Isabella felt nothing but fear when Lorenzo's men took her by the arm and dragged her along a dimly light passage into a dark room that reeked of blood.
"Ahhhhh" Isabella screamed as they threw her on the floor.
"You made the wrong decision when you decided to escape, you've challenged me, Isabella, I promised your father to keep you safe" Lorenzo held her chin, pulling her face closer to his, he continued "but you, my dear, have crossed my bottom line and I'm afraid I'll have to teach you a lesson"
Isabella felt sweat dripping down her spine. She gathered a little bit of courage and looked him in the eyes, with a cracked voice and tears in her eyes she asked "Why are you doing this?"
"Why?" Lorenzo left her chin and laughed "I'm not answerable to anyone, but if you wish to know, your father exchanged you for money, you are mine little one and I can do whatever I wish to with you"
"One thing I'll not tolerate from anyone is trying to outsmart me, my dear is the consequence of your actions" Turning his attention towards his men he commanded as he walked towards the door "Start the torture"
"No…..no, I beg of you, please don't do this" Isabella crawled towards him and held his leg, rubbing her snot and tears all over him.
Lorenzo kicked her away and signaled to his men who pulled her away and tied her to a chair. Her screams echoed around the room.
The scar-faced man brought out a bag full of torturous weapons, taking a pair of pliers, he walked towards a man (Antonio) chained to the wall at the other end of the room and began pulling his nails one after the other.
"No….no…. I beg of you, stop it please….ahhhh" Isabella screamed and closed her eyes tightly.
A vivid image of the man's finger falling on the floor flashed through her mind causing her to open her eyes. Her screams echo around the torture room.
"Tell me who sent you? Why did you betray your boss?" the scar-faced man asked "Answer me Antonio" he yelled.
"Never" Antonio replied and spat on his face which annoyed the scar-faced man. Holding his face, the scar-faced man threw several punches at him. Antonio spat out a few mouthfuls of blood alongside four of his teeth but the scar-faced man did not end there.
He picked up a scalpel and began dissecting Antonio's belly. Isabella let out another scream and tried turning her face away but one of Lorenzo's men held her in place. She was forced to watch the gruesome scene of a grown man being murdered.
The scar-faced man turned towards Isabella and laughed "Can't stand the show sweetheart?" he asked and walked towards her.
"Don't come near…..no…..no" Isabella screamed at him but the scar-faced man laughed and kept walking closer to her, brandishing his knife.
"Boss said to scare her only, he won't be happy if you do anything else to her without his permission" Mark, the other guy with the scarred face said. He knew what evil thoughts the scar-faced man had judging from his expression.
"Shut up" the scar-faced man yelled at Mark. Caressing Isabella's shoulder, a devilish glint flashed through his eyes.
He tore off her shirt exposing her bra. Isabella shuddered as the cold air made contact with her body. The scar-faced man reached out his hand to caress her breasts when the door burst open. He stood there in fright with his hand stretched out.
"How dare you touch her with that filthy hand of yours" a cold voice sounded.
"I….. I.….. Am sorry" The scar-faced man apologized.
"Go receive your punishment" Alessandro Russo snorted.
More than their boss Lorenzo, the person they fear the most is Alessandro. Offending him means courting death. It was a known fact that Alessandro gave up his seat as the head of the mafia for Lorenzo.
Alessandro wasted no time in freeing her from the ropes that bound her to the chair. As he untied the last knot, he pulled his jacket and covered her with it.
Feeling her body shake with emotion, he comforted her "You're safe now, Isabella," he assured her, his voice firm yet gentle.
As they made their way out of the torture room, Isabella clung to Alessandro, her heart racing with fear and gratitude for his timely intervention. She knew she owed him her life.
If he had not arrived on time she would have been sexually assaulted by that bastard. Her body shuddered from fear as she thought about it.
Alessandro carried her into a room and laid her on the bed. Isabella blushed when she took a close look at him.
'Gush! He is so handsome' she thought. Her cheeks turned a few shade redder. "Thank you" she said to cover up her awkwardness.
"Don't mention, are you ok? Did that idiot hurt you?" He asked worriedly.
Alessandro took a breath of relief when he saw her nod "forgive me if I sound rude, what is an innocent girl like you doing here? the mafia is a dangerous place, somewhere you shouldn't be"
Taking a deep breath, Isabella began to recount her harrowing experience. "It all started when my father, in his desperation to settle his debts, made a deal with Lorenzo. He offered me as collateral to atone for his wrongdoing."
As she spoke, her voice quivered with an unsettling mixture of anger and sorrow. "Lorenzo saw it as a means to collect what was owed to him. He didn't care about the consequences for me or my future." Isabella's eyes met Alessandro's with a mix of pain and defiance. "But I refused to let myself become a mere pawn in their game."
Alessandro's gaze was unwavering as he listened, the gravity of her revelation weighing heavily on him. Despite his familiarity with the ruthlessness of the underworld, the callousness of such actions never failed to stir a deep sense of indignation within him.
"I can't fathom the kind of fear and betrayal you must have felt," Alessandro remarked, his voice tinged with empathy. "But know this, Isabella – you're safe now, and no harm will befall you as long as I'm here."
Isabella nodded, her gratitude evident as she continued. "It was your intervention that gave me hope, Alessandro. You showed me that there are still those who fight for what's right, even in the darkest of circumstances."
Alessandro's features softened as he extended a reassuring hand to her. "I will ensure that justice is served, Isabella. You have my word." His conviction rang through each word, leaving Isabella with a newfound sense of security in his steadfast promise.