'Will that be all for today?' William nods and quickly glances at Leon for the thousandth time, 'Make sure the guests have the best experience but don't forget to check up on the staff too.'

'I'm sorry, miss, but we barely have time to-' 'Check up on the staff, it's not that hard.' The man looks at Leon again, waiting for him to say something.

But he hasn't said a word ever since this stupid meeting started twenty minutes ago.

'You heard her, go check up on the staff members and make sure they have everything they need, it will be a tough season.' William sighs but nods as he takes in Leon's words and excuses himself from the room.

I want to shoot bullets through the back of his head for not listening to me to begin with, but I'm too tired.

'Not everyone will listen to you, little one.' Leonardo says as he finally turns to face me. 'I don't need them to listen to me, I just need them to do as they're told.'

A smile appears on his face, one that's far from amusing. As if he's remembering something painful.

'You're just like him, little one.' He says as he takes all the papers on the table and places them on one stack.

'Any news on Nadora?' He stills for a second and slowly shakes his head. 'Nothing new.'

How? There has to be something on him, something that would make us get closer to getting Rio back.

'Or you're just keeping it from me.' My words shock him more than I expected them to, and I can't help but feel bad for accusing him when his eyes meet mine.

He seems hurt. Like I slapped him in the face.

'I'm not keeping shit from you, Leya.' I nod and sigh deeply.

It has barely been a day and I'm already losing my fucking mind.

I shouldn't lash out at him, I shouldn't be annoyed towards him, I shouldn't be pushing him away.

He knows just as much as I do. He wouldn't keep anything Rafael-related from me.

'I'm sorry.' His gaze softens as he keeps his eyes on me, as if he knows this would happen at some point. 'It's fine, you're just on edge. But we'll work on it, okay?'

I nod and watch as he leaves the office, hearing the door close behind him.

And I'm all alone again.

Soaking in my husband's office. The husband who is being held hostage by someone who claims I am to be his bride, because of some messed up agreement my father made before I was fucking born.

Fucking hell...

The air suddenly starts getting heavier with each breath I take.

And the urge to burn everything down grows with each breath too.

Rafael is a powerful man, so I don't get why he wouldn't just take the chance and kill Jayson.

We could've dealt with the consequences afterward, everything would've been fine.

He did say his empire would fall... He came off cold and heartless when I met him. He warned me about his ways, he told me about his fears, and how everything would crumble if he fell in love.

And it did.

Everything started to crumble the moment we got married, maybe even before that.

All because we fell in love.

It feels wrong because so many bad things have happened to us and the people around us, but I don't see myself falling out of love with the idiot of a man that I call my husband.

I hate him for leaving me like this, but most of all I hate him for not discussing this life-changing decision with me.

He just left. Like it was nothing.

He didn't even look back...

I place my hand on my stomach and take a shaky breath, trying to defuse my anger by staring around the room.

Everything in here, everything in every room, or car, or house reminds me of him.

I don't know where he is or what he's doing, but my gut is telling me that one of us won't survive if this goes on, and I just pray to god that I'm wrong about it.

What if he's dead- My phone starts ringing before my mind spirals down that hole, and I stare at the screen of my phone.

Mom.

I reach for the phone and pick up, trying not to burst into tears when I hear her voice on the other side of the line.

'Mi amor, it's me. How are you doing?' Her voice is luring me in, just like always, making me want to cry in her arms as she holds me.

As if we're back in America. As if I'm twelve all over again.

'Hi, mom.' Is all I'm able to bring out without bursting into tears.

'Que pasa?' I lower the phone and take a deep breath, before placing it on the desk and putting it on speaker. 'I just miss you.'

'And?' Of course, she knows there's more. She always does.

'And...' I hesitate, wondering if I should worry her more than she already does. Because as much as she claims to be okay with this way of life, she's freaking out on the inside, 'I just have a lot going on right now.'

'Háblame.' I shake my head, wishing that she would see it and understand that I don't know what to tell her.

'How are you?' I ask when I force myself to keep it in for just a few more seconds. 'I'm good, mi amor. The pills are really draining my energy, but that's not what I want to talk about.'

'What do you want to talk about?' It comes out rude, like I don't want to talk to her, but I do. I just don't know how much I can tell her, or how much I should tell her.

'I heard what happened.' My heart sinks and I quickly wipe an escaping tear away, before smiling to myself.

'Let me guess-' Neveah. 'I wanted to see what you guys were up to and I wanted to see the twins on facetime, so I called Neveah and she looked upset. I asked what was going on and she told me what happened.'

Leave it up to Veah to go to my mom...

'What did she say?' I ask, my voice heavy and exhausted. I don't want her to know more than she already does. And I know Veah didn't tell her the detailed version.

'She told me Rio was taken by someone and that you've been locking yourself away, trying to keep everything together.' I don't know if I should tell her that the piece of shit she conceived me with basically sold me to the man who took my husband or not.

Because it's not like it would change anything. It would only give her something else to stress about.

'I haven't been locking myself away, I've just been busy with dealing with all this hotel stuff and-' She sighs on the other side of the phone, making me stop midsentence. Because no matter what I say next, she's not buying it.

'Mom, I promise you I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me.'

'Cataleya, I know you're crying.' It's like she's sitting across from me.

Looking at me with a pained look on her face, because it hurts her to see me cry.

But I let the tears roll down my face, wondering how she could know about my silent tears simply by talking through me over the phone.

'And you know I'll always worry about you, you're my only daughter, and I love you more than anything in the world.' I know...

'I love you too mom.' I say, my voice barely a whisper, 'I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, I just figured it would end up stressing you out more and more and-'

I sigh, wondering when I started not telling her about my life anymore.

I used to give her little updates every week. And here I am, sulking in my husband's office, not telling my mother what's going on in my life.

'I just wanted to deal with this and get him back as soon as possible.' I admit as I finally wipe the tears away and attempt to calm myself down. 'Can I do anything to help?'

She admitted that she loved Rio ever since he came by in Spain, that she liked the way he looked at me and treated me. She's glad that I married a man like him and I'm glad that she reacted the way she did after finding out what he actually does.

