Prisoner In The Mafia's Arms

It was a big night at the Kallistos family mansion, important guests were arriving, getting out of their expensive cars.

The event was important, it was the engagement of Ariadna Kallistos, with Leonidas Petros, an agreement that would bring together two of the richest and most powerful families in the city.

Inside the mansion, the main hall was luxuriously decorated, waiters with white gloves carried silver trays with champagne glasses for the guests, only the best would be served for the occasion, conversations and laughter could be heard throughout the place.

On the upper floor, Ariadna Kallistos was preparing to make her grand entrance, she was a beautiful 19-year-old girl.

She was standing in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection with great satisfaction and pride, she had chosen for the occasion a beautiful designer dress in pearl green, which clung to her slender figure, her long brown hair fell in waves over her shoulders, a gleam of arrogance stood out in her green eyes.

"Maria!" Ariadne shouted in an annoyed tone, "Where are my emerald earrings? I want them now!" A young maid ran in, looking terribly scared, her face pale.

"Miss, I believe..."

"Do you believe?" Ariadne interrupted her rudely. "I don't pay you to believe, I pay you to know, find what I ask you or you'll be on the street tomorrow."

Nervous, poor Maria nodded and hurried out, shortly after the door opened and her mother, Athena Kallistos, entered, the woman was 40 years old, but looked 10 years younger, she was a woman of classical beauty, and distinguished bearing.

"Ariadne, darling," Athena whispered softly. "Was it necessary to speak to Maria like that? The poor girl is doing the best she can."

Ariadne rolled her eyes in disgust, but didn't even deign to look at her mother.

"Mom! If we don't push them, they'll just play dumb and lazy, and anyway, they earn an easy paycheck, they just have to find my things."

Athena sighed and walked over to her daughter, putting a hand on her shoulder as her eyes met the reflection in the mirror.

"Child, tonight the most important people in the city are gathered here, please try..." she hesitated, searching for the right words, "to be kind, after all, you are a Kallistos."

Ariadne brushed her mother's hand off her shoulder in annoyance and looked at her haughtily.

"I do this precisely because I am a Kallistos, we are better than them, mom, we must show them their place in life, it is time for you to understand that."

Before Athena could answer, Maria came rushing back carrying a small jewelry box in her hands.

"Miss Ariadne, I found them," she gasped. "They are in your traveling jewelry box."

Ariadne snatched the jewelry box from Maria's hands and opened it, inside was a beautiful pair of emerald earrings.

"Then maybe you are finally doing something right," she muttered sarcastically as she put the earrings on. "Now, get out of my sight," she said in a haughty tone.

Maria quickly retreated, once again leaving mother and daughter alone. Athena looked at her daughter with a mixture of love and concern, her daughter did not really understand what life was about.

"Ariadne, I only wish for your happiness, and true happiness comes from..." She tried to explain.

"Save the lecture, Mom," Ariadne interrupted. "Tonight is about me and Leonidas, about our future, about the empire we will build together, that is what makes me happy." Athena nodded slowly, gave a last long sigh, and then headed for the door.

"Okay, then we will be waiting for you downstairs, don't make us wait too long."

When she was alone, Ariadne turned to the mirror again, her reflection showing her the image of a beautiful young woman, at that moment she felt powerful and in control of herself.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Nikolaos Kallistos, a silver-haired man in his sixties, impeccably dressed, moved among the guests with the grace of a king among his subjects, his laughter echoing above the murmurs, greeting politicians, businessmen, and celebrities.

"Theodoros!" she shouted as she approached a stern-faced man. "Where is your son? We have to toast the bride and groom!" He asked while laughing.

"Any minute now Nikolaos, Leonidas will be here, youth always makes you wait, you see they are not very formal, not like us" said Theodoros, Nikolaos laughed again and gave him a strong slap on the back.

"Ah, youth! Well, waiting never killed anyone, now let's talk a little about that merger, with our children united, we will create an entire empire, we will be a single family full of power and dominion, we will crush the competition, and our enemies."

