It's been a month since the ball and a month since Cora had seen Dimitri last, she thought maybe he had finally gotten satisfied with torturing her, or he was just too busy to bother with her.

Little did she know, that he'd been watching her from his home office, everyday his cousin went down there, he was watching with keen interest.

Why did Ivan like Cara? Even knowing what she'd done in the past, how much hurt and chaos she'd caused him in the past.

No one really knew the real reason why Dimitri had taken her, not even Vissarion, but Ivan knew. Ivan knew why his cousin had taken Cara hostage in their basement and why Dimitri hated her very existence.

She'd taken something away from him, someone to be precise. Dimitri hated thinking about it, because it brought him pain and anguish to no end.

But Ivan was still adamant and sure that the person they had in the basement was in fact, not Cara, she just looked like her, exactly like her.

He had come to like her, in fact he had started developing feelings for her, feelings he knew Dimitri would never approve of but he couldn't stop himself.

Everyday he saw her it warmed something inside him, his heart always skipped a beat whenever she smiled at him and it hurt him greatly whenever she was sad or crying.

He had never really felt this way about anyone until her, and it started the first time he'd set his eyes on her in the basement, the way she looked at him and when she spoke, her voice set off a chain reaction that would somehow make him feel this way.

He was sitting across from her and watching her laugh warmed his heart, He had tried to get Dimitri to let her out of the basement but it proved futile, Dimitri was adamant that she was too dangerous to be let out and plus she wasn't a guest but a prisoner.

Although he couldn't get her out of the basement, he was able to let her off the chains and hand cuffs, looking at her with her beautiful laugh and beautiful face, he just wanted nothing but to pull her close to him and ravish her plum and sexy lips, but he couldn't.

She didn't even know he liked her like that, and he didn't want to scare her by doing anything sudden.

There was a way Ivan kept staring at her anytime they were together, it made her heart beat wildly and her cheeks heat up, it made her nervous but in a good way.

With Dimitri she was always scared to her bones, even though she found him attractive, he still scared the crap out of her.

But with Ivan she could do anything and he'd still be very calm around her, he was the only one that hasn't really made her cry since being here.

Although her mind drifted to Dimitri in the past month, why hadn't he come down to see her? Not that she wanted him to but in a way she hadn't seen his face in a month and she just wanted to.

She knew if he came down here, it'll be to torture her but still she wanted to see those green eyes she had come to dread, the ones that always stare at her with so much anger and emptiness.

Not like Ivan's eyes, his we're Hazel and beautiful, they always shone whenever he laughed or smile. With his dimple and perfect teeth She'd never seen Dimitri smile or laugh, she wonder what he'd look like tho, would he have a dimple like Ivan, will those dull sage green eyes finally lit up brightly if he smiled?

What was she doing? She's sitting with Ivan and thinking about her kidnapper like that, comparing sweet and calm Ivan to reckless, heartless and inconsiderate Dimitri. They were nothing alike

Dimitri made her life here a living hell while Ivan made sure she was never alone, he always made her smile and never really let her miss home.

She'd already given up hope of being found, it's been four months and Enzo still hadn't found her, she was already okay with the fact that she might never be found.

"That was the first time I saw Maxim" Ivan finished and she just stared at him like he'd said something weird, he realized she was confused and he quickly corrected himself "Dimitri I mean" he added and she nodded

"Why'd you call him Maxim"? She asked looking at him and he shrugged

"Because that's his name, well that's his middle name but he never uses it, I don't think a lot of people know him as Maxim" he explained to her.

So Dimitri's middle name was Maxim. He had a cool middle name, she thought to herself. "What's yours"? She asked and he was surprised she asked, no one had ever really cared about his middle name, that was why most people didn't know that he used his middle name more than his first name.

"Ivan is my middle name" he said shocking her, she really didn't expect that, if Ivan is his middle name, then what's his first? As if he could read her thoughts, he smiled "Melor is my first name" he cleared her

The name sounded so cool, she wondered why he never used it. "Melor" she whispered testing it out on her tongue, he couldn't help the smile that overtook his face.

Asides his late mother, no one has ever said his first name, she would be the first and he loved how it sounded coming from her, he never used it because it reminded him of his mother a lot.

"It's such a cool name" she voiced smiling at him, he smiled back while looking at her, he really liked her and as much as he wanted her to ho back home and be free from Dimitri, he dreaded that day greatly.

Because then he'd have to part from her.

_____________________________________________

Dimitri was livid, he was on edge and he was pissed, Someone had dropped off a package in front of his house, Ivan had found it and right now they were both standing in his study looking at the severed body parts of one of his men.

There was no return address but there was a note and he knew who it was from.... De Luca.

Lorenzo had crossed him once more, he had caught one of the men he asked to watch Lorenzo and sent his body parts in a box.

