BULLETS & BOUQUETS

CHAPTER 4: REVENGE PLAN

Isabella turned toward the voice, her entire body quaking from exhaustion and agony. The dull light in the room barely illuminated the figure sitting across from her, Isabella clenched her teeth and forced herself up, dragging her battered frame toward the girl.

Every step sent fresh waves of pain through her legs, the broken glass slicing deeper into her flesh. Blood smeared the ground behind her, but she bit down on her tongue.

When she reached the girl’s space, she collapsed onto the ground with a choked breath, her body trembling. The floor beneath her was strangely free of glass, a rare space in the sea of sharp edges. It was as if someone had cleared it before sitting down.

Isabella pressed her palms against the cold, hard ground, feeling the warmth of her own blood pooling beneath her fingers. Her breathing was uneven, her pulse hammering wildly in her ears.

Then the girl spoke again, her voice softer now, but steady. “Who are you?”

Isabella swallowed hard, lifting her head to meet the girl’s gaze.

She was young—maybe around Isabella’s age, maybe younger. Her face was smeared with dirt, her dark eyes unreadable. But there was something about the way she sat, her body relaxed, as if she had been here for a long time and had already made peace with whatever nightmare this place was.

Isabella sniffed, her throat raw. “I am Isabella Romano.”

The girl tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable.

“Romano,” she repeated, as if testing the name on her tongue. Her lips curled slightly, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “That explains why you’re here.”

A sharp pang of grief struck Isabella’s chest. She knew what the girl meant. The Romano name had become a curse, a death sentence. Her father’s sins had painted a target on her back, and now she was paying the price.

Isabella exhaled shakily, her body too weak to hold up the her fury. She glanced at the girl again. “And you?”

The girl’s expression didn’t change. “Sophia.”

Silence stretched between them.

Isabella studied her, noticing how her clothes were just as torn and stained with blood. But unlike Isabella, Sophia didn’t seem broken. There was something sharp in her eyes, something untouched by the despair that had settled into Isabella’s bones.

“How long have you been here?” Isabella asked.

Sophia didn’t answer immediately. She leaned back against the wall, her fingers idly tracing patterns in the dust. “Long enough to know that this place was built to break people.”

Isabella clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palm. “Why are they keeping you here?”

Sophia’s gaze flickered to her. “Same reason they’re keeping you.”

Isabella frowned, confusion lacing her features. “The map?”

A humorless chuckle slipped from Sophia’s lips. “Everything leads back to power, Isabella. Whether it’s the map or something else entirely.”

Isabella’s heart pounded. This girl wasn’t just another prisoner—she knew something. She had survived here for God knows how long, and she wasn’t broken yet.

That meant one thing.

She had a reason. A plan.

Isabella straightened, despite the throbbing pain in her limbs. “Then why haven’t they killed you?”

Sophia’s lips pressed together. A shadow passed over her features, something unreadable. Then, after a long pause, she said, “Because they think I’m useful.”

"You are useful?" Isabella repeated, her voice hoarse, laced with disbelief.

Sophia didn't hesitate. "Yes."

"Why?"

Sophia tilted her head slightly, watching Isabella like a cat watching a trapped mouse. Then, with calmness, she said, "Because my fiancé is Antonio Guerra."

The name meant nothing to Isabella. She searched her memory, trying to piece together where she had heard it before, but nothing surfaced. Before she could voice her confusion, Sophia let out a soft chuckle,"don’t bother thinking," she said, eyes gleaming with amusement. "No one knows him. Except Dominic."

Isabella face was laced with confusion.

Sophia leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "Antonio worked with Dominic before. He was his right-hand man, trusted beyond measure. But then, out of the blue, he disappeared. And not just any kind of disappearance, Isabella. He set two of Dominic’s captives free before vanishing into thin air."

The idea of someone betraying Dominic was unthinkable. He was ruthless. Unforgiving. No one crossed him and lived to tell the story.

Sophia’s smirk widened, as if she could read Isabella’s thoughts. "For years, Dominic has searched for Antonio. He’s turned this entire city inside out, sent men beyond its borders, burned entire villages to the ground just to find a single trace of him."

"And he couldn't?" Isabella asked, barely managing to get the words out.

"No," Sophia said. "Antonio is a ghost now. He doesn’t exist in this world anymore. And that," she paused, the smirk on her lips turning colder, "is why Dominic took me instead."

Isabella’s stomach twisted. She didn’t know which was more terrifying—the fact that Dominic was obsessed with finding Antonio or the fact that he was willing to use Sophia as bait to lure him out.

Isabella swallowed hard. "If he really was Dominic’s right-hand man… then he must’ve been just as cruel as him. Why would he suddenly betray him?"

Sophia’s smirk faltered.

For the first time, and pain could be seen in her gaze

"You think I don’t ask myself that every single day?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You think I don’t wonder why the man I loved, the man who promised me the world, suddenly turned his back on everything?"

Isabella remained silent.

Sophia clenched her jaw, her fingers curling into tight fists. "I don’t know why he did it. I don’t know if it was guilt, regret, or something else entirely. But what I do know is that he left. And Dominic believes he left for me."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "That’s why I’m here, Isabella. That’s why I’m still breathing. Because Dominic thinks Antonio will come back for me."

The weight of her words crushed down on Isabella’s chest.

"So… that means you’re still waiting for him," she said quietly.

Sophia’s gaze snapped to hers, something unreadable flashing in her eyes. Then, slowly, she exhaled and leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.

"Waiting?" she murmured. "I don’t wait for anyone, Isabella. Not anymore."

Her voice was cold, detached, but Isabella wasn’t fooled. There was something beneath those words, something deeper than she was willing to admit.

"But Dominic thinks you do," Isabella whispered.

Sophia smirked again, but this time, there was no amusement in it. Only resignation. "And that’s the only thing keeping me alive."

Isabella inhaled sharply.

They were nothing but chess in a war they didn’t understand.

"Why is the Romano not coming for you?" Sophia’s asked in a calm voice.

Isabella’s chest tightened. Pain surged through her, raw and relentless, as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

Sophia watched her with lack of sympathy. "Crying won’t help," she said flatly. "If the Romano knows you’re here, then let him come and get you out."

Isabella let out a strangled breath, her body trembling. "My family is dead," she choked.

Something flickered in Sophia’s eyes—something close to surprise, maybe even pity. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by that same cold detachment. She scoffed, leaning back slightly.

"The Romano are dead?" she repeated, her tone laced with curiosity rather than concern. "Which means you’re the only one left?"

Isabella didn’t answer. The truth sat in her throat like shards of glass, too painful to say aloud.

Sophia narrowed her eyes, before she exhaled sharply.

"That means you have nothing left to lose."

Sophia’s gaze darkened. "Listen to me, Isabella," she said, her voice low but firm. "If you want to leave this dungeon alive, you have to follow my instructions."

Isabella finally looked up at her. There was no mockery in Sophia’s face now, no amusement—only something dangerous and determined.

"What… what do you mean?" Isabella whispered.

A slow, knowing smile spread across Sophia’s lips, but it held no warmth. Only fire.

"I have a revenge plan."