ALESSANDRO'S POV:
"The footages were wiped clean."
A feeling of deja vu hits me as Aldo repeats the same sentence that ruined my mood a few weeks ago.
"Do we at least have an idea on who might have stolen it?" I ask in an angry tone.
"I told you already, I think Mira had a hand in it. She pushed me into the room and locked me inside." Aurelia interrupts from her curled up spot across the room.
"Get her out of my fucking sight." I say to the guard standing beside Aurelia. Her glare is full of hurt and hatred. Good. I wanted her to hate me. So why does my chest ache a bit at the hatred in her eyes?
"What do you plan on doing about the stolen neck piece?" Aldo asks she's out of the room.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The necklace holds no real value to me." I say as I take a sip of my scotch.
"It has been in your family for decades. Are you going to let it go just like that?" Aldo asks with a look of confusion at my nonchalant reaction.
"Of course not. I'm going to punish her for thinking she can steal from me and get away with it." I respond as my fist tightens in anticipation.
"That won't bring the necklace back." Aldo points out.
"That's the point. Gather the capos and all our men that aren't assigned any specific mission." I say to him as I head out of the room.
It's time I show them that no one is above my rules. Not even my soon to be bride. Especially my soon to be bride.
I will treat her like we treat thieves in the famiglia and I doubt she will be willing to steal from me again by the time I'm done with her.
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AURELIA'S POV:
The guard shuts the door behind me and I can't help but breathe easier. When Alessandro had ordered me out of his sight, for a moment I had feared returning back to that dark room with it's demons and shadows.
I preferred to be in the presence of Alessandro than return back to that room, but to my greatest shock, the soldier had led me here.
The room although a little bit small, is extremely beautiful. It has one window with a very enchanting view of the world outside.
Someone knocks gently on the door before pulling it open. "Good evening miss." The lady says in a gentle tone that I almost miss.
"Good evening." I manage to croak out in response. Her white and black uniform give away the fact that she's probably one of Alessandro's maids.
"Please come sit, Miss Aurelia." The lady says once more while pointing to the only chair which is at the other edge of the room in front of a dressing mirror.
"Why are you here and what do you need me for?" I ask, wincing at the rudeness in my tone. I can't help but feel a little bit bad at my tone.
"I was tasked with getting you ready for Alessandro." The lady says as she lowers her head a little bit.
I nervously move to the chair she pointed at, knowing that there's no talking myself out of this. "What does he need me for?" I ask gently when she comes to stand behind me.
She shakes her head in response as she looks guiltily away from me. "What is that about?" I wonder quietly.
She takes out a few wipes, cleaning the makeup away from my face. She undoes my hair, allowing it to fall gently down to my shoulders.
She packs it back up into a loose bun that keeps it away from my face.
"Would you like to take a bath now?" She asks me reluctantly.
"Would my meeting with Alessandro take a lot of time? If no, then I will do so after I'm back." I respond simply as I stare at my bare faced reflection in the mirror.
"What does he even want from me? He was quick to dismiss me the last time we saw." I say in careful contemplation as I subtly urge the lady to speak.
"He— He wants to punish you." The lady finally bites out, shocking me to my core.
"Punish me?!" I ask in a shocked tone.
"Yes. It's a common practice for people who steal from the famiglia to be whipped a hundred strokes on their back." The lady says with a sad expression on her face.
I don't bother asking what I stole because I remember the necklace.
"Is there any way out of this?" I ask the lady as I try to hold down the contents of my stomach as fear and terror engulfs me.
"There isn't. But there's at least a way to make it bearable." The lady says as her eyes fill up with tears.
She brings out a little bottle from her pocket and hands it over to me. "Drink this. It will help you feel less pain." She says as she holds her hand out to me.
I quickly wipe away the few errant tears from my cheeks as I do as she has ordered, taking a little sip from the bottle.
"I'm also going to massage this onto your back, it's going to numb your skin at least for some time." The lady says in a sympathetic tone that has me crying once more.
I carefully take off my robe and stand naked her, whimpering as she gently massages my back.
