Chapter 3 III

Chapter 3

Sabrina Moretti P.O.V

I was dragged out of the SUV, as my bare feet hit the cold ground.

The ropes around my wrists cut deeper with every pull, sending sharp pain through my arms.

I was pushed forward, herding me toward the house's entrance.

My heart pounds in my chest, but I keep my head up, refusing to show I was scared.

Massimo Morano will not break me.

Morano walks ahead, his tall figure.

He was walking like a dangerous, calm god.

He is in control, and he seemed to enjoy it.

Each step he takes echoed, a reminder of how isolated we are.

There is no one here to save me.

It's just me against them.

We enter the house.

It was huge and empty, except for a few cartons arranged against one wall and a single, bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, casting a weak, dim light.

It's the perfect place for Morano.

This is what he likes.

An isolated and hidden place.

A place where no one will hear my screams.

The men shove me toward a chair in the center of the room.

I stumble but manage to keep my balance, determined not to fall.

My pride is all I have left, and I will be damned if I let them take that from me.

"Sit" one of them barks, his voice was rough and commanding.

I didn't move, instead, my eyes were locked onto Morano's.

He stops the man and walks towards me as a small, almost amused smile, appeared on his lips.

"You are going to make this difficult, aren't you?" he says, his voice low and smooth.

"Go to hell," I spit back, my voice laced with venom.

His smile widens, but there was no warmth in it.

It was only a cold calculation smile.

A pretentious smile.

He nods to one of his men, who steps forward and shoves me down into the chair.

The impact sends pain shooting up my spine, but I bite down on the cry of pain that threatened to escape my lip.

I won't give them the satisfaction.

Morano steps closer to me.

His dark eyes looked into mine with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

He is studying me, reading me with his gaze, and I can feel the weight of his gaze like a physical force.

"You are strong-willed, I will give you that," he says, squatting down in front of me so we are eye level.

"But that strength can be a weakness if you are not careful."

I glare at him, my heart racing.

"You don't know a damn thing about me."

His smile fades and was replaced by a hard expression.

"I know enough," he says with a cold voice.

"I know you are loyal to your brother, which is admirable. But loyalty won't save you from what is coming."

"What do you want from me?" I demand, my voice sharper than I intended.

I'm trying to keep control, trying to understand the game he is playing.

Morano's eyes darkened, and he stands up, towering over me.

"I want revenge" he says simply.

Revenge?

"Your family. Your father, took everything from my family! " He roared, and I couldn't hold myself from shaking due to the scream.

I shake my head, my heart sinking due to fear.

"My father is no more.... "

He tilts his head slightly, studying me.

"Yes, and that's why you have to pay for his sins. "

"What did my father do to you?" I questioned with a stead voice as I summoned courage.

Morano narrows his eyes, and for a moment, I think he might let me go.

But then he nods to one of his men, and the man steps forward, a cruel smile on his lips.

He pulls out a knife, the blade was shining in the dim light.

"Let's see if we can tame that little mouth of yours, Angel." Morano says, his voice soft but menacing.

The man with the knife grabs my arm immediately.

I try to pull away, but his grip is like an iron.

He presses the blade against my forearm, just enough for me to feel the cold metal against my skin.

"Wait" I gasp, panic rising in my chest.

"Whatever my father might have done, please don't punish me for it!" I pleaded, but the man didn't hesitate.

He drags the blade down my arm, the sharp edge sliced through my skin with ease.

Pain explodes in my arm, and I couldn't hold back the scream that rips from my throat.

Blood wells up from the cut, and the man lets go of my arm.

"That is just a taste" he says calmly.

"You have no right to question me. You only speak when you are expected to speak. "

l'm breathing hard, my vision swimming from the pain, but I force myself to focus.

"You are wasting your time," I manage to say even though my voice was trembling.

"You can't control me."

Morano nods, almost as if he expected that reply.

"Very well," he says, turning to the man with the knife.

"Teach her some lesson."

The man grins, clearly eager to continue.

He grabs my other arm, and I could feel a fresh wave of fear wash over me.

I'm helpless, at the mercy of these monsters, and I know what is coming will be worse than the first cut.

He raises the knife, and I brace myself for the pain.

But instead of slicing my skin, he presses the blade against my cheek, just beneath my eye.

He leans close, his breath hot and foul against my face.

"You have ever been cut on the face?" he whispers, his voice dripping with sadistic pleasure.

"Hurts like hell. And it leaves a scar. You will be marked for life."

I grit my teeth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me scared.

I made a mistake of pleading for my skin not to be cut and yet, they went ahead.

This time around I won't make that mistake!

"Do it," I hiss through clenched teeth.

"See if I care."

He chuckles darkly.

"Oh, you will," he says, and then he presses the blade down, hard.

Pain went through my face, as the knife slices through my skin.

I scream, unable to hold it back.

I could hear the echoes of my scream through the empty warehouse.

Blood pours from the wound down to my face and dripping onto my clothes.

The man steps back, admiring his work.

"Beautiful," he says with a sick smile.

"That is going to leave a mark."

I'm shaking.

My entire body trembling from the pain and the shock.

Tears blur my vision, mixing with the blood on my face, but I blink them away, refusing to let them fall.

Morano steps forward, his expression cold and detached.

"This doesn't have to get any worse," he says, his voice calm.

"Just be a good girl."

I glare at him through the pain, my voice raw and ragged.

"You will never control me," I repeat, each word a struggle.

"You can cut me all you want but it won't change that."

Morano eyes narrow, and for a moment.

I think he might actually snap.

But he takes a deep breath, his composure returning.

He turns to the man with the knife and nods.

"Finish it" he says simply, and the man grins, stepping forward again.

He grabs my hair, yanking my head back, exposing my throat.

I struggle, but it's no use.

He is too strong, and I am too weak.

I feel the cold blade press against my neck, and for a moment, I think this is it.

This is how it ends.

But then there was a shout from the entrance of the warehouse, and the man freezes, his grip on my hair loosening.

I hear footsteps, hurried and heavy, approaching us, and then a voice.

A voice I recognize.

"What the hell is going on here?" The voice booms through the warehouse.

To be continued