Echoes Of The Caputo Empire

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: DESPERATION

Anaca

“I told you already! I am not her!” I scream in pain as the knife digs into my hands, spilling my blood to the already soaked floor.

How… How did I get in this situation?

One minute I am coming out of the shower to head to bed and prepare for my audition tomorrow and the next minute I am being accused of being someone else and then being kidn*pped.

If not for the fact that I am being tortured right now, I would have thought I was being punked

The damp, cold air clings to my skin, the smell of mildew mixing with the metallic tang of blood.

The men have me bound to a chair, my wrists raw from the rough rope digging into my skin. The room is dark, lit only by a single, flickering bulb that swings overhead while the shadows dance on the stone walls, their movement making my stomach churn with fear. I can feel the cold seep into my bones, the chill of the cement floor pressing against my bare feet.

"Please," I beg, my voice hoarse from hours of crying. "You have the wrong person. I am not Sang-Hee or whatever. My name is Ana. You have to believe me."

The man- Soo-Hyun, stands in front of me, his expression cold, unmoved by my pleas.

His eyes are sharp and filled with a mixture of fury while the other man beside him, Giovanni watches, his arms crossed over his chest, his face an unreadable mask.

"You expect me to believe that?" Soo-Hyun’s voice is low, dangerous, each word cutting through the silence like a knife. "After everything you have done, you think I will just fall for your lies?"

"I am not lying," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "I do not know who Sang-Hee is. I swear to you, I have never even heard that name before you took me. I am not her."

Soo-Hyun’s eyes narrow, and he steps closer, his presence overwhelming. "You must think I am an i***t," he says, leaning down so that his face is just inches from mine. "You think you can play innocent, change your name, and I will just let it go? That I will fall for it. Is that how stupid you think I am?”

My heart races, panic rising in my chest as I struggle against the ropes, the pain shooting through my arms. "Please, please," I sob, my voice cracking. "You have to believe me. I am telling the truth."

Giovanni shifts beside me, his gaze never leaving my face. "She is sticking to her story, boss," he says, his tone neutral, like he is discussing the weather.

"Because she is a liar," Soo-Hyun spits, his eyes blazing with anger. "She is trying to deceive us, just like she did before. This time, I am not falling for it."

He grabs my chin, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. I can see the hatred there, the distrust.

It sends a shiver down my spine.

"I swear to you," I gasp, my voice barely more than a whisper. "I am not Sang-Hee. My name is Anaca Pietro. You can check me out. I do not know what else to say to make you believe me."

Soo-Hyun’s grip tightens, his fingers digging into my skin. "Stop lying!" he shouts, the sudden burst of anger making me flinch. "Stop lying to me!"

"I am not lying!" I scream back, the desperation in my voice echoing off the walls. "I do not know what else to say. I am not her. I am not!"

He releases me with a shove, and I fall back against the chair, my body shaking with sobs. Giovanni looks at him, then back at me, a flicker of doubt crossing his face.

"Boss," Giovanni says quietly, "what if she is telling the truth?"

Soo-Hyun whirls on him, his eyes blazing. "Do not be a fool," he snaps. "This is exactly what she wants. She wants us to doubt, to hesitate. That is how she has always operated."

He turns back to me, his expression hardening. "But it will not work this time. I will get the truth out of you, no matter what it takes."

I watch him, my heart pounding in my chest, every muscle in my body tense with fear. "Please," I whisper, my voice trembling, "please, you have to believe me."

But I can see it in his eyes—there is no reasoning with him. He is convinced that I am the woman who betrayed him, and no matter what I say, he will not believe otherwise. My pleas, my tears, they all fall on deaf ears.

"Giovanni," Soo-Hyun says coldly, "start again."

Giovanni nods, moving toward the table in the corner of the room, where an array of tools lies in neat rows—tools I cannot bear to look at. My breath hitches in my throat, the fear crashing over me like a wave.

“Wait! Wait! Wait!” I scream, desperate. “What- what if I can help you? What if I can fix your mess?”

“Oh, really? Now you can help, huh?” He sneers.

“You won't believe me but I am telling the truth. And from what you have said, I doubt my death will solve anything for you and if you find out you are wrong about me, then you would have killed an innocent person. So, what if I can help?”

“Why?” He demands. “If you claim to be the common civilian that you say you are, why would you want to help and how?”