"Who is going to do the whipping?" I force the question out of my clogged throat. Fear was making dizzy.
"The Don. He's going to do it in the presence of all his men." The lady says with an expression of pure hatred on her face. It's good to know that I'm.not the only one who hated him intensely.
"Thank you." I call out just before the lady leaves the room.
"Please don't tell anybody about our interaction." The lady says as she nods in my direction before heading out of the room.
My legs give out beneath me and I fall to the ground which is where Alessandro's guard finds me when he comes to fetch me.
The guard leads me to another part of the mansion pushing me into a room filled with men dressed in black as well as other dull colours.
"Vieni qui, ladro." Come here, thief. Alessandro calls out, drawing my attention to him.
Everywhere becomes extremely silent as I focus on him and him alone. He's currently shirtless, with a long whip in his hands.
"Legarla." Tie her up. Alessandro orders his men, and before I can have the time to struggle, I find myself bound to a pole in the middle of the room.
"Lasciamo che questo serva da avvertimento. La famiglia non conosce pietà." Let this serve as a warning. The family knows no mercy. Alessandro says as he takes a step towards me, spiking my blood pressure.
"Prenderà coloro che lo derubano e taglierà la lingua a coloro che lo tradiscono." It will take from those who steal from it, and it will cut out the tongues of those who betray it. Alessandro says as he raises the whip high in his hands.
My pleading gaze lands on his as his men rip the back of my dress, exposing my back to him. His empty gaze does nothing ro reassure me.
I squeeze my eyes shut when his hand starts to move. At least, if my eyes are closed, I can pretend I'm somewhere else.
"Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!" A scream erupts from beside me as the unmistakable sound of the whip hitting skin assaults my ears.
My eyes fly open and I look around me in confusion and shock when I feel no pain at all.
Alessandro raises his hands again and the whip comes down on the same man. Other men are holding him down as Alessandro continues to whip him.
What is going on?
"This innocent man will be punished and killed for your sins. I hope this makes you happy." Alessandro says in a taunting tone as he continues whipping the man.
Somehow, Alessandro had figured me out. He has realised that hurting me wouldn't really do much to me, but hurting an innocent person in my stead? It would forever haunt me.
"Please, Alessandro. Stop this." I start in a low and quiet tone, the cries and plea of the man drowning out my voice.
"Please, I'm begging you! Stop this!" I scream a little louder this time, but Alessandro still pays me no attention.
"Please! Please! Please! I'm begging you to stop this!" I plead, this time shouting at the top of my lungs.
"This is the price you pay for messing with me. I haven't even begun to take my pound of flesh." Alessandro says with a sneer on his lips.
"I will find the necklace for you! Please just give me some more time!" I plead, as sobs wrack my whole body at the sight of blood dripping from the man's bare back.
"This isn't about the necklace. It is a useless piece of jewellery. This is about you thinking you could steal from me." Alessandro explains though clenched jaw.
"No! No! No! No! I'm begging you!" I scream as I fight against the binds holding me back.
"He's married, you know. With two little children. I wonder what his wife would say when we send back his lifeless body." Alessandro muses as he continues whipping the man.
"You are a monster!" I say in utter disgust and disbelief at his evil nature.
"I've been called worse." Alessandro says with a sneer as he whips him once more, tearing into his skin and hitting bone.
I close my eyes shut, my hair that was up in a bun coming down loose and protecting me from the scene in front of me.
"Look at him. Fucking look at him! This is your fault. You might as well be the one whipping him." Alessandro says with a little laugh that nearly makes me lose my senses.
"I hate you! I hate you so so so much!" I spit out at him, while internally cursing him to hell and back.
"I never demanded otherwise." Alessandro says with a nonchalant shrug.
The whipping continues for some time, the sound of the man's grunt and cries acting as a real life nightmare.
Alessandro finally throws the whip to the side as he turns his dark gaze back to me. "This is how it's going to be piccola morte." He says as he holds my chin in his, staring directly into my red rimmed eyes.
"For every time you go against my wishes, an innocent soul will be lost, and the blood will be on your hands." Alessandro says, the crazed glint in his eyes showing me the truth in his words.