Chapter 58: Hello, Sofia!

Chapter 58: Hello, Sofia!
CHAPTER 58
SOFIA.

I woke slowly to the murmur of low voices around me, a splitting headache hitting me as my eyelids dilated heavily. It was pitch black, and I could make out the voices of two people — a male and a female — discussing in urgent whispers as I lay in the backseat of the car they'd put me in. I easily recognized the male voice as Collins’, but I struggled to decipher whose voice the female was, even though it sounded very familiar. The woman spoke to Collins, her tone laced with excitement. I lay still, straining my ears as I listened quietly to their conversation, my heart racing wildly with panic.

“Good job, Collins,” she said, sounding pleased. “I never expected you to pull this off so easily, and fast too.”

“I told you not to worry, didn't I?” Collins replied, chuckling lightly.

“Oh, yes, you did. And I'm so impressed, believe me,” the woman said, laughing. My heart skipped a beat again as I recognized her laughter, but I continued to still, trying to juggle my memory.

“Here,” she said, handing him a fat envelope. “That's for a job well done.”

“This is way more than we agreed,” Collins said, his tone filled with delight. “Thank you very much, ma'am.”

“You're very welcome. The extra is for your diligence and timely delivery,” the woman said, smiling at him. She lowered her voice down to an almost whisper. “Now, you have to make haste and leave Italy as soon as you can. Lucas is definitely not going to take things easy if he ever finds you, you know how blood-thirsty he can be, especially due to a betrayal.”

“I'm very much aware,” Collins replied, nodding. “I'll start making arrangements as soon as possible.”

I froze immediately, finally recognizing who the female was, at the mention of Lucas. Isadora? I felt my pulse spiked as chills went down my spine.

I made to move, my chest tight with panic and realized my legs were tied and my hands cuffed. Isadora and Collins suddenly went mute as they heard the shuffling sounds I made. They turned to me sharply, and suddenly I felt the gag in my mouth pulled away.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here,” Isadora said, an evil smile curling up her lips. “Hello, Sofia.”

“What do you want from me?” I asked, trying to put up a bold front. “Where are you taking me to?”

“What do I want from you?” Isadora asked, laughing. “Oh, just something little. I want to make you pay for stealing my man from me, that's all.”

“You really must be a very desperate woman to have the wife of your lover abducted,” I sneered, mocking her. My words seemed to hit her nerves because she became furious immediately. She lifted her hands in an attempt to slap me, but was held back by Collins, who pleaded with her.

“Easy, Isadora,” Collins said, calming her down.

“I'll have you understand that Lucas has no freaking idea where you are right now, so you'd better watch it,” Isadora said, shooting me a deadly glare. “I'm going to enjoy teaching you a lesson, anyway. The party just got started.”

I gave a short, mirthless laugh. “You really must be a joker if you think Lucas will waste precious time looking for me. He isn't going to come after me, dear Isadora. So your efforts are futile already.”

Isadora went cold and silent, sucking her teeth in annoyance. “You really must think I'm here for jokes,” she said to me, and then turned to Collins. “Have her fingers cut off. If she thinks I need to make a statement, then I'll gladly grant her request.”

“No, Isadora,” Collins said, turning to face Isadora. “Not like this. I suggest you calm down and take her with you, and then you can keep her with you for as long as you want.”

“Can't you hear her? Can't you listen to the bitch run her mouth and talk back at me while I'm talking?” Isadora asked, her voice filled with rage.

“Take it easy, Isadora,” Collins repeated. “Just let her be. She's in your custody now, and that's all that matters.”

I laughed again, shaking my head sadly. “You know, if there's one lesson I've learnt the hard way, it's never to trust anyone blindly, ever again. I don't know you too well, but you came to me, promising me and lying to my face to take me back to Lucas, instead you brought me back to his former lover,” I said, looking up and glaring at him. “And all for what? For some wads of cash? That only just goes to show how much of a puppet you are.”

“And it goes to show how dumb you can be,” Collins said, laughing heartily. “You really thought I'd be foolish enough to return to Lucas after everything that happened? Oh come on, Sofia. You've got a brain, you should use it.”

“I really can see just how much you're using yours, Collins. And I do hope you can laugh this much when Lucas finally gets his hands on you, and that you have a perfect explanation as to why you ever thought of something like this. And you know Lucas will definitely come after you — he was your boss, wasn't he? You sure know him more than I do.”

Collins laughed as he said nothing else, as he turned to the front, tapping the steering wheel lightly with his fingers. Isadora who sat quietly all the while watching the little banter between Collins and I suddenly spoke, looking at Collins.

“Who really is this bitch?” she asked, her voice slow and calculated. “Is this really something new, or has Lucas always known her?”

“Oh, Sofia?” Collins chuckled. “It's actually rumored that she's the woman who visited Giovanni the day he went missing. I think that's the day Lucas got to meet her, and he's had her with him ever since.”

Isadora's eyes widened in shock, turning sharply to face Collins. “What?!”