Cataleya Valentina Velez:

Nine days. It has been nine days since we heard from Celine or anything else regarding Neveah's state. No videos, no calls. Nothing.

I climb out of bed and decide to head down the stairs once I'm done brushing my teeth. I didn't look into the mirror, knowing I would look like a mess.

Leon told me to get some sleep, he thinks we'll need it. But we didn't get any closer.

I just hope she's okay. Alive and breathing.

'Little one!' Leon shouts from down the stairs. I rush down the steps and stare into the main hall.

The main hall that is usually empty in the morning, is now filled with people.

People I've never seen before. New faces everywhere. 'What's going on?'

'No matter what you do, do not go to the living room.' Living room? I turn to the door and realize it's closed.

The doors are shut and I know I shouldn't go in there, but it's calling my name. Begging me to open it. Especially now that Leon told me not to.

'Leon what's going-' I turn back to Leon, but he's not there anymore. 'Leon?' He's nowhere in the hall. As if he disappeared into the crowd.

Where the fuck did he go?

'Cataleya! It's so good to see you? How has married life been treating you?' Married life? I stare into the mysterious guy's eyes and frown. 'Who are you and what life are you talking about?'

'Rafael is telling everyone you two got married!' It's Brandon. I jump into his arms and hug him tightly. It has been a while since I last saw him and I missed him so much. 'How have you been?' 'I'm good, what about you?'

He drags me to the outside of the house, leaving all the unknown guests inside, letting them roam around. 'What's going on?' 'Rio told everyone you married him.'

'Why would he do that?' He has been saying that we should lay low for a while the entire time, and now he tells everyone I married him?

'But I didn't-' 'Well, he said you did.' He chimes, wiggling his brows at me. 'Why would I marry him, especially with everything else going on?' It just doesn't make any sense. Why would he say that?

Why would he say that I married him if he needed us to lay low, why would he lie, especially about something like this? Something that will change our lives forever?

'Where is Rio?' Brandon turns back to me and smirks. 'Why, you down to fuck him again?' My eyes widen at his statement and heat creeps up my face. 'What- No! I just want to talk to him about all of this.'

I told him that we'll talk as soon as we get them back. We got Celine back, but Neveah is still with Hunter. So we haven't talked about us yet. If there even is an us left after all that happened.

'So where is he?' 'He's in the living room.' He is? The room is locked off and Leon told me not to go in there. But I need to talk to Rio. 'With who?'

Brandon shrugs and smiles at me. 'I don't know, but I do know that I missed you. A lot.'

'I missed you too.' I admit. I missed him more than I thought I would. I miss his jokes, his random stories, his gossip, his excitement about parties and clothes, his love for what he does, I missed Brandon Barsetti. 'Is Marco here too?'

He rolls his eyes and turns to the cars again. The gates are open, but more cars are waiting in line to get in. The cars continue to drive in and leave, while more guests enter the grounds.

I know absolutely no one, besides Leon and Brandon, but everyone smiles at me or congratulates me.

It's weird. Because none of it is true. Nothing.

Whatever Rio said, must've been very convincing. And I wonder when he said it because he was already asleep when I went to bed. I think.

'He's somewhere inside, probably trying to kiss Rio's ass a bit more.' I shove him a little, not liking the way he's talking about his brother. 'Marco is just trying to stay true to his boss.' 'A little too much if you ask me.' He snorts, making me laugh a little.

Marco is not as bad as everyone thinks. He stood up for me that night, made Rio back off a little. And I will forever be grateful for it.

'I could go get him for you, while you change into something... else.' I'm wearing the plainest shit ever while everyone else is wearing the most extravagant dresses. 'I don't have-' 'I'll send someone up with the extra I brought.' He chuckles, pulling me back inside.

He disappears into the crowd, searching for Marco, while I stay put and smile at a few faces. There are people everywhere. But none of them are standing in front of the door.

As if they want me to go up there. And I slowly do, pressing my hand against the dark brown wood, before gently pressing my head against it.

