105
Chapter 105
The Real Evil?
Tanya’s voice grew cold, “Amelia, don’t be stupid. If you walk away now, Nikolas will bury you alive. Do you really think he’ll let you live after betraying him? No.. you’ve already crossed the line. The only way out is forward.”
Amelia’s hand trembled around the phone.
She hated how right Tanya sounded, but she hated even more the trap she had fallen into.
“So what’s the plan then?” Amelia muttered.
Tanya smirked on her end, pacing slower now. “Simple. Cassandra is naive, too soft-hearted. We hit her where it hurts.. and this time, no mistakes.”
Amelia swallowed, her eyes narrowing. “And if Nikolas finds out again?!”
“Then we make sure he doesn’t.” Tanya said firmly. “Amelia, listen to me Cassandra may have Nikolas’s heart, but she doesn’t have his empire. And trust me, men like him choose power over love when forced.”
Amelia stayed quiet, her chest rising and falling.
She wasn’t sure if Tanya was right.. but she was too far in to crawl out now.
“Fine..” Amelia finally muttered, her voice low. “But Tanya.. I won't forgive you!!”
Tanya smiled darkly, “don’t worry, this time.. Cassandra won’t even see it coming.”
There was silence for a while.
Amelia stared at the ceiling, gripping the phone tighter.
Suddenly, Mr Falcon badged inside the room.
“Amelia!! What have you done?!!” Mr. Falcon yelled.
Amelia jumped to her feet like she just saw a ghost. Her phone slipped from her hand and landed on the bed.
“What do you mean father?!!” Amelia asked, her voice shaky but still trying to act bold.
Without warning, slappp! his palm landed hot across her face.
“Don’t you dare act naive with me or I’ll skin you alive!!” Mr Falcon roared, his eyes bloodshot.
She froze, holding her cheek, shocked that her father slapped her. “F…father…” she stammered.
He pulled out his phone and shoved it to her face. “Look at this!! Look well!!”
She blinked, staring at the screen. “No… no way!! Nikolas closed every connection!! That’s impossible!!” Amelia panicked, her voice shaking as she staggered back.
Mr Falcon’s breathing was heavy, his jaw clenched. “You think you’re smart, huh? Playing games with Nikolas DeSanto? Now he’s turned everything around and you stand there like a fool. I told you not to underestimate him!!”
Amelia’s hand trembled as she grabbed her own phone. Her nails clicked against the screen as she tried to open her bank app.
“Loading… loading…” her voice shook.
Then it appeared. Balance: Account frozen.
“Whatttt!! No no no!!” Amelia screamed and dropped to her knees. She checked another account.
Frozen.
She tried her offshore account. Frozen.
Tears filled her eyes as she slapped her phone. “No no!! He can’t do this to me!! He can’t!!”
Mr Falcon bent down, his face inches from hers, his tone dark. “Fix this Amelia!! Fix it now!! Or I swear, I’ll cease to be your father!! You’ll mean nothing to me!!”
Her heart sank as he stormed out, the sound of the door banging behind him making her body jolt.
She sat still for a moment, her whole body trembling, hair messy.
“No no… Nikolas… what did you do to me…” she whispered, shaking her head like she was losing her mind.
She dialed Nikolas immediately. Number blocked.
“No… please…” She tried again. Number blocked. She shouted, “Noooo!!” and flung the phone to the floor but quickly picked it up again, breathing hard.
She scrolled fast and tapped Tanya’s number. It rang twice before Tanya picked.
“Amelia? I heard your father's voice before you ended the call. What happened?!!” Tanya asked like she was concerned.
Amelia broke into tears. “Your brother!! Your brother froze my accounts!! He took everything away!! I can’t access a dime, Tanya, nothing!!”
Tanya gasped. “No way!!”
“Yes!! Everything I own is gone!! He destroyed me!!” Amelia cried, pacing the room, her heels clicking on the floor.
Tanya’s voice lowered, almost mocking, “You mean you, the great Amelia Falcon, daughter of the mighty Mr Falcon, got played by Nikolas DeSanto?!!”
“Stop mocking me Tanya!! I need your help!!” Amelia screamed.
Tanya smirked over the phone, though Amelia couldn’t see it. “What do you expect me to do? Nikolas doesn’t even listen!!”
