Chapter Eleven
Alessia
I stayed with Salva because my parents were my last hope. I didn’t trust Marco, but I trusted my parents. Hearing my papa’s voice, though recorded, gave me new strength. It reignited something deep inside me, a flicker of hope I desperately needed.
“I want to talk to my father,” I said, the words coming out as a demand. He had to let me talk to him or my mother.
Salva didn’t respond. Instead, his fingers tapped against the screen of his phone, and my heart raced. Was I about to speak to Papa? The thought both terrified and exhilarated me.
“Why not?” Salva didn’t seem to care about my emotional desperation. “You’ll make it quick. Your boss might come looking for you.”
The phone rang. As the seconds stretched into eternity, I lost myself in the sound of it. Each ring made my heart beat faster. Once the call connected, I grabbed the phone.
“Papa?” I sobbed into the receiver, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “Hello, Papa?”
“Baby?” His voice cracked, the rawness of it enough to shatter me. “Are you okay? Listen to me, we will get you out of there. Just hold on.”
“Papa, I—” I started, but before I could finish, the call ended. My panic swelled, and I stared at the dead screen in disbelief. “What happened? Why can’t I talk to him? I should have talked to him.”
“Damn phone.” Salva cursed under his breath. “It died. I forgot to charge it.”
“No,” I whispered. “I need to talk to them. Is my mother okay? Please, tell me she’s safe—”
“Hey, calm down.” Salva’s voice had a hint of something almost reassuring. “Listen, it won’t take long for someone to come looking for you. We should talk.”
At least he’d confirmed my parents were alive. They were okay. I could listen to him for now, but only because of that sliver of hope.
“I heard you stabbed Renat,” he continued. “That was good. You should stand up for yourself. Don’t let anyone hurt you.”
The statement caught me off guard, and I raised a brow. “How did you know?”
Salva smirked. “Matvet is a close friend of mine. I believe he’s been nice to you?”
Still staring at him, I tried to make sense of the situation. Matvet? Salva knew him?
“Wait, hasn’t he been good to you?” Salva asked, his brow furrowing. “That asshole—”
“What do you want?” I said, cutting off his rambling.
Fishing something from his pocket, he stretched it to me. “These capsules can make anyone lose consciousness for twenty-four hours.” He met my gaze. “It’s simple. Make sure the boss takes one tomorrow evening during dinner, and then leave the rest to us.”
“I’m sorry?” I asked, unsure if I’d heard him right.
“This is the only way to get you out. Matvet is involved. He knows the plan. All you need to do is make sure the boss takes one, and we’ll handle the rest.”
Was I supposed to make Artur take the pill? I had seen enough to understand what was going on here. But if that was their plan, I wasn’t sure I could follow through with it. I couldn’t do this.
“I... can’t,” I said, shaking my head. “There must be another way. But I won’t do this.”
Salva’s tone shifted cold. “Your father—”
“Then let Matvet do it,” I snapped, the words escaping before I could stop them. “If he’s on your side, let him do it.”
Salva’s face hardened. “You’re his maid, not Matvet.”
My mouth opened to respond, but before I could speak, I heard footsteps.
“What’s going on here?” Artur’s voice echoed from behind us, and I stilled.
Salva wrapped the pills up and pulled me into a hug. As our bodies pressed together, his fingers slipped into the dip of my V-neck dress and tucked the pills just beneath the edge of my bra. “It’s okay. Calm down,” he whispered as if trying to comfort me.
I didn’t know what was happening. Artur’s footsteps grew closer, and Salva pulled away from me.
He gave me a sly smile. “If you like the idea, find me downstairs later. I’ll play you a song that will cheer you up.”
After a wink, he left without another word.
Artur watched me in silence, and after what felt like an eternity, he took a few calculated steps toward me. The closer he came, the more I felt my life slipping through my fingers.
“Speak up,” he demanded.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered.
Artur gripped my chin tightly, forcing me to meet his eyes. “If I have to, I will force the information out of you,” he warned. “And trust me, you won’t like it.”
Fear coiled in my stomach, but there was no way I was telling him about the pills. Talking to my father gave me hope and courage.
“No—nothing,” I stammered, swallowing hard.
His gaze narrowed, and he gripped my chin harder. “Your eyes tell a different story. What did Marco’s brother say to you?”