I hear some mumbling. Rio is definitely in there, but I don't recognize the other voices. No one cares that I'm basically eavesdropping, they're all too busy smiling at each other to notice me.

And I'm glad that they are.

I slowly reach for the doorknob and open the door, too curious to know what's going on. Too curious to see what's on the other side, despite Leon telling me not to.

And when I step into the room, I freeze.

There they are. On their knees.

Neveah on the right side and Rio on the left, with someone sitting in the middle. Someone. Someone I don't know.

I can't see the person's face, but I know it's a male by his broad shoulders. 'What's going on?' I leave the door open and step closer, trying to see who the mystery man sitting in the chair is.

He has dirty blond hair, with a lot of silver hairs popping out, and wrinkles on his face. He's old. Maybe younger than Marcello, but way more wrinkly. His eyes are blue, a blue so bright that they carry darkness. Somehow?

The man chuckles and pulls a gun from his pocket, before slowly placing it on the ground. 'Pick one.' What?

He slowly kicks the gun my way and waits for me to pick it up.

I take it all in. The sounds from the people talking, to the beating of my heart, to the fact that Neveah is sitting in this room, to Rio and his flaming look in his eyes, to the man in the middle.

The man that is still a total mystery to me. 'I'm not-' 'Pick up the damn gun and pick one.' He sneers right before the door closes behind me.

Two men are standing there now, waiting for me to grab the gun as well. 'Now.'

I reach for the gun and take a deep breath. How could this happen?

Last night was fine. We talked because of the lack of progress and we all went to sleep. Nothing else. We all went to fucking sleep.

So how did I end up here? What are all these people doing in the house? And why did no one see Neveah and Rio? And why did Leon tell me not to go in here? Did he even know Neveah was here? And-

All the questions become too much. But it doesn't make any sense.

'We don't have all day, Cataleya.' Whoever the man is, he knows who I am. He knows my name. 'Either pick your best friend who you've known your entire life.' He's holding a gun himself, lazily pointing it at Neveah who has tears streaming down her face, 'Or the man you love.'

Love. I don't know if I love Rio anymore. Sure, I have strong feelings for him, but with all those feelings comes pain.

And I don't think I should love him again. Because that love will never be returned.

But I can't kill him either.

It would kill me to kill him.

Like I would literally die myself if I shot him, so I guess that means I still... Love him?

No. That's impossible. I cut him out, I promised myself that I wouldn't-

'Are you going to pick today, or should I just kill them both?' The man asks, slowly pointing the gun at Rio.

I slowly turn to Neveah and see the fear in her eyes. There's fear, but also something else.

Acceptance. She's willing to accept that I'll pick her. That I'll kill her so I can be with Rio.

But even if I killed her, I might not end up with Rio. He's too closed off to be with and he will never let me in.

And I would never kill her because of my love for any man. She's my best friend. And as the man said, she has been for years.

'Cataleya.' The man sneers annoyingly. He's getting impatient, but I barely have enough time to think.

I killed another person once. Just once.

Luca Santos.

I shot him in the chest, twice. And that killed me.

I had nightmares every time I tried to sleep, for the past month. I'm not ready to go through that again.

But what if just... Kill the mystery man.

What if I just shoot him instead of Neveah or Rio? Maybe I could quickly turn around and kill his men as well?

Maybe I could... Maybe.

I might not be fast enough to shoot the men behind me, but I'm willing to try. Because there's no way I'm going to kill Neveah or Rio.

I just can't.

'Cataleya you seem to have trouble deciding, so how about I'll make it a bit easier. You have two more seconds.' Shit.

If I want to shoot him, I have to do it quick.

Just one shot, turn around, shoot the other two, and turn back to the man in front of me.

All of this feels so surreal. Because I don't understand how all of this could happen, how all of it could go wrong this quick.

'Two... One... Pick.' I point the gun at him and pull the trigger. Quickly turning around, but it's too late.

The men are gone and Rio and Neveah start groaning, slowly bleeding through their clothes. What?

I glance around the room, but no one's there. Not even the man I just shot. He's nowhere to be found.

