± She tried to reason with him.


    ¡°Do I look like a man who adheres to thew?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Saige walked closer to him and stood directly in front of him. ¡°What matters is that your marriage with her is illegal. I am your legal wife,¡±


    He lifted a brow. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to know the truth so you can rephrase your words?¡±


    Saige said nothing. She stared at him with parted lips, her heart constricting with pain. She didn¡¯t want to know the real truth.


    She could be the illegal wife.


    Saige pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and blinked back her tears. ¡°I- Excuse me,¡± She went out of the dining room.


    Sophia stood up from her seat and swallowed. ¡°Excuse me,¡±


    She scurried out of there, not forgetting the look she had seen in Luciano¡¯s eyes before she left. The look he had in his eyes stood out from the one others had.


    The look in his eyes made her heart drop in her stomach. It made her feel like she had been wrong for marrying the man she loved. It made her almost regret agreeing to marry Chase. Almost.


    ~~~


    Luciano stared at the photograph of the innocent girl in his hands and his fists clenched beside him. She was smiling in the picture. Smiling at something Chase had said to her.


    Her smile was just as pretty as she was. Her smile used to brighten up his day every time he saw it and his chest tightened with pain at the reminder that he couldn¡¯t have her. He couldn¡¯t love her romantically because she was the little sister he thought was dead.


    That meant his love from afar was useless. Pointless.


    ¡°We¡¯re married,¡±


    ¡°Sophia and I are married. I¡¯m the man whose ring she has on her finger,¡±


    He let his head drop back and he swallowed the huge lump that had formed at the back of his throat as he shut his eyes off.


    His baby sister was in love.


    She was hopelessly in love with someone who couldn¡¯t feel the same about her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fucking risky. I can¡¯t meet up with you,¡±


    Luciano¡¯s eyes snapped open and he looked down the balcony towards where the voice came from. He found the owner of the voice dressed in the same ck dress she was wearing earlier in the morning as she stood in the garden, oblivious to the eyes watching her from the second floor balcony.

 CHAPTER CVII

    ~~~


    ~~


    ~


    His eyes narrowed in on her as he saw the way she looked left and right as if she didn¡¯t want anyone to hear what she was saying to whoever it was she was talking to on the phone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you Sophia¡¯s photograph right away. You have to understand that I can¡¯t meet up with you else Luciano suspect that I¡¯m not around,¡±


    Panic shot through Luciano¡¯s core as he heard Saige¡¯s words. Who was she talking to and why did she have to send Sophia¡¯s photograph to the person?


    ¡°Look-,¡± Her voice got his attention again. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you double the money. All you have to do is make sure that Sophia is dead. She¡¯s-,¡± She massaged her temple. ¡°She¡¯s the only reason my husband doesn¡¯t want me and I can¡¯t take the chances again. I don¡¯t even want to think of what will happen in the future if I don¡¯t take care of that problem now,¡± She smiled. ¡°Sophia is out with Valerie. They¡¯re at McDonald¡¯s right now. I just spoke to Valerie. No matter what, nothing must happen to Valerie. Sophia shouldn¡¯te home alive else you¡¯ll be the dead one,¡±


    Luciano quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and rushed out of the balcony, trying to call Valerie.


    ¡°Dannazione Val,¡± He muttered as she didn¡¯t pick up the call. ¡°Rispondi a que cazzo di chiamata,¡±


    {¡°Dammit Val¡±} {¡°Pick up the fucking call,¡±}


    He tried Alessandro too, knowing that as Sophia¡¯s bodyguard, he would be with them but he encountered a simr problem. After countless times of trying to get to him, Alessandro finally picked.


    He breathed out in relief. ¡°Alesandro- ¡± Before he could say anything else, the call got disconnected.


    Angrily, he mmed the phone against the wall when he realized his phone had automatically shut down due to low battery.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t home either. He had gone out for some work and wouldn¡¯t even be able to pick up any calls.


    Luciano frustrated ran his hands through his hair. He needed to do something. He needed to save his little sister.


    He had to save her from the clutches of death.


    He rushed downstairs and motioned to one of the guards. ¡°Nonsciare che que cazzo di Donnasci ilplesso, qualunque cosa ada. Trova un modo per sequestrarle il telefono e impedirle di fare qualsiasi chiamata. Se tenta qualcosa di intelligente, sequestr,¡±


    {¡°Don¡¯t let the Donna fucking leave thepound no matter what. Find a way to seize her phone and stop her from making any calls. If she tries to do anything smart, seize her,¡±}


    ¡°Ma consigliere, lei e-¡±


    {¡°But consigliere, she¡¯s the-¡°}


    Luciano cut him off by angrily grabbing his cor. ¡°Fai quello che ti ho detto altrimenti perderai vita. Cazzo, prendi subito Donna. Sta progettando di idere un membro di questa famiglia,¡± He let go off the guards¡¯ cor.


    {¡°Do as I fucking say else you¡¯re going to lose your life. Fucking seize the Donna right away. She¡¯s nning to murder a member of this family¡±}


    He wasn¡¯t doing as he was told because his life was threatened. He was doing as told because the life of a member of the family was in danger. ¡°Sure,¡± The man rushed out, barking orders to his colleagues.


    Luciano immediately left thepound with some of their men and headed for McDonald¡¯s.


    ~~~


    He was ignoring her. It was obvious Chase was ignoring her since the night she shoved him away and told him not to touch her. Even while ignoring her, he couldn¡¯t take her off his mind. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the tears of pain she had in her eyes every time he shunned her love away.


    He couldn¡¯t bear to see her in pain.


    That was the main reason why he had announced their marriage in the dining room that morning regardless of the fact that it was going to jeopardize his ns to destroy the Romano empire. He knew she always wanted him to publicize their wedding, but telling that to his cousins was the first step, right?


    It didn¡¯t matter what step was. Something he knew was that if De Luca got a whiff of the truth about his marriage with Sophia, he was likely to back off from their arrangement. If De Luca backed out, Chase would be taking steps backwards in his n.


    But then, he wasn¡¯t a fool. He had his n B.


    Chase breathed out a sigh and stared at the small cottage he had parked his car beside. The cottage was located in the bushes, looking empty and haunted, how no one, if not told by him, would ever suspect there was something in it.


    A human being living in it.


    Chase grabbed the bag on the passenger seat and pulled out his key from the ignition. He walked out of the car, locked it and made his way into the old building.


    He inserted a key into the keyhole and unlocked the door, then pushed it open. When he was inside, he locked it back and made his way further into the cottage with the bag in his hand, the sound of his shoes on the wooden floor resonating through the air.


    He stopped in front of a door and unlocked it as well before entering inside the room. His eyes fell on the figure seated on old wooden armchair facing the small window.


    ¡°Pops,¡±

 CHAPTER CVIII

    ~~~


    CHASE STALKED TOWARDS the figure perched on the old wooden armchair. Once he got there, he shut off the window, leaving the room to remain illuminated with the small lighting from themp.


    The man in his sixties staring out of the window which had been closed looked up at the replica of himself. His voice came out sad, tired, depressed even. ¡°Chase,¡±


    ¡°Don,¡± Chase locked eyes with the man. ¡°Your brother trained me to never allow the people under me to call me by my name. So, you¡¯ll call me Don,¡± He turned his face away.


    ¡°I¡¯m your father,¡± the man strained out. ¡°I gave birth to you,¡±


    Chase¡¯s jaw flexed and hardened. ¡°You allowed your brother fuck me up,¡±


    ¡°You took revenge for that,¡± His father said. ¡°You killed him and his friends. What else do you want?¡±


    ¡°Your life,¡± Chase faced his father again. ¡°Killing Antonio Romano and his friends won¡¯t make up for whatever you let him do to me. You were a coward,¡±


    ¡°Stop all these,¡± His father pleaded. ¡°Let me leave this ce. Let me leave this hell hole you¡¯ve kept me captive in for years,¡±


    ¡°And have everybody finally see that you¡¯re alive?¡± Chase¡¯s lips lifted into a smirk. ¡°You are dead to the world, Pietro Romano. You are dead. Gone. You¡¯ve been dead and forgotten for ages now,¡±


    ¡°You need treatment!¡± His father cried out. ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind,¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t handed me over to your brother, we all wouldn¡¯t have been here,¡± Chase said. He straightened up and ced the bag in his hand on the old wooden coffee table.


