AURELIA'S POV:
"What are you doing here, Mia?" Alessandro asks in a harsh tone.
"We've known each other since childhood, Alessandro. I only thought it right to pay you a visit." Mia responds in a nervous tone as she glared at me.
Alessandro doesn't say a word to her, his intense gaze urging her to explain herself.
"Aunty Sara, advised me to spend some time with your wife. To show her the ropes of what it entails to be the wife of the Don." Mia says after a few minutes.
"If I needed you, I would have sent for you, Mia. Enough with the bullshit. Tell me the real reason you are here." Alessandro orders in a hard tone as he stares her down.
For the first time since I met him, I find myself admiring his harsh nature. At least for once, I am not at the receiving end of his verbal assault and intense glares.
"I was attacked!" Mia bursts out in frantic tears that has me lifting my brows in shock.
Surely Alessandro would not fall for this bullcrap. It's clearly obvious that she's lying.
"Calm the fuck down, Mia. Who attacked you?" Alessandro asks in a hard tone. Irrespective of his hard tone, it's pretty impossible to miss the concern in them.
"I don't know! I've been receiving threatening messages and when I ran to my father's house, the stalker started sending me pictures of me doing the most mundane things." Mia says while breathing harshly, the fake tears trailing down her cheeks.
"Why didn't you tell your father about this?" Alessandro asks in a sceptical tone.
"The person threatened to hurt my family members if I said anything." Mia responds in a shaky tone.
"Show me the messages." Alessandro ordered in a flat tone.
Mia is hesitant as she glares at my tied up form. What exactly is this lady up to?
"Can we— can we do this in private?" Mia asks in a hesitant but coy tone.
"We can either do this here or you can get the fuck out of my house." Alessandro orders.
Mia turns beetroot red as she turns on her phone, handing it over to him. Alessandro tuns on the screen and taps on the message.
I don't have to crane my neck to see the messages. There were various pictures of Mia's nudity and I must say, she is definitely every man's wet dream.
There were also a lot of messages threatening to kill and harm Mia and her family.
"I will have my men check this out. I don't have to tell you what would happen if I find out that you fabricated all of this." Alessandro asks as he tilts his head in a threatening manner.
"I would never lie to you, Alessandro." Mia responds in an enraged tone as if she cannot believe that Alessandro will think so lowly of her.
Alessandro storms out of the room leaving me tied up.
"Hello?! Are you not forgetting something?" I shout in annoyance, drawing Alessandro's attention to me.
"You are going to remain tied up until you learn your place." Alessandro responds.
"I've learnt my lesson. You are my lord and master." I say in a hasty tone, all thoughts of my dignity forgotten. Anything to get me loose from this chair.
"I doubt that. Tomorrow, I'm having a gathering with my top soldiers and you are going to have to prove to them that you are worthy of standing of standing by my side, I can't take any chances." Alessandro responds before stalking off.
I huff in annoyance as I try to get myself loose only to end up hurting my wrist.
"A prisoner in your own home. Isn't that lovely?" Mia's high pitched tone interrupts my movements.
"Leave me alone, Mia." I respond while rolling my eyes at her. I really don't have the energy to handle her bullshit.
Mia laughs mockingly at me before making her way put of the room and away from my sight. I remain tied up for a large part of the evening, and I spend that time cursing Alessandro and all his generations to come. Of course, in my head.
By the time Alessandro sends one of his men to set me loose, I'm more than ready to end this day. I collapse in my bed and I'm dozing off immediately. However, my night isn't peaceful and neither is it calm.
I'm plagued with nightmares of incurring Alessandro's wrath and having to pay for them with every drop of blood in my body.
___________________________
AURELIA'S POV:
"Why do I have to do this again?" I ask the maid who had helped me out with the balm and who had sat in my section as my family.
It turns out she is a very important person in the Santino household. She's the head of all the maids and could also be referred to as Alessandro's butler. I also learnt that her name is Gia.
"You have to prove to his soldiers and Capo's that you are willing to serve your husband." Gia responds in a patient and endearing tone.
"I don't want this marriage. I would rather he sends me to jail for having a hand in his wife's disappearance." I respond as tears fill my eyes.
"Don't say things like that, Miss. The walls have ears, be careful of what you say. Everyone is looking for a way to get in Alessandro's good graces and won't hesitate to throw you under the boss if it serves their purpose." Gia says in a calm tone as she looks around us.
I'm quiet as Gia continues preparing the tea that I'm supposed to Alessandro. It's not my intention to put her in harms way, and I will sooner hurt myself than allow Alessandro hurt her.
She hands over the cup to me and I hold it carefully in my hands. I count my footsteps as I make it to the door of the room where the meeting is being held.
I'm shocked for a minute as I hear the unmistakable sound of female laughter flowing through the door.
I go still in shock at the scene behind the closed door. A lot of scantily dressed ladies are in the room, grinding against most of the men in the room.
Even Alessandro who is mostly uptight had a lady gently massaging his shoulders.
"Venire." Come. Alessandro orders as he holds out his hand to me.
The taunting look in his eyes makes it obvious that this is just a test. I inhale sharply, trying to steady my nerves. I ignore every other eye in the room, focusing only on Alessandro.
However, the lady rubbing against Alessando enters my periphery and I find my concentration breaking. My hands start to shake and I ask myself for the hundredth time why the image of the lady rubbing against Alessandor bothered me so much.
I shouldn't care. Alessandro isn't mine and I should care what he does with anybody. I almost believe that if not for the strange emotions gathering in my chest.
I miss a step and the cup flies out of my hand falling to the ground and shattering.
Alessandro glares at me for what seems to be hours before holding his hand out to me.
I take it tentatively in mine allowing him to pull me closer.
"Inginocchiarsi." Kneel. Alessandro orders with a steady hand of pressure on my shoulders, causing my knees to bend.
"Ti farò desiderare di essere morto." I'm going to make you wish you were dead. Alessandro whispers harshly in my ear causing goosebumps to erupt on my skin.
Suddenly the nightmare from last night doesn't seem so far fetched. Maybe it was just a vision of the cloud of impending doom hanging over me.