Mafia's Only Daughter ✔

Chapter 17. Shadows of Despair

Happy Holi everyone

This is the last chapter of this month. I'm having exams from next month so there will be delay in chapters. As you all didn't complete a single target also. So I had decided to post 2 chapters per month. Your love for the book is decreasing day by day, I request you all to keep some patience inside you because this book has lots of twists and turns.

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THIRD PERSON POV:

Andreano sat on the couch, restless, as ten minutes passed by. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and he looked at Elio.

Where the hell is your phone, El?" Andreano demanded in a cold voice.

"Why? What happened so suddenly that you're asking about my phone?" Elio replied, his voice tinged with worry.

"Just give it to me." Andreano's tone was dangerously cold.

Elio grabbed his phone from the desk and handed it to Andreano.

Elio: "Here, but why?"

Andreano: "Call Bella. Maybe she'll answer your call."

Without hesitating, Elio dialed Isabella's number. After a few rings, he frowned.

Elio: "She's not answering." Now his worry mirrored Andreano's.

Andreano: "I'll call Dad and ask if she's with him."

Elio nodded as Andreano dialed Leonardo's number.

Leonardo: "Hello, Andre."

Andreano: "Hello, Dad."

Leonardo: "What's wrong? You sound worried. Is my Star, okay?"

The concern in his father's voice confirmed that Isabella wasn't with him.

Andreano: "Dad... Bella is missing." His voice dropped, filled with dread.

Leonardo: "What?! How is that possible, Andreano? She was with you. How could you lose her? She is with us after so many years. How can you be so irresponsible." Leonardo's anger was on its peak hearing this from his eldest son.

Andreano: "Dad, she's still in the building. We'll find her. I won't let anything happen to Bella." He said trying to calm his father. He knows he had made a mistake of leaving her alone.

He hung up abruptly and stormed out of the cabin. Elio followed closely behind.

Andreano called his assistant, Rose, and instructed her to meet him on the 75th floor. As she arrived, he shot her a piercing look.

Andreano: "Did you see Bella?"

Rose: "What happened, sir?" She asked hesitantly.

Andreano: "Did you see her? Yes, or no?" His voice was icy.

Rose: "No." She lied, avoiding his gaze.

Andreano: "Fine. Call the receptionist from the ground floor."

Rose immediately called the receptionist, and after a brief exchange, she handed the phone to Andreano.

Andreano: "Did you see the girl who came with me this morning?"

Receptionist: "No, sir I hadn't seen her, but I'll check with the other receptionist."

After a brief pause, she confirmed that neither of them had seen Isabella leaving the building. Andreano sighed in relief, hanging up the call.

Meanwhile, Elio called the ground floor guards to confirm if they had seen Isabella.

Guard: "No, sir. I haven't seen her leave."

Elio: "Good. If you see her, don't let her leave and inform me immediately. Also, ensure no one touches her."

Elio then instructed his guards to secure the 98th floor and requested access to the CCTV footage from the 75th, 87th, and 98th floors.

Later, Andreano, Elio, and Leonardo gathered in Andreano's cabin.

Leonardo: "Where's my Bella?"

Andreano: "Dad, we have good news and bad news. The good news is she's still in the building. The bad news is we haven't found her yet."

Leonardo: "Then find her fast, Andreano. I want my daughter safe and sound."

As they discussed, commotion erupted outside the cabin. Elio stepped out to investigate and saw his brothers, Matt and Aure, arguing with Rose.

Rose: "He's busy; he can't meet you right now."

Aure: "Who the hell are you to tell us that our brother can't meet us?"

Matt: "Who gave you the right to talk to us like that? Just because we're not here every day doesn't mean we're not ROMANO'S. Understand?"

Seeing their anger, Rose stepped back, frightened.

Elio: "Don't you dare talk to my brothers like that again, you wile woman."

The three brothers entered Andreano's cabin.

Aure: "Where's our Angioletto? Why isn't she here with you?"

Matt: "Are you guys discussing other business?"

Leonardo: "No, we're discussing about Bella."

The concern on Matt and Aure's faces deepened.

Aure and Matt (together): What happened to Bella? Is she okay?"

Andreano: "We don't know where she is." His voice reflected his frustration.

Matt: "How can that be possible? She was with you. Correct?"

Leonardo: "Calm down, everyone. We'll find her."

Matt immediately began tracing Isabella's phone, while Aure decided to interrogate the receptionists again.

Soon, two frightened receptionists were summoned to Andreano's cabin. Matt, wasting no time, grabbed one of them and dragged her outside.

Matt: "Hey, gorgeous. Care to answer a question for me?" He leaned closer, his tone deceptively sweet.

The receptionist nodded, trembling.

Matt: "Did you see a girl in a white dress who came to meet Elio?"

She hesitated before nodding again.

Matt: "Where did she go if she didn't meet him?"

The fear in her eyes spoke volumes. She confessed everything, including the incident with Isabella. Matt's expression darkened with rage as he returned to the cabin.

He threw the other receptionist onto the floor.

Aure: "What's going on, Matt?"

Matt explained what had happened to Isabella. The brothers' anger reached a boiling point.

Leonardo: "Hand her over to the guards. She'll face the consequences in the basement."

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1. What moment in this chapter made your heart race the most?

2. How did you feel when Leonardo learned Isabella was missing?

3. Do you think Andreano regrets leaving Isabella alone?

4. How would you feel if you were Matt or Aurelio, hearing what happened to your sister?

5. What do you think will happen to the receptionist who mistreated Isabella? 

6. What does Matt's interrogation style reveal about his personality?

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