    Pietro¡¯s eyes averted to the nylon bag. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time for your meal, pops,¡± Chase knelt down and brought out the take-out te before opening it. He fetched out of the rice with a spoon and took it to Pietro¡¯s mouth. ¡°Eat,¡±


    Pietro shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to -¡±


    Chase cut him off by shoving the spoon in his mouth. ¡°How many weeks has it been that youst ate? Exactly four months, Pops. Do you want to get sick?¡± He pulled out the empty spoon and took it to the take-out te again. ¡°After today, you won¡¯t be having any meal again until another four weeks, and I can¡¯t have you dying right now after falling sick. If you fall sick, I won¡¯t use my money for your medication after all, it would be useless soon,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m used to the hunger,¡± Pietro croaked out. ¡°I¡¯m used to staying hungry,¡±


    ¡°I got used to it too when Antonio used to do the same, but he still forced me to eat every four weeks,¡± Chase said. ¡°Don¡¯t stress much, pops, your suffering will soone to an end. I¡¯m close to achieving my goal,¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Chase pushed the take- out te aside and propped his elbow on the table. ¡°De Luca is getting me the sh drive I want,¡±


    Pietro¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You can¡¯t do that. You can¡¯t destroy the Romano empire. Your uncle and I did so much to get the empire to where it is today,¡±


    Chase lifted a brow. ¡°Including sending me off to him to get fucked up in the name of a dammed training?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that!¡± Pietro¡¯s breathing became heavy. ¡°You- you-,¡± Tears blurred his eyes and he began to gasp for breath. ¡°What-,¡± He gasped, iling his weak, fragile hands up in the air. ¡°It was for-,¡±


    ¡°Fuck, pops,¡± Chase stood up and rushed to a drawer in the room. He opened it and brought out a drug and hissed as he walked to Pietro. ¡°You really want to die early, right? You haven¡¯t been taking your damned drugs!¡±


    ¡°I-,¡±


    Chase took out two pills and pushed it in his father¡¯s mouth before making him swallow it with the water he brought for him. When the man¡¯s breathing turned calm, Chase sighed. ¡°What the fuck, pops?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t watch you destroy something my brother and I built together after so much hard work, son,¡± His father said. ¡°Please, just let me die. Kill me. Don¡¯t let me live,¡±


    ¡°You-,¡± Chase was cut off by the sound of his ringtone tone filling the air. He fished out his phone from his pocket and frowned at the caller ID.


    Alessandro.


    He moved away from his dad and picked up the call. ¡°Alessandro,¡±


    Alessandro¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°Don, siamo sotto atto al McDonald¡¯s e sembra che l¡¯atto sia stato pianificato appositamente per signora,¡±


    {¡°Don, we¡¯re under attack at McDonald¡¯s, and it seems like the attack was specifically nned for Ma¡¯am¡±}


    Chase growled. ¡°Cazzo. Stanno bene tutti e due? Chiama per metterti al riparo. Arrivo tra poco,¡±


    {¡°Fuck. Are they both okay? Call out for cover. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±}


    ~~~


    Everything was happening in fast motion that Sophia couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. One moment, she was happily chatting away with Valerie and the other, there were screams from everywhere around them, followed by loud gunshots.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Soph,¡± Valerie said beside her as she slipped her phone back into the purse. They were taking cover under their table. ¡°I just finished speaking to Alessandro. He has called for cover, and we¡¯ll be safe. For now, we have to keep hiding under the table. If everything gets out of hand, I¡¯ll leave and try to fight off some of these people. You¡¯ll have to try and protect yourself with a fork or table knife,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± Tears kissed Sophia¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m scared. What if I die? What if -¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be scared of anything, Soph,¡± Valerie hushed at her. ¡°Don ising any moment from now,¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°He won¡¯t. He is very upset with me. He won¡¯te for me,¡±


    Before Valerie could say anything to console her, another bullet was fired near them, and Sophia jumped in fear. Another gunshot rang out, and after a minute or so, everywhere went silent.


    Sophia yelped when she was grabbed up by the arm, and her face collided with a hard chest. She tried to shove the person away, but the person held her tighter against himself.


    The scent of his cologne wafted through her nostrils the same time he growled out. ¡°Dammit. Stop moving,¡±


    She froze at the voice and looked up at the owner¡¯s face. Her lips parted, and tears returned to her eyes. ¡°Chase,¡±


    Chase didn¡¯t say anything to her. He simply stared down at Valerie. ¡°Stai bene?¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    {¡°Are you okay?¡±}


    Valerie nodded. ¡°Si,¡±


    {¡°Yes¡±}


    ¡°Esci. La fuori ti presento Alessandro e Luciano,¡± His next words came out without pity as he motioned to the half dead men sprawled on the floor. ¡°Io restero qui con Sophia e faro fuori questi idioti. Non sono del tutto morti,¡±


    {¡°Go out. Meet Alessandro and Luciano out there.¡±} {¡°I¡¯ll stay in here with Sophia and finish off these idiots. They aren¡¯tpletely dead.¡±}


    Valerie nodded and left.


    ¡°Chase, you came for me,¡± Sophia whispered. ¡°Thanks,¡±


    Without showing the effect of her words on him, Chase stared at her. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for this, Sophia. You¡¯ll stay here under the table and wait for me while o finish off the rest of these men,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡±

 CHAPTER CIX

    ~~~


    ~~


    ~


    The next thing happened so fast that they barely registered it. A bullet was fired in Sophia¡¯s way, and by the time Chase saw it, the bullet was already an inch away from her. A bullet was fast, but Chase was faster because he, on reflex, grabbed her arm and pulled her away. She fell on the floor with a thud, and the next second, he was falling over her.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He cupped her cheek, worry etched on his face, and voice.


    ¡°I-,¡± She hissed out. ¡°My arm. It hurts,¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± He pulled away from her and stared at her arm. Blood was already seeping out of her arm, pooling around the tile below them. ¡°The bullet hit your arm. You were shot,¡±


    Tears stung her eyes. ¡°I-,¡± Sophia looked at the space far behind Chase and it caught his attention.


    Chase pulled out his gun and turned to where she was staring at, only to lock eyes with a masked man under a table, pointing a gun towards her head.


    The bastard was the one who shot her on the arm.


    Before the man could hide away from Chase, a bullet was already buried on his hand, and he fell backwards, howling in pain. He had the chance to kill him, but there was no way Chase would have done that.


    His death was onlying after torture.


    Chase turned to Sophia and panic shot through him the moment he saw her eyes closing. He cradled her cheeks. ¡°Gattina. Don¡¯t close your eyes. Try to leave your eyes open.¡± He tapped her cheeks gently. ¡°Look into my eyes. You¡¯ll be okay. You¡¯ll be perfectly okay,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°It-,¡± She sighed, her eyes closing. ¡°It hurts badly,¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± He picked her up in his arm. ¡°You¡¯ll be okay. It was just in the arm. Look at me,¡± He stood up.


    Sophia smiled. ¡°I- I love you, Chase,¡± Her head lulled to the side, and her eyes closed.


    ~~~


    Chase roared at his cousins. ¡°Dove cazzo e Saige?!¡±


    {¡°Where the fuck is Saige?!¡±}


    ¡°l¡¯hanno fatta sequestrare dalle guardie,¡± Luciano replied. ¡°E ne prigione femminile,¡±


    {¡°I had the guards seize her¡±} {¡°She¡¯s in the women¡¯s dungeon¡±}


    Chase barked. ¡°Manda gli ordini immediatamente. Voglio che fottuta vi Deluca e ogni altra proprieta di proprieta di que famiglia vengano ridotte in cenere! Nemmeno una cazzo di mosca ne proprieta dovrebbe vivere!¡±


    {¡°Send out orders right away. I want the fucking De Luca mansion and every other property owned by that family burnt down to ashes! Not even fucking a fly in the property should live!¡±}


    Lucas asked. ¡°E De Luca? Che cazzo gli sederebbe?¡±


    {¡°And De Luca? What the fuck would happen to him?¡±}


    Chase pinned him down with a stare. ¡°Anche lui dovrebbe essere abbattuto. Dovrebbe bruciare in cenere insieme alle sue proprieta. Ma prima che venga mandato a morte, assicurati che sappia che sua fottuta principessa ha causato sua morte,¡±


    {¡°He should be taken down as well. He should fucking burn to ashes with his property. But before he is sent to his death, make sure he knows his fucking princess caused his death¡±}


    The three chorused. ¡°Si, Don,¡±


    {¡°Yes, Don¡±}


    Once they left, Chase looked up the stairs, wondering if he should go to his room and check up on Sophia. She was still unconscious but the doctor that took out the bullet from her arm assured them that she was okay and in good shape. He had said that she needed rest.


    His legs itched to go up the stairs. Chase made his way towards the staircase.


    ¡°Don,¡±


    Chase stopped at the sound of one of the guards¡¯ voices and turned. ¡°Che cosa?¡±


    {¡°What?¡±}


    ¡°L¡¯uomo che ha tentato di idere signora e stato legato secondo i vostri ordini,¡±


    {¡°The man who tried to kill ma¡¯am has been tied up as per your orders.¡±}


    ~~~


    Chase picked up the kettle of hot water and raised it above the head of the unconscious man. He wondered if he should do what he was about to do.


    His hands shook as he remembered how what he was about to do was once done to him when he tried to kill his uncle years ago. He was still a thirteen year old boy by then, but was able to use a gun. He had tried to shoot his uncle to end the mental torture he was going through.


    Unfortunately, he was caught by his dad.


    That same man, after catching him, submitted him to Antonio for punishment.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    He was beaten up by Antonio¡¯s men to pulp, and he fell unconscious.


    He was brought back to consciousness with a scalding hot water poured over him.


    Remembering the cry that had left him when he went through that horrible punishment, his features hardened. He ignored the cold sweat that broke out of his forehead and poured the contents of the kettle over the man¡¯s head.


    His victim¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he howled in pain at the stinging pain of the hot water pouring over his head, trickling down to his face and disappearing into his shirt as it burnt his skin. He couldn¡¯t run away. He was bound to a chair.


    A weird sense of satisfaction spread all over Chase¡¯s heart, and he smiled. A smile yed on his lips when he pictured the simr expression his uncle had on his face that horrible day.


