Chapter 2 Renella

"You have just one option. I'm not putting a bullet in your head right now, because there might be a chance your fate is linked with my brothers," The Don, Ricardo Rodriguez, had said the day he arrested me for my transgression. "What might that be, Don?" I purposely slurred my tone to sound bitchy. Isn't that what they think? No need to prove them wrong.

I'm Renella Marino, a manipulative bitch - a title I prefer over Renella Morano, former heiress to the Morano group of companies, which inwas taken from me by my scheming uncles who think a lady should never preside over them. The Moreno's aren't just known for the chain of companies in their name; we are mostly known for our undercover business; my family is what I'll call a group of mafia mob bosses.

I grew up seeing blood and guns and understanding that it's either kill or be killed, do anything as far as you survive. I was my dad's only daughter, the Apple of his eyes; no one touches me without his permission, and that got my brothers jealous. The worse was when he made his successor. My brothers were furious, the whole Morano clan was angry. The thought of a woman ruling them didn't sit well with them, so they did what every jealous person does. Assassinated my dad and then married me off to a slumlord.

If I didn't lose my life in 3 years, I was there, nothing will make me lose it again. "My lady?" A voice called, bringing me back. "What is it?" "You've been standing in front of the mirror for 20 minutes, are you okay?" My personal maid or should I say my brother's CCTV camera designated to watch and report back to him my every move.

"What are you saying, Clara? I can't watch my reflection?" I question, pulling my top down to cover my scarred tummy. The truth was, I didn't mean to stare that long, but when you see horrible shaped marks, scars that you don't remember how you got them; you tend to ask yourself questions. "N-no it's not that, my lady." She said stuttering, fear visible on her features.

"Get out!" I yell, flinging a glass cup at her. She dodged, the glass cup meeting the wall and shards scattering all over the room. "Clean that up, now!" I ordered. Clara's face was bloody when she raised her face up. The glass might have wounded her. I couldn't care less; they rumor me to be the devil's mistress [Amante del Diablo], well I have no problem acting like one.

"Yes, my lady." She bows and then leaves. I looked around my room and cursed Ricardo Rodriguez for leaving me here. He left me with just one option, and that was bringing me back to the people I loathe. I want nothing more than to see them 6ft under the earth.

I don't know how long I'm in bed, but I wake up when someone knocks on my door. "My lady, the Don has requested your presence in his office." The voice says. I scoff at the title. 'Don' my foot. "Come in." I answer. I want to see the face of who dared use that term to address my Uncle, when they fully well know that title and everything that comes with it belongs to me.

My door opens, and a lanky figure steps in. "Hello." I give off a forced smile, and he dares return it. "Close the door behind you." I smile, leaving my bed. He closed the door behind him; I know what he's expecting and what he is thinking. He rubs his two palms together while licking his lips.

"Who's the Don?" I ask, moving to the door, so he has no way to escape. "What do you mean by that? Your uncle is the Don." He says. I'm furious, and I can't hide the rage anymore, so I swing a vase at him, slamming it on his head repeatedly. I don't stop till he's dead, and blood is everywhere.

"My uncle isn't the Don, I am the rightful heiress. That position was mine till he stole it from me." I yell while tearing his body body apart.

I stop when there's another knock on the door. I don't reply, I just stand up and walk out my room down to the Don's office.

"You called for me." I say as I enter without knocking. On the table, he's banging a maid; I squeeze my face in disgust.

"Don't you knock?" He yells in frustration, fastening his belt as fast as he can. The maid is scurrying off the table and leaving the office barely dressed.

"I don't care, that's why I don't." I smirk, infuriating him the more.

"Why is there blood over you?"

"I bathed in your informant's blood, that's why."

"I'm your Don and you will talk to me with respect!" He says, slamming his hands on the table.

"No! I won't, everything you are enjoying right now is mine and I'll take it back. Watch me, Antonio!" I deadpan, slamming the door as I leave. On my way back to my room, I bump into someone I despise more than my uncle, my brother.

"Rena, I've been wanting to speak to you." He says. Disgust is an understatement on how I stare at him.

"What? So you can bid me off to one slumlord?" I ask and for a second I see guilt flash in his eyes. I'm not fooled by it.

"I thought we are over that already, it's been 8 years Rena."

Goodness, I badly want to scream my lungs out.

"No! It's been 5 years, 3 years of my life ripped from me; we can never get over that, not in this life." Tears is threatening to fall from my eyes, but I blink them away.

"3 years of my life ripped from me, I don't remember a thing. Scars, horrible marks clad my body and I have no idea how I got them and you just expect me to move on?" I say grabbing whatever I could find nearby and flinging it. My head is a mess, I'm seeing flashes, pictures and none of them makes sense.

"Get Marcus, tell him Renella is unstable again." I hear my brother's voice before crashing to the floor. Of course they all think I'm unstable, a psycho. They have no idea what I did to survive that horrible place, whatever I did will hunt me forever, maybe that's why I chose to forget.

~~~

"It was just flashes, Ricardo." Stevens whines, regretting immediately why he told them about the little memory he recovered.

"It isn't just a flash, Stevens. At least that 2 years isn't a mystery anymore." Ricardo says, drinking a glass of water.

Ricardo came back a while ago and asked to see Stevens in his office. Stevens had thought it was maybe to tell him how his findings went, to his surprise Ricardo was asking him about his day and that was how he told him about the memory he got.

"Whatever they did to you there isn't just going to go away, Steven. And you making it seem like the little memory you got is nothing, isn't helping. Steven you were drugged, tortured for fun and only God knows what else. Steven it isn't just a flash and from now on we are working into recovering your memory." Ricardo says, looking at his best friend.

"What if I can't? What if that part of my life is gone?" Stevens asked his voice barely above a whisper.

"It will come back, you will get your memory back, buddy." Ricardo says flashing an encouraging smile.

"What if I can't handle it and I snap?"

"I'll be here to bring you back, Alessandro."

"Okay, enough about me." Stevens says releasing a deep breath.

"What happened at the drop off?" He asked.

"Nothing, they didn't show." Ricardo replied, relaxing on his seat. Fatigue signs on his face.

"You think they knew you were coming?"

"If you're talking about a spy, the answer is no. They're simply smart."

Stevens nodded slowly, his eyes catching a photo laying on the table between them.

"Who is in the photo?" He asked, his interes piqued.

Ricardo who had his eyes closed, snapped them open to look at the photo.

"Rena, before her plastic surgery." Ricardo replied.

"Can I see it?" He asked, going for the photo immediately. Ricardo stared at him, a little bit confused.

"Heavens!" Stevens exclaimed.

"What is it?" Ricardo asked, his sudden outburst scaring him.

"Remember when I mentioned during my time in captivity, my master had a wife?"

"Yeah." Ricardo answers quickly.

"The woman in this photo is the wife." Steven annuonces, crashing on another seat near Ricardo.

"It's true then, you do have a connection with her."