Episode4: BETRAYED AT DAWN
1470 Words
The echo of the message notification still haunted Luca's maid.
If he had seen it… everything was over.
Midnight arrived.
Lily whispered gently, "Fiona, wake up!"
Fiona rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Lily hurried to the basement door.
Locked.
Her heart sank.
"It's locked!" she breathed.
For a second, fear tried to paralyze her.
Then her eyes caught a small window near the ceiling. “This is our only chance.”
Lily stacked old chairs beneath it; the pile wobbled.
No turning back.
She climbed up; the wood cracked under her weight.
She pushed the window slowly and peeked out.
Just as she stretched her head through the opening, a footstep drew closer to her.
She froze.
The sound stopped. Silence.
"Who could be walking around at this hour?" she wondered.
After taking a long breath, she squeezed herself through the narrow space. The rough edges scraped her skin, leaving small bruises and cuts, but she ignored the pain.
"I'll help you," she whispered.
Fiona climbed up, and Lily stretched out her hands, pulling her through the window.
They landed in a narrow corridor.
Without wasting time, they ran and reached a heavy steel door.
Lily opened it, and behold, a staircase spiraled downward into darkness.
They began walking down carefully, step by step.
Upstairs, a guard paused.
"This door was closed…” he muttered.
A flashlight beam sliced through the dark.
Lily heard it.
Run.
Without hesitation, she carried Fiona onto her back and ran as fast as she could, trying to stay as silent as possible.
Behind them, a shout exploded.
“They're here!”
Within a minute, Luca stormed into the empty basement.
His expression changed.
“They've escaped.”
His voice dropped into something colder than anger.
“Seal every exit.”
The stairs ended at a rusted hatch. Lily pushed; the cold night air burst in.
An overgrown garden stretched beyond the mansion walls.
They ran into the darkness. Branches clawed at their clothes, and leaves snapped underfoot.
As they moved quickly through the thick bushes and tall trees, a guard nearby noticed the leaves rustling, even though the weather wasn't windy. Suspicious, he raised his binoculars.
The guard gasped, "I see them!”
Guards emerged from the shadows.
Luca’s car engine roared somewhere in the distance.
"No moon..." Lily whispered weakly, her feet trembling from exhaustion.
"Mummy... my leg..." Fiona cried.
"You can do this. Don't stop."
They stumbled deeper into the wild garden.
Then Fiona collapsed.
"Fiona!"
Lily lifted her again.
She didn't know how her legs kept moving; she only knew she couldn't stop.
After struggling through the garden paths, they reached a small hamlet.
Her eyes spotted a shop.
"It's locked," Lily said, dropping Fiona in a corner as she looked around to make sure no one was watching. She forced the shop open, carried Fiona inside, and laid her on the floor.
Desperately, Lily searched for something useful, and luckily, there was a sealed bottle of water and a packet of biscuits on a shelf.
She sprinkled the water on Fiona's face.
Fiona slowly opened her eyes.
Lily helped her drink some water and gave her some biscuits.
Exhausted beyond words, Lily and Fiona fell asleep on the dusty floor.
Back at the mansion.
"Sir... we lost them.”
Luca didn't shout; he slowly drew his gun.
A loud gunshot echoed through the room, and the guard collapsed.
The maids trembled in fear as silence filled the space.
Luca fired another shot into the air.
"Twenty-four hours," he said calmly. "Bring her to me.”
The hunt began.
By 6:00 AM, Lily and Fiona were moving again.
The morning air was cold, and fear pressed heavily against Lily's chest.
Ahead, she saw an old woman collecting sticks.
“Please… a phone,” Lily begged.
The old woman studied Lily in silence, then turned and went inside her small house. Moments later, she returned with a small mobile phone and handed it over.
"Thank you," Lily breathed, quickly dialing Tony's number.
The call connected.
"We're in Stillmere,” she whispered urgently. “Please come.”
"We'll come," Tony replied suspiciously.
