Once inside the car, I was blindfolded before being taken to the destination so I wouldn't remember the directions. I sat there frozen, scared for my life and Mary's, thinking of every possibility of what was going to happen. I had lost track of time and when the car finally stopped, a rough hand wrapped around my wrist and dragged me out.

"Ow." I groaned as I bumped against something while I was being dragged. "Easy." I said but to no avail.

I was stopped at a point and then somebody jerked off the blindfold. The bright sunlight pierced my eyes and I shielded my eyes with my hands.

I was at what looked like an abandoned ground. There were few men around me dressed in all dark but my focus of attention was the man standing right in front of me. He looked like a younger version of Paolo Machiavelli, typical chiselled Italian features. It didn't need a genius to figure out that he was the second Machiavelli son who had called me earlier.

"Where is Mary?" I asked.

Instead of replying, he just snapped his fingers and from a car behind him, another man walked out the car and pulled a girl with him. It was Mary who was also kept blindfolded.

"What do you want?" I asked carefully.

He cocked his head to the side and a tattoo peeked out of his shirt. It was the same bleeding rose tattoo that I had seen before of some other men of their mafia. Sean told me it was to protect those who had been jailed before or were at risk of getting jailed.

"The proof that Elijah gave you against us." He said.

"Dad gave me nothing. I am tired of explaining that to everyone." I said in frustration.

"Liar." He said. This man had a long scar running down his jaw that looked like he was stabbed there. "I don't like liars."

"I swear..."

"In his last days, he was either with you or that girlfriend of his. If she knew anything, she would have told me when I threatened to kill her mother. That only leaves you." He said and my mouth opened.

The man holding Mary had taken off her nightfold and she was staring at us with a panicked look on her face. This man must have traumatized her, all because of me and my family.

"I don't know how to prove that I don't know anything. Just let Mary go and take me with you. Then you can investigate me all you want." I said to bargain. Sean would kill me if he knew I said that but I don't see any other alternative.

"Very well. Take her." He said to nobody in particular.

"Let her go first." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "You can't fool me."

"It isn't a democracy, you stupid bitch." He growled at me and grabbed my wrist. I shrieked in response and attempted to free myself but he was stronger. He picked me up roughly and started walking towards his car. The man taking Mary blindfolded her again and shoved her inside the car.

Amidst the struggle, I heard the loud sound of tyre of cars screeching to a halt. My vision was still hazy due to being blindfolded but I could figure out Sean's face amidt the crowd. I felt relief wash all over me because I knew now he wouldn't let me get hurt.

All of a sudden, chaos erupted. Enzo let me go and charged all his men towards Sean, Lucas and their men. Both sides began to fight and it was difficult to figure out who was on which side.

I didn't want to just stand in a corner and be the damsel in distress. Now that Mary was unguarded, I took advantage of the moment and went to her. She was still cold and pale from the terror so I opened her ties and blindfolds and enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Mary, listen. They are distracted. I can't leave right now but you need to run." I said and patted her cheeks. " Can you do that?" She nodded, still trembling. "Good. Let's go." I said and guided her to the back side where there were no men. Someone spotted us from Machiavelli's side and attempted to stop us. He attempted to grab Mary but I blocked his path and punched him in the balls while Mary climbed up the fence and ran to the other side.

I then went behind a car and hid myself, waiting for things to settle. I wished I could help but I knew I didn't stand a chance in a fight between these goons. So I did the sensible thing and protected myself first.

"Are you alright?" Sean came running towards me behind the car after some time. Seeing him brought a plethora of emotions in my chest and I fought the urge to hug him.

"How did you... How did you know I was here?" I asked as I stood up.

He walked closer to me and even in the panic, I felt a strange calm. He touched my hair with his fingers and I almost melted. For a moment, I thought he was going to pull me closer and kiss me but he suddenly yanked something out of my hair and I yelped. "Ow."

"That's how." He said and showed me a small chip.

"But when..." I began to speak but then stopped. That's when it dawned upon me. When he had kissed me before leaving, it wasn't to show how much he loved me. It was to put this tracker on me instead. "Fuck you."

"A little busy right now." He smirked and then gripped my hand.

"Where are you going?" Enzo's voice roared as he walked over to us. His face now had some bruises and blood stains on it.

"She is going with me." Sean stepped in front of me, hiding me behind his broad body. The fighting around us had gone slow as both sides were equally injured and bloody.

"That's weird. She has problem going with me but not you. Strange." Enzo said in a mocking tone and Sean's body got tense.

"Let's go." Sean said and began walking with me while Thomas became a barrier between Enzo and us.

"Does she know the true face of the Millers? Have you told her yet?" Enzo said.

"What does he mean?" I asked Sean, stopping in my tracks.

"Nothing. He is just trying to manipulate things. Let's go." Sean said and attempted to hold my wrist again but I hesitated. Ever since we have come across Machiavellis, they had been saying such things in coded words.

"Penelope Woods... Why did your father leave the mafia and started a new life here? Has he told you yet?" He said and Thomas grabbed him by his neck.

"Let's go." Sean snapped at me as a vein in his forehead popped. I haven't heard him talk like this before, so agitated and over the edge.

"Sean, what is he talking about?" I asked.

"He won't answer you but I will." Enzo said while trying to stop Thomas from suffocating him. Thomas was bigger but Enzo had the advantage of being quicker.

What he said next nearly pulled the ground from underneath me and made me question everything I believed in.

"He is the son of your mother's killer. Alexander Miller killed your mother Caroline Woods.

For a minute, none of us said anything. Sean kept staring at the ground while I kept staring at Sean's face, trying to decipher if this piece of information was true or not.

"Is that true?" I asked feebly.

Sean stared into my eyes and I saw in them what I was dreading the most; Guilt and regret.

Enzo didn't stop for my reaction and left with his men because he now had the satisfaction of knowing that I won't be protected by Sean any longer.

"Get away from my eyes." I said, clenching my teeth and pushing him away.

"Penelope..."

"You hid it from me. You kept me in the dark. How could you?" I said as tears spilled out of my eyes. "I never want to see you again."

"Trust me. I just wanted to protect you." He said and took a step towards me but I took one step back.

"Trust you? How could I?" I screamed at him. "I am leaving. I'd rather die than let you protect me." I said and started walking.

"Penelope!" He called my name as he ran towards me and gripped my arm.

"Leave me." I said.

"That's not possible." He said as his eyes filled with something resembling regret. "I am sorry for what I am going to do." He said.

I looked at him in confusion as he brought his hands to my neck. Something flashed in front of my eyes and then I felt him pierce me with a sharp object, something like a needle. "What did you...What did..." I stammered as I started to get dizzy. Sean's face multiplied in front of my eyes and my vision got blurry.

That's the last thing I remember before I collapsed in his arms.

.................................