But I don't want her getting herself more involved than necessary. And it's not really like she would be able to help either...

'Be healthy.' I joke, sniffling as I look at my screen, 'And take care of yourself while I deal with this.'

'I will, mi amor. Just promise me you'll call me if you need someone to talk to.' I nod and smile, something inside of me warming me after what feels like years of a cold winter.

'And talk to Veah, she's really worried about you.' She says and I can see her nudging me to the door to make me talk to Veah.

I can't help but feel something sting in my heart, as if I'm being betrayed or something. 'I-' 'Cataleya, she didn't mean any harm.'

I know... But I just wished she would've come to me first. But then again... I've been kind of avoiding everyone.

I don't know why, but I've been feeling annoyed with most of the others lately.

They just stood there and watched, barely saying anything to stop him from leaving.

As if they didn't care.

The only ones who did or said stuff in my eyes were Celine and Leon, but that's it.

I know Veah never fully got along with Rio, and the same goes for him, but I didn't expect her to do absolutely nothing and watch.

And to find out she talked to my mom about it... God...

'You know she can't say no to me, I know you two too well to not know when something is up.' She continues, making me smile a little.

Not one lie went past her, even though she made it look like she believed some of our lies when we were younger. She always knew.

And she clearly still does.

'I'll talk to her.' Now I want to, especially after finding out she told my mom. 'Te quiero, mi amor.'

Her words warm me and I imagine her hugging me as I wrap my arms around my waist. It's pathetic, but I just want to imagine it for a few seconds.

'Te amo, mami.' I wait for her to hang up the phone and grab my phone again.

𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔?

I look at the screen, waiting for a reply, which takes less than a minute. As if she was waiting for a text.

She starts typing.

𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞?

𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎

I quickly wipe my face again, even though I stopped crying already, I feel like I'm still on the verge of tears.

I place my phone back on the desk and lean back in the chair, letting my arms rest on the sides.

The door slowly opens after less than twenty seconds, and Veah enters the office with a sad smile on her face.

'I know she called you and I'm sorry for telling her, but she kept asking questions and-' I stop her by nodding my head towards one of the chairs across from me.

She nods and takes a seat, not looking me in the eyes but staring at the desk between us instead.

It feels weird.

Like there's some kind of barrier between us.

'You told my mom?' I ask, waiting for her to look at me. I want her to look at me, just so we can talk like adults, but at the same time, I'm afraid I'll lash out like I do with everyone else.

'I'm sorry.' She says, slightly moving her eyes a bit higher, but still not looking me in the eyes. 'Why?'

'You wouldn't talk to me. Or anyone else. And she noticed something was off. I didn't want to tell her but I felt like I didn't have any other choice and I'm sorry.'

'You should've come to me first.' As the words leave my mouth, her eyes glide up to mine, and I notice the same hurt go through her eyes like they did with Leon.

As if I'm slapping her.

'I tried that, but you wouldn't let me talk to you.' She says with pain in her voice, 'Every time I entered a room, you left, every time I knocked on your door, you ignored me.'

Have I really been that mean?

I know I left the kitchen yesterday when she came in, but that wasn't because of the fact that she entered the room... Right?

And she knocked on the door? When did that happen?

'I didn't mean to do all of that, but I still feel like you could've tried and talk it out with me first.'

'You locked yourself into your room and I was losing my mind so-' 'So you told my mom?' I finish for her, making her nod slowly.

As if she's afraid of what it might mean.

But it doesn't change anything. I'm not as mad as I thought I would be, not after hearing how I've been neglecting her attempts, but it still stings a bit.

'Please don't be mad at me.' She begs, moving to the edge of her seat.

I shake my head and reach my hands out over the desk, trying to destroy the barrier between us, 'I'm not mad at you, it just stings a little. But you didn't do it to fuck me over.'

She takes my hand and squeezes it, before smiling at me, 'I truly didn't.'

I take her all in, noticing how exhausted she looks, and sigh deeply. 'The twins kept you up?'

She shakes her head and slowly looks at our hands. 'Did you sleep?'

'I stayed up trying to figure out how we can get Rio back.' My eyes widen and she locks eyes with me again. 'You?'

She nods and sighs deeply, dramatically rolling her eyes, before explaining, 'I wanted to talk to you about that too, and now that we're talking again, we can start.'

'Start what?' She pulls out her phone and scrolls through something, before placing it on the table and sliding it my way. 'I did some digging. Alessio has connections in Brazil, that's where Nadora headed after taking Rio.'

I stare at her phone, trying to figure out what she's showing me exactly.

'We just need to get Alessio's phone number, and we'll be set.' I zoom in on the pictures on Veah's phone and read the list of names on there. 'I already tried to get his number through Marco, even took his phone for a few minutes, but I couldn't find Alessio in there.'

'You took his phone?' I ask, frowning at her. She nods and takes a deep breath, before taking her phone and swiping through it again, 'It's cruel, but we need to get Rio out of there before shit gets worse.'

It takes a few seconds for me to process this, but I quickly try to focus on the other pictures she's showing me.

'I know Tiago has Alessio's number, he just won't give it to me for some reason.' She continues as she points at a few more pictures on her phone. 'Why not?'

'I don't know, but it's annoying the shit out of me.' If Alessio is our way into Brazil, why wouldn't Leon take the chance?

'Now I had this idea, but I need your help.' She says, looking up at me as she awaits my answer. 'What did you have in mind?'

'I distract Tiago and you take his phone, find Alessio's number, and we lock Tiago up with the twins and just go for it.' My eyes widen and I shake my head, trying to keep up with all of this.

It's as if my brain is slowly waking up from a long sleep or something.

'You want me to- lock him up?'

She takes a deep breath, slightly doubting if this is a good thing to discuss, but decides to continue, 'One of us will distract him so that the other can go through his contacts and find Alessio's number so that we can get him to take us to Brazil without getting caught up in more shit. Knowing Tiago, he won't let us go, so we have to stash a room with stuff so that he can take care of himself and the twins while we're gone.'