    His victim¡¯s cry of pain quenched the me of anger he was feeling all over him-just a little bit-and he found the sound from the man enticing to his ears. Was that how he himself sounded when he was made to go through that torture?


    Once the kettle was empty, Chase dropped it on the ground and smirked as the man¡¯s skin turned pink.


    ¡°Tell me how you feel,¡±


    The man whimpered in pain, and Chase gripped his hair in his fists, throwing his head back. ¡°I¡¯m a horrible man. You should have thought of what you¡¯d go through before trying to take away what¡¯s mine from me,¡±

 CHAPTER CX

    ~~~


    SHE GROANED AS she tried to open her eyes and raise her numb arm up once again. Sophia raised her other arm and touched the bandage wrapped around her forehead.


    Before her eyes opened, memories of the few things that happened before she had fallen unconscious again shed right before her eyes.


    shback


    Her eyelids parted slowly, and she blinked her eyes to clear the hazy view in front of her. Once her view became clear, her eyes came in contact with the familiar ceiling of Chase¡¯s room. She tried to raise up her body but she couldn¡¯t.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Sophia turned sideways towards the window and a dry whimper left her lips as she stared at the darkness of the night. She rested on one side of her body and tried to raise the other, but her arm wouldn¡¯t move.


    Her breathing turned frantic, and she panicked as she remembered what had happened to her arm earlier back at McDonald¡¯s. She closed her eyes, mped down on her lip, and took deep breaths to help calm herself down.


    When she was sure she was calm, she slowly raised up the arm and ced it on her stomach. Her whole arm felt numb. Slowly again, she sat up and then dropped her legs on the ground, slightly shivering as her feet met in contact with the cold tiles.


    Sophia stretched out her good arm and picked up the jug of water so she could pour some in the ss cup on the side table, but her heart dropped when she saw that the jug was empty.


    Her throat was dry, and she badly wanted water. She was thirsty. She couldn¡¯t wait for anyone to bring water for her, plus, she didn¡¯t even have the strength for that.


    Sophia managed to stand up, holding the jug in her good hand as her eyes took in what she was wearing. She was dressed in a simple blue hospital scrubs that stopped above her ankle while her hair was let loose from the ponytail she had it on before.


    Exhaling through her nose, Sophia walked slowly to the door and ced the jug between her chest and injured arm. When she seeded in opening the door, she walked out of the room, closed it and held the jug back in her good hand.


    She slowly walked towards the staircase, her ears perching, and her heart drumming as she heard Chase¡¯s loud voice, clearly barking orders in Italian.


    She stopped in the middle of the hallway when she heard Lucas, Luciano, and Valerie say something to him in the samenguage before the sound of retreating footsteps reached her ears.


    Maybe they had gone.


    She couldn¡¯t see whatever was going on downstairs, and she was sure no one would be able to see her. She walked further towards the staircase and stopped when she heard Chase¡¯s voice, irritation clear in it as he spoke to someone who said something to him in Italian. And by the time she peeped down, he was gone, following the guard towards somewhere she dreaded. Somewhere she had once been.


    Her curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to know what was going on there. She wanted to know who Chase was going to see there. Maybe it was the man who shot her¡­?


    She padded down the stairs slowly, using the railing as a support. When she reached the foot of the stairs, she went towards the ce Chase had gone to. When she got there, his soldiers weren¡¯t there any longer. The ce was dead silent and the stench and sight of blood on the wall almost made her hurl up as terrifying images appeared before her.


    Knowing very well what she was getting herself into, Sophia walked towards the rooms all in the hallway. Just as she was about to pass one of the rooms, she heard the sound of shoes on the concrete floor and she stopped in front of the door.


    Luckily for her, the door was ajar. She peeped in, and she took in the sight of the lightly dimmed room. Her breath stuck in her throat at the sight of Chase. It wasn¡¯t the fact that he was still wearing the ck button-down shirt he had on earlier of anything of the sort that struck her. It was the way his hands shook as he held a kettle containing Only- God- knows- what above the unconscious man¡¯s-one she immediately recognized as the one who shot her-head.


    She could barely register the steaming from the kettle before the contents of the kettle was pouring over the man¡¯s head. The man¡¯s opened immediately the hot water met in contact with his skin and he howled out in pain, the sound muffling the gasp that had left Sophia¡¯s lips.


    Her eyes were wide open in shock as she raised her injured arm without realizing it and palmed her mouth.


    Her knees buckled when Chase dropped the empty kettle on the floor and smirked at the man. She held onto the wall for support, and another gasp left her lips when Chase gripped the man¡¯s hair, tilting his head backwards as he leaned in to say something she couldn¡¯t hear to him.


    Sophia watched in horror as Chase released the man¡¯s hair and walked towards a table and picked up a dagger. He took the man off guard as he dug in the tip of the weapon on his right forefinger. The man screamed out.


    Chase wasn¡¯t doing anything much with the weapon. He was only slowly digging the tip of the dagger into the man¡¯s skin. He knew exactly what he was doing. The weapon wasn¡¯t sharp but it was hurting badly because of the continuous way it was slowly being dug in his skin.


    ¡°That¡¯s the finger you used to pull the trigger, right?¡± Chase gave the man a wicked smile. ¡°That¡¯s the finger I¡¯m going to teach a lesson. The finger willmunicate with your body and tell you just how it feels,¡±


    Sophia shuddered as she heard Chase¡¯s words. Her heart would have swelled with love for that man, but she found herself feeling terrified of him. She was meant to love him more but she couldn¡¯t. He was willing to do anything for her.


    The man¡¯s screams became louder and Sophia¡¯s heart jumped in her throat when she realized that Chase had cuffed the man¡¯s wrist to the chair and was using the blunt weapon to butcher the finger off.


    Blood was sttered all over the room and she could see the same on Chase¡¯s side profile. It was just that it wasn¡¯t his blood.


    Her breathing began to elerate and she was suddenly gasping for air, remembering all the horrible things Chase had done to her. She remembered the sight of her friends¡¯ dead bodies and the sight of Chase slitting Roman¡¯s throat.


    The jug fell from her hand and it broke into the pieces, gaining Chase¡¯s attention to her.


    The wicked smile on his lips slipped off and his face was suddenly contorted with worry. As he tried to make his way to her, Sophia dashed away from there and ran back upstairs towards her room. That was the issue with her. No matter what Chase did, she¡¯d never be able to leave him.


    She ignored her opened door and went straight to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. When she was done, she didn¡¯t bother to rinse her mouth.


    She just sat down on the ground and shut her eyes tight as tears streamed down her cheeks.


    The voices began to coo at her again.


    ¡°Come to us,¡±


    ¡°Be with us,¡±


    ¡°Join us,¡±


    The horrible sight of her three friends in that state made its way in her mind once again.


    ¡°Stop,¡± She cried. ¡°Stop. Stop,¡± Without realizing it, she began to bang her forehead on the tiled wall. She was hitting her head hard on the wall, trying to silence the voice but they weren¡¯t stopping. The voices became louder, encouraging her to continue what she was doing and not look back.


    Blood was already oozing from her forehead and staining the tiled wall but she didn¡¯t care. She was far too gone already and wasn¡¯t going back.


    Suddenly, she was jerked up on her feet and she opened her eyes. Her eyes came in contact with a familiar pair of dark ones.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Chase muttered, running his gaze all over her bloodied face. There was blood streaming down her face along with her tears and he cradled her cheek. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°You-you killed them,¡± She began to struggle so he¡¯d let her go but Chase was having none of it. ¡°You killed my family. You- you took everyone away. I- I-,¡±


    Chase quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number, saying something which she didn¡¯t understand in Italian.


    When he was done with the call, he dropped his phone on the counter and pulled her frame against his chest. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Shhhh. Everything will be alright,¡±


    That was thest thing she remembered before falling into unconscious again.


    End of shback.

 CHAPTER CXI

    She had tried to kill herself. Sophia¡¯s throat clogged up at the thought and she sighed out, shutting her eyes back after seeing that she was wearing another hospital scrubs andying on Chase¡¯s bed once again.


    The sound of the door opening slightly made her open her eyes and she froze at the sight of Chase by the door. He wasn¡¯t wearing the clothes he had on again. He was d in a in ck sweatshirt and sweatpants.


    He had a tray in his hands. He walked to the bed maintaining eye contact with her.


    When he dropped the tray on the bedside table, Sophia¡¯s eyes darted to it. There was a te of covered food, drugs, water and then, a ck box which made her frown.


    The moment she felt Chase¡¯s hand on her arm, she flinched away from him. She¡¯s watched as his expression hardened and his jaw clenched.


    Chase ced his cold hands on both of her arms and helped her sit up with her head resting on the headboard while she stilled in his hold. ¡°Is your arm still hurting?¡±


    She stared at him in the eye, scared of what his reaction would be to what she was about to ask. ¡°What- what about the man? Is he okay?¡±


    Chase¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits and he gritted out. ¡°Anyone who tries to take away what¡¯s mine will never end up the same, Sophia,¡±


    What¡¯s his¡¯.


    She was his property.


