Cassandra de Ville

Chapter 2

(Trigger warning)

The man's attack was fierce, his movements fueled by rage and desperation. Cassandra dodged his blows with agility, her mind racing as she assessed the situation.

She needed to buy time, to protect Elena until they could find a way out of this nightmare.

With a swift kick, Cassandra managed to disarm the intruder, sending the weapon clattering across the kitchen floor. But the man was relentless, lunging forward once more, his hands reaching out to grab her.

Thinking quickly, Cassandra grabbed a nearby kitchen knife, holding it up as a warning.

"Stay back!" she commanded, her voice trembling with adrenaline.

The man hesitated, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. For a moment, there was a glimmer of recognition in his gaze, as if some part of him still retained a shred of humanity. But then it was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating determination.

Before Cassandra could react, the man lunged forward once more, his hand closing around her wrist in a vice-like grip. With a cry of pain, Cassandra felt the knife slip from her fingers, clattering to the ground as she struggled to break free.

Just when it seemed all hope was lost, there was a sudden commotion from the hallway. The sound of shouting and gunfire echoed through the house, drawing the intruder's attention away from Cassandra.

Seizing the opportunity, Cassandra wrenched herself free from the man's grasp, scrambling backwards until she was out of reach. She glanced towards the doorway, her heart pounding in her chest as she saw the familiar figures of her parents' guards rushing to their aid.

With a surge of relief, Cassandra realized that help had finally arrived. But as she looked back towards Elena, her sister's eyes filled with fear, uncertainty, and it was cold and distant. It looked like she had seen a ghost, and her skin was pale, and Cassandra couldn't take her eyes off her sister, fear filled inside her and just as she was about to reach her, she heard a gunshot.

She turned to look at the man, who was now lying on the floor with a big hole in the middle of his head.

She was shocked and the man eyes had the exact same look as her sister. They were cold.

"Cassandra, are you okay?" someone asked her, and the voice was familiar.

"Cass, are you hearing me?" the man said and shook her making her to come back into this world and that's when she recognized him.

It was Matteo, Matteo Santoro, her father's second in command.

"I'm fine uncle. But Elena......" she said and stared at her sister and that's when she noticed some cuts on her body and a trail of blood tickling from her forehead and nose where a pool of blood was pooling down near her.

Cassandra couldn't understand what had happened, during the fight she had seen Elena, she was okay a few minutes ago, after falling down she had managed to stay upright, but what happened? Cassandra couldn't get what went wrong.

"It's okay. Look at me. Cass look at me," he said and she stared at him, and tears pooled at her eyes as he hugged her tightly.

She could feel her family's guards running past them as he picked her up and carried her out of the room. And she couldn't do anything other than to cry that night.

"Look after her," he said to Caterina, his wife.

"No, I need to go inside. And did you find Fleur. She must be down in the basement. I need to check on her. Was it her who called you? And where's Mom and Dad?" Cassandra asked and she saw Matteo and Caterina share a look and before Matteo could say anything Cassandra heard her sister's sweet voice.

"Cassie...... are you okay? Where's Elena? Did you find her? I called Dad and they didn't pick up. And, where are they?" she asked as she engulfed her sister with a hug. But Cassandra couldn't speak. The only thing which kept clouding her mind was her sister's lifeless eyes which stared back at her and the marks in her body, along with the blood trailing down her leg.

She couldn't believe what she saw nor could talk.

"Come on girls, let's go over there." Caterina said and Fleur went with her, but Cassandra couldn't.

She saw Matteo coming towards her and also saw the Police and an Ambulance. The next thing she saw was bodies taken out. They were covered in a plastic bag, and she knew Elena's body was within that. Matteo reached her and slowly got down and stared at her.

"Come on Cassie. Let's go." He said slowly and she couldn't move.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" she asked.

"They... umm Cass they..." he said as he tried to form the correct words.

"They're also dead, aren't they? I heard the phone call Dad got. You all lied to us about going to a fancy party. There was never a party today. It was supposed to be held next month. They went for their grave, didn't they? Why?" she asked as she tried not to let her tears fall.

"Cass... they are dead. They tried to protect you. They never thought something like this would happen...." He said and she cut him off saying.

"Tried to protect us? The hell they did. Elena is dead," she said and hot tears burst out and he hugged her, and he knew he should let her cry for that day.

After 2 days

Cassandra stood alone in the quiet cemetery, surrounded by the graves of her loved ones.

Three headstones stood side by side, marking the final resting places of her father, mother, and sister.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, unchecked and unbidden, as she gazed at the names engraved in stone.

The weight of her loss pressed down on her, suffocating and relentless. She felt as though a part of her had been torn away, leaving behind an aching void that nothing could fill. How could she go on without them? How could she face each day knowing they were gone forever?

Memories flooded her mind. They seemed so vivid, so alive, and yet they were nothing more than ghosts now, fading into the past with each passing moment.

"Why did you leave me?" Cassandra whispered, her voice barely more than a broken sob. "I need you. I need all of you. What do you want me to do? I was never meant for this."

But there was no answer, only the silent stillness of the grave. Cassandra sank to her knees, the damp earth cold beneath her fingertips. Fleur was next to weeping her eyes out.

As she knelt there, lost in her grief, a gentle hand touched her shoulder.

Cassandra looked up to see Matteo, the second-in-command of their community, standing beside her, his wife Caterina and their son Rayan at his side. They had come to pay their respects, offering a silent show of support in her darkest hour.

Cassandra found solace in their presence, a glimmer of hope amidst the despair.

She may have lost her family, but she wasn't alone. She had Matteo, Caterina, Rayan, Fleur to look after and the rest of their community to lean on, to help her through the long and difficult road ahead.

And as she rose to her feet, Cassandra knew that although her family was gone, their love would never die. It would live on in her heart, a beacon of light guiding her through even the darkest of days. But she would never forget that fateful night.

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Author's Note

Hey, loves, so yeah this is another update.

So far how's it? I know it's just two chapters so it would be hard to judge.

Don't forget to vote and comment.

Thanks for reading!!!