She Belongs To The Mafia

Chapter 4

Cherilyn Knight's Point Of View.

The air was thick with the smell of dust and hopelessness. My throat was raw and dry from the relentless heat and lack of water. Breathing was a battle, each and every inhale was a painful struggle as my lungs burned with every and every raspy gasp.

Every inch of my body throbbed with exhaustion and was aching from the relentless tasks I had been forced to endure for what seemed like forever. The Don, whoever he was, seemed to take a twisted pleasure in my suffering.

As I stood there, weary and broken, I could not help but wonder what twisted game he was playing and how much longer I could endure it but amidst the pain and despair, a flicker of defiance ignited within me. It was a determination to withstand whatever torment he threw my way because I refused to let him break me, no matter the cost.

Just a week ago, I was living free, without a care in the world about the dangers lurking in the shadows but then, everything turned upside down. I was no longer in control of my own life. I used to roam the streets with a sense of liberation while my days were filled with simple joys and mundane routines but then, I was stuck as a captive and a slave to none other than the notorious Don - Christian Achestan.

His name always managed to send shivers down everyone's spine, and for good reason. He was known for being ruthless, showing no mercy to anyone who crosses him and now, I was under his thumb, forced to do whatever he wish.

As I came face to face with the harsh reality of my new existence, I could not help but feel a sense of disbelief and betrayal. How had I gone from living a life of freedom to becoming a prisoner in the hands of a man like Christian Achestan and why? It felt like a nightmare from which I could not wake. It felt like a cruel twist of fate that had plunged me into the depths of despair.

Anna, a kind girl of my age with gentle brown eyes, had become my only solace. She had been more than just a friend to me; she was like family, something I never expected to find in a place like this. She cared for me in a way that made the harshness of my surroundings a bit more bearable. Despite everything, she still managed to find moments of kindness, which she often directed my way but it was not until I was dragged before him, fear a cold knot in my stomach used to form , and because of the following I truly understood the depths of his cruelty. His eyes, a steely green, held a chilling indifference as he barked out orders through Anna, never looking directly at me.

When I first got here, confused and scared, she was the one who explained how things worked. She told me that the only way to survive was to follow the Don's orders without question.

"It's the easiest way," she said, while her voice was firm but also caring. It was not advice meant to scare me, but rather to protect me from the brutal reality of our situation. She had seen what happened to those who did not follow the rules, and she did not want that for me.

Even though the Don had made it clear that no one was supposed to help me, Anna found ways to do so whenever she could. Whether it was a quick word of advice, a small gesture of comfort, or just being there when I needed someone to talk to, she did what she could. It was not much, but in a place where every small act of kindness felt like a lifeline, it meant the world to me.

Anna's assistance was risky, and she knew it too but she did not let the following stop her. She was careful, making sure that whatever she did would not draw attention or put me in more danger. I could see the worry in her eyes whenever she helped me, but she did it anyway. Her loyalty and care were a rare light in the darkness, and I held onto that as tightly as I could.

I often wondered why Anna was willing to take those risks for me. Maybe it was because she saw something in me that reminded her of herself, or maybe she just could not stand by and watch someone else suffer. Whatever the reason, I was grateful for her presence. In a world where trust was a dangerous gamble, I trusted Anna completely.

She was the closest thing I had to a family, and in this place, that meant everything.

I could not help but feel a little betrayed, too. Anna was the one person I had begun to trust in this horrible place, but her so called loyalty to the Don used to make me question everything.

How could she be so loyal to someone who had only been an asshole to everyone? It just did not make sense and what puzzled me even more was how Anna could see the Don, Christian Achestan, as someone worthy of admiration. Hah, My foot.

That was the one thing about Anna that really bothered me. She was always so loyal to him, speaking of him with respect, almost like he was some kind of great man but I could not see it.

To me, the Don was nothing but a cold hearted tyrant, who treated everyone around him like they were beneath him. He was not kind, he was not fair, and he certainly was not someone who deserved the kind of loyalty Anna gave him. I just could not understand how she could be so devoted to a man who had done nothing but make life miserable for everyone around him.

Every time Anna talked about him with that hint of admiration in her voice, it made me uneasy. It was like she was blind to the cruelty he showed, like she could not see the way he used his power to control and hurt others. I wanted to shake her, to make her see the Don for who he really was—a manipulative, heartless man who only cared about himself.

Anna was different. She saw something in the Don that I could not, and no matter how much I tried to understand, I just could not figure out what it was. Maybe she believed he had some good in him, or maybe she felt she had no choice but to be loyal to him.