    ¡°So-¡± She swallowed. ¡°So you killed him?¡±


    Chase shook his head and a coy smile appeared on his lips, startling Sophia of his sudden change of mood. ¡°Not yet,¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    She swallowed again. ¡°Not yet?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think I would let him live?¡± He asked. ¡°I would have never let him live for trying to hurt you even if he hid anywhere in the world. I would have found him and brought him to his fucking end,¡±


    When Sophia said nothing, Chase picked up the tray and uncovered the food. He fetched the pastina dish in the spoon and took it to her lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡±


    Chase red at her and dropped the spoon back in the dish. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re hungry or not. You will have this food,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡±


    Chase pursed his lips into a straight line. ¡°Sophia,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll only eat if you let him go,¡± She croaked out. ¡°You can¡¯t kill him,¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck should I let the bastard live?¡± He snapped. ¡°He tried to kill you. Don¡¯t you get it?¡±


    ¡°You-,¡±Sophia opened her mouth to snap back at him but halted when she felt a searing pain on her head. She groaned in pain.


    Chase was quick to drop the tray on the bedside and move closer to her. He held her face in his hands and caressed her cheeks. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I- I¡¯m fine,¡± She tried to move away from him. ¡°My- my head just hurts,¡±


    ¡°Obviously it would,¡± His eyes softened. ¡°You hit your head hard on the tile. Why the fuck did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± A tear rolled down her cheek. ¡°They- they wanted me to join them. They-,¡±


    ¡°Shhhh,¡± Chase hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t let them get to you again, I promise,¡±


    And that was how the atmosphere between them changed. Slowly, Sophia wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tighter. ¡°Thanks,¡±


    Chase reluctantly pulled away and picked up the ck box from the tray before handing it to her.


    Sophia collected the box, frowning. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    He nudged towards the box with his chin, a smile on his lips. ¡°Open it. It¡¯s a small gift from me to you,¡±


    With shaky hands, Sophia opened the box. She screamed the minute she saw what was inside and threw it off on the floor.


    Amused by her reaction, Chase bent down and picked up the finger, then ced it back in the box. He closed the box and dropped it on the bedside table. ¡°You¡¯re scared of a fucking finger?¡± He raised his brow at her. ¡°You have a finger,¡±


    ¡°But-,¡±She snapped her eyes from the box and looked at him. ¡°But not that. My fingers are still attached to my body. That one has been amputated from the owner¡¯s body,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t amputate people¡¯s body parts unless they do something wrong which calls for that, to me, Gattina,¡± He smiled at her.


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°Then why are you giving it to me?¡± She nched.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s meant to be with you. That forefinger belongs to the bastard who tried to kill you,¡± He said.


    ¡°But-,¡± Sophia gulped, shaking her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to do that. Why that finger though?¡±


    Chase smiled. ¡°That was the finger that pulled the trigger on you,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like the bullet hit a vital spot, Chase,¡± She said. ¡°It was just my arm,¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where you were shot. As long as you got hurt, it¡¯s up to me to deal with the one responsible for that,¡± He caressed her cheeks with his cold knuckles, making her breath hitch in her throat. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be scared of a finger because you¡¯re likely to be seeing more of it,¡±


    She searched his eyes for an exnation. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    His lips tugged upwards into a smirk. ¡°You are the new Donna, Gattina. You are the one who will rule my empire beside me,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ~~~


    Chase stared at Saige in the eye as she did the same while struggling with his soldiers to let her go. Her hair was disheveled and she lookedpletely out of ce.


    ¡°You can¡¯t let your fucking soldiers do this to me,¡± Saige cried out to him once she was free from the ropes she had been tied with. She rushed to him and ced her hands on his arms. ¡°What did I do to deserve such treatment? I¡¯m the Donna for fuck¡¯s sake!¡±


    ¡°You disrespected your position, Saige,¡± Chase took a step backwards. ¡°You ceased to be the Donna the moment you decided to n a murder on Sophia,¡±


    Saige froze and her eyes widened. ¡°What- what are you-,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking deny it, ¡°He gripped her arm tightly and pulled her close to him. ¡°You better not deny the fucking fact that you actually tried to kill Sophia yesterday,¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± She lied, shaking her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t, I swear,¡±


    Chase¡¯s jaw clenched and he wrapped his hand around her throat, blocking her windpipe.


    ¡°Cha-,¡± Tears stung her eyes and she clutched his wrist. ¡°You-,¡±


    Chase released her throat. Before she could fully stand on her own without staggering, he brought out his gun and shot her on the arm.


    She yelped in pain and tried to touch the ce where he had shot her but he was quicker. He gripped the ce and pressed the heel of his palm on it, making it hurt her more.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± She gritted out in pain. ¡°Dad is going to stop it,¡±


    ¡°Dad?¡± He raised a brow. ¡°Let¡¯s see which dad you return to, Saige,¡±


    Her face paled and her lips parted.


    Chase basked in the look on her face. That was the look he loved to see on people¡¯s faces who wronged him.


    He knew ending De Luca was like ending his ns but that was the least of his problem. He had other ways to formte a n to get what he wanted. Just because he killed De Luca didn¡¯t mean he would let his father go scot- free. Pietro Romano had his owning his way.


    He wouldn¡¯t let Saige die either. She would never be allowed to die yet, until she saw Sophia¡¯s happiness in thatpound. She would be tortured and left to live like that with her shadows till she begged for her own death.


    He may not be in love with Sophia, but Saige had to understand the level of his obsession for her.

 CHAPTER CXII

    ~~~


    SOPHIA¡¯S EYES SNAPPED open when she heard a light knock on her bedroom door. She muttered a small e in¡¯, and fully sat up on the bed as the person opened the door before walking in and closing it behind him.


    ¡°Hey,¡±


    Sophia gave him a small smile. ¡°Luciano, hello,¡±


    He walked further into the room, his eyes darting to the bandage on her arm and forehead. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Just a little bit pain,¡± She smiled. ¡°Chase said it will go away soon,¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You got them a few days before,¡± He said. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t disturb you?¡±


    ¡°No no,¡± She said. ¡°Please sit,¡±


    He slowly sat on her bed and ran his gaze over her face, the truth finally striking him hard just in case he had refused to believe the truth. She really looked like their mum. She had their mum¡¯s hair and eye color. The freckles smeared below her eyes weren¡¯t any different.


    ¡°Is there any problem?¡± She asked, smiling. ¡°You seem to be in the mood to talk to me,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to talk to you, sweet cheeks,¡± He said. ¡°You were-you were just always all around Don,¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t look happy the other day when he- uhh-when he-,¡±


    Hepleted her sentence. ¡°Announced your marriage? Yes,¡± He breathed out. ¡°I wasn¡¯t happy about it,¡±


    ¡°And now?¡± She asked. ¡°You¡¯re still not happy about it?¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡±


    Her heart skipped. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he isn¡¯t for you, sweet cheeks,¡± He sighed. ¡°Look, I know I sound like a betrayer or something, but truth is, I care about you a lot. Don was never trained for love. He won¡¯t ever love you. You¡¯ll only get yourself hurt,¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to say that I-,¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking, yes,¡± He breathed out. ¡°You¡¯re only signing yourself up for heartbreak. I don¡¯t want you to end up like Saige,¡±


    ¡°No -¡± She shook her head. ¡°He- he loves me,¡±


    ¡°Has he ever told you he loves you?¡±


    Her heart dropped because she knew the answer already. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stood up from the bed and stared down at him. ¡°He- he- he loves me. I¡¯m sure of that. He might not say it out loud, but I can see it in his eyes. He- he can do anything for me. He cares for me. He¡¯s nice towards me. Isn¡¯t that what love is all about?¡±


    Luciano shook his head and stood up from the bed, shaking his head at her. ¡°That¡¯s not love, sweet cheeks. It¡¯s not love,¡± He moved closer and ruffled her hair, a ghost smile dancing on his lips. ¡°I hope you wake up from this illusion before it¡¯s toote,¡±


    Before his words could sink in, Luciano was gone out of the room, leaving her alone to her thoughts.


    ~~~This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    She couldn¡¯t get Luciano¡¯s words out of her mind. They haunted her like the nightmares Chase had helped her get rid of in his own way. But the question was, would he be able to get rid of those words from her mind?


    He could. Only his love could.


    Sophia sat down on the stool in front of the kitchen counter and rested her chin on her palm while her elbow rested on the marbled counter.


    ¡°Are you okay, ma¡¯am?¡±


    Sophia blinked back the tears from her eyes and looked up at the head of the maid in herte fifties, staring at her with a worried look. ¡°I-,¡± She croaked out, feeling a huge lump forming at the back of her throat. ¡°I- I¡¯m okay,¡±


    Thedy gave her a motherly smile and sat next to her on the other stool. ¡°Forgive me for evading your personal space, Donna, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re okay. You don¡¯t look okay at all, both physically and mentally. Your eyes say a lot,¡±


    Donna. That was the only thing ying in Sophia¡¯s head as thedy said it. She had be the Donna as per Chase¡¯s words, but she had never worked as one. It had almost been a week since the whole incident. Sometimes, she found herself wanting to go and see Saige in the dungeon but whenever she remembered that she was the one same woman who tried to kill her, she would back off.


    ¡°Donna,¡±


    ¡°Can I get an ice cream, please?¡± She looked up at thedy.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get it for you from the fridge,¡± Thedy stood up and walked to the fridge. ¡°What vor?¡±


    ¡°I want the chocte vored one,¡±


    Thedy smiled and took it out of the fridge. She walked towards Sophia and ced the bowl in front of her, and sat back on her stool. ¡°Don had ordered more ice cream for you in the fridge since he noticed that you¡¯ve suddenly taken this liking to it,¡±


    Sophia twirled the ice cream spoon between her fingers and looked up at thedy. ¡°Have I?¡±


    Guilia, thedy, nodded with a smile. ¡°You didn¡¯t notice your sudden obsession for ice cream?¡±


    Sophia shrugged. ¡°I find myself craving it always,¡± That was true.


