Chapter 46 Chapter 46
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Dimitri's POV
They brought me food three times a day.
Breakfast was usually bread and eggs, lunch was rice and vegetables, dinner was meat and potatoes.
The food was good, better than I expected, and there was always plenty of water.
But I was not satisfied, I was not comfortable. I wanted to leave this basement.
The walls felt like they were closing in on me. The air felt thick and heavy, I could not breathe properly down here.
Every time the guards came with food, I tried to talk to them, I tried to ask them to let me out.
"Please," I would say. "I need to leave this place, I need fresh air, I need to see the sun."
But they never answered, they just set down the food and water and left without a word.
It was like talking to walls, like they could not even hear me.
After a few hours of this, I was getting desperate, I was going crazy down here in this concrete cage.
When the third meal of the day came, I knew it was dinner based on the type of food.
The guard who brought it was alone this time, there were usually two of them. This was my chance.
As soon as he set down the tray and turned to leave, I moved.
I tackled him from behind, wrapping my arm around his neck, he struggled but I was much stronger than him.
Within seconds he went limp in my arms. He was unconscious but alive. I did not want to kill him.
I grabbed the keys from his belt and moved quickly to the door, my heart was pounding with adrenaline.
I unlocked it and stepped out into a narrow hallway. There were stairs leading up.
Two more guards were stationed at the top of the stairs, they saw me immediately and reached for their weapons.
But I was faster, I ran up the stairs and fought them before they could draw their guns.
My body moved on instinct again, ducking and dodging and striking. Within moments both guards were on the floor groaning.
I stood there breathing hard, and looking around. The place was larger than I thought.
I climbed the rest of the stairs and emerged into what looked like a grand entrance hall.
And I stopped, completely shocked by what I saw.
The house was massive, absolutely massive, bigger than anything I had ever seen.
The ceilings were so high they seemed to disappear into the shadows. There were crystal chandeliers hanging everywhere.
Everything was decorated in gold and silver. Expensive paintings were on the walls. The marble floors gleamed under the lights.
My captor must be very wealthy, extremely wealthy. This was not just a house, this was a palace.
It was like I had entered another realm, a different world from the basement I had been trapped in.
The place seemed quiet though, there were no guards that I could see, nobody around at all.
I walked slowly into the grand living room, my footsteps echoed on the marble floor.
There were leather sofas, a massive fireplace, more paintings on the walls, and gold sculptures. Everything looked expensive and perfect.
I was so busy looking around, trying to understand where I was, that I did not hear the footsteps behind me.
"Dimitri."
The voice sounded familiar, deep and menacing. The same voice from the basement.
I spun around quickly and saw my captor standing there in the doorway.
He looked very angry, his face was dark, his eyes were cold.
"How did you get out?" He demanded.
"I... I was tired of staying locked up," I said honestly. "I wanted to know what I was into. I wanted to know where I was."
"It is dangerous out here," the man said firmly. "Go back down there until I say otherwise."
"No," I said, standing my ground, I wasn't planning to go back to that basement. "I am not going back down there."
The man's eyes narrowed. "That was not a request."
"I do not care," I said stubbornly. "I refuse to stay locked up like an animal. There's someone I need to find."
"Someone?" The man repeated.
"Yes," I said desperately. "A woman, she was pregnant, she knew who I was, she called me Dimitri, I need to find her. She seemed to recognize me."
"You cannot leave," the man said coldly.
"Then I will leave anyway," I said. "If you will not help me, if you will not tell me anything, I will find my own way."
The man took a step closer, his presence was intimidating. "If you step outside this house, you will be dead within seconds."
"What?" I asked, confused.
"You will not last a minute out there," the man continued. "There are people hunting you, people who want you dead."
"Why?!" I slammed my fist on a nearby table, frustration exploded out of me. "Why am I a target? Who am I that people are seeking to kill me? Why do I even have these dangerous skills?!"
The man was quiet for a moment, then he shook his head slowly. "You are as stubborn as you were when you still had your memory."
"Tell me!" I shouted. "Tell me who I am! I deserve to know!"
The man studied me carefully. "Are you ready to know? Are you ready to accept the truth?"
"Yes," I said immediately. "I am ready, I need to know."
"You seem to have been playing the good guy for the past few months," the man said. "At the farm, at the restaurant, helping people, being kind."
I froze, how did he know about the farm? About the restaurant?
"You have been watching me," I whispered. "This whole time, you have been watching me."
"Of course," he said simply. "I needed to know you were safe, I needed to know where you were."
For a minute, fear rose in my chest, an overwhelming fear.
I had always wished, and secretly hoped that I was just a regular man, someone normal who just got into an accident.
But with my skills, with the way I could fight, I knew deep down I was beyond that.
Who could I be? What kind of person was I?
A kidnapper? A thief? An assassin?!
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might break out of my chest.
"Say it," I whispered, my voice was shaking. "Tell me who I am."
The man stepped closer until we were face to face, his eyes bore into mine.
"You are a mafia don," He whispered. His voice was calm, but the impact wasn't.
The words hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled backwards.
A mafia don?! I was a criminal?! A leader of criminals?!
Suddenly, guards appeared from everywhere, from doorways and hallways I had not noticed.
They came out and stood in formation, at least twenty of them, all dressed in black.
And they all bowed to me, respectfully.
"Welcome back, boss!" They echoed in unison, their voices filled the entire hall.