Seeing Massimo made her nervous for some odd reason. Well, it wasn't wrong though. That man's very presence screams danger. 'How are you feeling, Melina?', he asked her gently from the door, maintaining his distance, not to scare her.
'You just kidnapped me and is holding me as hostage threatening me using my long lost brother. I'm perfectly fine', she thought but dare not say that to him. 'I'm... fi..ne', she answered looking down. 'Do you like the roses?', he asked her looking at her intently. 'Ye...s I do..', she replied not moving from where she stood.
He sighed and took large steps towards her. Melina started to shake and move back. He stopped. He understood that she was terrified of him. He wanted to change that. He wanted her to look at him with love, not fear, unlike the others.
'Melina, I would never hurt you', he said with guilt in his eyes but Melina never looked up to notice it. He stood there for a few moments and then just left.
Days passed and at times a maid came and gave her the meals. She was allowed to wander throughout the mansion except for the ones that were locked.
She never saw Massimo again after that though he watched her from a distance: admiring and longing for her and hoping she would accept him while for Melina, not a day passed without her thinking of Leonard. Every day she still found a bunch of white roses from Massimo on the table when she wakes up but never once did she bother to mind it since it only reminded her of one thing.
Leonard.
During her stay, she became a very good friend of the maid, Bella. She was really entertaining. Without her, she would have been dead bored, literally. They began talking about their childhood, likes and dislikes, Netflix, and books. She came to know that Bella's parents died when she was young. Her parents were in huge debt and people came after them for the money. Her brother had no choice borrowed money from the mafia in return for joining it. Though Bella didn't want her brother involved with anything regarding the mafia she couldn't help it since they needed the money desperately.
All was going well until one day when her brother discovered something he shouldn't have. They came after him. It was by mere chance they came across Massimo who offered her a job as a maid and her brother in his gang. 'If it was not for Don Massimo, we are as good as dead', she told Melina.
'He is a good man Melina. He is not as bad as you think him to be', she remembered Bella's words. It made no difference to her since she knew she only belonged to her Leo. But she did realize that Massimo wasn't necessarily evil. He was a good man who became ruthless due to circumstances.
Life.
It screws people.
It was never fair, to begin with.
Massimo also managed to have a guard for Melina who always was with her unless she was inside the mansion. Due to her extroverted, friendly attitude, even her guard became her best friend there. He introduced himself as Julius Rossi. They became very good friends over time.
One day just like any other day she woke up to find a bunch of roses on the table but this time she noticed one white rose separate and with a black ribbon on the window. It was at that moment she was sure of one thing.
Leo was coming for her.