Love & Affinities (18+)

4

ARES VITELLIO

I walked carefully through the hallway to find any other girl with my injured arm. Luckily, the bullet had only grazed me. "Drop back and escort all the girls and women safely, remember no one touches them forcefully," I spoke into the earpiece to my men who lied on the lower level of the mansion.

This floor was reserved mainly for Alex and his auctions. The fucking politicians had already fled under our watch. I would have sent them to hell, but, we wouldn't want to risk creating suspicions if so many of them died at once either. Those pussies ran away just after hearing a few gunshots.

I counted till three before barging into a room, but what I found wrecked my heart. A shadowy figure lay on the bed with spots of blood on the sheets. She meets my gaze and begins screaming as I walk over to her to calm her down in case someone heard us.

"Aah, p-please leave me, sorry I-I'm s-sorry," the girl on the bed whimpers. She mumbled some incoherent words while I looked away, realizing that she was naked. I stepped closer, carefully keeping my eyes on the ground, took off my coat and covered her with it. Suddenly, one of our men barged through the door without checking.

"Get the fuck out and guard the hallway! Check where the others are!" She trembled at my tone as I turn around to apologize. At that exact moment, a shiver ran down my spine at the sight before me. She reminded me of someone I knew. The same brown eyes, black hair and beauty mark below her earlobe on her neck like in the photo frame on Ad's desk. Where the fuck is Adriano now?

I snapped out of my thoughts when some more gunshots were heard and she cowered. "Hey hey, it's okay. I'm just here to help you. Don't worry, no one's gonna hurt you now." My blood boiled when I got up to look for her clothes to see them ripped on the floor. I start taking off my blazer, but she starts thrashing around.

"No no stop stop it!" she screams with a hoarse voice.

Realizing my mistake, I apologize. She thought I was going to... "I'm sorry, don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything, I just want to cover you up, okay?" She hesitated but relaxed a bit when I freed her hands from the bedpost.

But, just as I covered her using the sheets, she loses consciousness, falling limp in my arms.

ADRIANO ENZO CALVETI

Ares barged into my office while I expectantly waited for him to report the details. He spoke so lightly only to confirm my failure once again. "Ad, we failed to catch him. Arturo saw him flee and followed him but the tracker in our car shows that he stopped after 15 minutes.'' Silence followed through until he spoke again. ''The men checked. The car fell off a cliff.'' I nod as he turns to exit the room. 

''Did you find someone else in the building after we went separate ways?'' I ask to confirm whether what I had seen tonight was true or just a figment of my imagination. 

''I did. I think it's her.'' I follow his gaze to the photo frame on my desk as a dark and knowing look dawns upon his face. ''You should go see her, she's on your floor... when I found her, things were a little... messy.''

I somehow control my anger, but just as Ares leaves the room, I let go. I send the computer crashing into the wall and slam my fist into the table. When will I ever be able to get my hands on the fucker and make him see hell? Did I really waste so many years thinking that she was dead? 

The telephone rings on my desk as I stride towards it and answer it. ''How are you? You need to move forward with the date with Alan's daughter, I've been receiving complaints.'' Father again. Of course, nothing matters more to him than a fucking alliance. He's fixed me into a marriage with none other than Alan's annoying daughter. Not Sofia. The other one.

''You should know of her activities too, don't you think father? And what are we even getting out of this deal?'' I ask stating the facts that he doesn't know of. 

''You my son will be giving me a heir and proving that the bloodline will continue!'' I did not understand whether he was blind or what when there were thousands of other girls who would be willing to marry me. 

''Why not any other woman? Come on, your training was not for nothing. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?'' I replied surely getting on his nerves since he was so adamant on getting me married to her.

''All you are to know is that you have to follow through with this contract to merge our allies. The Italian and the biggest supplier of ammunition on the lands, just imagine. The world will be at your feet. Alan has been my second man for years and the only thing he asks for is an alliance.'' Fuck him and his alliances. Thankfully mother was not here to witness this day. Her death was nothing sketchy, she had just died of cancer. 

''Goodbye father.''

I focused on finding Alex and headed to the bathroom before I went to see her. Another day where I would question my existence. I splashed water on my face to wake myself up. I couldn't recognize the person I looked at in the mirror. His eyes had bags, dark circles around them, overgrown stubble and dead eyes. I shaved off the stubble before taking a shower, heading downstairs.

The maid served breakfast while other men took their seats to eat as well. I shift my gaze to Ares and question him regarding the victims they had rescued yesterday. I had completely forgotten about them. "Where are the girls? I hope they've reached their families." I tried stalling the moment I meet her. 

"Yes, all of them were taken care of and were transported back home last night, while some of them are being looked into today. We also gave them the funds you had set aside."

"Hmm", I nodded while digging into my food, playing around with the fork. I push back the chair getting up before striding towards the stairs and onto my floor. This can't be true. I had seen her getting killed in the video package Alex had sent months after her disappearance. He had even sent her dress covered in blood. She was just 15. No, she can't be alive.

I barged into the room to find it enveloped in the smell of hospital supplies and a girl on the bed. Then I look at all the drips attached to her wrists. The oxygen mask beside her. And then her brown orbs that stared back at me in fear. I took steady steps towards her, trying to examine if it was actually her. I didn't realize that I was now standing next to her bed until she flinched. 

''What's your name?'' I ask sternly, hoping to get a reply. She trembles under my gaze before replying hurriedly and almost inaudibly. 

''S-Sofia. P-please don't hit me.'' God, it's her, with the same black hair and brown orbs. It's been six long years.