    Guilia raised a brow at her, and a teasing smile yed on her lips. ¡°And?¡±


    Sophia frowned. ¡°Is there meant to be anything else?¡±


    Guilia smiled sweetly at Sophia. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me about the part where you lose your appetite or end up throwing up at the sight of food,¡±


    Sophia nched. ¡°You noticed? Please don¡¯t tell Chase I¡¯ve been skipping my meals because of that. I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me. I- I always throw up even if I don¡¯t eat anything. I¡¯ve been meaning to tell him that I¡¯ve been feeling sick. I also have this morning fever and-,¡±


    Guilia cut off Sophia¡¯s rambling by cupping her cheek. ¡°I think you¡¯re pregnant,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s heart stopped, and her lips parted. ¡°What- what do you mean I-what do you mean I¡¯m pregnant? Am I going to have a baby?¡± A smile appeared on her lips, and she got down from the stool while Guilia did the same. ¡°As in, I¡¯m going to have a baby? Like¡­ Chase and my baby? Our baby?¡±


    Guilia nodded with a smile. ¡°But we can¡¯t be so sure, dear. You need to run a test,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s smile fell. ¡°How then are we going to do it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving thepoundter to get a few groceries. I¡¯ll get a test kit for you. Is that okay?¡±


    Sophia nodded giddily.


    ~~~


    Sophia stared at the pregnancy test kit on the bathroom counter in front of her as her heart drummed against its ribcage while she waited for the results.


    Instinctively, her palm went to her t tummy, and an unconscious smile appeared on her lips at the thought of having a baby. Chase¡¯s baby.


    To think of it, an idea of having a baby had never crossed her mind. She had never imagined herself as a mother at a young age, but at that moment, she had already pictured herself in that position.


    In her head, she could see she and Chase, holding their little baby girl with a smile on their faces as a happy,plete family.


    Guilia¡¯s voice from her bedroom broke Sophia¡¯s chain of thoughts. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the results be ready by now?¡±


    Sophia flinched and turned towards the door. ¡°I zoned out for a while. I¡¯ll take a look at it now,¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡±


    Sophia turned and gasped at the sight in front of her.


    Two lines. Positive.


    She held the wall for bnce and tears blurred her eyes as her other hand flew to her stomach again. She didn¡¯t know why she was suddenly emotional.


    ¡°Donna?¡±


    She opened the door and walked out of the bathroom before walking to her bed, ignoring Guilia who had a worried look on her face.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Guilia asked.


    Sophia said nothing. She fisted her shaky hands beside her as her lips trembled. Tears rolled down her cheek and it scared Guilia.


    Guilia rushed to the bathroom and took out the test as she read it. She walked back to Sophia and squeezed her shoulder in an affectionate way. ¡°It¡¯s positive,¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Sophia said. ¡°I know,¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± Guilia sighed. ¡°What¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°I- I- I miss my mama, ¡°She blurted out, turning to Guilia as more tears streamed down her cheeks. ¡°I miss her so much,¡±


    Guilia pulled her into a motherly hug and patted her back. ¡°Whenever you need someone to talk to, just know that I¡¯ll always be here for you as a mum. I can¡¯t rece your mum but I can try to show you little out of the love she would have given you if she were here,¡±


    ¡°I- I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to be a mum too,¡± Sophia pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears, a smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s too hard to believe. I- I¡¯ve never imagined myself as a mum. It¡¯s too much to take in,¡±


    Guilia smiled and palmed her cheek, wiping her tears. ¡°With time, my dear, you¡¯ll get used to it, trust me. It¡¯s normal for pregnant women to feel like that. You get over emotional and have a lot of mood swings,¡±


    Sophia pouted. ¡°Is it stupid to say that I love my baby already?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Guilia said. ¡°Most mothers fall in love with their babies immediately. It¡¯s normal,¡±


    ¡°I want to give birth to a girl,¡± She said, her palms resting on her stomach. ¡°I want a baby girl who will look like her daddy. I want my baby to have Chase¡¯s hair type and color. I want her to have simr eyes to his¡¯. But she should have some things like me too,¡± She giggled. ¡°I just want more of Chase¡¯s features,¡±


    ¡°When do you n on telling Don about his baby?¡± Guilia asked. ¡°He has the right to know about it, you know,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± Sophia stood up and walked towards her reading table as Guilia¡¯s eyes followed her movements. She picked up the calendar on the table and trailed the pad of her fingertips on the date she circled on the calendar with a smile on her face. ¡°Chase¡¯s birthday ising soon,¡± She turned to Guilia. ¡°I¡¯ll tell him on that day. It¡¯s going to be his second birthday gift,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Guilia stood up and walked to Sophia. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a nice birthday gift. I think you should think of an excuse to make this surprise work better. Why don¡¯t you go to a hospital and get a test done?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be perfect!¡± Sophia faced Guilia fully, giddiness in her tone. She sped her hands together and stood on her toes as a wide smile danced on her lips. She squealed. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s going to love it! I can¡¯t wait to see his reaction!¡±

 CHAPTER CXIII

    ~~~


    10TH DAY OF DECEMBER.


    That was the day Chase Romano was brought into the world. That was the day he was delivered to fulfil his father and uncle¡¯s dreams for their empire. That was the only thing he had been for those two Romano men. An heir.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Chase rested his back on the couch in his bedroom, twirling a ss of scotch in his hands while his eyes narrowed in on his rm clock that sat on the bedside table as the time struck twelve midnights.


    It was his birthday. His thirtieth birthday.


    The only day he was allowed to do anything of his choice when he was still under his uncle¡¯s training. On the tenth of December every year, he was always rewarded for being a good and obedient nephew by being given the freedom to spend his day any way he wanted it. Those were the times he enjoyed spending it with his mother and sister.


    But on his sixteenth birthday, his uncle changed that.


    Chase could still remember it clearly. His uncle took him to a club. He told him he was going to dictate his freedom on that day. That was the day he first took alcohol. He was forced to take alcohol.


    His uncle¡¯s exact words that day were; ¡°It¡¯s your sixteenth birthday, Nipote. It¡¯s your sweet sixteen, and I want you to enjoy it the way your dad and I did ours,¡±


    After being forced to chug down more than a bottle of alcohol, he was thrusted into a room filled with horny women. He had his first sex that night. It wasn¡¯t sex. It was rape.


    At the end of the night, he was the only one who walked out of that room alive. He ended all those women¡¯s lives after the deed. And he got punished for that; after that night, he was never allowed the freedom he used to get on his birthday again.


    A knock on his room door got his attention, and he blinked back the unshed tears in his eyes before groaning out loud as he buried his face in his palms after dropping the ss on the coffee table. His cousins knew he always liked being alone throughout his birthdays.


    Who the fuck was knocking on the door?


    The person knocked again.


    Irritated, he scowled. ¡°Come in,¡±


    The door was gently opened, and Sophia walked in with a radiant smile on her face enough to make his day.


    She closed the door and rushed to him, slumping on the couch beside him when he didn¡¯t make a move to stand up. Before he could realize it, her small arms were around his neck while she snuggled her face deeper in his hair, basking in his scent. ¡°Happy birthday,¡±


    Chase said nothing. He wasn¡¯t used to being wished on his birthday. He had restricted his cousins and everyone who knew him from doing that as well. His birthdays brought bad memories of his sixteenth birthday.


    Inhaling the scent of her coconut shampoo from her hair, he ced both of his palms on her waist and pulled her away, gently cing her on hisp.


    Sophia didn¡¯t get the memo that he didn¡¯t want to be with anyone. She knew nothing about him. So she wrapped her arms again around his neck and sped her fingers together, her smile not fading away. ¡°Happy birthday, Chase,¡±


    He turned his face away. ¡°Hmmmm,¡±


    Sophia frowned at his cold attitude and unwrapped her arms from his neck. She ced her right palm on his cheek and made him turn his face towards her. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± He circled his palm around her small wrist and pulled her hand away from his cheek. Still staring into her eyes, he kissed the inside of her palm, not smiling.


    She shuddered at the feel of his lips on her skin. ¡°Why then are you behaving so cold?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious,¡± He let go of her wrist. He rested his head back on the couch and sighed, closing his eyes. ¡°Just work. That¡¯s all,¡±


    Her hands made their way to his hair, and she massaged his scalp. ¡°You¡¯re tired? And here I thought you¡¯d be excited for the surprise I have for you,¡±


    Chase opened his eyes and looked up at her. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You expect me to tell you?¡± She failed at raising her brow up. ¡°Nope,¡± She pouted her lips. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise, and I won¡¯t be telling you about it unless you want to see it for yourself,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise, Chase,¡± He remembered his little sister¡¯s words. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see it?¡±


    He was curious as to what surprise it was. ¡°okay. I¡¯lle with you,¡±


    ~~~


    Chase masked the surprise on his face with a look of indifference as he stared at the whole kitchen. The surprise wasn¡¯t all that big, but still, it was cute and loving.


