CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Framed And Threatened.

AURELIA'S POV:

My heart rate increases as I remember Alessandro's threatening words to me. I don't want any innocent person to suffer on my behalf.

True to his words, Alessandro whips out his gun and shoots a guard standing behind me point blank in his forehead.

"Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!" I shriek in fear and disgust, as I feel the warm blood trickling down my back.

Alessandro grips my arm and pulls me up. "You are going to serve me and my men and you are going to do it gracefully." Alessandro orders before pushing me away.

I stand on shaky legs as I all but run from the room. I collapse on the floor crying in the kitchen, crying my eyes out. Gia holds me to her chest as she tries to calm me down.

"I've killed another man." I say in between sobs.

"No you haven't. The only reason Alessandro killed that man is because he betrayed him. He only did that to upset you. The man was supposed to die either way." Gia says in a calm tone as she explains the whole situation to me.

I hate myself a bit more as I find that I'm more than a little bit relieved that the man wasn't killed because of me.

I shouldn't be okay with the fact that a man was killed whether or not it had anything to do with me.

"You are too soft for this world, Aurelia." Gia says in a sympathetic tone that causes more tears to roll down my cheek.

"Which is why I won't stop running." I say in a determined tone as I wipe the tears off my cheeks.

"That's not a good idea, Aurelia. Alessandro is evil and might kill you to prove a point."Gia responds in a concerned tone.

I offer her a tight smile but say nothing else. Accepting my position and captivity would be the same as betraying myself and I could never do that. I refuse to give in to Alessandro.

"The Don has summoned you." A guard pokes his head into the kitchen, calling out to me.

My face is set into a determined grim line as I stand to my feet. Gia helps me clean off most of the blood on my back and I walk to the room in short brisk steps.

The room is surprisingly devoid of the dead body and any blood. I move across the room, pouring drinks for him and his men. My fingers shake slightly due to nervousness but I remind myself of my escape plan in order to keep me grounded.

A guard escorts me out of the room, his looming presence putting me in a state of discomfort I never knew existed.

The guard leads me further away from the room and up a set of stairs.

"This isn't my room." I say in confusion as the guard opens the door.

"Don wants you here." The guard responds in a flat tone.

I don't argue with him as I step into the room. I don't miss the sound of the door being locked from the outside by the guard. So this is Alessandro's plan?

He plans to keep me isolated as some form of punishment. Well, jokes on him because I've gotten used to being by myself after being locked in that dark room by him.

I take a cursive look around the room, my lips curling in distaste at the dust and cobwebs covering most of the surface. The room looks abandoned and haunted at the same time.

I sit down on the edge of the bed, surprised at how clean the sheets are. It looks like someone used to stay here and then the maids continued to keep the bed clean.

I pull open the cupboards, waving away the dust that spills out. I find a lot of papers wrapped together and my brows furrow in confusion. What could that be?

I take out the papers and I untie the ribbon holding them together. I find that they are love letters written to a man named Nicolo. The letters are all signed with a heart drawing and a lipstick kiss.

Why would they be hidden and why aren't they in Nicolo's possession? A light bulb goes off in my head and I remember that Nicolo is actually Alessandro's underboss and his cousin.

I spend my time reading the letters and I realize that whoever it was that wrote these letters was cheating on her husband with Nicolo. It was an illicit affair and it made it more fun for them.

I search the rest of the room but find nothing else. The boredom gets to my head and I find myself crying my eyes out. At this point I would rather be back at home with my stepmother and step siblings. They made my life hell but at least I had my father to keep me grounded.

I'm left alone well into the night, a maid delivers my dinner and I eat alone while reminiscing about what life used to be with Olivia and my father.

Just around midnight, a guard knocks on my door, before opening the door gently. I sigh in relief when he leads me outside.

"Where are you taking me this time?" I ask in an exasperated tone as he once again takes me down a strange hallway.

"Mia told me you needed help escaping." The guard says in a whisper.

"Why would she want to help me?" I ask in a skeptical tone as my heartbeat increases at the thought of regaining my freedom back.

