Handle her

Handle her
Viola’s POV

FEW HOURS AGO

I couldn’t find her.

She was gone... without a single fucking trace.

Fuck.

I paced the hallway, nails digging into my palm as panic crawled up my spine. Luca could return at any moment. And once he did, he would notice Aria’s absence. He would ask questions. He would trace it back to the kitchen.

And then to me.

Sure, my drug hadn’t been the one affecting her; but those useless kitchen bitches? One mistake from them was enough to ruin everything.

I never should have given her that damn soup.

A sharp growl tore out of my throat as I ground my teeth together until my jaw ached.

“Which one of you knows where she lives?” I snapped, my gaze lifting from the older maid who still stood defiantly in front of me.

How much I wanted to sit with her. I hated the confidence she had, it made me want to break her into pieces.

But I couldn't, not when there was a bigger problem in front of me.

I turned to stare at the other servants.

No one answered.

They all stood frozen, eyes wide, bodies trembling... yet still silent.

Idiots.

They clearly didn’t understand how serious this was... How serious I was.

I was about to repeat myself when I noticed it.

Two of them.

Their eyes flickered toward each other... just for a second,  A silent exchange... Something like shared fear.

My lips curved upwards.

They knew.

“You,” I said, pointing at one of them.

She jerked as if struck, her face draining of color. I didn’t need to hear her heartbeat to know it had skipped.

Good.

Fear was necessary. Without it, someone would start thinking they were a hero... just like the idiot who poisoned the food.

“You know where her house is, don’t you?” I asked calmly.

She nodded. Then immediately shook her head, confusion and terror tangling together as she broke down sobbing.

Pathetic.

“Come here.” I crooked my finger. “You’re taking me to her place.”

She hesitated.

One glare was all it took.

When she was close enough, I grabbed her arm and yanked her to my side before turning back to the others.

“You’d better pray Luca doesn’t find out about this,” I said coldly. “Because once he’s gone, I’ll make your lives a living hell.”

I meant every word.

Right now, if Luca found out, there was nothing I could do. He would be annoyed with the maids... maybe even torture them, but his suspicion would land on me.

And that was dangerous.

He couldn’t kill me. Not without evidence. My family would never allow it.

But he might torture me, try to get me to talk. Or just out of anger... Just to punish me for what happened to Aria.

But after he dies?

I would return and deal with every single one of these useless maids.

That was if he hadn't found out everything by then I was still alive.

“I can’t believe my plan failed because of stupid people like you,” I muttered as I dragged the maid out of the mansion.

No words could describe the fury burning inside me.

Two weeks...

I had less than two weeks before I officially married into the Moretti family.

First, Aria showed up pregnant, as though she had been planning that stupid baby to use against me.

And now this...

My plan was ruined by idiots.

What hurt the most was that I knew about their intentions, but I just didn't know it would affect me at that time.

If I did, I would have dealt with the situation right there.

I only wanted to quietly kill her... Now I couldn't do that anymore.

I slammed the car door and shoved my hair back, chest heaving.

How the hell was I supposed to fix this now?

I turned to the maid beside me. She sat rigid in the passenger seat, shaking violently, tears streaming down her face.

I wagged my finger at her, my voice flat and lethal. “You’d better pray Aria dies.”

Because if she lived...

I couldn’t even allow myself to finish that thought.

The results would be too dangerous for me to handle.

I took in a few deep breaths to stabilize myself, my head falling on the ceiling.

Even if I went to this girl's house now... There was no way Luca wouldn't find out about it.

How could I...

Before I could finish the thought, a name came to my head.

Noel.

I should have called him a long time ago. But I thought I could handle it on my own.

I couldn't.

I reached into my pocket to grab my phone.

The maid’s sobs filled the car, thin and irritating, like the buzzing of a dying insect. I ignored her, fingers tightening around my phone as I stared through the windshield.

If Luca found out before I fixed this, I was done.

I exhaled sharply and dialed.

“Noel…” my voice came out soft and hurt.

I was only like this towards Noel. He was the only person who had literally seen me at my worst, yet he didn't leave.

“Viola?” His voice sharpened instantly. He sounded worried. “What’s wrong?”

For a moment, my pride rebelled.

I had been asking for his help a lot this past few months. Before Aria, I hadn't called him in months.

But this... I couldn't solve it alone.

“I have a problem,” I said, my throat tightening despite myself.  “One that’s too big for me to handle alone.”

Silence.

I could tell he was considering whether to help me or not. Then he cautiously asked, “What happened?”

I glanced at the maid, her shoulders shaking violently...

Oh God... What happened?