    There was a small, round chocte cake on the kitchen counter with a ss of wine beside it. They were balloons hanging around the kitchen ceiling along with poster cards of the writing ¡®Happy birthday, Chase¡¯ on them.


    Sophia¡¯s excited voice reached his ears from beside him. ¡°Tell me what you think about the surprise,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± He turned to her. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ten,¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± She waved her hands dismissively in the air. ¡°You can¡¯t give me a ten yet. I haven¡¯t even given you the main surprise,¡±


    Chase¡¯s brows furrowed into a frown. ¡°What other surprise do you have for me again?¡±


    Sophia smiled and stepped forward, managing to hold his hands in her small ones. ¡°Have you ever dreamt of having a family?¡±


    His frown deepened. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Sophia shook her head at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you still get what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t understand if you talk like that,¡± He said. ¡°Juste out clean and drop the surprise,¡±


    ¡°Are you that eager?¡± She wiggled her brows at him.


    ¡°Sophia,¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± She huffed, rolling her eyes. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest as she thought of ways to just tell him. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked down at her feet. ¡°Chase, I-,¡±


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I-,¡± She held one of his hands and smiled. She guided his palm to her stomach, leaving it there as she stared up at him. ¡°We¡¯re-we¡¯re going to have a baby, Chase,¡±


    Chase stilled and pulled his hand away from her stomach on reflex. ¡°What the fuck are you saying?¡±


    Sophia¡¯s smile fell, but then she shook her head and smiled again. ¡°Don¡¯t you still understand? We- Me and you- we¡¯re going to have a little baby, Chase. There¡¯s going to be a mini us running around the whole mansion soon,¡± She tugged on his arm, squealing. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to be a mum. Do you know how long I¡¯ve waited to tell you this?¡±


    Chase moved away from her, his expression dead serious. ¡°Sophia, if this is a fucking joke, stop it. It¡¯s too expensive,¡±


    ¡°Why would I joke with something like that?¡± She said. ¡°Wait, I even have my test results,¡± She rushed to the counter. She took out a white envelope and handed it to him. ¡°look, it¡¯s my test results. Guilia and I had it done after I took the pregnancy kit test to be sure it was correct,¡±


    Chase collected the envelope from her and tore it open, his hands shaking. His expression became darker as he read every single thing in the paper. ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re equally shocked, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sophia cupped his cheeks, staring into his eyes. ¡°I felt the same too when I found out. I couldn¡¯t believe it!¡± She hugged him. ¡°I¡¯m so happy, Chase. I can¡¯t wait to see our little baby,¡± She then pulled away from the hug and jumped on her toes. ¡°I want us to have a baby girl, Chase. That¡¯s exactly what I told Guilia the other day. I want our baby to have a simr hair and eye colour with you. I adore your features a lot and-,¡± Her rambling stopped when she noticed Chase¡¯s expression. He didn¡¯t look happy at all. ¡°Chase?¡± She walked closer. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You don¡¯t look happy at all,¡±

 CHAPTER CXIV

    ~~~


    Chase stared into her eyes, cupping her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m not happy,¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Her throat worked on its own. ¡°You don¡¯t like the birthday gift?¡± When he said nothing, she continued. ¡°This child is ours, Chase. It¡¯s a symbol of our love,¡±


    He rasped out. ¡°Love?¡± He took her silence as a go- ahead. ¡°We were never in love, Sophia. The child you¡¯re carrying is not a symbol of love. It can¡¯t be brought to this world,¡±


    Her knees buckled and tears streamed down her cheeks. She passed him a pained smile. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking, Chase. This- this child was made out of love. I don¡¯t know when it was made, but I know we made it together. We wanted the same time the time we made it,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t joke around,¡± He whispered. ¡°We can¡¯t be parents like this. You can¡¯t be a mother at this age. You¡¯re just neen, Sophia and-,¡±


    She cut him off with a smack on his chest. ¡°Age doesn¡¯t matter! So what if I¡¯m just neen? So what if you¡¯re thirty? Eleven years is not a problem,¡± She cried out.


    He made his way to touch her. ¡°Listen to-,¡±


    She shoved him away. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me! Leave me alone!¡± Her head suddenly felt heavy and her legs gave out.


    Thest thing she remembered was seeing Chase¡¯s worried face before she cked out.


    ~~~


    ¡°Chase-,¡±Sophia¡¯s eyes opened and she sat up on the bed with a jerk.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡±


    She turned towards the source of the voice only to find Lucas, Luciano and Valerie staring at her.


    ¡°I-,¡± She looked round the room. ¡°Where¡¯s Chase?¡±


    ¡°He left for some work immediately the doctor who examined you left. He should be back in the night or so,¡± Valerie shifted on her feet.


    Sophia¡¯s face fell. ¡°Ohhh-,¡±


    Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, I guess,¡±


    ¡°You guess?¡± Luciano said and she looked at him. ¡°You don¡¯t even know how you feel?¡±


    Lucas¡¯ voice came out stern, filled with warning. ¡°Luciano,¡±


    Luciano turned to Lucas. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand that she¡¯s losing her fucking self to someone who doesn¡¯t even give a rat¡¯s shit about her nor the child she¡¯s carrying?¡± He nudged his chin towards her. ¡°Look at the mess she has turned to. Dammit, Lucas. Fuck off!¡± Angrily, he stormed out of the room.


    Sophia mped down on her lower lip and fisted theforter draped over her body tightly in her hands as a tear rolled down her cheek.


    Valerie couldn¡¯t control herself any longer. Seeing her sister in such a terrible shape did things to her heart and she rushed towards her, engulfing her in a warm hug. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Soph. It¡¯s going to be alright,¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± Sophia shook her head as more tears streamed down her cheeks. ¡°I- he doesn¡¯t care about me, Val. He doesn¡¯t even care about our baby. He- he-,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say horrible things like that, freckles,¡± Lucas wrapped his arms around his sisters. ¡°He cares about you and the baby. He just needs time to let everything sink in,¡±


    ~~~This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Barefooted, so as not to wake her up, Chase gently opened Sophia¡¯s bedroom door and walked in, quietly closing it behind him.


    He stalked towards her bed once he saw her sleeping figure and went on his knees. His chest tightened in pain as his eyesnded on the dried streaks of tears on her cheeks. It was obvious she had cried herself to sleep.


    He had made her cry.


    His thumb gently stroked her cheeks as if to wipe off the tears. He stared at hershes as they kissed her cheekbone while she slept like a baby, to her lips which were pulled into a cute pout, then her chest heaving up and down. To stop himself from looking at her stomach while his eyes followed her hand to where they were kept, he averted his eyes back to her pretty face.


    A quiet sigh left his lips. He couldn¡¯t afford to wake her up. He couldn¡¯t let her see him like that. It would cause more problems for them and she would stress herself as well as the baby.


    She loved him. That was the harsh truth he had finally agreed toe to terms with when he looked into her eyes after the day Saige tried to kill her.


    She didn¡¯t know about his childhood days. She only knew how much of a cruel man he was, but still, loved him against all odds without questioning him or his character.


    Finally averting his eyes to the ce he itched to look at, he stared at her t tummy. He raised one of his shaky hands and ced it on her cold one thatid on her stomach too, as if trying to feel a connection with the embryo growing in her womb.


    His first child. Their baby.


    He whispered. ¡°il mio bambino,¡± A small smile appeared on his lips and he leaned in to peck Sophia¡¯s stomach, imagining it as the child.


    {¡°My baby¡±}


    He always wanted a child. He wanted to be a good father to his child, but he wasn¡¯t sure he could ever be one. Not with the way he was trained. Hurting Sophia wasn¡¯t his intention either and as much as he wanted her to keep that baby, he couldn¡¯t let ite to the world.


    It was better if the baby wasn¡¯t allowed to breathe the air of the world because it would grow up without a father.


    Chase knew what was going to happen in less than a year. He knew what would happen to himself and he couldn¡¯t bear to think of Sophia in pain. He couldn¡¯t imagine seeing her as a single mother without him beside her.


    Not only that.


    The world was cruel and he didn¡¯t want his child to suffer in that world like he had done. He didn¡¯t want his child to go through the same fate its own parents went through.


    Reluctantly taking his hands from her stomach as he felt her stirring in her sleep, Chase stood up and leaned in to peck her lips, then another one on her forehead. ¡°Credimi, questo e il miglior regalo dipleanno di sempre, Gattina,¡± He smiled. ¡°Vorrei poter essere li per te. Vorrei poter essere li per esaudire il tuo desiderio di desiderare una ragazza. Anch¡¯io voglio lo stesso ma non posso. Non sono un uomo destinato a felicita, Gattina e posso¡¯ Non ti trascinero con me. Mi dispiace di averti ferito cosi tanto,¡±


    {¡°Trust me, this is the best birthday gift ever, Kitten¡±} {¡°I wish I could be there for you. I wish I could be there to fulfil your wish of wanting a girl. I want the same too but I can¡¯t. I¡¯m not a man destined for happiness, Gattina and I can¡¯t drag you with me. I¡¯m sorry I hurt you so much¡±}


    After casting one more nce at her, he walked out of the room.

 CHAPTER CXV

    ~~~


    ONE TORTUROUS MONTH.


    That was what the past month had been like to Sophia. It had been a month since shest saw Chase after she fell unconscious on his birthday, and she hadn¡¯t set her eyes on him again. No one had.


