I rubbed my eyes. I was sitting in the middle of a small room. I felt a throbbing in my wrists and ankles. They were tightly bound.
I let out a weak groan as a headache hit me. My vision was still not quite clear, and I felt a bit dizzy. I couldn't focus on my surroundings properly.
I heard a door open, but it didn't sound like a normal door creaking. The noise was metallic.
"Why did they bring us to a container yard? We don't have any backup here. What if Locatelli suddenly shows up?" the woman said. It was only then that I realized we weren't in a room but inside a 40 ft. container.
"Shh, keep it down. It's better that we're here and not on any of Boss' properties. Here, we won't leave any traces that Gio Locatelli could use to track our organization. We're here on Boss' orders. He just wants to find something out. Stop complaining, newbie," the man replied. "The bombs?"
"Some of them detonated, causing chaos. The problem is that only two of them went off. Locatelli's men managed to defuse the rest. They must have figured it out quickly, which is why one of his bodyguards left. Fortunately, this woman's female enforcer isn't too strict, so we still slipped through."
I groaned again as I felt a burning sensation in my hand. I must have gotten their attention, and they realized I was awake.
"The princess is awake, huh?"
The woman held my cheeks tightly and turned my face toward her. There was some light coming from outside. Judging by the sun's position, it was late afternoon, and it would soon be dark. I had been here for hours, completely unaware of it.
The woman examined my face, and I saw her smile.
"You have such smooth skin. You look beautiful and clearly come from a well-off background. Your only misfortune is marrying someone like Locatelli."
She tightened her grip on my cheeks, emphasizing the pressure on my face.
"I wonder what your husband would do if I gave you a scar on your face?"
Luck? What luck did I have in all of this? All my life, I've only known misfortune.
Weakly, I turned my face away from her. She laughed at my feeble attempt.
"Cut it out!" The man pushed the woman. "Just follow what Boss told you and don't take matters into your own hands."
There was a moment of silence before the two of them spoke again.
"Have Boss' men arrived yet?" the man asked.
"Yes, but can we handle it? Boss didn't send many. If the Locatelli crew shows up, we might as well-"
"Let's hope we can escape."
I heard them move away from me. I looked up and realized they were leaving. I would be left alone in this dark container.
"P-Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone in the dark. I'm scared. I don't want to be here."
They didn't pay any attention to me and left me alone.
They closed the container door, and darkness enveloped me. My breath quickened. No matter where I looked, all I could see was pitch black. It reminded me of when my father would lock me in a dark room - either the attic or the basement. He'd let me starve for hours, claiming it was necessary for me to learn a lesson, even when I hadn't done anything wrong or had made a minor mistake. He often did this whenever there was a major problem in his company or when he lost a substantial sum in gambling.
I was his bad luck.
"Father, please stop! Don't lock me in here. I'm scared, terrified of the darkness. Papa!"
No matter how many times I screamed and begged, he wouldn't let me out.
"You're such an unlucky child. I wish you were never born. Because of you, my life is ruined. This is all your fault." That's what he always said to me. I should be grateful that he only said that because often, he wished me dead, and there were times when he tried to kill me.
"P-Please don't leave me here."
As the memories of my past repeated in my mind, I couldn't help but cry and call for help, hoping that someone would come to my rescue and open the door. I felt like I was reverting to my childhood, helpless and crying was my only solace.
When I grew older, no matter how much my father hurt me, I managed to hold back my tears. If I did cry, it wasn't as bad.
My heart raced faster, accompanied by my quickening breath. My anxiety worsened when I heard the sound of a gunshot hitting my container from outside, followed by a series of gunshots.
I curled up as if trying to protect myself, even though I couldn't be hit by a bullet from inside. The container door swung open, and I saw the man enter. The woman wasn't with him.
"Damn, they found this place so fast!" the voice of the man from earlier cursed.
He approached me and roughly pulled my hair. I looked up and met his gaze.
"You're Gio Locatelli's weakness; he won't kill me as long as you're with me."
He forced me to stand and pointed a gun at me.
I gasped when I felt the gun against my head. I closed my eyes and prayed that it was just a bad dream.
I heard several more gunshots from outside before the container door swung open, flooding the area with light. I saw a shadow of someone.
"Gio…" My voice felt like a whisper. Tears welled up in my eyes because Gio was here.
"I didn't know you'd personally be here, Locatelli. Is this woman that important to you?" He violently pulled my hair and pressed the gun against my head.
Gio remained silent.
"If you kill me now, I'll also kill your wife-"
"Do it." Gio stepped closer to us.
The man holding me stepped back when he noticed Gio approaching. Gio's presence was incredibly intimidating. Anyone would shrink and run away from him. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't quite place, but it sent shivers down my spine the moment he fixed his gaze on you.
Gio had a few blood splatters on his clothes. Probably the blood of those he had shot earlier.
"W-What did you say? Didn't you hear me? If you come any closer, I'll shoot your wife."
My eyes widened at Gio's words. What did he mean? Was he okay with me being shot here? I must be mistaken, right? I just misheard him. He wouldn't let me get hurt. He might not love me, but I knew he cared. He showed me that yesterday.
"Aren't you worried about your wife? I will really kill her."
Gio grinned, a smile you never wished to see. It gave me chills. Even I shuddered at it.
"If you're going to kill her, I can replace her with another woman. Do you think my wife is my weakness? The title of wife can be transferred to someone else if you're going to kill her. So, go on and try."
I felt like my strength was draining as I listened. I stared at Gio in shock, tears slowly welling up in my eyes. His words felt more painful than the man's harsh grip on my hair.