Amelia wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “Then lend me your credit card… just for a while. I want to pay for something urgently, please Tanya, I’ll return it back, I swear!!”
There was silence for a few seconds. Then Tanya muttered, “Uhm… uhm… Amelia, I can’t hear you well… the network here is bad…”
Amelia frowned. “Tanya don’t play with me!! I know you can hear me!!”
Tanya laughed softly. “Ah… the line is breaking… hello? hello?? I can’t hear… bye!!” And she cut the call.
Amelia threw her phone on the bed in frustration. “Arghhhh!! Stupid girl!!” she shouted, pulling her hair.
Her mind raced. She quickly tried calling Tanya back. Switched off.
She screamed louder, kicking the chair in her room.
Her chest rose and fell as she muttered to herself. “Nikolas… you think you can embarrass me like this?!! I’ll burn everything you have down!!”
But as she paced, her knees grew weak. She sank to the floor, hugging herself, rocking back and forth.
“Father will kill me if I don’t fix this… what do I do… what do I do…”
Her phone buzzed. She quickly picked it, hoping it was Tanya calling back. But no, it was Russo.
She wiped her tears and answered. “Russo?!”
"You're the real definition of evil Amelia!! I regret listening to you! Now everything is lost, Cassandra doesn't want to see me anymore!!" Russo said aggressively.
Amelia chuckled like nothing bothered her. "Don't you dare speak to me that way, besides… you had the thoughts!! Don’t pretend you’re innocent, Russo. You wanted her. You still want her."
Russo slammed his hand on the table.
"No!! Don’t twist it! I wanted her but not like this!! I never wanted to hurt her… I never wanted to drug her! You made me cross a line that destroyed everything. Do you know how she looked at me?! Like I… like I was a monster!!"
Amelia tilted her head, her lips curving into a sly smile. "You are a monster Russo… but a useful one. And don’t fool yourself, Cassandra was never yours to begin with. You were living in a fantasy. Nikolas has her heart, her body, her trust. What did you have?? A few old memories and broken promises."
Russo’s chest rose and fell heavily, his fists clenching. "Shut your mouth Amelia. You don’t know what we had. Cassy and I… we had something real before Nikolas came into the picture. She used to dream with me, talk about a future with me. And I ruined all of it… because of you!!"
Amelia chuckled again. "Because of me? Or because you were too weak to resist? Don’t blame me Russo. You made the call. You picked up that phone, you invited her, you poured that drink. You wanted to believe if she leaned on you, Nikolas would disappear from the picture. You were desperate."
Russo’s eyes burned with anger, but also guilt. "I was stupid… but I swear on my life, Amelia, I’ll make you pay for using me like this."
She laughed. "Make me pay? How? Tell Cassandra? You think she’ll believe you?? You think she’ll run back into your arms?? She hates you now. The moment she looked at you dizzy and helpless on that bed, you lost her forever. And Nikolas? He will kill you before she even forgives you."
Russo voice broke. "I didn’t want this… all I wanted was for her to see me again… to believe in me again. I thought if she stayed close, she’d remember the love we shared."
Amelia’s expression softened, but it wasn’t real, it was mockery. "Love? Russo… you’re still a child in this game. Love is a weapon, not a weakness. Look at Nikolas… he’s powerful because he controls everything around Cassandra. You? You’re weak because you let love blind you."
Russo held his phone tighter. "At least I loved her honestly!! Not like you, not like Nikolas with his power plays and dirty games. I would have given her peace. I would have given her a family without all this madness. But now it’s over… and it’s because I listened to you!!"
Amelia smirked.
"Stop whining, Russo. You sound pathetic. Do you want a way back? Or do you want to sit in your room crying about what’s gone? Because as much as you claim to hate me, you still need me. I’m the only one who can still put you back in Cassy’s life."
Russo grew angrier even though Amelia wasn't close. "Don’t you dare say her name again. Don’t you dare put your poison near her anymore. I’d rather die than let you manipulate her the way you manipulated me."
“All jokes…” Amelia said.
“I'll make you pay!!” Russo yelled.
Amelia smirked and whispered. "Then let’s see how long you last…”
Russo ended the call before she could say anything more.