I drop the gun and want to run over to Neveah, but I can't move. As if I'm stuck to the ground.

Just like my last... Dream.

All of this is a dream. It has to be.

There's no way- 'Cataleya!' Neveah begs, looking at me as blood spills from her mouth. My heart aches and I close my eyes. 'Please help... Me!' She screams in pain.

There's banging against the door and I can hear Leon screaming, begging me to open the door. But I can't fucking move. No. I need to-

'Valentina!' Shit. Rio's voice is tearing me up, piece by fucking piece, slowly peeling the pieces of my heart apart. 'Don't let me- die-' He can barely form a sentence without coughing blood.

And my heart shatters when they both reach out for me. But I still can't fucking move. 'Stop.' I say, trying to block their begs for help. But they're louder.

Way louder. 'Please stop.' I can't take it, their screams. They're too painful, too loud, too heartbreaking for me to listen to. 'Please help us!' No. No. No.

I drop to my knees and try keeping my eyes shut as I feel something wet and sticky underneath me.

Blood. Their blood.

The urge to open my eyes to see if it is their blood is strong, but not as strong as wanting to wake the fuck up. 'Wake up.' I whisper to myself. 'Cataleya!' Their voices get closer, and I start to feel their hands on me.

Their sticky hands are drenched with their blood. No. 'Please- Help..' 'Us!'

Both of them, Neveah on my right and Rio on my left, are whispering in my ear, begging me to help, begging me to open my eyes, begging me to see what might be the truth.

I killed them. Maybe not in real life, but certainly in my dream. 'Please don't' 'You ca- can't just let me die-' Rio begs, slowly pressing his soft lips against my neck. I feel the stickiness of his blood as his hands slowly move to my waist, pulling me up a little. 'Cat-Cataleya...'

Neveah's breathing becomes heavier as she slowly tries to pull me closer as well. 'Wake up.' I repeat to myself, just like Manuela told me to.

'Cataleya...' I shake my head and try to block their voices again. If I open my eyes now, I'm screwed. 'Wake up!'

And then I do. I jolt up, feeling sweat drip down my back and chest. The sheets are all over the place and Leon is sitting on the edge of the bed, his arms on my shoulder since he was probably trying to wake me up.

'It was just a dream...' Despite my sweaty state, I wrap my arms around him and hold him tightly. Real. This is real. I can feel it. I can feel Leon. This is real. 'It was just a dream...' He repeats, gently rubbing my back.

It wasn't a dream... It was the worst nightmare ever.

'Everything is going to be okay... You just needed more sleep.' He mumbles, knowing it's total bullshit himself.

All of this is getting to me again. I thought that it stopped, that the nightmares stopped to never return again. But they did. They started, different and more painful than before.

Leon hold me close for a few minutes, before slowly letting go of me. 'Do you want to talk about it?'

I nod and lean back against the sweaty pillows. They're absolutely disgusting, but I can't climb out of bed right now. I'm too tired and I need to explain my dream to Leon.

So I do. I tell him everything and leave him just as flustered as I am.

'What the actual fuck?' 'I don't know either.' I sigh, finally getting out of bed. He follows me to the little bathroom but stays at the door.

'That's... Gruesome, but like I said. It was just a dream, don't forget that.'

He's right. Leon is right. It was just a dream. A nightmare. The worst nightmare of all. But that's all it was. A nightmare.

It wasn't the reality, because Neveah isn't here. She's still with Hunter Steel. 'We have to get her back.'

Leon sighs deeply and nods, a wave of concern washing over him. 'We will. But you should probably eat something first.'

He's right again. My eating schedule has been all over the place. 'So go get ready, I'll be waiting downstairs.' I nod and watch as he walks into the hall, before turning back to the mirror in front of me.

I look like an absolute mess. The bags underneath my eyes are darker than ever before, my hair looks dry as hell, and I look like I haven't been outside in months.

Great. Not that looks matter.

Right now, all that matters is getting Neveah back. That's all that has mattered for the past weeks.

