Twisted Obsession

30 - Love or Revenge

Athena Luciana Bianchi

Present

To curb his inflated ego after the debacle he caused at his birthday party, where he expected me to actually heed his commands, I decided enough was enough. I left his house, gathering my belongings, swiping his car key, and taking the keys to one of his properties located a few hours away. I desperately needed an escape. It felt like an eternity since I haaaqpd any peace and quiet—months since I had distanced myself from Lorenzo and the exhausting charade of pretending to be in love with him. Yes, sometimes I genuinely fell for him; he was my first love, after all. But who wouldn't fall for their first love? I slapped myself across the face, snapping out of my reverie. "Ew, ew, what the hell, Athena!" I exclaimed in disgust. After everything I had done for that bastard, it was revolting to think about. "Ew, no," I muttered to myself, utterly creeped out by the thought.

I took refuge in his opulent mansion, a sanctuary of peace and quiet where I could meticulously plan the final steps of my revenge. For the past three days, the house had been eerily silent, with no sign of him. This solitude was precisely what I needed to concentrate and perfect my strategy, ensuring that my vengeance against that bastard would be executed flawlessly.

Meanwhile, my revenge plan was unfolding flawlessly, and I mean, it was impeccably perfect. Every detail was meticulously orchestrated. Elliot and I had cunningly fed Riccardo a web of lies, strategically disseminated through trusted people, and Riccardo, without hesitation and realization of the truth, relayed these deceptions to Lorenzo. Our plan was a masterpiece of manipulation, the result of years of painstaking planning and relentless hard work.

The first year after the incident was the most harrowing. The sting of betrayal still fresh, I was acutely aware of Lorenzo's formidable power. It was a constant, oppressive shadow, reminding me of the monumental challenge ahead. But Elliot's entry into Lorenzo's mafia marked a turning point. His innocent persona was a masterstroke; it disarmed everyone, even Lorenzo, who welcomed him with open arms and unquestioning trust.

Once we had established Elliot's position, our focus shifted to uncovering Vincelli's secrets. This task proved to be a grueling ordeal, stretching over agonizingly long months. The breakthrough came with the discovery of their super-secret offshore bank accounts. The key to these accounts was encoded in the atomic structure of a lost 20-carat diamond. Lorenzo, blissfully ignorant of this hidden fortune, was unaware of the vast wealth in his family's name, a leverage we desperately needed.

The hunt for the diamond was our next monumental challenge. Elliot's exceptional hacking skills unveiled more than just the diamond's significance; they exposed dark, sinister secrets lurking within the Vincelli family, secrets potent enough to dismantle their entire legacy. Yet, despite three exhaustive years of searching, we found nothing. No leads, no clues, just a frustrating void.

It was in this desperate juncture that I turned to the Allisters, hoping their resources and connections could help. And, ultimately, I had to draw Lorenzo into his own web of deceit and destruction. The day he made me his enemy, he set this course in motion, and now, I was ready to bring him face-to-face with the chaos he had sown.

Every step of this journey had been laden with intense emotions—rage, determination, and an unyielding thirst for vengeance. The betrayal had cut deep, fueling my resolve to see Lorenzo brought to his knees. As I reflected on the years of meticulous planning, the countless sleepless nights, and the sheer willpower it took to get this far, I knew that every sacrifice, every ounce of effort, was about to pay off. The endgame was in sight, and victory was within reach.

The Allisters were one of the Vincelli family's most formidable adversaries. While the Vincelli family had made numerous enemies over the years, the Allisters were unique in their power and posed the greatest threat, albeit a slim one, with just enough chance of standing up to Lorenzo. Nevertheless, this slight chance made them the perfect target for my plan.