'The others will simply open the door and he'll come after us.' I say, knowing that the others wouldn't let it slide this quickly. 'That's the thing, everyone will have work today at four. We have at least three hours to get out of here and by the time we'll be on the airplane, they'll be too late.'

'A quick in and out.' I mumble, surprised by how far she thought this through.

But Leon... 'Neveah, you're in a relationship with him, he wouldn't-' 'As much as I love him, I love you more.' She admits, taking my hand in hers again.

'I know I haven't really shown it all the time, but I love you more Leya. I dragged you into this mess and you deserve to be happy, so I want to do whatever I can to make sure that you're happy.' I shake my head and feel my heart swell at her words.

'You would ruin your relationship for my happiness?'

'He'll have to understand that I'm not letting you suffer for something you had absolutely nothing to do with before all of this.' She says, waving her free arm around the room, 'I love him and I know he'll understand.'

I shake away the thought, as tempting as it sounds, but I will not let her ruin her relationship just to help me.

'Neveah, you have kids with him-' 'I'm not planning on dying and neither are you, like you said. It's a quick in and out, Alessio will help up and we'll make sure to keep an eye out for anything sketchy.'

She sounds convinced, certain even, about all of this. Like she knows nothing will go wrong.

But I still feel bad about it. 'I don't want to get in between you and Leon.'

He'll hate us for sure. I can't hurt him, but I can't just sit back and do nothing either.

'You won't, that's a whole nother thing, so don't worry about it.' She continues, squeezing my hand a little, 'I'll deal with him, and he might not even notice if we're quick.'

I roll my eyes and look her dead in the eyes, wondering if she really just said that.

We'll be quick, but we won't be that quick.

'I don't know...' I mumble, feeling like a starved animal.

She's holding out food in front of my eyes, swinging it from side to side, just to taunt me even though she just wants to help.

But it feels wrong. Lying to Leon... Locking him up...

Veah feels bad, she's hesitant about it too, but she would do it for me.

For my happiness.

My husband...

Rio tried everything in his power to get me back from the Steels. He's my husband and I want him back.

It has only been twenty-four hours, but I don't know if he's alive or not and I'm freaking out.

'Is there anything else we can do?' Despite wanting him back, I don't want to betray Leon and neither does Veah. 'It's the fastest way possible, and we don't know how much time we have.'

Fuck...

She's right.

Rio could be dead. I could be hurt like a little fucking baby and freaking out about his well-being, but he could be dead the entire time.

'Okay.' I'll regret this for the rest of my life, but I should be able to make Leon understand at some point. 'Okay, let's do this.'

'Okay.' Veah takes a deep breath and nods, slowly grabbing her phone again. 'Okay, let's... Yeah, let's do this.'

I can see the panic in her eyes, and wait for her to tell me what's needed next.

'Celine is leaving at three-thirty, Brandon said he would leave around four and Marco was going to go with him.' She says as if she's reading a list at the top of her head.

'What do we do with Isabelle, Kai, Victoria, and Leroy?' I ask, curious as to what she wanted to do with them. 'Victoria was asking Celine if she could take Leroy and her to the park, so maybe we can make Kai go with them?'

So it's just Leon and Isabelle now.

'Isabelle will probably stay in her room, so if we're quick, she won't notice.'

I nod and just pray to god that she's right.

'Okay, what do we need now?' She puts her phone away and looks at me. 'I figured we leave him in the twin's room and put a bunch of food in there too, so that he'll be good for a few hours.'

We head out to the kitchen, take a few snacks up to the twin's bedroom, and go over the plan once more.

We stay in with the twins and whisper about what to do next, until I can hear footsteps in the distance.

'Tia!' My heart swells and I almost walk over to the door to keep Victoria out of this room.

Because it feels like a trap, even for her. It's not meant for her and she won't be locked in at all, but it just feels like she would get sucked in as well.

'Here you are- Oh no.' She stops in front of the door and looks at Domenico, who is cradled in Veah's arms. 'Is he sleeping? Was I too loud?' She whispers, looking at me.

I shake my head and smile, stepping into the hall and closing the door behind me. Getting her away from the trap.

'What's up?' I ask as I look down at her. She smiles at me and thinks about her reason of calling out for me, before nodding, 'Will you come to the park with me and Leroy?'

Veah said... 'I can't right now.' Her smile drops and she looks genuinely sad, 'But maybe Kai can take you?'

'You think?' She asks, a little excited. I nod in reply and before I can bring another word out, she's off, running to find Kai.

I watch her with a smile on my face, noticing Isabelle at the end of the hall.

She peeks through the slightly opened bedroom door, an emotionless look on her face. I smile at her and turn back around, hoping that she'll stay in there and let us go through with this.

Veah is holding up her phone, showing me the time.

It's three twenty-five. The next to leave is Celine.

I hear a few doors open and close down the hall and wait for someone to shout something.

Instead, I watch as Celine appears in the frame of the door. 'I'm heading out, Kai is taking Leroy and Victoria to the park and they said they'll be back around dinner.'

I nod and smile at her, trying my hardest to not blurt out that we're going away so we won't be here for dinner.

'Good luck with that liver transplant!' Veah chimes before Celine smiles and walks away.

I wait until I hear the front door, making sure Celine is gone.

Now it's just Brandon and Marco.

'Who's going to distract?' Veah whispers because the door is wide open. I nod my head her way and look at the baby in her arms.

What if something happens? What if somehow she won't make it back and- No.

'Okay, I'll figure something out- wait. He has a password.' Shit. There goes that.

'You go through his phone, I'll distract him.' I say as I take Emiliano out of his crib. He's staring at me as if my face isn't how it's supposed to be, but enjoying it.

I lift him up a little, placing a soft kiss on his tiny nose, before looking at Veah. 'Okay- let's-' 'So you two are talking again?'

We both look at the door, and see Brandon in the hallway, looking at us strangely.

'We are,' Veah says, smiling a little, 'Aren't you supposed to be leaving for that thing you had?'

Brandon dramatically gasps and places his hands on his heart, as if he's been shot there. 'You want me gone that badly, huh?'

Veah rolls her eyes and shakes her head, signaling him to move closer instead of pushing him away, and he shakes his head.

