CHAPTER 2
Matteo
I grin as I watch Adriano’s anguish on the screen. It’s one of the best and most entertaining things I’ve seen in my life.
He needs to suffer.
I’ve left a few small cameras all around his house. It’s hilarious how easily I’ve gotten past his guards, but they were easy to distract. And without all the security measures, the whole house is vulnerable to someone like me.
The batteries in the cameras will probably run out quickly and my men have to be close to the house to catch the signal from them, but I’ve already seen enough.
I don’t think Adriano knows Chiara is pregnant, and that’s interesting. He’s only been calling her name, and I haven’t heard him mention the babies.
Twins.
I press my lips into a tight line.
The whole thing just has Adriano’s ridiculous luck written all over it. First, he ended up in the right place at the right time to meet my father. Then he wormed his way into my family. Not even getting caught and ending up in juvie changed anything. Somehow, he again did the right thing, just like magic.
And he somehow found Chiara. A seemingly ordinary woman, but she’s carrying his twins. With his crazy luck, they’re probably boys. Heirs. My father would be thrilled if he knew. I had to torture and kill the doctor who knew the truth to find out that particular piece of info.
But it doesn’t look like Chiara told him. I wonder why. She’s probably smarter than everyone thinks and she’s wary of him. I could use that.
If Adriano knew, he’d be freaking out even more, and he wouldn’t have left the house so unprotected in the first place. I don’t know whose idea it was to hide in Chiara’s house, but it was easy to figure out. A few guards can’t stop someone like me, but I bet they didn’t expect me to show up in person and alone.
I could’ve killed them all. It would’ve been risky because someone would’ve heard the shots, but I could’ve tried. But this is way more fun.
I don’t want Adriano dead just yet. It would be too easy. He’s ruined my life, and he needs to pay for it. My father thinks Adriano is his perfect son, but I’ll show him he’s wrong about that. I’m his one and only son.
Adriano is a fraud. He’s an imposter.
Movement on one of the cameras catches my gaze. Adriano’s men have entered the room. Adriano lifts his desperate gaze at them from the sofa where he’s sitting.
“Nothing,” one of the men says. “Her parents are acting normal. I don’t think they know anything. Do you want me to tell them?”
“No,” Adriano says as he gets to his feet. “What is that?”
“What?”
“That.” Adriano points at one of the cameras.
Ah. The fun is over. Now that he’s seen one, he won’t rest until he finds the others. He’ll know Chiara was kidnapped.
“Fuck!” Adriano stares right into the camera. “How the fuck did you miss that?”
The camera goes black. I can’t see Adriano on any of the other cameras, but I can hear him shouting in the distance. He’s furious. Good. Maybe he’ll get reckless and pull some ridiculous move that will put him at my mercy. The more desperate he is, the better for me. Then he’ll agree to just about anything to get Chiara back.
I’m not surprised. The idiot threw himself in front of actual bullets to save her. That was why I was so sure he knew about the twins, but he’s never mentioned them so far. Not even once. There’s no way he wouldn’t have said something about them.
“There’s more! How is it possible that you didn’t see any of this shit?” Adriano roars at his men as he smashes another one of the cameras.
I laugh.
His men got too comfortable. I’d been watching them for a while, and I could tell exactly when they lowered their guard because they thought no one would disturb them. That neighborhood is like that. It’s so peaceful and boring that it lulls you into a false sense of security.
Or maybe Adriano knew my father wouldn’t let me go against him when he was hurt. If the roles were reversed... I don’t even want to think about it because I know what would happen.
But I’m done with my father. I’m sick and tired of listening to him and hoping he’ll finally see me. Really see me. All he cares about is his precious Adriano.
All the cameras are now dark, and I turn off the screen. Now I have to deal with Chiara and see how I can use her. But she’s easy to control. All I had to do was point my gun at her stomach and she was ready to do whatever I wanted. That won’t change.
Things are finally going perfectly for me. It’s time for a change anyway. Adriano’s time has run out. It’s my turn now, and I’m going to play some more games with him.
I spread my lips into a smile.
I’ll feed on his suffering and pain like a vampire.