Ivan felt sick to the stomach, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wasn't used to all these blood, that was one of the reason he didn't want to be involved in the mafia.

Dimitri turned to face him, his eyes seething with rage "Do you see this? Can you see that there's no room for pity in our world" he spat looking at Ivan, his cousin has always been soft hearted, he had to learn that being soft gets you killed.

If Lorenzo could do this to someone that wasn't even close to him, what more if he got his hands on someone of the same blood as him, someone like Ivan.

"While you're here taking care of his wife, he's killing our men, butchering them into pieces" he gritted out, Ivan understood what his cousin was talking about but he knew as well that the woman in their possession is not Lorenzo's wife.

"You need to calm down D" he voiced trying to calm his cousin but Dimitri was only ignited the more, how dense can Ivan be?

It could have been him in that box, dead and butchered.

"You want me to be calm Ivan? I'll show you just how calm I can be" he spat before walking from around his desk and heading for the door "Lorenzo wants a shit show, then a shit show he'll get" he muttered getting to the door.

On hearing this Ivan sprang out of his chair, but he was a bit too slow because Dimitri was already outside, he knew what he was going to do and where he was headed.

He rushed out but Dimitri was way ahead of him "Dimitri calm down" he yelled as he tried to catch up with his cousin but Dimitri was obviously faster as he rushed down the stairs and went straight through the living room

"Maxim, don't do anything stupid" he yelled running down the stairs to catch a glimpse of Dimitri walking towards the basement.

He looked around and saw only Viss, Sasha and another guy in the living room, he needed help

"Help me stop him" he voice out still walking towards where Dimitri had left, they didn't seem to understand, all three men looking at him in confusion "he's going to kill her"!! He yelled before walking down the stairs, just as he was about to descend the last step, he saw Dimitri walk into the basement and closed the door, he was too late.

He ran forward trying to open the door but he was too late "Dimitri open this door" he yelled banging his fists on it but it was of no use

"Maxim you are going to kill her, stop" he yelled but his cousin was way in over his head to even hear.

Cora was shocked when the doors to her cell opened up Dimitri marched in, he looked enraged, his eyes were bloodshot.

She'd seen Dimitri pissed off before but she'd never seen him this angry before, the veins on his neck and arms were all a sign he was very angry.

She sprang up from the ground and walked back two steps, he was preying her.

"Your husband thinks it's funny to kill my men and send their parts to me in a box" he spat out watching her, she was afraid, she should be because she wouldn't even expect what he has planned for yet.

Cora could hear Ivan banging the door hard and trying to open it, she was fucking terrified.

With two long strides, Dimitri was standing in front of her, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her close to him.

"I'm going to give your husband something to watch, so that next time he thinks of crossing me, he'd have second thoughts" he grit out before his palms came in contact with her face in a hard slap.

Her head was ringing and so was her ear, her vision was blinded, he wrapped his hands around her throat, he was choking her, she couldn't breathe coupled with the throbbing on the side of her face

But that was not enough, because he let her go and his other palm came down on her other side of her face, she almost fell but he grabbed her by her hair and pulled.

She felt like her scalp was going to rip off, the pain going through her whole body was unbearable, he let her fall and he bent forward and whispered into her ears.

"I'm not going to kill you, but you'd wish I did by the time I'm done with you" he muttered before balling his fist and connecting it with her face.

She tasted the blood before she felt the pain, her lips was busted, her whole face was on fire, but Dimitri didn't stop, he kept hitting and hitting her.

He didn't even give her a chance to beg for mercy, with every landing of his fists on her face, she was close to passing out, her vision was getting blurry.

Vis and Sasha had come down and also tried opening the door but no avail, Ivan was restless, he could hear Dimitri's grunts but not a single sound from Cara.

He was scared to his bones "Step back" Viss muttered before bringing out his gun and aiming at the door

With a loud bang the door opened up and Ivan rushed inside, his blood ran cold at the sight before him.

Cara was beaten bloodied, her face was almost unrecognizable as it had turned purple, Dimitri wasn't stopping, he was still hitting her.

Ivan rushed forward and pulled his cousin off her, she was already almost unconscious, Dimitri was pissed Ivan had interrupted him, but before he could react, Viss and Sasha had stopped him.

"Dimitri" Viss muttered out holding him, this had never happened before with their boss, he had never lost control to this point with anyone.

"Cara" Ivan whispered moving her hair from her face, she had lost consciousness already, his heart was beating fast "Cara open your eyes" he urged but she had gone limp in his arms, her eyes were covered in bruises and blood, there was blood coming out from her mouth.

He picked her up bridal style and walked out but not before looking at his cousin one more time, or rather the monster Dimitri had become all in the quest for Revenge.

From here on out, the writing will be like this, not in Cora or Dimitri's POV