Sylvia and Luke appear to have the perfect life. A thriving fashion startup, a beautiful four-year-old daughter, and a love that began when they met at Harvard Business School. But beneath the surface, Luke hides a dark secret-he's the heir to one o...
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Pain. Agony lances through my skull, a relentless throbbing that threatens to split me in two. My body feels like lead, every muscle screaming in protest with the slightest movement. Groaning, I try to pry my eyelids open, but a gritty film seems to glue them shut.
Disoriented, I fight through the haze, flashes of the previous night flickering in my mind – the men, Sylvia's muffled scream, the sickening crack that stole the air from my lungs. Panic surges through me, a cold fist clenching around my heart. Sylvia! Where is she? What have they done to her?
With a renewed surge of adrenaline, I force my eyes open, blinking away the blurry vision. I find myself lying on a plush velvet chaise longue, the ornate gold frame glinting faintly in the dim light filtering through tall windows. The air hangs heavy with the scent of dust and something vaguely floral, a scent that sends a shiver down my spine. It's a scent I recognize, a memory buried deep within the recesses of my mind.
This isn't just any random mansion. This is the place I spent the first fourteen years of my life – the sprawling Biancchi estate nestled amidst the rolling hills of Tuscany. A place I swore never to return to, a place shrouded in secrets and a painful past I spent years trying to forget.
My breath hitches in my throat, the air thick with the weight of those memories. But the present urgency claws its way through the rising tide of emotions. Sylvia. I have to find her.
The silence is broken only by the uneven rhythm of my breath and the faint creak of floorboards beneath my feet. Reaching a grand staircase with a wrought iron balustrade, I hesitate. Which way? The entire house feels like a maze, a testament to the family's wealth and isolation. Then, a faint sound, a muffled whimper, drifts from somewhere above.
Following the sound like a lifeline, I ascend the stairs, each step echoing in the vast emptiness. The whimper grows louder, a sound both heartbreaking and hopeful.
Finally, I reach a landing and cautiously approach a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. A sliver of light peeks out from beneath, and the whimper becomes a choked sob.
Slowly, I push the door open, a wave of stale air and the faint scent of antiseptic washing over me. The room is sparsely furnished, a single bed dominating the center. And there, on the bed, lies Sylvia. Her face is pale, a fresh bandage wrapped around her head, but her eyes flutter open the moment the door creaks.
Relief floods through me, so intense it threatens to bring me to my knees. "Sylvia!" I choke out, her name a desperate prayer escaping my lips.
Her eyes widen in recognition, a flicker of hope battling with the fear in their depths. "Luke?" she whispers, her voice weak and raspy.
"Sylvia!" I rasp, rushing to her bedside. The sight of the hulking guard by the window did little to quell the rage simmering in my gut. His back is rigid, a monument to silent threat, and the glint of a silver switchblade in the moonlight sent a fresh jolt of fear through me.
Sylvia flinched as I near wincing in pain. "Careful," she murmurs, gesturing to my throbbing arm. "They… did a number on-"
The door creaks open before she can finish, and a tall, gaunt man with a sharp jawline and piercing blue eyes strode into the room. His gaze lands on me, unwavering and cold. He speaks in a heavy Italian accent, the words laced with a mockery that scrapes raw nerves.
"Signora Marino," he addresses Sylvia, a sardonic smile twisting his lips. "Welcome to my home."
My father.
My heart pounds in my chest as I watch the exchange, every instinct screaming at me to protect Sylvia, to shield her from whatever danger lay ahead. But I know that in this place, surrounded by enemies from my past, I am powerless to keep her safe.
As the reality of our situation sank in, a cold dread settles over me like a suffocating blanket. We are trapped, prisoners in a place that holds more secrets and danger than I can ever imagine.
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