'As much as I want to hang with the new Curzio generation and my girls, I have to get this deal with a rich brat in town, so I'm leaving and taking Marco with me since he has some business to deal with there too.' He explains as he starts walking back out the door again.

'Be careful, okay?' He stops and turns to me, frowning before a smile takes over his cute face again. 'I will, prometto.'

It's not like we have much to fear now anyway, but I don't want something bad to happen to them. There's always something lurking around the corner.

We wait until we hear their footsteps fade and the front door close, before whispering again.

'Any idea how you're going to distract Tiago?' Veah asks, turning to me.

I sheepishly shake my head, not knowing how I could possibly keep him busy for as long as she needs.

It would've been easier if she had to distract him because she could just kiss him and he'd be preoccupied.

'I'll figure it out.' I shouldn't force the distraction, it should come naturally. That way it would look and feel less fake.

But my heart feels heavy just thinking about this and I just pray to god that he'll forgive me for this.

'Okay, I'll go see what he's up to.' She places Domenico into his crib and slowly makes her way down the hall, obviously dreading this too.

I shouldn't pull her into this... 'Veah-'

I stop when I hear Leon's voice down the hall, 'Cara, here you are.' Shit.

'Here I am-' I can hear them kiss and can't help but smile. They're so in love.

'Tiago...' She whispers and I can already imagine her arms around him. 'Yes, cara?'

'Can I use your phone to find mine real quick, I think I left it somewhere in the house and I just need to find it real quick?'

I can hear some movement and wait for him to reply. Instead, I hear another kiss coming from down the hall. Shit...

Is he going to call the phone himself? Is he even going to give her the phone?

'Thank you, Tiago.' Veah whispers before I can hear footsteps go down the hall.

Leon appears in the frame of the door with a distant look on his face.

He wants to smile, but can't find the energy to do so.

'We need to talk.' He mumbles, making me frown for a second.

Maybe finding a way to keep him here won't be that hard after all?

'About what?' I ask as I place Emiliano back into his crib, next to his brother's. 'About everything that's going on.'

I turn around, staying in front of the babies for some reason.

'A lot of people quit.' He starts, slowly making his way over to the couch I was just sitting on. 'They heard what happened and won't work for Nadora.' What?

The whole reason Rio is with Nadora right now is so that everyone working for Rio will listen to Nadora.

'They are willing to work for you so we can create a small army and take him back.' He says, desperately waiting for me to react.

My heart starts to pound in my ears. 'And how long will that take?'

'We have to see for ourselves who's fit to come with or not, but it might take a week to get the right papers to sneak into Brazil.' A week...

There's another way. One where we wouldn't have to go behind Leon's back. One where we don't have to lie and hurt him. But it will take another week...

'What if he's dead already?' I ask breathlessly, staring at the rug underneath my feet. 'Don't say stuff like that.'

Leon gets up and takes two big steps towards me, making me look at him with wide eyes.

He's looking down at me. He's angry or annoyed because I'm thinking about Rio being dead.

But I just don't think Nadora will like all of this.

He's willing to keep Rio alive as long as everything goes smoothly. If people stop working for Rio, simply because Nadora is above him, he won't need Rio anymore.

'He's alive.' He says, his voice hard and stern.

I reach for the cribs behind me, wondering if this will be the first time he's talking like this in front of them.

Not that it matters, they won't remember this shit anyway.

'How do you know that?' I ask as my heart hurts at the thought of my husband being dead. 'He's strong.'

'Strong enough to not bleed out as they cut him open?' I look up and watch as the flash of pain returns to his eyes. He shakes his head and takes a deep breath. 'Strong enough to withstand a bullet through his head?'

He takes a step back and looks at the ground, hurt by how my mind works. But this is what I've been thinking about all night long.

'Will he survive drowning? Will he survive electric shocks to his brain? Will he survive being burned to death?' The scenes play out in my brain and I can feel myself breaking on the inside.

'We-' Leon shakes his head one last time, before looking into my eyes, 'I get that you're scared, so am I, but I know Adriano. He's strong-' 'Not strong enough to defy death, Leon.'

He stays silent as his eyes slowly lower back to the ground.

'We can't give up. I'll tell those men to do as Nadora wants for as long as necessary, but we can't give up.' He whispers after a few moments of silence.

I nod, knowing that we're not giving up. We're going to do something about it.

Not next week, but today.

'Leya!' I hear Veah coming down the hall, but keep my eyes on Leon.

He's hurting. I hurt him with my messed-up thoughts and we're going to hurt him even more.

'I'm sorry Leon.' I mutter, making him frown as he slowly meets my gaze.

'What-' 'Everything okay?' Veah asks as she appears at the door, glancing between Leon and I.

I nod and give her a weak smile as I head over to her. 'I can't do this.' I whisper as I walk past her.

She mumbles something like, I know, but heads into the room nonetheless.

'Tiago, can you grab the stuff to change the twins?' I stay in the hall, hiding next to the door, and take a deep breath.

'Didn't you change them not so long ago?' I hold my breath and fight the urge to tell him about our plan.

'That was a while back. Your kids shit a lot, you know?' Veah jokes, moving around the room.

'My kids?' Leon asks as his voice seems to get further away from me, 'They came out of your body, I just put them there, so their our kids.' God...

A quick in and out. We're doing him a favor, or something like that. He wants Rio back too. So he should be happy we're doing this. Right?

'I love you sometimes.' Veah says, probably smiling like crazy. 'Just sometimes?' Leon asks, his voice seeming closer now.

'All the time.' She says just as they kiss. 'I love you all the time too.'

My heart swells, but then I remember that we're going to lock him up here. And now I realize why Veah is saying all of this.

Just in case this is the last time. No. She said nothing was going to happen because we were going to be quick.

'I'll be right back, okay?' I can hear her move closer to the door and hold my breath as she walks out of the room, slowly closing the door.

She rustles through her pocket, before taking the key and locking the door on Leon.

We stay by the door, hearing him move around the room, before the handle starts moving. 'Cara, what are you doing?'

Veah takes a deep breath and looks at me, not saying a word as Leon tries to open the door again. 'Neveah!'

