Lissy Romano

5| First day

Lissy Romano

"Davide, show her the house," Vincenzo said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Davide stood up quickly, coming to my side. As we reached the door, I turned back, my voice cutting through the heavy silence.
"I wanted to ask you something..."

"What?" Vincenzo asked, eyebrows furrowed, his sharp gaze locking onto mine.

"What exactly happened? Why did I have to live with...that man my whole life? Was I really kidnapped?" I asked, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and curiosity.

"Yes," Vincenzo replied, exhaling slowly. "He kidnapped you."

I swallowed hard before asking the question that had been gnawing at me. "What happened to our parents?"

"They're dead," Vincenzo said bluntly. His tone held no warmth, no softness. "There's nothing more you need to know."

There was so much I wanted to say, so much I needed to understand, but then Vincenzo shifted the focus.
"I have a question for you," he started, his tone as unreadable as ever.

"Yes? What do you want to know?" I asked cautiously.

"How was he treating you? Miguel...Miguel Delgado, that was his name, right?" His voice softened, just a fraction.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said quickly, the words tumbling out as I stepped back, ready to leave.

"Alright. But we will talk about it later," Vincenzo said, his words lingering in the air like a warning.

As Davide and I left the office, my mind reeled.

"Did he mean that seriously?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," Davide said simply. "He's really strict and harsh about those things."

"Harsh?" I echoed.

"Yes. It's better not to disappoint him," Davide admitted, his tone matter-of-fact.

Got it. Harsh equals abusive. One wrong word or step, and he'll turn into Miguel. I can't trust him, not yet.

Davide gave me a tour of the massive mansion. Now I knew where the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and even Vincenzo's intimidating office were. The place was overwhelming. Cold, unfamiliar.

"Davide..." I said awkwardly as we climbed the stairs.

"What is it, Lissy?" he asked, turning toward me with a kind smile.

"This house...it's so big. What do you all even do for a living?" I asked hesitantly.

Before Davide could answer, a deep voice came from behind me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Nothing you need to know about," Dante said coldly.

I froze, my body stiffening at his icy tone. When I turned to face him, his dark eyes burned with disdain. He didn't even give me a chance to respond before walking away.