Sophia had just finished cleaning the kitchen for over an hour and was exhausted. She decided to take a rest at the counter, just to catch her breath before Carla came to get her for more work.
The door opened and her heart almost flew out of her chest. She sighed in relief when she saw Kim walking inside.
"Are you alright? You don't look too good," Kim said, coming to rest beside her.
"I'm alright... I'm just catching my breath before I move on to another work," Sophia replied, trying to muster a weak smile.
"I don't get it, why does the boss hate you so much?" Kim asked, a little bit worried. She had found Sophia crying inside her room yesterday and she had actually opened up to her. It left her feeling confused. She felt Sophia was pitiful and didn't deserve to be treated this way.
"I don't know, Kim. I've tried by all means to remember Luca, but I just can't. I just feel like a total failure all around," Sophia admitted, broken.
"It's not your fault, Sophia. You are a victim."
"You don't get it. All my life I've lived just to please my father. If he were alive to see me, he'd be disappointed." Her eyes became teary.
"Don't say that, Sophia, please..."
"I just want to get out of here, go back to New York, and expose those fools who betrayed me."
"I wish there was something I could do to help," Kim's heart ached for her friend.
The door opened, and in came Carla with a stern look. "Time to work. Come with me quickly," she ordered.
Sophia's lips curled into a deep frown as she got off the counter and began walking away.
"And you too," Carla motioned at a surprised Kim.
Kim nodded, and followed Sophia out of the kitchen.
Carla led them to a long hallway and handed them cleaning supplies. "Clean this hallway thoroughly," she instructed before turning and leaving them to their task.
Sophia looked around at the walls adorned with various pictures and paintings. She sighed and picked up a cloth, starting to wipe down a dusty frame. As she worked, her eyes caught a large family portrait. She paused and took a closer look, feeling a strange pull toward the image.
Kim noticed her interest and came over. "That's the boss and his family," she said softly.
Sophia's eyes moved over each face in the picture. "Is this little boy Luca?" She asked, glancing at a teenage boy with a serious expression. He had black hair, was tall, and had striking green eyes.
"Yes, that's the boss," Kim confirmed.
She nodded, still unable to tear her gaze away from the picture. He looked too familiar, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. Her eyes moved to the little girl standing next to him. She had dark hair, an oblong face, and shared a resemblance to her mom. "And the little girl?"
Kim hesitated, her eyes flickering with something unspoken. "That's... the boss's little sister."
Sophia looked at the girl in the portrait, a sense of sadness washing over her. "What happened to her?" she asked, sensing a deeper story.
Kim bit her lip and looked away. "It's not my place to say," she finally replied, returning to her cleaning.
Sophia continued to stare at the portrait, feeling more confused and curious than ever. She wondered if the girl had any connection to Luca's current hatred toward her. She resumed her cleaning, but her mind was now preoccupied with the mystery of Luca's past.
As they continued to clean, Kim broke the silence. "I don't know much," she admitted, "but I've heard that his sister was sold as a slave. Ever since then, the boss has been searching for her."
Sophia's heart sank. "How did she get sold?" she asked, trying to piece things together.
Kim shook her head. "I don't know the details."
Sophia became worried. She couldn't shake the feeling that Luca's sister's story had something to do with his intense hatred for her, but she couldn't connect the dots. The more she learned, the more questions she had.
"Do you think it has anything to do with me?" her voice trembled audibly.
Kim shrugged, looking just as puzzled. "I don't know, Sophia. But it seems like there's more to this story than we know."
Sophia nodded, lost in thought. She felt a growing dread that Luca's hatred was deeply rooted in a past she couldn't remember, and it terrified her to think of what might come next.
.
.
.
.
Greg and his men had been scouring the city for any sign of Sophia, but frustration was beginning to get the better of him. He leaned against his car, gulping down a bottle of water. "Where might this fucking bitch be?" he muttered to himself, his patience wearing thin.
"Boss, are you sure she's still alive? Maybe she was murdered or something," Ken suggested, glancing at a picture of Sophia in his hands.
Greg threw the bottle on the ground, his frustration evident. He straightened up, eyes narrowing. "I don't know about that, but we have to find her, dead or alive. Marco and that Ariana bitch already paid."
Ken studied the picture more closely, his brow furrowing. "Thinking about it, she looks kinda familiar."
"Let me see that," Greg said before snatching the picture from Ken's hand. He scrutinized it closely, a spark of recognition flickering in his eyes. "You're right... she seems familiar. But where have we seen her before?"
They were both silent, lost in thought, before realization struck them simultaneously. "The party," they said in unison.
"Fucking hell, I can't believe that motherfucking Luca Moreno," Greg laughed, a mixture of amusement and anger in his voice. "All this while, she was with Luca."
"And we almost had her, boss," Ken added, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yes, we did. Now I understand why he came to her rescue," Greg said, a dark smile spreading across his face. "This just got interesting."
Ken looked at Greg, anticipation in his eyes. "What do we do now, boss?"
Greg's smile widened. "Now, we play our cards right. Luca Moreno thinks he's smart, but he's got no idea what's coming his way."