I take her hand and feel her squeeze mine to death, trying to keep my calm. 'Neveah, open the door.'

I take a step back and pull her with me, before turning around. 'We should go.'

She nods and slowly turns around as well, before staring at the person across the hall.

Isabelle is standing there with a big frown on her face. 'What are you two doing?'

Shit.

I look at Neveah, not knowing how to explain this to her as the locked door continues to ramble behind us. Please don't break the door...

'Come with us.' Veah says, before quickly grabbing Isabelle's arm and dragging her down the stairs.

I peek back at the locked door and take a deep breath, before rushing after them.

We grab some guns and quickly head outside, to the car that's parked in front of the house.

'Where are we going?' Isabelle asks as Veah nudges her towards the backseat.

'Brazil.' Neveah answers as she climbs in the passenger seat. 'What?'

My phone starts buzzing in my back pocket, making me look back at the house. I don't have to look at my phone to know it's Leon.

Should I turn off my phone? I shake my head and get in the car, trying to focus on Isabelle's questions, instead of my phone.

I start the car and wait for Neveah to get everything ready. I stare at the map on the little screen in the dashboard and see that we have a twenty-minute drive ahead. 'Veah, you explain.'

'Okay,' Veah turns to the back and looks at Isabelle as she explains, 'We're going to Brazil to get Rio back from Nadora.'

'So why-' 'This is the fastest way, a quick in and out so we won't attract too much attention.'

We should've left her at the house. But then she might've opened the door and let Leon out.

'Why are you taking me?' She asks, leaning forward to look at me. 'Because I don't know if you would open the door to let Leon out.'

'I don't care what happens to Rio.' She admits and I almost hit the brakes, wanting her to crash into the dashboard and hurt as much as her words do, 'Why would I help?'

'Because he's your friend's husband?' Veah asks, staring at Isabelle as if she's insane for even asking.

Veah doesn't know that Isabelle still doesn't like Rio. She still picks Hunter's side sometimes, saying that we should let him go and move on from everything as if it all meant nothing, but won't leave either.

'That didn't stop him from sending Marco after me to kill me.' I frown and swerve past some cars as I run a red light.

'What the hell are you talking about?' Isabelle sighs and leans back, crossing her arms as if she's a little kid. 'Explain.'

'Rio and Marco threatened to kill me in the basement shortly after the wedding because they thought I had something to do with what happened.' Did you? I almost ask out loud, but I swallow my words and focus on the road ahead.

'Rio told me that I could try to run away, but he would always keep tabs on me because he doesn't trust me and he never will. He also said that he would've killed me the moment we got on the boat in England if it wasn't for you.' She continues, nudging her head my way.

'One night, I got tired and tried to run away. I got to the nearest town and went into a shop to ask for a phone so that I could call someone, but I was too slow.' Her voice softens for a second and I notice Veah noticing it too.

'Marco was waiting in one of the isles, as if he was expecting me, and said that he would be waiting outside.' Something happens to her voice as if she's ready to burst into tears. 'I stayed in that shop for over two hours, not wanting to go back to a house where I would be threatened or tortured or worse-'

She inhales slowly as I race past some cars, trying to get us to our location faster.

'When I got out, Marco was waiting around the corner. I tried to run but he was quicker. He dragged me into an alleyway and pressed a gun to my temple to stop me from screaming for help.' My heart's racing as I wait for her to continue the story, wondering how long ago this happened.

'He said he would kill me and take my body back to Rio, just so that he'll shut up about it.' Fuck...

'When we got back to the house, Rio simply glared at me before he went back to bed, and Marco made sure I got back to my bedroom. Every time I get out of my room, he's there, making sure I don't try and run again.'

All this time I thought she was free to go as she pleased, but she just didn't want to leave.

All this fucking time.

She has been hiding in her room out of fear. She fears Rio.

'Marco would never-' 'He would.' I cut Veah off and make a left, just like the GPS tells me to.

Marco would do everything Rio tells him to because he's loyal. A little too loyal sometimes, especially when it comes to stuff like this, but it's just the way it is.

'Let's make a deal,' I say, glancing at the backseat through the rearview mirror, 'I will make sure Rio stops sending Marco to hunt after you if you help us get him out of there alive.'

Either I give her what she wants, or she'll make sure we're getting caught.

'He won't come after me at all?' I nod and swerve to the right this time, driving on a gravel road leading to a big building that I've seen before.

'I'll make sure of it.' I stop the car and jump out before the others, noticing a man leaning against a car closer to the gate.

'You're quicker than I thought,' He says as he slowly turns around, his grey eyes meeting mine, 'We can leave immediately.'

He glances to my side as Veah and Isabelle move closer to us. 'Thank you for helping us.'

He nods and turns around to walk through the gates. My legs start moving, but it feels like I'm floating as my mind spirals for a second. Why is helping me?

'How long do we have?' Veah asks as she follows behind all of us, keeping her eyes on Alessio as we head to the small plane parked ahead of us.

It's not a Curzio plane.

Moretti is written on the side in silver letters.

'We'll get him back as soon as we can, but we have to go over the plan one more time.' He waits for the door to open and steps aside, waiting for us to go up there first.

I go first, and as I enter the vehicle, I take in the fresh leather smell filling my nose as I do.

Everything shines brightly at me, the polished tables, handles, and parts of the wall reflecting the lights on the roof.

'Do we even have a plan?' Isabelle asks as she drops down across from me, staring at Alessio as she waits for him to come in as well.

He climbs in and nods at a man, who closes the door, before turning to us.

I didn't see him on my way in, but that might've been because I was too busy looking at everything else. 'Welcome ladies, my name is Albert.'

I nod at him and slowly turn my gaze to Alessio, waiting for his answer to Isabelle's question.

'My friend Davi delivers food to one of Nadora's estates. He told me that Nadora has been secretive about his new prisoner, but that he's certain it's Rio.' Okay... Good?

So he's alive? He has to be. He is.

'I asked if he could get us in and he said he was willing to help us at a certain price.' I nod and listen to the hum of the engines underneath us as we slowly start moving. 'A friend you said?'