    Sometimes, she used to have shbacks where she normally saw Chase kneeling down in front of her bed and saying non-hurtful things to her.


    The shbacks weren¡¯t clear, so she dismissed it as a dream that she might have had that night, which was still bugging her mind. She totally dismissed the thought when her doctor told her that thinking too much may cause stress for the baby.


    Their baby. Sophia looked down at her t tummy, and a smile spread across her lips. The baby in her was literally the only source of her happiness ever since Chase left. Nothing made her happy apart from her baby. Not even Lucas, Luciano or Valerie¡¯s attempts to make her happy moved her.


    ¡°Soph,¡±


    Sophia looked up and found Valerie standing before her holding a tray, which contained two sses on it. She dropped her legs from the table and closed the book she had picked up from Chase¡¯s shelf, then adjusted on her seat. ¡°Hey, Val,¡± She passed her a tight-lipped smile.


    ¡°Is it okay if I sit here?¡± Valerie motioned to the empty chair opposite Sophia. ¡°The air here in the garden is so refreshing,¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Sophia dropped the book on the table, making a mental note to continue reading from where she stopped after her conversation with Valerie. ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡±


    Valerie dropped the tray on the table and took a seat, staring around the garden. ¡°You seem to be enjoying staying in the garden nowadays,¡± She looked at Sophia.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophia said. ¡°Plus, I need to make my mind off things by reading Chase¡¯s books even though it still doesn¡¯tpletely help,¡±


    ¡°Ohhh,¡± Valerie said, clearing her throat to change the topic as she heard the sadness in Sophia¡¯s voice. ¡°I got you lemonade juice. Made some research about it and learnt it¡¯s good for you and the baby,¡±


    Sophia looked at the two sses of lemonade juice before looking up at Valerie. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll definitely have it,¡± Sophia stretched her hand to take a ss.


    When Sophia took a sip from the drink, Valerie asked. ¡°Rather than hurting yourself more by reading Don¡¯s books, don¡¯t you think it would be better if you continued your online sses?¡±


    Sophia gave Valerie a pained smile, shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t find the zeal in it any longer,¡± Tears filled her eyes all of a sudden. ¡°I¡¯ve tried, Val. I¡¯ve tried to continue those online sses, but it reminds me of Chase all the time. I literally feel him all around me any time I study or try to do anything meaningful. It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve gotten addicted to him and his presence being around me and can¡¯t take him off my mind,¡± A tear cascaded down her cheeks and she quickly wiped it with the back of her palms, swallowing the huge lump at the back of her throat. ¡°I- It hurts, Val. Loving Chase hurts, but I can¡¯t get away from him. I know that harbouring these feelings would keep on hurting me, but I want to get hurt. I don¡¯t ever want to stop loving him,¡±


    ~~~


    Another month passed by in a blur. Chase never showed up. Sophia had begun to think that something bad must have happened to him. Normally, when he ignored her, it was never for more than a month.


    Sophia walked around the living room, worry etched all over her features. She was scared. Her heart was drumming wildly against her chest.


    She let out a sigh and ran her hands through her messy hair. She slumped on the couch and closed her eyes, resting her head on the couch.


    ¡°Are you okay, Soph?¡±


    She opened her eyes and found Valerie standing before her with a worried look on her face, too.


    She blurted out. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m scared something bad will happen to Chase or has already happened. He- he never ignores me for more than a month, and this whole thing is taking a toll on me. I understand he doesn¡¯t want this baby, but the least he can do is be there for us. I- I-,¡±


    She was cut off by Valerie sitting down beside her and cing her warm hands over her cold ones. ¡°Breathe,¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± She breathed out. ¡°I¡¯m scared. What if -¡±


    Valerie cut her off again. ¡°Don is okay. He¡¯s perfectly okay,¡±


    Sophia turned to look at Valerie. ¡°How do you know he¡¯s fine? Did you speak to him? Did you see him? Did Lucas or Lu -¡±


    ¡°No one knows where he is, but we¡¯re all sure he¡¯s okay. We were worried about him as well, but we came to the realization that he¡¯ll be fine,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that, Val,¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°You can¡¯t be so sure,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s okay,¡± Valerie smiled at her. ¡°He¡¯s the Don. Nothing bad can happen to him,¡±


    ¡°What if -¡±


    ¡°I told you he¡¯s fine,¡± Valerie cut her off again. ¡°He¡¯s used to leaving thepound like this. It¡¯s pretty normal. I think the only thing you should do is exercise a little patience. You can¡¯t stress yourself out this way. It won¡¯t do any good to your baby,¡±


    Sophia sighed, nodding helplessly.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

 CHAPTER CXVI

    ~~~


    Just like that, another four months passed away.


    Sophia was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, trying hard to adjust to Chase¡¯s absence and, at the same time, trying to cope with the pregnancy alone.


    Her baby bump was already visible, and she knew the gender of her baby. Her baby was a girl; exactly what she had wanted.


    Sophia never hesitated to miss her checkups, antenatal sses, and other necessary things for her and her baby¡¯s health, especially as she was strictly told to be extremely careful because of her age. She had been told that she was also, likely to faceplications during the pregnancy since she wasn¡¯t old enough to have a baby.


    It warmed her heart how Chase¡¯s cousins tried their best to take care of her. Lucas took her for morning exercises while Luciano did the same for evening. Valerie and Guilia were the ones responsible for making sure she took her meals and drugs on time. They were also some times when they did everything together, like on Saturdays and Sundays when the men had no work to do.


    But still, their attempts never stopped her yearning for her husband.


    She was grateful to them for what they did for her but she still wanted Chase to be there with her. On many asions, she had tried to imagine Chase doing all the things they did for her but whenever the harsh reality dawned on her, she would eventually break down in the confines of her room. Her room and its walls were the only witness to her teats and pain even though Lucas, Luciano and Valerie knew what she was going through.


    Sophia stared at the pool in front of her as tears glistened in her eyes. The only thing on her mind was Chase. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him and his wellbeing.


    He had hurt her, but she still wanted to know how he was faring. Was he okay? Was he eating well?


    Sophia furiously wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks as she realized that she could never be angry at Chase. She knew very well that even if Chase met her that instant, crawling on his knees for forgiveness, she would still forgive him and give him another chance. That was how whipped she was for that man.


    He was her big, bad wolf.


    Her hands went to her stomach on instincts the moment she felt a small push in her stomach.


    Her heart leapt in joy when she felt the push again, and a smile danced on her lips.


    Her baby was finally kicking for the first time.


    Her doctor had told her that the baby was meant to have started kicking from the sixteenth week but nothing happened. The ultra sound results told her that her baby was hale and hearty so that was the only thing she could grasp on to.


    ¡°Baby,¡± She whispered when the baby kicked again, and she giggled. She couldn¡¯t remember ever feeling that happy for a long time. ¡°My-,¡±


    ¡°Sophia,¡±


    She froze.


    Immediately, her head whipped towards where the voice came from and her heart skipped at the sight of the man standing there, watching her intently with a cigar between his thumb and forefinger as he stood a few distance away from her.


    Chase Romano.


    He made no move to approach her. He simply stared at her while she did the same, looking at his appearance. His hair had grown longer and he didn¡¯t gel it as he used to do. The wind was blowing his hair sideways, making a few strands fall over his forehead from the front. His eyes had no bags under them like hers¡¯ did. He had grown more stubble over the month.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    And still, her heart beat for him.


    ¡°Ch- Chase,¡± She ced her hand on her baby bump and stood up, facing him. She croaked out. ¡°You- You¡¯re here,¡±


    Chase still didn¡¯t move from where he stood. He was still staring at her without saying a word.


    Sophia walked closer and ced her hands on his arm to be sure he was actually real, and it wasn¡¯t one of her hallucinations again. ¡°You¡¯re really here,¡± Tears blurred her vision. ¡°Where- where have you been?¡±


    At the sight of the tears in her eyes, the cigar in his hand fell on the ground, and he cupped her cheeks. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°I-,¡± She held his wrist and smiled at him. ¡°I haven¡¯t been fine, Chase. You left us. You left your baby and I,¡±


    That was when his eyes fell on the baby bump. His other hand itched to touch the baby bump and feel the baby they had both created, but he couldn¡¯t. He just couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Our-,¡± She smiled at him, gaining his attention as more tears streaked down her cheeks. ¡°Our baby just kicked before you showed up. She kicked,¡±


    His eyes went to the bump again, and he fisted his hand beside him. The baby was a girl. He always knew.


    He had been keeping tabs on her without anyone¡¯s knowledge.