Marco’s brother? Salva was Marco’s brother?
Who the hell was I even dating? The weight of the revelation hit me like a punch to the gut.
“Boss.” Matvet’s voice cut through the tension, and relief surged through me. His timing was perfect. “We’re ready.”
Artur gave me one last piercing glance before turning and walking away. I exhaled, my heart still racing, as Matvet grabbed my hand and we followed Artur.
We left the party. There was no drama between Artur and me on the flight home. He stayed glued to his phone while I sank into a sea of my thoughts. The silence between us was a relief. I wasn’t good at hiding things, and the less we spoke, the better.
I couldn’t shake the nerves from everything that happened back at the party. When Marco and I started dating, he was obsessed with me. He loved me. Even Carina knew that. But now, everything felt different. I realized I knew nothing about him.
When we arrived back at the territory, I had to serve Artur as required and perform whatever tasks he needed. After a quick shower and changing into my work attire, I left the girls’ quarters to begin my duties.
Things went smoothly. I had no run-ins with Renat.
I went to the kitchen to grab Artur’s dinner.
Once I had it, I went to his wing and set his table.
He wasn’t around, so I sat there waiting for him in case he needed something.
The urge to let his dog out and play with it almost overwhelmed me.
But I suppressed that thought, knowing it would only cause chaos.
Minutes turned into hours. Artur still didn’t come, and I lost count of how many times I looked up the stairs, hoping he would show up.
His dog scratched at the door, a sign that it was hungry.
Frustration boiled inside me. Was he sleeping while his dog starved?
I paced back and forth, the constant scratching of the dog growing louder in my ears.
The poor creature was suffering, and there was nothing I could do.
I had to do something, and Matvet could help. So, I left the east wing to find him. The mansion was eerily quiet. The usual hustle and bustle had vanished, likely because everyone else had taken the day off to rest.
As I made my way through the hallways of the mansion, I noticed the lights from Artur’s office were on.
His wing had been silent for far too long.
It meant that he was in his office. I headed in that direction, and Matvet appeared from the far end of a different hallway.
His sudden presence forced me to stop and wait for him.
Salva mentioned they were close. If that was true, Matvet must know about the plan.
“Where are you supposed to be?” he asked, his voice casual but with a hint of curiosity. He had changed out of his suit and now wore jeans and a black T-shirt.
“Looking for the boss. His dog’s starving.”
Matvet started toward the office, and I followed. “Did you tell him his dinner’s ready?”
“No. I didn’t know where he was.”
Matvet sighed. “Go inform him, then. If he’s busy, I’ll feed the dog.”
“Better,” I said with a smile. “I knew someone here was in the wrong place.”
Matvet didn’t respond as he left, and I continued to Artur’s office. I knocked and got no answer. When I did it twice with no response, I pushed the door open.
Heavy pants met my ears, and I froze in place. For a moment, I stood still, unsure of what was happening. The sound of gasps filled the room.
Artur wasn’t at his desk. I could see that. But the panting didn’t stop. I shifted my gaze to the left side of the office, where the sound was coming from.
The three-seater sofa was occupied, and a head rested against the armrest. I walked around the couch. As I got closer, I saw Artur with his eyes tightly shut. He lay there, struggling to breathe.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his chest rose and fell quickly. I stood there watching him. The sight was both unsettling and strangely fascinating.
The powerful, ruthless man who controlled everything around him was now defeated, fighting for air. He looked vulnerable, broken, and for a fleeting moment, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.
I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. His heavy breathing didn’t stop. It only worsened. What was happening? Something inside me relished his misery. It was as if life had finally turned the tables on him, and he was paying for all the pain he had caused.
Did someone poison him before I could? As I stood there, I realized I enjoyed watching him suffer.
A twisted part of me savored the moment.
But the larger part of me recoiled, reminding me I wasn’t like them.
I had no hand in causing his suffering, but I couldn’t deny the sense of justice in his agony.
He made me witness dark moments that still haunted me.
There was so much anger buried deep within me, and now I let him suffer.
He could taste the poison he had served me and countless others. Karma finally came for him, and it didn’t arrive with a whisper. It came like a hurricane.
Though I considered myself more human than him, watching him made my heart beat with a strange, malicious rhythm. I had to seize the moment and do something. A simple phone call could change something. So, I walked to his desk, determined to find a phone.