49. Dion
49
DION
Three days earlier
W hat the fuck?”
I blink groggily, trying to force my eyes open. I wince as pain shoots through my body with each slight movement. What the hell happened ?
I try to lift my hands to rub my aching temples, but they’re bound tight behind me, the ropes cutting into my wrists.
Taking a deep breath, I finally manage to crack my eyes open. It’s dark. The only light comes from a flickering bulb hanging overhead, casting shadows along the damp concrete walls.
The air is thick with the smell of mildew. I must be in some basement, underground.
My ankles are bound too. I strain against the ropes, but they hold firm.
My head pounds harder with every heartbeat, and I can barely think through the haze of pain. Was I drugged? I can’t remember anything clearly. The last thing I recall is leaving the house. How did I end up here?
I look down at myself. I’m still wearing the clothes I had on when I left: jeans, a t-shirt, my old leather jacket. That feels like ages ago. How long have I been here? My mind races, trying to piece together the fragments of memory.
Then it hits me— Aria . Panic blinds me as I remember the text she sent, asking for help. I was on the phone with Evan , and I’d hung up abruptly. I checked her location: she was at that club—the same one where I’d picked her up before.
When I first saw her message, I immediately thought she’d used again, and disappointment had hit me hard. I thought she was finally on the right path. She has been doing so well lately. What if something else has happened to her?
Fuck , fuck, FUCK .
I struggle violently against the ropes, trying to burst out of the chair. “ Aria !” I shout, my voice echoing off the walls.
I doubt she’s here, that she can hear me. But I need her to know that I came for her. I didn’t abandon her like the first time when she’d reached out and I ignored her.
I hear footsteps approaching, the sound ominous, and I stop struggling. The door creaks open, a figure stepping into the dim light.
Andrew .
My jaw tenses. “ Son of a bitch,” I snap, gritting my teeth.
He stands there, calm and composed, a sinister smile playing on his lips. “ Hello , Dion . I see you’re finally awake.”
“ ánte gamísou .” I almost fucking growl at him. “ Where is she?”
Andrew chuckles, stepping closer. His face is shadowed, but I can see the cold glint in his eyes. “ Aria’s fine—for now. It’s you we need to worry about.”
I buck against my restraints again. I want to free my hands so I can strangle this cunt once and for all. But it’s useless. The ropes are too tight.
Andrew’s voice cuts through the stale air of the room. “ Seems like those little threats I sent you weren’t quite enough to keep you in line. And as for Aria …well, it appears she’s become quite stubborn herself. Even the threat against her brother doesn’t seem to faze her anymore.”
Skatofatsa .
“ Ti thelis , Galanis ?”
“ What my family is owed, what I’m owed,” he replies calmly.
“ You’re not owed shit . Get these fucking restraints off me, maláka .”
“ Tsk tsk.” He shakes his head. “ I think I like seeing you tied up, Loukas ,” he says, kneeling in front of me. “ What I want from you is to leave Aria alone. She’s an integral part of my plan.” He grabs my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him. “ And you have been sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. So , this is just a little reminder to mind your own business.”
I jerk my head away and spit in his face. “ I’m going to fucking kill you.”
Andrew startles and bursts into a fit of laughter, wiping the specks of saliva off his cheek. “ It’s funny how you think you have the upper hand, Loukas . You’re in here,” he says, gesturing around the space. “ While your dear love is out there,” he adds with a smirk, pointing up.
I’m getting tired of his shit. “ Tell me why the fuck I’m here, Galanis . What have you done to Aria ?” I grit out.
He flashes me a sinister grin. “ You really don’t know?”
“ No ,” I snarl. “ I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“ You should know already that I’ve been keeping an eye on you, Loukas ,” he admits. “ Eyes and ears. Watching your little escapades with Aria . You two make quite the pair, but I needed it to stop once and for all.”