****

“This is f****d up,” I mutter as I lean back on the chair in the sparsely furnished room. “Father must be laughing at me right now in his grave.”

Who would have thought that I would ever put to use what I had learnt in business school for mafia kingpin.

Sung Hee had agreed to let me help in fixing the issues with his organization, in exchange for my life.

And though I have my doubts about him letting me go, it is the best option I have now.

The other being brutally torn apart, piece by piece.

And so, here I am, going through loads of paperwork and trying to come up with strategies for them

The door creaks open, and I freeze, my heart pounding in my chest as I watch Giovanni slip into the room, his movements cautious, his eyes scanning the space before settling on me.

I don't say anything.

I just watch, like a mouse caught in the grips of a hungry cat.

He closes the door quietly, his expression tense. "Soo-Hyun does not know I am here," he says, his voice low. "I had to make sure no one was watching."

A flicker of hope ignites in my chest. "You- you are going to let me go? You believe me, don't you? You know I am not Sang-Hee."

Giovanni nods, his eyes softening. "I do not think you are her. Something about this whole situation feels wrong. Sang-Hee… was clever, always calculating. But you- you are different, gentler. Purer. You are not her, and I can see that. But I can't help you escape.”

The relief is quickly replaced by despair at his words.

“Why not?!” I beg. “I don't know anything!”

“You can't leave. He has the pace on lockdown and if you try, you will be gunned down, without question.”

"Then you have to help me," I say, desperation creeping into my voice. "Soo-Hyun will not listen. He is convinced that I am her. I need a plan, something to prove to him that I am not Sang-Hee and to fix this mess."

Giovanni pulls up a chair and sits beside me, his gaze falling on the files spread across the desk. "There is no point hoping for that. He is convinced you are her. But I will help you," he says, his voice firm. "But we have to be smart about this. Soo-Hyun is not just going to listen because we ask him to. We need to give him something he cannot ignore."

I nod, my mind whirring. "The files," I say, gesturing to the documents in front of us. "There has to be something here, some weakness in Profaci's plans that we can exploit. If I can help Soo-Hyun save his empire, maybe he will see that I am not Sang-Hee."

Giovanni leans forward, scanning the papers with a critical eye. "What do you have so far?"

"I have been looking at the financials," I say, pulling out a sheet of paper covered in numbers. "Profaci has been bleeding Soo-Hyun’s resources, but he is overextended. If we can create a distraction, something that forces Profaci to pull his attention away, we can hit him where it hurts."

Giovanni nods slowly, considering my words. "A diversion," he says thoughtfully. "What kind of distraction?"

"We could target one of his smaller operations," I suggest. "Something that will make him think we are planning a bigger move, but in reality, it is just a feint. While he is busy dealing with that, we go after his real vulnerabilities."

Giovanni’s eyes light up with interest. "That could work," he says, leaning closer. "If we can make him believe we are coming for something insignificant, he will shift his resources, leaving the bigger targets exposed."

"And we will need to cut off his communication lines," I add, flipping to another document. "If he cannot coordinate with his people, it will create chaos, and we can use that to our advantage."

"Disrupt his supply chains, too," Giovanni suggests, pointing to a list of shipments. "If we can intercept these, it will cripple his operations. Profaci relies on these supplies to keep his men fed and armed. Without them, he is vulnerable."

I nod, my heart racing with a mix of fear and determination. "And what about Soo-Hyun?" I ask, my voice quieter now. "How do we convince him to trust me, to see that I am not his enemy?"

Giovanni looks at me, his expression serious. "We need to give him results. Actions speak louder than words. If you can pull this off, if you can help him take down Profaci, he will have no choice but to see you differently."

I swallow hard, the weight of the task pressing down on me. "But what if it is not enough? What if he still thinks I am Sang-Hee?"

Giovanni’s gaze softens, and he reaches out to place a hand on mine. "Then we will find another way," he says quietly. "But right now, this is our best shot. We will hit Profaci hard and fast. If we succeed, Soo-Hyun will have to acknowledge that you are not his enemy. You are his only hope."

I nod, squeezing his hand in return. "All right," I say, my voice steadying. "Let’s do this."

Giovanni stands, giving me a reassuring nod. "I will take care of the logistics. You focus on the strategy. We will do this together, and we will get through it."