"Mia isn't as bad as you think." The guard says as he moves from one foot to the other, obviously disturbed by my question.

"Really? The person who tried to kill me and then proceeded to frame me up, isn't as bad as I think?" I ask in a sarcastic tone with a lifted brow.

"Fine, she wants you out of the way." The guard says finally in an exhausted tone. As though he hates being in the middle of all this.

"Explain." I demand with a frown of confusion on my face.

"It must be clear to you that she wants Alessandro and you are in the way. She doesn't mind helping you if it will give her what she wants." The guard explains as he looks cautiously around us.

"That's believable." I say with a resigned shrug of my shoulders.

"She wants you to have this." The guard says as he hands over a wad of cash to me.

I'm still a little doubtful but I allow him to lead me down the stairs.

"Hide." The guard mutters under his breath when we hear the distinct footsteps of another guard heading our way. The guard pulls me into a dark room, locking the door behind us.

I'm breathing harshly by the time we continue on our journey.

"This is it. Don't come back here and don't allow yourself to be caught." The guard bites out at me as he pushes open what seems to be a back door.

However, before I have the chance to step my feet outside, Nicolo's voice interrupts me from behind.

"Going somewhere without your husband?" Nicolo asks in a mocking tone with a sneer on his lips.

"Why do you care? It's not like the institution of marriage is even important to you." I respond in a snarky but low tone.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nicolo asks as he takes a threatening step towards me.

The guard hurries out of the way, forcing me to take a cautious step backwards.

"I saw the letters. I wonder whose wife you were fucking." I say in a harsh tone not caring about his wrath.

"Don't say bullshit about things you don't know." Nicolo says as he grips my arms tightly in his hands.

"Let me go Nicolo and I won't expose you." I say in a shaky tone. "Allow me to walk out that door and no-one will know about your illicit affair." I plead with him.

"Who do you think is going to care about my supposed affair?" Nicolo asks in a taunting tone that makes me realize my mistake. Indeed no one is going to care.

"You are the one with something to lose." Nicolo says with a smirk.

"Are you trying to kill my wife, Nicolo?" Alessandro asks in a harsh tone, causing Nicolo to push away from me.

My hands immediately fly to the finger marks on my skin. The pain is nothing more than a dull bearable throb.

"I told her not to go, Alessandro. I'm sorry." Mia's high pitched tone calls from behind Alessandro.

All the pieces fall into place the moment I see her. Mia set me up. The guard was never going to help me escape. This was all to make Alessandro punish me.

"You set me up!" I call out in anger.

Mia smirks lightly at me before turning her pitiful gaze to Alessandro.

"Take him away from my sight." Alessandro orders Nicolo who proceeds to drag the guard away.

My gaze flies between Mia and Alessandro who is currently glaring intensely at me. Alessandro ignores Mia as he stalks towards me, he grabs me by the arms and I gasp in pain but either he doesn't notice or he just doesn't care.

Mia looks at us in confusion and annoyance at being ignored.

Alessandro doesn't stop until we go up a flight of stairs and down a hallway before opening the door to a room and pushing me inside.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask in trepidation as Alessandro closes the door behind him.

My eyes rove over the decor and items in the room and I go still. This is Alessandro's room! But why did he bring me here?!

"What am I doing here?!" I ask in a scared tone. I would rather be subject to his torture than to spend the night in the same room with him.

"You seem to be ignorant of the lengths I will go to ensure I get what I want." Alessandro starts as he takes out something from the cupboard beside his large bed.

"I might desire to kill you every waking moment of my life, but I need a wife, and you are a convenient option. You will not leave until I'm ready to let you go." Alessandro says as takes hold of my wrist.

Before I have the chance to snatch my wrist back, he locks it in a handcuff.

"What are you doing? Take this off my hand!" I say in an exasperated tone.

Alessandro does not respond as he drags me to the bed, throwing me on it. Before I can roll away, Alessandro straddles me, locking the other end of the handcuff to the headboard.

"You are stuck with me, and the only way you are leaving here is in a body bag." Alessandro hisses at me as the heavy weight of the handcuff around my wrists elicits terror in my bones.