Chapter 32: THIRTY TWO

CELESTIA

There wasn't a streak of shock or anger on my mother's face.

"Here's your proof, Kyla," Raffaele's abrasive tone filled the room as he addressed her. And to accentuate his threat, he yanked my hair as the throbbing headache formed at the back of my head.

I didn't understand his need to be so cruel and despotic all of a sudden.

"Mr. Roselli, I agreed to the amount," my mother reasoned calmly as she adjusted her glasses. "And you gave me the word that my daughter would not be harmed."

"This is your last warning, Kyla," Raffaele warned menacingly, giving another sharp tug. "This is the last proof of life of your daughter. Next time, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

My mother's eyes shifted, probably watching me on her screen as she gave a business-like nod. "I need some time," she said with a slightly softer tone. "It's a big amount."

"Two weeks," Raffaele decreed. "Two weeks or you are never getting your daughter back."

My heart stopped beating for a second. I tried to turn my head to him, to see whether he was telling the truth behind the veil of his anger, but his fingers were scrunched tighter around my hair, controlling the movements.

"Three. Please, I need at least three weeks," Kyla tried to negotiate. "How am I supposed to arrange for fifteen mill—"

"I don't care if you have to rob a bank or sell your soul to the devil. If fifteen million isn't wired to my account within two weeks, I can assure you that you would never see your daughter again."

Warm tears seeped down my eyes, soaking the gag around my mouth. But neither my mother nor Raffaele was bothered about it. They kept negotiating their so-called 'deal' holding me a pawn to their dirty game while I suffered as collateral damage.

"Five million," my mother insisted. "I will wire five million within two days as an act of faith. Please, Mr. Roselli, you have to give me some time. I need a minimum of three weeks to get hold of ten million."

The fingers woven into my hair loosened a bit, allowing some neck movements. So when I saw the expression on his face, there was a slight hesitation.

Our eyes snagged for a brief moment before he tore himself away.

"If I see the amount in two days, I will grant the three weeks, but," Raffaele paused, and I knew something ominous was coming. "But you won't get to see your daughter anymore until the full payment comes in."

"Alright." The voice of my mother seemed foreign to my ears. She seemed completely untroubled by the fact that she has extended my captivity by another week.

Another week of this glorious hell that I have no choice but to endure.

I closed my eyes for a long second, and when I opened them, the screen had gone dark. It was now reflecting the helpless image I hated to look at. By no means, I wanted to look like that – a damsel in distress.

But it also reflected another image – the blacker image of Raffaele Roselli, with his clinical and unreadable expression boring down on me.

His stance reeked of aggression.

Perhaps, he wanted a fight. He wanted me to scream, writhe, beg, and buckle under his roguish violence just so he could exert his authority for no reason.

And I was hell-bent on denying him that satisfaction.

So I locked on his gaze, matched his fire with mine, and waited. The taut tension stretched between us with every passing second as we unblinkingly, challengingly stared at us each other.

"Rafe!" Amadeo's voice pierced the thick, dark veil between us like a razor through silk as Raffaele flinched back to look at his brother.

Amadeo prowled into the room with his anger fixated on his brother. It was only when he came closer, did he realize that I was bound. He shook his head, cursed under his breath, and went ahead to take off the strip of cloth over my mouth.

Strangely, Raffaele didn't stop his brother and merely propped himself against the wall.

It felt raw the moment I had my mouth freed. Next, the zip ties came off as I slowly kneaded by forearms. It didn't hurt more than the splinters of anger and hatred wedged deeper into my mind.

"Are you okay?" Amadeo asked in a soft, considerate tone.

Mutely, I nodded. He could fairly guess that I was inwardly unbalanced at that moment, but it was really kind of him to let it go.

"Go back to my room, Celestia," he said and added, "And I am sorry to have held back earlier."

"I would rather you wouldn't apologize." I wanted to offer him a genuine smile in the form of thanks, but it wasn't easy at the moment. So, I simply nodded and turned to the door.

RAFFAELE

I couldn't remember the last time I had run away from work or avoided work. This was all I wanted to be ever since dad was alive, and after he was gone, this was all I had to be. Until today. Until Celestia stepped into my office, asking more questions about her scam queen mother than I ever knew, and toppled the entire day.

And somehow, in all of this, I was worried about her feelings. The fear in her eyes, the innocence of her position…Argh! Fuck me!

I pushed a frustrated hand through my hair while my brother stood glaring at me. His judgment was thick as he measured every tattered breath I took in and watched Celestia walk out of the room. It felt like someone pouring acid into my bleeding wounds.

"Are you going to tell me now?" Amadeo demanded, once Celestia was out of our earshot. "I don't care if you are the boss or my big brother right now. What you did to her was wrong!"

My nose flared as I tried to lock in the raw and throbbing temper, but who was I kidding? I was way past that. With the help of a few more controlled breaths in and out of my nose, I slowly looked up to him.

"I guess Kyla got under my skin."

"You guess?" Amadeo almost lost it. "A con woman got under your skin? I don't believe this!"

Neither could I.

I knew my anger was misguided, but the way it oozed out of me was completely out of my control. If I could, I would have handled myself better.

"Listen." I pinched the bridge of my nose and slowly collected myself. "It was wrong of me, but I wanted Kyla to feel threatened. And the only way I achieve it was through Celestia. I…I honestly didn't mean to scare her like that."

"Your honesty means nothing when had you dragged her in here like an animal and without even a fair warning!"

"It was needed, Amadeo!" I roared back.

We both went silent after the outburst and simmered in rage for a long stretch until our heads aligned with sanity.

"I would have never taken Celestia that night if you weren't so obsessed over her," he told me.

"I was not obsessed but suspicious," I corrected.

"Of a girl who can't walk straight?" he scoffed and muttered, "Don't kid me."

"Fine." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Do you have a better idea to deal with Kyla now? Celestia is our only, whether we like it or not."

A wry smile pulled at his lips. "Since when have we stooped so low to do collateral damage out of an innocent girl, Rafe? Do you realize that she is an innocent bystander in all of this?"

Don't I fucking know that?

I let out a deep sigh and hardened my resolve. "There's no collateral damage or anything of the sorts. I am not going to harm Celestia. I simply needed a small show for Kyla."

Even though my brother nodded, I knew he didn't approve of my approach. But then again, making everyone happy was not possible.

I had learned that long ago, when I saw my father put up an iron shield and did what he thought was good for his position as the head of the family. My mother grew angry at times, scorned even, but in the end, she understood the necessity as well.

We were all slaves to our destinies.

"I hope you know what you are doing, brother." I felt a hand on my shoulder.

The truth was, I was sure of my actions but unsure of the consequences that would follow. I guess, I simply have to man up and accept by mistakes along the way.

I rubbed my temples, trying to squeeze out the headache, but it was in vain.

"I need a drink. Let's go," I said as Amadeo followed me back to my room.

Reaching my floor, the moment I pushed through the door—I froze. And so was Amadeo. The sight hit us with the force of lightning as our eyes skittered around the room.

It was a complete wreck.

From the lampstand to vases, everything item was either shattered or ruined. The bed was tossed mindlessly while the pillows were ripped inside out.

What the fuck happened here?

"Holy shit!" Amadeo mumbled, as he carefully waddled through the mess.

I, too, followed suit, taking in the ruins of my room. Even the bloody curtains were shredded like papers. My eyes halted over a bright pink sticky note stuck over the headboard as I plucked it off.

"FUCK YOU, RAFFAELE ROSELLI."

Beside me, my treacherous brother started to laugh his ass off.

"What is so fucking funny?" I hissed.

"Oh, you messed with the wrong girl, big brother."

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