"Clean this mess" Nora Costello snapped at Emma, pointing out the mess her daughter and her friends made at last night's party.
"Okay" Emma bent down with a broom and her cleaning supplies to clean the entire house, which is a mess.
Beer bottles, cigarette butts, paper wrappers, drugs, used condoms, piss everything.
Emma cleaned everything without a complaint, as it is a regular occurrence in the house.
Amber Costello is the princess of the Costello family, and Emma is nothing but a Maid. Even though both Emma and Amber have the same father, Emma is the bastard daughter born out of the infidelity of their father.
So Nora and Amber treat her worst than a maid. Her father doesn't bother about her at all.
Emma saw too much in the familia , so she knows that they will never let her go out alive. She is stuck here for life.
Amber is spoiled beyond redemption. She will get whatever she wants without a delay.
But Emma is ugly and useless. They only remember her, when they need some cleaning is done or a maid.
After she is done, she put away her supplies in the storeroom and walked back towards the back door of the kitchen.
They don't like to see her face near the dining table or anywhere in the house for that matter, except for cleaning she should stay invisible, never to be seen or heard.
Emma remembers the last night's events and she shuddered with fear. Subconsciously, she checked her spectacles, braces, and her dark foundation. Everything is in place.
After he caught her from running away, he simply drove her back to the Costello villa and left her near the gates.
She could still see his black limited edition car, even after she sneaked inside the basement, from the small window in the basement.
His parting words still lingering in her mind, evoking fear every time she remembered them.
"See you soon little kitten" he whispered when he left her near the Costello villa last night.
Emma is not naive. She knows what all men are after. Now that he saw her real self, he too might want her body for one night.
'Emma, do you remember him? He doesn't need an inexperienced virgin in his bed, who lays on the bed like a stone. He might like an experienced woman. He needs something from your father. That is what all this is about' Emma reasoned again.
But she is terrified of that man. He identified her ruse in just one glance. No one managed to do that in all these years.
He is smarter and the most dangerous man she has ever seen till now. She used to think her father is scary. But this man is making her father look like a kid with plastic guns.
"Emma, eat" the cook in the Costello villa is a 50-year-old kind lady, who always saves food for her.
"Thank you, Mrs. Gabi" Emma thanked the kind lady.
"Always so polite and proper," Gabi said with a pleased smile.
Emma smiled shyly in return.
Gabi is a plump woman, who is on the shorter side of the scale. She has kind brown eyes, with laugh lines at the corner of her eyes and mouth.
Her husband is also a made man, who works for her father. Like all made men, he is also scary and cold. The only time she saw him talking softly is when he was talking with his wife.
They don't have children of their own. So Mrs. Gabi always treats Emma as her child.
Emma finished her simple breakfast, sitting on the kitchen floor before washing her plate and neatly keeping it aside.
"I have some cleaning work in the garden, Mrs. Gabi. I will go now" Emma excused herself before going.
"Emma" Gabi stopped her.
She retrieved something from one of the draws and gave it to Emma.
Emma looked at the gift-wrapped box curiously.
"Happy 19th birthday Emma" Gabi gave a gift to Emma.
Emma's eyes teared up with happiness.
Mrs. Gabi is the only one who remembers her birthday.
Emma eagerly opened the present and found the textbooks for the first year of her college.
"You finished your high school this year. I don't think your father will let you study further, even though you always were homeschooled. I don't think he will let you study further. These are the textbooks for the first year of your college. You study using these books. I will talk to a college principal to let you write exams online from the house." Gabi said lovingly.
Mrs. Gabi is the only one who understands Emma. She is the only one who is truly concerned about Emma. So she knows Emma wants to become a doctor in the future.
They both know it's not possible. Emma sighed with resignation and left to do her work.
Luca Vitiello is sitting in his car, looking at some documents.
Marco is sitting in the front passenger seat with the driver. Marco occasionally glanced at his boss with confusion.
'He left her last night when we had her with us. Now he is going to the Costello villa to retrieve her. I can't understand the boss sometimes' Marco thought in his head.
He is too scared to ask his boss about this. So he shut his mouth and simply follow his boss.
Luca knows what is going on in Marco's head. But he doesn't have the habit of explaining his actions to anyone.
'I want Frank Costello to know who took Emma. I want him to know she is with me. He is not blind. He must have known that she is beautiful. Moreover, she is the daughter who is born out of wedlock. She is like a black mark on his reputation. But he still let her live with him all these years. He homeschooled her and appointed tutors to make her learn the etiquette of being a lady. He has planned something for her. If we kidnap her, then he will come for her. But if we take getaway openly, as a peace offering from his side, then he will be helpless to do anything' Luca thought darkly.
He still remembers her innocent fear-filled eyes. Even though she lived in this world in her father's house for so long, she was always protected indirectly by her father. That ugly makeup might be his way of shielding his daughter from the ugliness of this world.
That one thing Luca wants to know is why?
'Did Frank Costello love his daughter? Is it why he is doing all this for her indirectly?' Luca pondered.
They reached the Costello villa, the place he left Emma last night.