I knew he had been watching her, watching us, but it suddenly dawns on me just how much he has been an eye on her. I should’ve known that Aria’s fiancé, having so much on the line, would make sure that his investment was secure.
I grit my teeth, frustration boiling inside me. But I have to stay calm, to think clearly and find a way out of here. To make sure that Aria is okay.
“ Where is she?” I ask again through gritted teeth.
Andrew’s smirk widens, and he takes a step back, as if savoring the moment. “ She’s fine.”
“ What the fuck do you mean? She texted me for help.”
“ Well , I did a little thing to her phone called hacking ,” he explains as if talking to a child, chuckling. “ I installed a tracker and got into her text messages…”
The realization hits me like a punch to the gut. How did I not realize that Aria texted me from her phone and not the burner? She was never in trouble. It was Andrew who sent the message, manipulating me, using her as bait to lure me into his trap. Anger surges through me, hot and fierce.
My hands clench into fists, the ropes biting into my skin as I struggle against them once more. “ You fucking cunt!” I shout.
A wicked grin twists his lips. “ Surprised ?” Andrew sneers, relishing in my shock. “ I must say, you were easier to fool than I expected.”
My entire body trembles with fury. “ You sick bastard. What have you done?”
Andrew’s laughter echoes off the damp walls. “ Nothing . Yet .”
“ You think you can put your hands on her and get away with it?” I growl, my voice low.
He leans casually against the wall. “ What are you gonna do about it, Dion ? You’re tied up in case you forgot.”
My muscles scream in protest. “ When I get out of these shackles,” I say, my breath coming in ragged bursts, “you’d better watch your back.”
Andrew steps closer, his eyes gleaming with a twisted pleasure. “ Oh ? And why’s that?”
My jaw clenches. “ Because I’m going to kill you, Andrew . You made her suffer, and you’re going to pay for it.”
He laughs, a cold, heartless sound that echoes around the basement. “ Big talk for someone who can’t move.”
“ You think these ropes will hold me forever? Think again. I’ll break free, and when I do, you’ll wish you never laid a finger on her, you son of a bitch.”
His face falters for just a moment, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, before he regains his composure. “ You’re delusional, Dion . Aria’s mine now, in every way that matters. I can do whatever I want with her. In a few short days, she’ll be my wife. And you’ll be dead.”
“ She’s not yours and never will be,” I spit, my words laced with venom. “ Either way, you’re no longer the heir to the Kastellanos estate.”
Andrew’s laughter fills the room. “ How are you going to stop me? I made a blood pact with her father, and as long as I’m alive, I have the right to claim her as my wife. And when I do, I’ll get rid of her fucking brother and take over.”
“ Not if I stop you first,” I growl.
Andrew scoffs. “ The reason I brought you down here is to prevent you from doing anything heroic like trying to save that whore from her fate. We are to be married in three days.”
Fuck no. I lunge forward in my chair, hands clenched into fists. The ropes strain against my wrists, cutting deeper into my skin, but I barely register the pain. I notice with smug satisfaction his slight flinch, and I smirk.
However , Andrew is quicker than I anticipated.
His fist connects with my jaw with a sickening crack, sending stars exploding across my vision. I taste blood as it floods my mouth, hot and metallic.
“ I can’t wait to make her mine and enjoy every moment of it,” he smiles. “ Starting with fucking the bitch and filling her with my heirs.”
The mere thought of Andrew touching Aria , of defiling her in such a way, fills me with a rage so intense it’s almost blinding.
He hits me again. I refuse to back down, thrashing in my chair with all the strength I can muster.
Andrew’s blows rain down on me like a hailstorm. I feel bones crack beneath his relentless assault, my body convulsing with agony with every strike.
And through the haze of pain and blood, it’s Aria who consumes my mind.
I cling to the image of her, safe and unharmed, the only thing keeping me tethered to reality. Despite the darkness closing in around me, her face shines like a star in the night, a small comfort in this nightmare.