Celine left. I don't understand how, but she did. According to Rio, she needed time off. She begged him to let her go, but I don't truly believe it. She was so eager to get Neveah back, so it's hard to believe that she just decided to leave.

I decide to take a quick shower, trying to wash the sweat off of me, and hop into a fresh outfit. Something that doesn't make me look like a complete hobo.

I open the door to see that the hall is empty and rush to the stairs. Everything is silent. No voices. No people cramped in the hall. No smiles. Just silence. It was just a dream.

When I get to the kitchen, I see Rio and Leon discussing something.

Something I apparently shouldn't know about, because they both go silent the moment I enter the kitchen.

'You look better, little one.' Leon chimes, flipping some eggs he was frying. 'Thank you.' I chime, slowly heading over to the chairs next to the counter.

'So what are we going to do today?' I ask, waiting for either of them to answer. Rio chuckles and turns to me. 'I was thinking about going for a swim and maybe after that-' 'Cut it, Adriano.'

I roll my eyes and place my arms on the cold counter in front of me. 'Can you be serious for once?'

'As if I haven't been for months. Let me have some fun, Valentina.' My name rolls out of his mouth smoothly, making me want to hit him even more. 'Well, I need you to be serious again. Neveah is still missing and we haven't made any progress ever since we got Celine back, so she could be everywhere!'

'Why are you shouting it's too early for this shit.' I freeze and slowly turn to the door.

Marco. He's standing in the doorway and smiles at me. 'Goodmorning, Cataleya.'

'What are you- Since when did you get here?' I ask, feeling my cheeks slowly turn red. He slowly walks to the fridge and chuckles. 'I got here last night when you were probably asleep.'

I don't dare look at him too long. It's too awkward.

The last time I saw him, was... Something else. I guess. I don't know...

'I'm glad your back. Is everything fixed with your family?' He shakes his head and walks over to the seat next to me. 'But Brandon is taking care of it now.'

Brandon. I did see him in my dream. But not Marco. 'I agree with her, we need to make progress. Otherwise, it will be too late and we would have no clue of-' Rio simply sighs deeply and walks out of the room, ignoring Leon.

'Cazzo.' Leon walks after him, while I stay put and look at Marco again.

He looks good. Not that that's new or anything, it's just hard to grasp the idea that he's here again.

'I heard what happened with Neveah and Celine.' He walks closer and I nod. 'Are you okay?' 'We just need to get Neveah back.'

'And we will, we won't stop until we get her back.' Rio already stopped. That piece of shit.

I ask about his family because it's no use talking to him about it. He'll pick Rio's side. Always.

We eat something before both parting our ways. Him going to fix something for Rio nearby and me going to my room to come up with ways to convince Rio to do this. To continue the search.

I hear shouting from downstairs and recognize Leon's voice. Just as I'm about to run down the stairs, to back him up, my cellphone chimes.

An unknown number.

I stare at it for a second and decide to open the message:

𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚘

It's a link. But I don't want to press it.

Not because it's an unknown number, but because I don't know what I'm opening.

𝙾𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝.

A hint. A hint to where Neveah is? Hints to all of this mess? Then yes.

Just as I'm about to press the link, the door slams open and Rio looks at me. 'Don't open that.'

'What? Why not-' He rushes over to me and pulls the phone out of my hands.

I jump to my feet and stare at him. 'Give me back my phone.' 'You were going to open that alone?'

'How do you even know that I-' 'He can see every text message and phone call going through that phone, little one.' Leon informs, waiting for Rio to click the link. What?

So he saw all the text I've ever sent. To my mother, about all the little things? To Celine and Leon, about stupid stuff. To Neveah... About Rio?

Did he read all of that? All of the things I said every time I got angry? All the shit about his body, about how he made me feel?

By the looks of it, he did. Because he grins arrogantly.

'Are you that stupid, Valentina?' Stupid? 'Don't call me stupid, it might lead us to Neveah.' I sneer, making him chuckle darkly.

All of this is just a joke to him. Prick. 'So you're that desperate to get her back?'

'Yes! Sorry if that wasn't obvious yet!' I reach for my phone, but he pulls it away and throws it at Leon, who catches it and presses the link himself.

