The Mafia king's wrong captive

Chapter two

Darkness. That was the first thing I knew.

Not the comforting darkness of sleep, but the suffocating kind that pressed against my eyes and made my chest tighten.

My head throbbed as though someone had driven a hammer into my skull. My mouth was dry, and every breath carried the faint smell of damp concrete and dust.

I tried to move but my wrists refused, something rough bit into my skin. It was a rope.

I pulled harder, panic flooding my veins, but my hands were tied tightly behind the chair. My ankles were bound too.

No, no, no...Then the memories crashed back all at once, the restaurant, Ethan, the ring, the five-star hotel, gunshots, men shouting, the black SUV, the cloth over my face.

I wasn't dreaming, I had really been kidnapped.

My breathing became shallow as I struggled against the ropes.

"Help!" I screamed, "Please! Somebody help me!"

Nothing. Then I heard heavy footsteps, I froze, men's voices drifted through the darkness.

"...still unconscious."

"The boss wants answers."

"If she's lying, she'll regret it.”

A metal door creaked open somewhere nearby and the footsteps grew louder and closer till they stopped right in front of me.

For several agonizing seconds, no one spoke, then a deep, calm voice cut through the silence, “Remove the blindfold."

Rough hands untied the cloth covering my eyes and I blinked repeatedly until the blurry shapes slowly came into focus.

Six men dressed in black surrounded me, each carried a gun, each wore the same emotionless expression and standing between them was a man who didn't need a weapon to be frightening.

He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, his dark hair was combed neatly away from a face that looked carved from stone. His sharp jaw, broad shoulders and icy grey eyes made him seem less like a man and more like a sentence waiting to be carried out.

Power clung to him effortlessly, nobody spoke until he did.

"So," he said evenly, "you're awake."

I swallowed hard, "Who... who are you?"

He ignored the question, "Name."

"I asked you first."

One of the guards immediately stepped forward, his hand moved toward the pistol at his waist and my heartbeat stopped.

The man in the charcoal suit lifted one finger, the guard froze instantly and stepped back, without raising his voice, he had been obeyed.

"My name is Sophia Bennett," I said quickly, "Please... you've made a mistake."

His face didn't change, "Where is your father?"

"My... father?"

"Answer."

"He's in the hospital."

His expression remained unreadable, "Who employs you?"

"I work at a café."

His questions continued one after another. Where do you live? Who are your friends? How long have you known them? Why were you outside Romano Grand Hotel last night? Did you have contact with anyone from the Romano family?

Every answer I gave only seemed to darken his mood.

Finally, I couldn't bear it anymore, "I don't understand!" My voice cracked. "Why are you asking me these questions? Why am I here?"

His gaze remained fixed on me, "You expect me to believe you're innocent?"

"I am innocent!"

"You've been trained well."

I stared at him, "Trained?"

"To lie."

A bitter laugh escaped me, "You think I'm lying because I said I work in a café?"

"I believe you're lying because every Romano knows how to deny everything."

"I don't even know the Romano family!"

For the first time, there was silence and his eyes narrowed slightly. He studied my face like he was searching for the smallest crack in my story.

"My men were sent to retrieve one woman," he said quietly, his voice had become even colder, "Isabella Romano."

The name meant nothing to me, "I've never heard of her."

No response.

"You kidnapped the wrong woman." I whispered.

"I've heard that excuse before."

Something inside me finally broke.

"My mother barely notices I'm alive. My sister only calls when she wants money. Yesterday my boyfriend proposed to another woman because she was richer than me."

I laughed weakly through tears, "I'm nobody." My voice became almost a whisper, "But if you're going to kill me..." I lifted my eyes to his, "...just do it."

For the first time, curiosity flickered across his face. He looked at me for several long seconds before speaking to one of the guards.

"Untie her."

The guard hesitated, "Boss—"

"I said untie her."

Within moments, the ropes fell away from my wrists and blood rushed painfully back into my hands.

Damien stood, "You will remain here until I determine whether you're telling the truth."

He turned toward the door, "Take her upstairs. Put her in one of the guest rooms."

The order surprised everyone, including me.

As he reached the doorway, I found my voice again, "Wait..."

He stopped but didn't look back, "What... what's your name?"

A long silence followed, then, in the same calm voice, he answered, "Damien Moretti."

The room suddenly felt colder, even I knew that name, newspapers called him a billionaire investor, the internet called him untouchable.

Rumours claimed he controlled half the city from the shadows, others whispered that people who crossed Damien Moretti simply disappeared.

No one knew which stories were true and no one was brave enough to find out.

The door closed behind him, only then did my trembling begin. I had survived Ethan's betrayal, but somehow, I had walked straight into something far worse.

-----

Damien walked down the long hallway without stopping. The guards walked in silence behind him, making sure not to disrupt the hush that surrounded their boss.

He went into his private study, took off his gloves and set them aside on the mahogany desk. A knock was heard after, "Come in."

Matteo Rossi entered, Matteo didn't seem calm like the guards outside, his usually confident face was tense, uneasy and Damien noticed immediately, "What is it?"

Matteo hesitated, "I've finished verifying her background."

"And?"

Another pause, then Matteo exhaled slowly, "Boss..."

Damien looked up.

"The woman downstairs..." Matteo's voice dropped, "...isn't Isabella Romano."

Silence settled over the office, for the first time that morning, Damien's expression hardened, "What did you say?"

Matteo met his eyes, "We took the wrong woman."