'Uh!'
She took in a deep breath shaking her head.
'Now is not the time!'
Darkness crept in. The image of the beautiful eyes faded away, and the sound of the giggles got swallowed by the darkness.
And then there was a yellow flash that melted to the ground.
Fire… She saw fire… The fire that took everything from her. That fire was started by the Kastello family, and it destroyed her loved ones.
And now…
She had plucked their eye! Her hand is still wet with the heir's blood.
"Try me!" Leander said.
Viviana opened her eyes.
Tranquility returned to her soul as she recalled her purpose. There was no mirth in her eyes anymore. They were filled with hatred for the one in front of her who bears the blood of the family she hated.
She met with his eyes. His eyes were not clear as before. His eyebrows were flinching. Maybe he realized the absurdity of what he said.
What card does he hold to get her down from the ledge? Nothing!
Can he return what his family took from her? Then why should she?
She cannot destroy the Kastello family. No one can. But she gave them irreparable damage. She hoped that this little spark she set will rise like the fires of hell, unquenched, kindled by the sins they accumulated by ruining the lives of many. She hoped the Kastello family gets destroyed from within by that fire.
"Do it!" she stood straight. "Shoot me, Kastello."
"I'm giving you a choice here, woman," Leander took a step forward and she took a step backward.
There was not a single ripple on her face as she inched closer to her death, but she saw his hands shake as he realized what she is doing.
Pathetic lion!
"YOU, giving ME a choice, Kastello? Pathetic!" she pressed her lips to stop herself from cursing him.
He squinted his eyes and supported his hand holding the gun with the other to stop it from shaking.
She smirked. "I have the final choice, Kastello. I have the last say. Whether I jump, or I accept your bullet… The choice is mine!"
"Wait…" he took a step forward. But he immediately retreated seeing her inching backward.
"Jumping down is not the best way to go, Ms. Mattias…" he shouted, his voice shaking in the gaining wind. "You won't even die from this height. Calm down and think this through. You give me what I want, and you get out of here spot free. But if I catch you, your fate will become terrible. I give you my word that no one from my family will hunt you if~"
Viviana did not want to listen to him.
His word?
Heh!
The word of a Kastello is as worthy as a signature on running water.
She lost a lot to be here. She even lost her name! And now…
'Don't come for me, Michael!'
She prayed in her heart.
"Jo is coming, Leo…"
Her voice was soft, her eyes were closed, and on her face was a pleasant smile. And with that smile that could mesmerize millions, hiding the liveliness of her onyx eyes, Viviana took her last step.
To her death.
*Whoosh*
Viviana felt a strong draft on her back as her feet left the hard surface of the ledge. The gust was strong enough to push her, but she knew she won't end up back on that ledge.
The chill feeling on her back was so liberating. She felt like flying. She chuckled.
'It is done!'
Her heart started to pound out of excitement. In just seconds, her life will end.
But the feeling of flying without any worries was only fleeting for she felt a strong pull on her chest. Like a baby whose dream was disturbed, she opened her eyes with a frown.
She felt a tug and a pull and before she could discern what was going on, she was in the arms of Leander. He carried her away from the ledge and she grabbed the blade she kept on the ledge some time ago.
Guess, this blade wants to taste the blood of another Kastello today!
She tried to reach for his throat, but she couldn't reach his throat. So, she aimed for the next best thing—his neck.
"Capo! Knife!" One of the men shouted and Leander moved.
"Urh!"
With a grunt, she plunged the blade. She didn't care where it hit him, but she wanted to hurt him. She was angry he stopped her from dying.
The blade plunged into Leander's left shoulder. He wasn't even flinching making her doubt if the blade disappeared, but she could feel his blood on her hand. She used all her strength to push the blade in as far as she could. His angry groan was terrifying, but she was glad she got him.
With this short blade, she could not reach his heart, but she wanted to take a chance.
"Damn you, woman!" Leander grunted.
Viviana thought he would drop her because of the pain, but he didn't. He walked toward the stairs. She guessed he wants to take her to his torture chamber. Although she said she is ready for any kind of torture, she was a bit scared of pain.
"Let go of me!" she kicked her limbs. But he was not relenting his hold on her.
She struggled harder. She cannot give up now. Her eyes widened in panic and perspiration formed on her forehead.
"Shut up! Your voice is annoying!" he grunted and lifted her. Locking her jaws with his cheek and arm, he walked down the stairs.
She got more annoyed as he pinned her head. His musky scent twisted her stomach. She couldn't move her jaws. Otherwise, she would have taken a bite out of his throat.
But her hand was still free. She didn't let go of the hilt of the blade and tried to pull it out. She wanted to hit him in more places before he gets to torture her.
But…
She couldn't. The blade was stuck in…something!
Leander stumbled and grunted as she tried to pull out the blade. But his gait got stronger after he took a deep breath. He even skipped a step as he climbed down.
'Beast! He is a beast!'
As she couldn't pull out the blade, she twisted it. Blood oozed through his thick coat, and she saw it dripping on the stairs. Her hand was slippery with blood, and she couldn't hold the hilt well.
"Stop! Hands up!" the man following Leander shouted. "Or I'll shoot you dead!"
Viviana's eyes brightened hearing that. She tried her best to look at him. She wanted to give him a clear shot.
He's going to kill me. For real?
*Bang* *Bang*
A couple of bullets went off as Leander made a turn on the flight of stairs.
The bullets hit the heart of the man shouting at her. He gasped and his eyes widened in shock. His mouth opened as his hand reached for his chest. Then he stumbled down and rolled down the stairs.
He died not knowing why he was killed.
What the…