He walks to the edge of my bed and takes a seat. I jump down next to him and look at the screen. It's black.

Nothing. 'It's fake.' Leon hands me the phone and sighs deeply. 'We need to start our search.' 'When did we stop?' I ask, not understanding when we did. As far as I know, we've been searching ever since they were gone.

'Adriano hasn't been looking anymore.' Leon groans, looking at his cousin. 'What?' Rio rolls his eyes and walks back to the door. 'I don't have time fo-' 'You piece of fucking shit! You lied-'

I stop, because of a buzzing sound coming from my phone, and look at the screen.

Someone is sitting in a dark room, someone I know. Someone... Someone... Neveah.

She's tied to a chair and is sobbing. A light flickers, before shining brightly on her. She's tied to a chair, with nothing else in the room. Nothing but a man standing next to her, and the one filming.

Neveah looks nothing like she did in the other video. Nothing like it at all. Her body is all bloodied and bruised and she looks like she hasn't showered at all. She's skinnier too. As if they haven't given her anything to eat at all.

'Oh my god...' I feel movement around me but can't take my eyes off the screen. 'Make sure to zoom in.' The man next to her says, slowly lifting up her face.

The man looks exactly like the one in my dream, just a bit older. What the hell is this? I squint my eyes, but something's off. Something is different about him. It can't be him...

'Is that-' 'Adrian Steel.' Rio grunts, moving closer as well.

'Hello, Curzio's. We have a surprise for you, don't we princess?' His tone is sickening, making me want to throw up. Especially with his hand on her body, as if he wants to make sure she knows how he feels the entire time.

I can feel Leon's anger from next to me, but he's not responding to anything yet. 'Well, not a surprise. All though it might be shocking to some.' Adrian chuckles as if he's a comedian.

'See, my son wants to torture you more. So he asked me to make a deal.' Hunter wants to make a deal... Why didn't he ask himself? He's a grown man? 'I bet you want to know what the deal might be, but I just wanted to say that I really don't want to go through with it.' Adrian's hand wraps around Neveah's throat and she barely moves away, too exhausted to even flinch.

But Leon does. He flinches, ready to launch through the screen if he has to. And I do too, almost dropping the phone.

'She means too much to me.' Oh no... The tone in his voice is making me sick. And I can already tell that she didn't stand a chance against them. Not a single chance. Neveah...

'But my son won't let me live another day if I don't try.' He chuckles, slowly letting go of her again. 'So, here's the deal.'

He steps closer to the camera and smiles, showcasing his perfectly white teeth. 'Neveah for that precious Cataleya of yours.'

My heart drops and I hold onto my phone a bit tighter, not wanting to drop it. Leon and Rio shift, but don't say another word. 'If not, I'll finally use her the way I want to, and after that...'

'Don't... Listen-'

His disgusting hand wraps around her neck again, harshly pulling her head back so that she has to look at him.

'I'll send you her used body.' He states, looking straight into the camera again. 'You have until midnight. We'll meet in front of the Cathedral in Montpellier, see you then.'

And the screen turns back to black. Fifteen hours. We have fifteen hours to decide.

'I think we should-' Rio grabs my phone, opens the window, and throws it as far away as he can, before turning back to me. 'Stay here.' And he's gone, running down the stairs. What?

I shake my head and turn to Leon. 'We should do it.' I state, looking at the panic in his eyes. 'He touched her.' 'Leon we should take the offer and then we could-' He jumps to his feet and looks at his hands.

As if they're dirty or something. 'They touched her.' Right...

They did. Maybe. I think they did, but I hope they didn't. Not yet. 'Adrian said that he would get his way with her if we didn't, so maybe they-' 'Did you see the look on her face? She was terrified when he touched her.'

He's right. Again.

'That's exactly why we should take the offer. To save her.' He looks at me for a second, before slowly shaking his head. 'It's too risky, what if it's a setup?' 'I'm willing to risk it if it meant saving her life.'

'Little one, I don't-' 'I could go with them and you could track me. I would be back by the evening if we do it quickly.' His eyes light up.