Veah rolls her eyes and slowly looks at me, waiting for me to go through with this or not.

I look back at Alessio and notice him staring at me, doing the same as Veah.

He's waiting for me to tell him if he should keep the plane on the ground or not.

'How much does he want?' I ask feeling something rumble through my stomach as the plane takes off.

'Two million.'

My heart jolts in my chest, but I simply nod. We have that amount of money, I know we do, but even if we didn't, I would get it somewhere and give it to Davi.

I would give everything to get Rio back.

'How can you call him a friend if you have to pay him to get Rio back?' Veah asks as she slowly turns back to Alessio, who simply grins and says, 'It's called doing business.'

I don't know much about this type of work and it shows. Because I wouldn't let any of my friends pay for stuff they need in moments like these.

'Davi knows the risk, he needs the money to up his security if Nadora finds out he helped us and goes after him.' Isabelle stares out of the window, staring as we soar through the sky.

That would make sense, but I'm not planning on leaving without killing Nadora first. My first goal is to get Rio out of there alive, but I would love to kill Nadora in the process.

'There are some clothes for you guys in the back, you should go and change before we arrive.' Veah nods and looks at Isabelle, waiting for her to go first.

'We have a few more hours.' She says, not moving her gaze away from the window, 'Why are you helping us?'

Her question is deep and makes my skin crawl as everything settles in.

We're doing this.

We're letting Alessio take us to a foreign land where his so-called friend demands two million for his help. What if it's a trap?

I didn't even hesitate when Veah said that we should call him up for help, knowing that Rio hates this man with his whole being.

But then again, Rio hates a lot of people.

I look at Alessio and shake off the worry when he continues to smile because of Isabelle's smile.

'I can't let Rafael die, even if he told me to get the fuck out of his life after the last time we spoke,' His smile fades and he looks at the man who brings up a silver platter with a big bottle of sparkling water and four glasses, 'Thank you, Albert.'

Albert smiles and places two glasses on each table, before turning back to the front.

'You want to please Rio.' Veah mumbles as Alessio fills her glass. 'When you say it like that, it sounds desperate.' He jokes, a soft smile playing on his lips. But it seems strained.

'You want him to like you.' Veah says, correcting herself to make it sound less weird. But Alessio shakes his head. 'I want him to forgive me.'

I don't know exactly what happened between them all those years ago, I don't bother asking because I don't want to anger any of them, but I do know that Alessio was young when he did what he did.

'So you have someone to count on.' I saw the way he looked at everyone when we all welcomed Leon back that day. He almost seemed jealous of what was happening.

His grey eyes slowly turn to me, something cold rushing down my spine as I notice the desperation in his eyes. 'You have no one to count on.'

'They say they're there, but they always pick my father's side.' He mumbles, before picking up his glass and quickly taking a sip as if he's ashamed of even saying it out loud.

'Well,' Veah starts, leaning back in her chair, 'If all of this goes well and we get him out of there safely, you can count on us.'

Alessio's smile returns as he leans back as well, slowly getting comfortable, 'Why?'

'Because you helped us get him back.' I say as I take my own glass and slowly bring the fizzing water to my lips. I never liked sparkling water and I still don't, but I swallow it nonetheless and look at Alessio.

'I'm not sure Rio would feel that way.' I shrug and put down my glass, before hearing Veah snort and say, 'You don't know this, but inside the house, she's kind of the boss.'

I roll my eyes and, if she would be sitting across from me right now, I would've kicked her.

Alessio nods impressed and smiles as he reaches for his phone. He stares at the screen and frowns as he looks back up at us. 'Why did Leon call me five times?' Five...

'We didn't tell him about our plan and he probably figured it out on his own.'

Guilt washes over me as I look at Veah, who's staring at her phone. She inhales slowly before locking her eyes with mine.

He's mad... But most of all he's worried.

'So you're doing all of this behind his back?' I nod and keep my eyes on Veah, waiting for her to calm down.

I can see him nod his head in the corner of my eye, and try to read him.

Is he mad? Will he turn around and send us back? Will he laugh? Will he shout?

He stays silent and keeps his eyes on Veah too, as if he knows exactly how she could break down any second now.

'He'll be mad for a while, but he'll get over it.' I hope so... Veah slowly takes her eyes off me, and looks at Alessio. 'He wouldn't stop talking about you.'

I don't dare to look at my phone and turn to Isabelle, who finally stopped staring out of the small window as if her life depended on it.

'So what happens when we land?' She asks as she looks at Alessio again. 'We will go and meet up with Davi at his apartment and he will get you guys the clothes to fit in.' Fit in? Aren't we changing already?

'Fit in where exactly?' Isa asks confused as well. 'You guys are going into Jayson's house as maids to get him out.' He explains, tipping the rest of his water back as if it's a shot.

'Won't he recognize Le- Us?' Veah asks, making Alessio frown for a second. 'Why would he?'

'He was supposed to marry me.' Alessio turns back to me, his eyes a little wider than they should be, and mumbles under his breath, before nodding. 'Has he met you?'

'Yes, but I don't know if he knew it was me.' He nods again, before going through his phone. 'We'll deal with it, as long as you stay out of his sight.'

We're going into his house, but he wants me to stay out of his sight. How does- Isabelle gets up and heads to the back of the plane, stopping at a door there, 'I'm going to change.'

Without waiting for a reply, she heads through the door to change.

'What's wrong with her?' Alessio whispers, looking between Veah and I. 'Nothing, she's just... dealing with this differently.' Or not at all...

"I don't care about Rio... Why would I help?" She said.

She meant it, she doesn't care. She hates him with everything she has, maybe even worse than Martin Steel.

But why?

Because he threatened her, because he sent Marco after her, and because he won't let her go.

All this time I thought she just wanted to be left alone to let everything sink in after such a long time, but it wasn't.

I was just blind to see the truth right in front of my eyes.

My husband has been going after one of my friends, just to make sure she doesn't rat us out to anyone.

Veah calls out to me and I realize I've been sitting here, thinking about what has been going on the entire time, for longer than I thought I was.

Because both Isa and Neveah are dressed and ready.

