Captive To The Mafia Don

Chapter 18

*Alice's POV*

I stayed in the corner and watched Julie.

She looked so beautiful. So bright.

I wanted to rush over and give her the biggest hug in the world. But I knew I couldn’t. Not now. Not with everything that had happened.

I watched as the three young masters went to greet their mother.

I could hear every word.

“Welcome, Mother,” Zain and Adrian chorused.

“How have you been? And where is that overgrown wall of muscles?”

Everyone burst out laughing.

“Hmm. Looks like the old lady isn’t hard to get along with,” I thought to myself.

“Good day, Mother. Welcome back,” Alessandro said. The man who had made me see him as a demon.

He stepped forward, but then stopped. His eyes flicked past everyone and landed right on me.

I was staring.

Fear shot through me and I immediately dropped my gaze and went back to scrubbing the floor.

“What are you looking at, young man?” the old lady asked, and pulled him into a hug.

Guess he might be her favorite.

“Mom, he’s not a kid anymore,” Zain said, his voice thick with obvious jealousy.

“Jealous goat,” Adrian shot back.

Zain gave him a sharp side-eye.

“Well, I am not here for your drama,” the old lady said. She moved toward the house. All the maids lined up to welcome her. Mr. Moretti, the butler, greeted her at the entrance with a deep bow.

“Wow, Julie. You look stunning,” Adrian said. He pulled her into a tight hug.

“I missed you so much.”

He tickled her sides.

“Adri... stop! Hahaha,” Julie giggled. Her face was lit up with a big smile. She looked so happy. And I was so happy for her.

“Yo, wait. Cut it out, guys. Get a room please. You’re gonna make the single man jealous,” Zain said, nodding toward Alessandro.

Adrian looked at Alessandro and then kissed Julie’s cheek on purpose.

Alessandro’s jaw ticked. He was about to go back inside.

“Come on, stop that. I need to go meet Alice. Where is she?” Adrian said.

Adrian stopped kissing Julie. Alessandro stopped in his tracks too, but then kept walking.

“Let me take you in. You need to rest,” Adrian said quickly, changing the topic.

“Here comes trouble,” Zain muttered and followed them in.

I quickly finished cleaning the little hallway that led from the first floor to the ground floor.

I had been cleaning since last night. Little food. Little water.

I felt like I was going to collapse.

I slipped away to the little hidden spot that Julie and I used to stay in before she left. It was just behind the huge mansion.

I sat down to tend to some of my wounds.

Good thing there was a small garden here.

My grandpa was African. He taught my mom about herbs, and she taught me.

I got some water from the tap there. I picked fresh herb leaves from the plants and flowers. I tore a piece from my already ruined uniform and made a poultice. I pressed it to the wounds on my shoulder and tied it up with the scrap of cloth.

I hadn’t taken a bath since all this started. I really needed one now.

I washed my face with the cold water and picked up my bucket.

I tried to use the back door of the mansion to get to my room on the first floor.

But a guard stopped me.

I looked at him, confused.

“Why aren’t you letting me in?”

“The First Young Master gave instructions. You’re not to come in until the old madam and Miss Juliet have gone up to their rooms.”

“But why? After all, Julie is my friend—”

“From now on, she’s not.”

Alessandro stepped out of the door. The guard immediately stepped aside.

His striking height towered over me. The air around him was cold.

“Why? She is my friend. And I’m not saying or going against your orders,” I said quietly.

He looked at me like I was trash stuck to his shoe.

“Look. You are dangerous. And I won’t let you get close enough to get any stupid information from you to use to hurt my family. I’m only keeping you alive to lure out your colleagues.”

Really?

Why couldn’t anyone just believe me?

I gathered all the courage I had left.

“Alessandro, I quit. I quit this job. Let me go.”

Something shifted in his gaze.

“How dare you call me by my name?”

I lifted my chin and looked him straight in the eye.