A solution.

I found a solution to our problem.

But he slowly shakes his head again. 'There has to be another way.' 'This is the easiest!'

'Exactly! It's too easy. Too simple, Cataleya! We don't know what they might do to Neveah when we get there. Or you for that matter. You could die.'

'I am not letting Neveah die.' 'You think I am?' He fumes at me. He's panicking. He's panicking even though there's a clear solution in front of us. A clear way out.

'Neveah would kill me if something happened to you and I don't want either of you to die.' He groans, rubbing his temples. 'Let me talk to Rio, maybe there's another way and we could-' 'We have fifteen hours, not till the end of the year!' I sneer, begging him to pick my side with this.

My plan is easy and I know it will work. We could get Neveah back and I'll be fine if they just come and track us.

'Exactly, we have some time.' Some... fifteen hours... Just fifteen hours. 'If nothing else comes up for the next ten we'll stick to my plan.' 'Little one-'

'Think about Neveah! She's been tortured and maybe even raped,' The words fuel his anger all the way up until he's setting the house on fire with his anger, 'We need to save her.'

Leon looks at the ground, his fist next to his body, his knuckles white. 'There will be another way.'

And with those words, he storms out of the room.

I follow him down the stairs, but not out of the house. Instead, I run into Rio's office, to find him sitting in a chair.

Not trying to call or do anything. No. He's fucking drinking.

'What is it now, Valentina?' He asks, pouring himself another drink.

'Rio, we need to accept that deal. They will kill-' 'Don't you think I know that Cataleya?!' He shouts furiously.

I don't get why he just doesn't accept the stupid offer. He could get me back in no time if he really tries, so it won't be that bad.

'Leon and I already-' 'I'm not doing it.' He states, 'And neither are you, understood?'

I walk closer to his desk and shake my head. 'She's my friend and I can't let her die.'

He sighs, before chugging down his drink like the alcoholic he seems to be.

Over time, I noticed he drinks more when he's stressed or annoyed, making it so much harder to get through to him.

'Miss North knew about the risks.' I simply stare at him- completely in shock that he can talk about Neveah's Iife as if it means nothing to him.

'What are you trying to get at, that we let her die?' His eyes meet mine, stone-cold, sending shivers down my spine. He doesn't care...

He said he would take care of it. That he would get both of them back, not just Celine.

But since we have Celine, since Celine is safe and sound, he hasn't been trying as hard to get Neveah back. Barely at all.

All because he doesn't care. He wouldn't mind if Neveah died.

The dream...

It was him or her. Rio or Neveah. Even in my dream.

I told myself to never hit him again. Because the last time I did, he threatened to kill my mom.

To think that that happened on the second day in Italy. Now that I think of that, we've been with the Curzio's for almost ten months by now. Time flies...

My hand crashes into his face. Hard. But he doesn't move, besides from his head turning the other way.

He slowly turns back to me and sighs. 'No one is doing anything, Miss Velez'

There it is again. The angry Rio I haven't seen in months.

I hate that he's calling me "Miss Velez" again. That's something he used to do when we first got here. I hate that he does not care about Neveah's life, my best friend, the love of Leon's life, he does not give a single fuck.

'Fuck you.' I state, trying to stay as calm as he is. It's impossible to negotiate with Rio, that much I know. I just thought that, after everything that happened, he would've changed a little.

And I truly thought he did. I truly thought he softened towards the world. I truly thought that he changed.

I told him he was destructive when I was drunk, but I meant it. He truly is destructive. Not only to himself but to people around him.

'Get out of my sight.' He sneers, pouring himself a drink again. 'Gladly.' I fume, slamming the door as I head back up the stairs, to my room.

Either Leon finds another way, or we go through with the deal. I don't fucking care.

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A/N: WAIT... HOLD UP! SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT- You know what fuck it. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE LOVE AND COMMENTS AND AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

I hope you still enjoy this story because it's getting kinda... Less... Smutty.

Anyways! If you liked this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment!

Hope you have an amazing day and until the next chapter!