    Sophia held his other hand and guided it to her stomach. ¡°Feel it. Feel our baby, Chase. She kicked,¡±


    Before his hand coulde in contact with her stomach, he roughly jerked his hand away, snatching Sophia¡¯s smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making thingsplicated,¡± He said. ¡°Keeping this baby would only make things hard,¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t ept this child, Sophia,¡± He said. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡±


    Her legs gave out, but for the sake of her baby, Sophia regained her posture. ¡°You still don¡¯t want this baby? Why then did youe home?¡±


    Chase unfolded a paper from his pocket and showed it to her. ¡°We can¡¯t stay married again. We have to go our separate ways,¡±


    She didn¡¯t fall. She had to be strong for her baby. ¡°And the baby? What about her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I fucking told you to abort it that night,¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯ve made things hard for yourself,¡±


    She pped him across the cheek. Hard. ¡°I hate you! I hate you! You¡¯re a monster! I hate you!¡±

 CHAPTER CXVII

    ~~~


    Chase clenched his jaw. ¡°Sophia,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call my name from your mouth! Don¡¯t call my name! Is this how this is all going to end?! You destroyed my life, Chase. You took away everything I ever lived for and this is how you end up treating me in the end? You murdered my parents, stole my peace and kept me captive with you! It still wasn¡¯t enough. You went ahead to touch me without my permission. You did things to me. You used me to cheat on your fiance. You endangered my life by using me to get rid of a woman who loved you! You married me and kept me as a dirty little secret, Chase. You impregnated me and now? You want to end everything. You want me to just forget every single thing that happened and get a divorce from you, abort my baby and just walk out of your life? If you knew all this would happen, you would have just killed me with my parents in the first ce! I hate you! I hate that I love you! I hate that I still love you till date! I hate that I¡¯m still willing to give you a chance if you ask for forgiveness! I hate you!¡±


    Her words sliced through his heart and he swallowed thickly, masking the pain on his face with a pure look of indifference. ¡°Sophia,¡± He ced the paper in her palm. ¡°You need time to gather yourself. The pregnancy hormones are making your emotions to be all over the ce, so think this through. After that, sign these papers and leave it in my room. Bye, ¡°He turned to leave.


    She hurled the paper at his back and made her way to follow him so she could say the remaining things in her mind but she tripped on her other foot. Before she could gain her bearing, she was already falling on the floor, face t, and hard on her abdomen.


    ¡°Arggggh,¡± She groaned, shutting her eyes tight in pain and her palms instinctively went to her stomach when she felt warm liquid trailing down her thighs. ¡°My baby¡±


    Chase¡¯s head whipped towards her direction and in long strides, he was already with her, picking her up in his arms and rushing towards his car.


    ~~~


    ¡°You need to be strong, sweet cheeks¡± Luciano held Sophia¡¯s hand as the stretcher she wasying on was being pushed towards the operation theatre by nurses while they rushed towards the operation with them. ¡°You can do this for your baby,¡±


    She shut her eyes tight as blood streaked from the injury on her forehead and between her thighs. ¡°I- my baby. Please-,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be alright, Gattina,¡± Chase caressed her cheeks. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡±


    {¡°Kitten¡±}


    ¡°My baby,¡± She cried from the pain she was feeling. ¡°She- she can¡¯t die. I- I-,¡± She groaned in pain. ¡°Save our baby, Chase. I- I won¡¯t be able to-,¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be okay,¡± Lucas said. ¡°The baby will be okay,¡±


    Sophia held Chase¡¯s hand refusing to let go until they got to the theatre. When she was taken inside, the doctor faced Chase.


    ¡°You need to sign a few papers and fill in the formalities before the operation begins,¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking out of your mind?¡± Chase gripped the doctor¡¯s cor. ¡°My wife and child¡¯s lives are in danger and all you fucking care about is some damned formalities? I¡¯ll fucking sue you and end your career right this instant if you don¡¯t attend to my wife and child right now,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fill the forms and sign them,¡± Lucas nodded at the doctor and left.


    The doctor scurried into the operation theatre.


    An hour had barely passed but they were all panicked. Chase was restless; he was pacing back and forth. Lucas was seated next to Valerie on the bench in the hallway in front of the operation theatre, looking calm even though there was a storm brewing in him. Luciano was only leaning against the wall, pain and agony visible in all his features while Valerie only had her face buried in her palms.


    They all didn¡¯t notice the bulb above the theatre door being switched off until the. sound of the door opening caught their attention.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Chase was the first person to reach the doctor who had a solemn expression on his face. ¡°How¡¯s my wife and child?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Don,¡± the doctor began. ¡°We couldn¡¯t save the-,¡±


    The doctor couldn¡¯tplete his words because before he could do so, or anyone realized anything, the doctor already had a bullet shoved down his throat.


    He fell limp to the ground, and Chase walked away.

 CHAPTER CXVIII

    ~~~


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Don. We couldn¡¯t save the-,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes snapped open, and she sat up on the hospital bed with a jerk, ignoring the pain on her abdomen.


    She was wearing a blue hospital gown, and there was a bandage wrapped around her forehead. She could hear beep of the heart monitoring machine.


    Her hands went to her stomach. ¡°My baby -¡± Her eyes went towards the other room of the bed, expecting to find a baby cot but found none. She tugged off the IV drip from her hand and jumped off the bed once she remembered what had actually happened to her.


    What of her baby?


    She limped towards the door and opened it, finding the hallway empty. Neither Chase, Lucas, Luciano or Valerie was there.


    Maybe her baby was in an incubator. After all, it was still premature.


    ¡°Hey,¡± She called the nurse she saw passing by.


    The nurse paled as she stared at Sophia. ¡°How- how can I help you, Mrs.-,¡±


    She cut the nurse off. ¡°Take me to my baby,¡±


    ¡°Your baby is-,¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s she?¡± She smiled and dramatically palmed her forehead. ¡°I can be so foolish at times. I¡¯m sorry,¡± She sighed. ¡°My baby is premature. She must be in the incubator. Is her dad there? What of the rest?¡±


    ¡°They- they¡¯ve gone to-,¡±


    ¡°To see the baby?¡± She smiled wider. ¡°They didn¡¯t even wait for me,¡±


    ¡°I think you should have some rest, ma¡¯am,¡± The nurse moved closer.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But I want to see my baby,¡± Sophia whined. ¡°After seeing her, I promise to rest all you want,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am,¡± The nurse tried to make her understand. You¡¯ve been operated on and you¡¯re not allowed to move around,¡±


    ¡°But I want to see my baby!¡±


    Before the nurse could reply, another nurse walked to them, not noticing Sophia. ¡°Eliza, Mr. Romano and his cousins have just returned from the morgue and are asking for-,¡±She gasped when her eyes fell on Sophia. ¡°Mrs. Romano,¡±


    ¡°What were they doing in a morgue?¡± Sophia asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they be with my baby in the incubator room?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, ma¡¯am,¡± The nurse apologized. ¡°The- the baby you gave birth to was a stillborn. It died before you were brought in,¡±


    Sophia¡¯s legs buckled and she fell on her knees. Blood rushed to her ears and she stared at nothing in particr, trying toprehend what the nurse just said.


    Her baby was dead. Her little girl was gone.


    ¡°It died before you were brought in,¡±


    Her baby had died before they got to the hospital. Because of Chase.


    Chase was the reason her baby died. That was all he always wanted. He never wanted the baby and he had made it clear to her.


    And oh lord¡­ they didn¡¯t even wait for her to wake up before taking her baby to the morgue. How could she have thought the three siblings would ever consider her their first priority before their own cousin and leader?


    ¡°Mrs.-,¡±


    She ignored them. Sophia shot to her feet and rushed towards the exit of the hospital, the nurses hot on her tail.


    She hated everyone bearing the Romano name. She didn¡¯t want to part of those selfish people. All they had ever done was taken from her. Most especially their leader.


    The one who snatched every single happiness she ever had.


    Sophia ran away from the hospital. She ran away from the members of the Romano family, without turning back.


    Little did she know, she always belonged to that same selfish family and would never be given a chance to escape.


    And even if she did, it wouldn¡¯t be for too long.


    _________


    THE END


    __________


    Scroll down¡­?


    HER¡¯S| 18+{SEQUEL TO HIS}


    A sneak peek into ¡°HER¡¯S¡±     Sophia stared at her reflection in therge mirror in the bridal dressing room. She was dressed in a beautiful, white wedding dress. Its bodice hugged her upper frame, and the length of the skirt stopped at her feet, kissing the ground. She had a veil draped over her head but she hadn¡¯t used it to cover her face yet, as it wasn¡¯t time for her to go to the aisle. She had a minimal make up on and she looked pretty as always.


    An inaudible sigh eluded her lips as she realized she was actually getting married.


    Getting married to a man she didn¡¯t love.


    Her heart still remained with Chase even after two years of not seeing him, not hearing his voice or doing anything that would remind her of him. But too bad, he wasn¡¯t good for her, and she hoped she would never ever meet him again.


    She buried her face in her palm and pulled it away, her eyes immediately falling on arge gift box on the bed. A frown made its way to her face.


    The box wasn¡¯t there before she covered her face, so how had it gotten there?


    Curiously, she stood up from the stool she was seated on and walked towards the bed, her heart drumming wildly against its ribcage at the thought of the person stalking her for a year, dropping it there.


    As she unwrapped the gift box, her mind told her not to do it. She could fear coursing through her veins but ignored it.


    When she fully unwrapped the box, she gazed at the dress in it. She took it out of the box; it was pure white, decorated with silver designs. It was the same size of her body and she was sure it would fit her perfectly.


    And it looked much more expensive than the one she was wearing.


    Had her fiance; Matteo suddenly decided to gift her another wedding dress so she could change out of the one she was already wearing?


    Before she could think further, a white card fell from the dress at her feet, and her heart sank.


    Staring at the familiar white card, she knew it was the person that had been stalking her that sent the dress.


    She swallowed and bent down to pick up the card. A part of her told her not to read it. She ignored that part of her and flipped the card.


    Without me, there¡¯s no you, and without you, there¡¯s no me.


    She gasped.


    He had found her.     See you in HER¡¯S.


    Lots of love


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