My head was pounding when I finally regained consciousness.
The kind of pain that came from being hit hard, not sleep deprived or starved, but slammed into something with force. My limbs felt too heavy, like they didn't belong to me. I tried to move my fingers, then my toes, then slowly cracked my eyes open.
The room was dim. Cold. No windows, just concrete walls and a steel door with a small, grated window at the top. It wasn't Sergio's house.
That much I could tell immediately. There was no scent of expensive cologne, no distant jazz humming through the walls, no heated floors or velvet drapes
This place smells like blood, sweat, and mold.
I tried to sit up but I had thick metal cuffs wrapped around my wrists, bolted to a pipe behind me. My ankles were free, but that didn't help. I wasn't going anywhere.
A soft whistle broke everything.
Then footsteps. Slow, casual, like whoever was coming wasn't in a rush. Like they had all the time in the world and enjoyed every second of the waiting.
The door opened and a man walked in.
Tall, built like a panther, lean but looking powerful, and his smile looked too kind for a man whose name sent Sergio into panic mode.
His hair was slicked back, eyes dark and alive with amusement. A scar ran along his neck like a line drawn by a child with a knife.
"Finally," he said, stepping inside and letting the door shut behind him. "I was beginning to think you'd never wake up. That would've ruined all my plans"
I didn't answer. Just stared at him.
He tilted his head. "You're quieter than I imagined. Sergio's girl… I thought you'd be more dramatic"
"I'm not his girl," I spat.
He grinned wider. "Of course you are. He just hasn't told you yet"
I tugged against the cuffs
"Don't bother," he said. "You're not getting out of those without a key, and I don't plan on giving you one anytime soon"
"What do you want?"
"My name is Vince."
"Who cares?"
He leaned against the opposite wall and crossed his arms
"I want Sergio to bleed," he said simply. "But that's not news. Everyone wants that. What makes you interesting is what you are to him. He's never had a weakness before. No wife, no kids, no friends. Just enemies. Until you"
"He kidnapped me," I said through gritted teeth
"Yeah," he said, nodding slowly. "But he didn't kill you. That's the difference. And now I get to find out why"
I looked away while he stepped closer
"You don't look like much," he muttered. "But then again… neither did I when I was your age"
"You think you scare me?"
"I don't have to scare you," he said with a shrug. "Fear is temporary. I'd rather make you useful"
"To do what?"
He crouched in front of me, close enough that I could smell his breath, he smelled like coffee and smoke.
"To destroy him," he whispered. "From the inside. Sergio's unraveling, you know. I've seen it before. He's sloppy. He's emotional. You've already gotten under his skin, and you don't even realize how deep you've gone. That's power, Claire. Real power. And I can help you use it"
I let out a sharp but bitter smile.
"You think I'd help you kill him?"
"I think you want revenge. I think you've been treated like trash by a man who thinks he owns you. I think you want to hurt him just as badly as he's hurt you"
He wasn't entirely wrong. But he wasn't entirely right either.
"And what happens after I 'hurt' him?" I asked. "You let me go?"
He smiled like I was stupid.
"No, sweetheart. I keep you. You're leverage. You're a symbol. You're a trophy. And maybe, just maybe, you're the one thing he'll crawl for. And I'd like to see that"
I clenched my jaw. "Then kill me now. Because I'm not helping you"
Vince stood slowly. "Oh, I'm not in a hurry. We've got time. You'll change your mind. Everyone does eventually. Pain has a way of changing people"
He walked to the door, knocked twice
Before he stepped out, he glanced back over his shoulder
"You know what's funny?" he said with a softer voice. "He didn't even try to negotiate for you. He kept shooting. Didn't even scream your name. I expected more. That should tell you something"
The door slammed shut
I stared at it for a long time. I didn't know what to believe anymore.
But he was lying. I knew Sergio. I saw his face before I blacked out. He ran toward me. He didn't give up so easily.
He wouldn't Right?
Hours passed. Maybe a day. No one came in after that. No food, no water, no sound. Just the hum of something mechanical in the ceiling and my own thoughts spinning in circles.
I kept thinking about what Vince said, I don't know if I should accept his offer to work with him. Of course I want to break Sergio but I am feeling guilty now.
And the worst part, under all the hatred I've got for him, I still wanted him to come. I wanted to see him kick down that door. Wanted to hear his voice in the hallway, not because I trusted him, but because I just wanted him.
The door opened again
Too bad It wasn't Sergio
It was a girl this time. Barely older than me. Black lipstick, short dark hair, bruises on her neck like someone had tried to choke the life out of her but failed. She carried a small tray with a sandwich and water
She set it down in front of me without a word
"You work for him?" I asked.
She hesitated, then sat cross-legged across from me.
"Who exactly?" She asked calmly.
"What?"
"I work for whoever keeps me alive," she said
"What's your name?"
She looked at me like it was a dangerous question
"Lola"
"How long have you been here?"
"Too long," she said
I stared at her
She looked back
Then she said, "Don't piss him off. Don't try to escape. He won't kill you, he'll just make you wish he had"
"I've been through worse," I muttered
"No," she said softly. "You haven't"
She stood, walked to the door, and looked over her shoulder
"If Sergio's coming for you," she said, "he better come fast"
"Why are you telling me though?"
"I don't want your life to be as miserable as mine." She replied calmly.
I rolled my eyes. "I don't like people trying to help me, the last one that did at Sergio Lucian's house happened to be working for Vince or whatever his name is."
Lola looked at me surprisingly and giggled. "Whoever did that isn't working for Vince, rather he's working for Viktor directly."
"Oh my goodness, I'm so tired of this shit." I sighed. "Who the fuck is Viktor? Why is my life so miserable?"
"You don't belong to this world, little girl."
"Of course I don't and I hope I make it out alive."
She walked to the door, but before she opened it, she turned back.
"Viktor is Sergio Lucian's rival, he has always been a sworn enemy to the Sergios, even before Lucian took over from his father. Vince works for Viktor but he's thirsty for power and he can achieve that by manipulating Sergio."
"So where do I come in?"
"You are Sergio's only weakness."
He shot the door before I could even say another word.