The more I thought about it, the more it ate away at me. It was like there was this wall between us, built out of her loyalty to the Don and my growing resentment towards him. I did not know how to break it down or even if I could but one thing was clear: as long as Anna continued to see the Don in that way, I was not sure I could fully trust her, no matter how much I wanted to but again, I did not have a choice but to trust her.

She was an unpredictable bee-ach.

On the other hand, I just could not wrap my head around why he looked down on me so much as there's not even a connection between us. It made no sense.

He made me work non-stop, day and night, with no breaks or mercy. My tasks were relentless, from scrubbing every inch of the massive mansion to tending to the endless demands of the household but it was not the worst part. The most terrifying part was feeding the Don's twenty-five wild and vicious Dobermans. These dogs were nothing like any I had ever seen before—huge, powerful, and menacing, with eyes that seemed to pierce right through me.

Every time I approached their enclosure, my heart would race with fear. It was hard to believe that I was expected to get anywhere near them, let alone feed them. They said the beasts were well-trained, but it was clear they did not take kindly to strangers, especially someone like me who was new and unfamiliar to them.

The first time I walked up to those cages, carrying the heavy buckets of raw meat, I could feel their eyes on me, watching my every move with a mix of curiosity and aggression.

The moment I opened the gate, they rushed forward, growling and barking, their massive bodies straining against the chains that held them back. My hands trembled as I tossed the meat into their feeding troughs, praying that the chains would hold and they would not turn on me. The sound of their snarls and the sight of their sharp teeth sent chills down my spine. It felt like at any moment, they could break free and attack, tearing me apart without a second thought.

Each day, I dreaded this part of my duties. I knew that one wrong move could be my last. The Dobermans were the Don's prized possessions, and he took a twisted pleasure in watching me face them. It was like a cruel game to him, a way to remind me of my place and how little control I had over my own life now but I had no choice. If I did not do it, the consequences would be even worse. The Don had made it clear that failure was not an option, and any disobedience would be met with severe punishment. So, I forced myself to push through the fear, to complete the task day after day, even though it felt like I was risking my life every time I entered their space.

Well, it was not only the worse part. There's more in the list and one of them was garden. I was condemned to spend hours upon hours under the unforgiving sun, pulling weeds and battling exhaustion.

Lucas, the brute of a man who had snatched me from my life, seemed to take a perverse pleasure in my misery. He could be described as a barking guard dog ensuring the Don's whims were followed. His booming voice, for me was a constant threat hanging in the air, would shatter any fleeting moments of peace.

One particularly brutal afternoon, as sweat dripped down my forehead like rain, Lucas appeared, with a not so kind smirk and said, "Hey, newbie slave ! Don't you even dare to think you can slack off or else, there won't be any dinner for you."

My stomach lurched, and a fresh wave of fear rolled through me. Dinner for the Don was at six, for the slaves at eight, and for new slaves like me, the scraps were thrown our way at a measly ten.

I was just resting a bit-" I mumbled while my eyes were on the floor. Skipping dinner because of that jerk would not make my hunger go away, and it definitely would not ease the pain in my legs.

"There's no rest for you. It's the Don's orders. Cut the crap and get back to work. Hurry up!" He barked at me. I shot him a glare but kept pulling out the weeds from the massive garden.

I used to love gardens, especially ones filled with flowers but after this, I was pretty sure I would never look at a garden the same way again. The Don was filthy rich, yet he could not even bother to hire a proper gardener. Seriously, how cheap could he be?

I swear, it seemed like the Don had made it his new hobby to make my life a living hell. Out of all the slaves here, I was the only one who got specific orders directly from him, and Lucas, of course, made it his mission to ensure I followed them to the letter.

He loved to throw his weight around, acting like he was somehow better than the rest of us, but the truth was that he was just a slave too like any of us. The only difference was that he seemed to enjoy his role a little too much, always ready to pounce on any mistake I made or any chance to remind me of my place. The moment his phone rang, signaling that he had been called back inside the mansion, he muttered a few curses under his breath. I couldn't help but sigh in relief as he started to walk away. Finally, a break from his constant hovering. As much as I hated to admit it, Lucas enjoyed making my life miserable almost as much as the Don did.

He was my least favorite person in that whole mansion, right after the Don himself. To me, he was a bully with a little bit of power, and I hated how he used it to make life even harder for the rest of us.

As Lucas disappeared into the mansion, I felt a brief moment of peace. It would not last long, I knew that, but at least I had a few minutes without him breathing down my neck. I could get back to work without feeling like I was constantly being watched, at least until he decided to come back and make my life difficult again.