“I am not anyone’s pawn. And I’ve told you countless times. I do not know any gang you’re talking about. So please, let me go.”

I tried to stand on both legs, but he moved fast. He kicked my left leg hard. Pain shot up my body. While I was off balance, he grabbed me and twisted. I felt my knee pop. He had dislocated it.

I cried out in pain but he showed a gun on his waistband motion for me to keep quiet. I tried to stand on my right leg.

Alessandro noticed the small movement. For half a second, something flashed in his eyes. Something like regret. But he masked it immediately.

“I don’t care how I hurt you,” he said, voice low and deadly. “But I promise you one thing. If you ever think of hurting my people, think again. Because you’ll be making a date with death.”

The words struck me like ice.

I had never thought of hurting anyone. Not even him, even though he had made himself my enemy.

I noticed someone standing behind him. June. She was watching. The second our eyes met, she slipped away.

Alessandro looked at the guard. “Do not let her in until evening.”

What.

“Hey! You can’t do this to me! Look, it’s going to rain and I could catch a cold.”

“I don’t care,” he said. “If you want, jump into the lagoon and drown. I don’t f*****g care.”

With that, he walked back inside and the door shut behind him.

I remembered those words.

I went back to my little spot and sat down on the damp ground.

When my parents died, my aunt and her family took me in. I was always treated like a nobody. Bullied at school. Bullied at home. I was always getting hurt. But my teacher never cared. She thought my mom was a mistress who had me out of wedlock.

All I came here to do was work. Save up money. Go to college.

But fate had other plans for me.

The morning was freezing. The rest of the day wasn’t any better. It started raining in the afternoon. Cold drops soaked through my thin uniform. My knee throbbed. My shoulder burned.

I hugged myself and tried to think of anything else. Of Julie’s laugh. Of my grandpa teaching me the names of herbs. Of the college brochure I kept hidden under my mattress.

A maid came out in the afternoon with a tray. She set down bread and soup and a bottle of water without meeting my eyes.

“Thank you,” I whispered, because I really needed it. She nodded once and hurried back inside.

I ate slowly. Every bite hurt to swallow. The rain dripped from the roof and made puddles around my feet.

Hours passed. The sky turned gray, then dark.

I kept checking the back door. Still locked.

I thought about June. Why was she watching me? What did she have to do with Maria? With the gang Alessandro kept accusing me of?

I thought about Ann and the way she almost said something in the hall.

Something fishy is going on here.

The cold was seeping into my bones now. My injured knee had swollen. I used the wall to pull myself up. If I stayed out here all night, I would get sick. Maybe that was the point.

Just before dusk, the back door creaked open.

It was Nena.

She looked around quickly, then rushed to me and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

“Alice! Oh my God, what did he do to you?”

“I’m okay,” I lied. I use the herm of my gown to cover my knee. My teeth were chattering.

“He’s lost his mind,” she hissed. “The old madam is upstairs with Julie. Alessandro said you can come in now, but only to the servants’ quarters. Not the main hall.”

I nodded. I could barely walk. Nena put my arm over her shoulder and helped me in.

The warmth of the house hit me and I almost cried.

As we passed the grand staircase, I heard voices from above. Julie’s laugh. Adrian’s voice. The old madam speaking.

For a second, I thought I heard my name.

Nena helped me to a small room at the end of the hall. It was barely bigger than a closet. One bed. One basin.

“Rest,” Nena said, pressing the bread into my hands. “I’ll bring you something for your knee. And Alice... don’t give up, okay? We’ll figure this out.”

I lay down and stared at the ceiling. My body hurt. My heart hurt.

But I wasn’t broken. Not yet.

Outside, thunder rolled.

Inside, I made another vow.

They think I’m weak because I’m alone. They think I’ll break.

But I have survived worse. And I will survive this too.

Somewhere upstairs, a door opened.

Footsteps.

Maybe it was Julie. Maybe it was Alessandro.

I closed my eyes.

The next move was coming. And I would be ready for it.