"We'll?...”
There was a brief pause.
"It's a one-hour drive. I'm on my way. Stay hidden," Tony said firmly.
Lily returned the phone, thanking the old woman again.
"Where are you coming from?" the old woman asked in her thin, trembling voice.
"We were held captive by a mafia boss," Lily replied.
The old woman's eyes widened. "You mean Luca Santoro, the young, handsome mafia boss everyone fears?"
"Yes, ma'am. My child and I managed to escape, but they're on our trail. We're not safe."
The woman sighed heavily and let them hide in her home.
Inside, it was thick with dust and age.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed outside, radios murmuring softly at their shoulders, flashlights cutting thin beams through the dark as the guards moved through the compound, kicking doors and forcing their way into small houses.
“Hide!” the old woman whispered.
She quickly guided them into a small corner and hung a cloth, making it look like a curtain.
She sat calmly, face down, as the guards tore through the house.
“She’s not here,” a guard said as the door slammed shut.
“That was close,” the old woman muttered, lifting the curtain.
Lily's voice trembled as she thanked her repeatedly. The woman smiled gently and whispered a prayer, "It is well with you."
Buzz, buzz!
The phone rang.
"I'm here,” Tony said.
Relief flooded Lily as she hugged the old woman briefly. "Thank you, thank you so much."
They stepped outside.
A black car stopped in front of them, and several armed men stepped out.
Lily froze.
“What…?”
One of the men opened the back door of the car, and a familiar figure stepped out.
Tony.
A wave of relief washed over Lily immediately. “Tony!” she cried softly. “You came!”
But Tony's expression was strangely cold. He looked at Fiona, then at Lily.
“I told you not to move,” he said calmly.
Confusion filled Lily's face. “What are you talking about? You're here to help us escape, right?”
Tony didn't answer; instead, he stepped aside.
Another man slowly got out of the car. The moment Lily saw him, her blood ran cold.
Luciano Lorenzo.
Luciano smiled slowly.
“Well… look who we finally decided to run into…”
Lily's hand began to shake. “You…”
Luciano walked closer. “You thought you could escape me forever?” he said quietly.
Fiona hid behind Lily. “Mummy,” she whispered.
Luciano's eyes softened slightly as he looked at the child.
“My daughter.”
Lily shook her head. “No… stay away from her!”
Two guards quickly grabbed Fiona and pulled her away.
“Mummy!” Fiona screamed. Lily struggled desperately. “Let her go! Please!”
Luciano sighed as he looked at Tony. “You did well.”
Tony nodded. “It wasn't difficult; she trusts me.”
Lily's heart shattered. “You betrayed me… we're best friends… we studied together… did almost everything together… ate, slept, even wept together, and you did this?”
Tony looked away. “I'm sorry.”
“Cut the crap,” Luciano said as he walked towards the car. “Take the child.”
Fiona's cries echoed through the night as the guard placed her into the vehicle.
Luca guards heard the sound and traced it. The old woman peeped through a small hole in the corner of her house.
Lily collapsed to her knees as Luciano leaned close to her.
“You ran away from me once,” he whispered, “but now you have something you love more than freedom.” He smiled coldly.
“Remember, she's also my daughter. I can't harm her, but if you want to reunite with her, you have to do exactly as I commanded.”
Lily's face turned pale; her breathing became louder. “What if he finds out that Fiona isn't his child?” Lily thought to herself. “What will he do to her?”
“You have no other choice than to do as I commanded,” Lorenzo said as he got into the car and started the engine.
Lily held her cloth tightly as she watched the car disappear down the road.
“No!” Lily exclaimed. “This can't be happening.” Her hands went cold, and everything gradually got blurry.
She tried getting up, but she lost her balance. The old woman ran out to help her.
Suddenly,
“Run!" the old woman screamed.
A gunshot cracked the air.
Lily looked back and saw Luca's guards moving closer.
Lily stood frozen as Luca's guard carried her back to the mansion.
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