Chapter 128 A Trap of Temptation
GIOVANNI’S POV
"Please, Giovanni, I didn't do anything wrong!"
Arya's voice echoed through the dungeon, but I couldn't stop myself. My hands were around her throat, squeezing, and she was crying and begging.
"You betrayed me," I heard myself say. "You destroyed everything."
She shook her head firmly, tears streaming down her face. "No! Please, listen to me."
I opened my mouth to say something but the scene shifted.
Suddenly we were on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Arya stood at the edge, holding a baby wrapped in blue.
"Arya, don't!" I was running toward her, but my legs wouldn't move fast enough. "Please, step away from the edge!"
"Why?" She turned to face me, and her expression was broken. "Why should I listen to you? You never listened to me."
I was moving faster now, yet I couldn’t reach her. "I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry. Just please, don't do it!”
"You locked me up. Told me I'd be better off dead.." Tears streamed down her face. "This is your fault. All of it."
"Arya, please!"
She stepped backward, off the edge.
I screamed, lunging forward, but there was nothing but air where she had been.
Just her voice, fading: "You did this..."
I jerked awake, my heart hammering, sweat soaking through my shirt.
The bedroom was dark and empty. Just like every night for the past three months.
I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to slow my breathing. I was trying to forget the image of Arya falling but it was almost impossible.
It was the same dream every night, with slight variations. Sometimes she would jump. Sometimes she just faded away.
Sometimes the baby cried, and I could hear it echoing long after I woke up.
I checked the clock. 4:47 AM.
There was no point trying to sleep again. The nightmares would just come back.
I got up, pulled on clothes, and headed downstairs.
The day passed in a haze.
There was a meeting with Enzo about the new deal we just secured, then a call from Alessio about a shipment.
Every few hours, the dream would flash through my mind and by mid-afternoon, I needed coffee just to keep my eyes open.
Maria was in the kitchen when I entered, preparing what looked like dinner ingredients even though it was only three o'clock.
"Mr. De Santis." She looked up, startled. "Can I get you something?"
"Just coffee." I moved to the machine, but she quickly intercepted me.
She offered me a quick smile. "Please, let me. You sit."
I was too tired to argue. She busied herself with the espresso machine while I slumped into a chair at the kitchen island.
The silence was almost comfortable. Maria had been with the family since before my parents died.
She had seen me at my worst and never judged.
"Here." She set down a perfect espresso and then, hesitating, added a plate with some kind of pastry.
I pushed it away, scrunching my nose in distaste. "I'm not hungry."
"I know." But she left it there anyway.
I sipped the coffee, feeling her eyes on me. "What?" I asked without looking up.
"Nothing, sir."
"Maria."
She fidgeted with a dish towel, clearly nervous. "It's just… you've lost weight. Quite a bit. And the staff has noticed you're not sleeping. We're worried."
I shrugged. "I'm fine."
"You're not fine." Her voice was gentle but firm. "Mr. De Santis, I know it's not my place, but you're working yourself into the ground. You barely eat, you don't sleep-"
"I can't." The words came out rougher than I intended. "I can't eat or sleep. Not until she's found. Not until I know they're safe."
Maria's expression softened with sympathy. "But you’re doing everything you can to find her."
"It's not enough." I set down the coffee cup harder than necessary. "It’s almost a year, Maria. Almost a year of searching, and we have nothing.”
What if she had died in childbirth? What if she was sick and struggling?
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "For snapping. I know you're trying to help."
She smiled. "Just promise me you'll try to take care of yourself." She squeezed my shoulder. "Miss Arya wouldn't want you destroying yourself like this."
She left before I could respond.
I sat there for a while longer, staring at the untouched pastry, the dream still playing in the back of my mind.
Finally, I forced myself up and headed to my office. I needed to focus on something other than my emotions.
But the moment I stepped through the door, every instinct I had screamed that something was wrong.
Someone was here.
I reached for the gun at my back just as a figure stepped out from behind the door.
It was a young and beautiful woman wearing a silk robe that barely covered anything.
"Mr. De Santis," she purred, her hands reaching for the gun I'd already drawn. "You can put that away. I'm not here to hurt you."
She pressed herself against me, one hand sliding down my chest while the other tried to guide my gun hand down. "I'm here to help you relax. You look so tense."
In one smooth motion, I grabbed her wrist, spun her around, and pressed the barrel of my gun against her throat.
"Who the fuck sent you here?" My voice was deadly calm. "And you have about three seconds to answer before I put a bullet in your skull."
She gasped, all pretense of seduction gone. "Please… I was just hired… I don't know his name!”
"Try again." I pressed the gun harder. "Who. Sent. You."
She cried out, raising her hand in surrender. "It was a man! He had dark hair and wore a really expensive suit.” She paused and added. “He said you needed company, that you'd been alone too long."
"I want a name.” I growled. “And don't you fucking lie to me.”
She whimpered, trembling but still refused to say a word. I pressed the gun harder and played with the trigger.
She cursed in heavy Spanish before saying. “It was your friend, Alessio! Alessio Delgado.”
What?
I didn’t realize I had said the question aloud because she spoke again.
“Please, don’t kill me!” She cried. “I was just following orders.”
I snarled, and pushed her to the side, tucking my gun back into the back of my pants. "Get out of my sight.”
She ran, the silk robe fluttering behind her.
I pressed the intercom on my desk. “There’s a female approaching the front door, escort her out of the premises.”
The guard responded and I cut off the connections. With a heavy sigh, I relaxed against the desk.
“What the fuck, Alessio.” I muttered to no one in particular.