I get up and head to the back, feeling the floor vibrate underneath my feet.

I close the door behind me and take a deep breath, suddenly feeling nauseous. We're really doing this.

We're going to get my husband back.

I stare at the mirror across from me and rub my eyes, trying to see if it changes the way I look.

But it doesn't.

My hair is still a mess, I still look sick, and I'm so tired.

Why can't it be without all this drama?

I grab the dress on one of the shelves and put it on. It's a simple, fitted dress, that sticks to my figure way more than I want it to.

Once I put my old clothes into the bag with the others and strap a gun to my thigh, I stare at myself in the mirror some more.

I stare at my stomach and move my hands up and down my belly.

There's nothing to see. Yet.

Because soon there will be a bump and that bump will grow and weigh me down and- No.

I am carrying our child. Rafael wants a child.

So he better survive all of this...

A knock on the door startles me and I quickly turn around. 'Ley, we're going to land soon?'

So far for a long flight...

Excitement rushes through me as I realize that this means we're closer to Rio already.

I open the door and meet Veah's eyes as nerves take over hers. 'Everything okay?' She asks curiously, trying to look past me as if I'm hiding somewhere in the small bathroom.

'Everything is fine, just nervous.'

Nobody knows about the pregnancy yet, not even Veah. But I'd like to keep it that way for now.

We make our way back to our seats and wait for the plane to land.

As soon as we get to the ground, we leave and head for a car parked just outside the plane.

The air is warm and humid and suddenly I'm glad that I'm wearing a dress.

My legs greet the light breeze and I enjoy the heat for just a second, before following the others into the car.

A man is sitting behind the wheel, smiling as he shakes Alessio's hand, before he turns back to us. 'I'm Benny.'

I notice something gleaming as he smiles at us, and try to look closer. One of his teeth is shining. Gold?

'I can't drive you all the way to your location, but I'll drive as far as I can.' He starts the car, music blasting through the speakers immediately, and the ac starts filling the car with cold air.

'So, what brings you here?' He asks, almost shouting over the load music.

Alessio gives him a smack on the head and says something I can't hear over the loud beat pumping all around me.

'We are here to visit a friend.' Isa says, making Benny tilt his head back far enough to hear her. Or at least he tries to. 'What?' He shouts, making me smile a little.

It looks stupid and I know for a fact that the music is way too loud to hear anything, but it somehow makes me smile.

'We're here- can you turn it down a bit?' Isabelle tries as she leans forward too, leaning on Benny's seat.

Benny turns down the volume a few notches and turns over his shoulder as he swerves on some gravel roads, 'Tell me what you said, anjo?' Anjo?

'My name isn't-' Alessio smacks Benny again, before they start laughing. 'Anjo means angel.' Alessio explains, looking at Isabelle.

I glance over at her and notice her cheeks turn bright red in less than ten seconds.

'We're here to visit a friend.' She repeats as she slowly places her hand on mine. I frown and look down, feeling her squeeze the shit out of my hand, and realize something's wrong.

Or maybe right?

She's either freaking out because this man complimented her and she's already falling in love, or she's freaking out because she's not comfortable and doesn't know what to do.

But when I notice him staring at Isabelle through the rearview mirror, I take it's the last one.

'How do you know each other?' I ask to make the man look at me instead of Isabelle. I almost cringe at the way he almost rolls his eyes because he has to stop looking at Isabelle.

'We met a while back, in New York.' New York... Alessio grew up there. Or at least that's what I heard Marco say a while back.

It's his family's territory or something like that.

'He saved my ass and now I owe him for the rest of my life, what about you?' He asks as he takes a sharp turn to the left, making all of us squeeze into the backseat.

'He's her brother-in-law.' Veah says, glancing at me to just go along with it. 'No way!' Benny exclaims, almost driving into another car, 'Valentino is finally married?!'

Valentino? Alessio stiffens for a second, before slowly nodding, 'I didn't want to tell you yet, but the news is out now.'

He doesn't sound annoyed about the fact that we used Valentino as an excuse. He seems amused even.

'Congratulations!' Benny exclaims as he drives into a city.

I stare out the window, taking in all the people walking up and down the streets as if they all have to rush somewhere.

'Tell him to call me once he gets a chance, I really need to catch up with him.' Benny continues, talking to me as if all of this will ever get to Valentino.

'Oh, I will.' I lie, feeling the guilt rise for some reason.

I don't know Benny, but I still don't like lying.

'This is it.' Benny says as he stops in front of a very crowded street. The road is blocked and the people are even walking on the road to keep themselves moving, 'Good luck with visiting that friend, and make sure to stay safe!'

We thank Benny for the short drive and get out of the car, barely able to come together as the crowd pushes us up the street.

I take Isabelle's hand and watch as Veah and Alessio end up across the street.

'Veah!' I try to peek over the people and try searching for her as Isabelle drags me through the crowd.

Left and right, front and back, people are pushing me, shoving me in a random direction. 'Just-' I hear her and try to peek around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

'That way!' Alessio shouts, an arm flailing around in the direction we're already going.

'Okay!' Isa shouts, holding up her thumb as she makes sure to hold onto my hand as the people force us in the right direction.

It feels like the people are trying to suffocate me, but it doesn't take long for the crowd to disappear into a few buildings as the road goes on.

Isabelle looks at me and glances across the street, waiting for Veah and Alessio to appear somewhere, but they don't.

'What-' A man wraps his arm around Isa's neck and pulls her into an alley, and I don't hesitate to run after them. Fuck.

'Let go of me!' Isa squirms as she tries to reach for her gun, but he's quicker and pushes her to her knees, pressing a gun to her head.

I hide behind a container that reeks of fish and beer, before reaching for my own gun.

'Show yourself, you bitch!' He shouts, making the crowd on the main street sound so far away.

I take out my gun and aim at him, before stepping away from the container. 'Let her go.'

He scoffs and looks at me as if I'm a kid with a fake gun. 'Tourists, of course.'

'Let her go or I'll shoot.' I say, trying to come of dangerous, just in case he tries something.

'Is that a threat?' The guy pulls Isabelle's head back, pressing the end of his gun to her head.

'It's a warning,' I say, keeping my arms straight as I aim at him, 'Now let go of her before I empty this fucking gun in your head.'

A smile forms on his lips and he tilts his head, amused by my threat.

'There's no fucking way you alone could kill me.'

'She definitely could.' A voice beams, Neveah's voice, from his left, 'But who says she's alone?'

I hear a few sets of footsteps and guns being loaded around us, making me wonder if Alessio is with her.

'Drop the gun, Omar.' Something settles in my stomach as I try to keep my breathing steady.

Alessio appears on my right, slowly moving closer to the man he apparently knows.

Omar looks around, slowly realizing that he's outnumbered, and lowers his gun.

'You will apologize to that girl and take us to Davi.' Alessio says, still aiming his gun at the man in front of him.

Isabelle slowly backs away from Omar and hides behind Veah, who's slowly moving out of an alley on my left.

'Go to hell.' Omar sneers as he keeps his eyes on Alessio who slowly inches closer.

My heart is racing as Veah comes over to check up on me and Isabelle before we all look at Omar.

'Take us to Davi.' Alessio repeats as he stays close to Omar, his gun pressed against his head.

'There's no need.' A deep voice beams from behind me, making me turn around in shock.

A tall and dark man stands there, his black hair cut short, with a gun aimed at one person and one person only.

'I told you to stop with this bullshit, didn't I?' He asks, making my heart freeze at his dark tone. He's going to kill someone.

'I- You have to understand, I-' Davi tuts and slowly shakes his head, moving closer to us. His gun stays straight on Omar, as he glances at Isabelle.

She's shaking as the man takes her all in. 'Is she okay?' He asks, tilting his head a little.

'I am.' She replies instantly, probably afraid that he'll kill us.

But right now he's angry towards Omar.

Davi nods and glances at me, before slowly moving his gaze to Veah. His eyes widen a bit and he almost lowers his gun, before realizing why he was holding it up in the first place.

I quickly glance at Veah and frown, making her shrug in response, before returning to Davi. 'Are you well enough to run girls?'

Davi's voice is dark and dominant, making me wonder if this is Alessio's friend at all. They don't match at all.

Davi seems more like Rio's friend.

'Yes.' Veah answers, frowning a little. Omar starts rambling on, begging on his knees as he looks at Davi.

'Then run.' He says, before pulling the trigger.

People on the main road start screaming and I can see them panicking, as some of them see Omar's body drop dead.

I grab Veah and Isabelle's arm and start running after Davi and Alessio, through the alleys.

Everyone in the area panics and sirens sound in the distance, making my heart race with adrenaline.

I bump into Alessio when he suddenly stops and sneaks into a random shop. We follow Davi through the back and up the stairs, entering a spacious room with a bed and kitchen.

It's an apartment.

'We have to hurry, I have to be at the gates in thirty minutes.' Davi says, throwing a bag on the couch.

A bunch of clothes spills out, all black and white. Work clothing...

'Go change and we'll be waiting outside.' Davi says as he throws his arm around Alessio and drags him out of the room.

Isabelle looks at us with wide eyes as Veah and I reach for the bag to find the right sizes for everything.

'How are you guys so calm about all of this? We just ran away from the-' 'You get used to this, now catch.' Veah throws a skirt at Isabelle, who quickly catches it, and frowns.

'I- How the fuck can you get used to this?!' She shouts as panic starts to fill her eyes.

'Welcome to the Curzios.' I chime as I finally find the right size and kick off my shoes.

Isabelle stays frozen for a few more seconds before she starts changing too.

We all get dressed, ending up with skirts that are way too short to be work uniforms and tops that are way too tight around the chest.

But I don't think it's because of the sizes. Nadora likes it this way.

'Come on!' Veah pulls us down the steps and tries to cover up her chest as much as she can as we enter the shop.

A few people look at us, men stare while their wives or girlfriends or whatever glare at us.

We get outside and head over to Alessio, who's also wearing similar clothes as us, just way less revealing, and get in the truck he's waiting by.

The back of the truck is filled with boxes of food. All types of vegetables and fruits.

'Your task is simple, act like you're new maids and just play along with the others. From now on, these will be your names.' Davi throws an envelope in the back, glancing back to see if we caught it.

Alessio opens the envelope and hands us all a fake ID with our pictures on it.

Mine says Vera Terly. What the-

'Everything is set, once we get there you will take the groceries into the kitchen and report for your duties, you will not wander until they tell you to go and clean the rooms. If you get caught, just try to act as if you were lost and make sure they know you're new, got it?'

We all nod and put the IDs away.

'There will be a car in front of the house, you can take it to get out of here.' He throws the keys back and Alessio swiftly catches them.

'Thank you again, Davi.' Alessio says as he leans over to pat his friend. 'Just make sure you get out of there alive first.'

My heart is racing and I feel as if we're not ready for this at all, which we probably aren't.

'We're here.' Davi mumbles as a door opens and closes. Veah takes my hand and looks at my face as we hear muffled voices coming from outside of the truck.

Maids... Act like maids... In a house where my husband is being held captive. Act like maids...

The door at the back of the truck opens and Alessio lifts up one of the boxes, helping the others get everything out of the truck as we are being led into the house by a beautiful woman.

I barely have time to look at the house as she quickly heads for the back door.

'Good luck today.' She mutters as she leads us through the house. I keep looking around to find a glimpse of the man I came here for in the first place, but every hall, every room we enter is empty.

Completely empty.

As if the house is abandoned and we're working just to wait for his return.

What if he's not here?

We get to the kitchen and watch as a few men carry some of the boxes filled with fruits and vegetables into the kitchen. They place it all on the counters and a few other maids instantly start putting everything in place.

'Get to work ladies!' A woman snaps at us, making us move instantly.

This is going to be harder than I thought...

-----

A/N: Leya is inside Nadora's house... Smart move! They'll just get Rio out and leave, right? But what if Rio's not here?

Next chapter might be a bit trippy, but it will all make sense! (I Hope)

See you in the next chapter, don't forget to comment and vote if you liked this chapter!

I love you guys and I hope you have a great day/night <3