Hearing this, Theodoros' eyes shone strangely, but Nikolaos seemed not to notice, they moved away from the other guests and concentrated on talking about their business.

Suddenly, the music became quieter, the voices died down and all eyes turned to the marble staircase, at the top was Ariadna Kallistos.

Ariadne had planned an extravagant entrance to attract attention, and she had succeeded. She slowly walked down the stairs, wearing a wide smile, the flashes and stares focused on her, as she looked at them arrogantly, feeling that the world did not deserve her.

Nikolaos, leaving Theodoros for a moment, approached the foot of the stairs, extending his hand towards his daughter.

"Princess," he said, pride evident in his voice, "you look stunning."

Ariadne took the hand her father offered her as he led her to the center of the hall, the guests making way for them, surrounding them.

"Thank you, daddy," Ariadne said softly, "it is perfect, just as I dreamed it would be." Nikolaos kissed his daughter's forehead and turned to the assembled guests, raising his glass.

"Friends, tonight we not only honor the engagement of my daughter, Ariadne, to Leonidas, we also celebrate the blending of two families who are united as one from this very day, let us toast, Cheers!" he said raising his glass.

The guests began to toast, but soon whispers could be heard. Where was Leonidas? Guessing quickly began, thinking that he might not make it.

As if answering the murmurs, Leonidas Petros entered, a man over six feet tall, with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes, the tailored black suit fit him so well that it highlighted his athletic build, while his charming smile hid his boundless ambition.

"Sorry I was late," he said, feigning embarrassment, approaching Ariadne and taking her hand. "Traffic was terrible, but I made it." Ariadne looked at him adoringly, she was very much in love.

"You're here." She squeezed his hand, smiling.

Before everyone's expectant gaze, Leonidas knelt down, and took a small velvet box from his pocket, everyone fell silent, waiting for what was happening.

"Ariadne Kallistos, you are the most beautiful and brilliant woman I have ever met, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?" She immediately opened the small box and revealed a ring in which a large diamond shone, Ariadne's eyes reflected a mixture of love and triumph.

"Yes, Leonidas. Yes, yes, yes!" She answered completely excited, although he had already asked her before, what he did now was just for show.

Leonidas placed the ring on Ariadne's finger, they kissed passionately, while the crowd erupted in applause. The intensity of the camera flashes tripled, stealing the moment for the next day's covers.

Among the audience, there was a woman who watched them with mixed feelings and a serious face, while she automatically applauded. It was Melina Kallistos, Ariadne's older sister.

At twenty-two, Melina was the opposite of her sister in many ways, while Ariadne was slim and elegant, Melina struggled with her excess weight and preferred comfort over style; Ariadna was brash and confident, Melina was shy and insecure, as the guests returned to their conversations, Melina approached the couple.

"Congratulations, sister." Melina's voice trembled slightly. "Leonidas, officially welcome to the family." Ariadna barely noticed Melina, dividing her attention between her new ring and those who came up to congratulate her.

"Thank you, Melina," she said absently. "Isn't it wonderful?" Melina nodded and turned to Leonidas, for a second they looked into each other's eyes a wave of tension passed between them.

"Leonidas, could we talk? I need to tell you something important." Leonidas frowned, but kept his smile.

"Of course, sister-in-law. Ariadna, darling... I'll be right back."

Without turning to look at him, Ariadna nodded and let herself be led by a group of friends who surrounded her, saying compliments about her ring, making her big ego grow, Melina took Leonidas to a secluded place, near one of the large windows that looked out onto the garden.

When she was sure that no one could hear them, she spoke.

"Leonidas, listen... you can't do it, I know that Ariadna is my sister, but, you and I..."

Leonidas interrupted Melina, his voice was soft, but his face was cold.

"Melina, I thought we had already talked about this, what we had was a mistake, a moment of weakness simply, Ariadna is my future." Melina's eyes filled with tears upon hearing him.

"But you told me you loved me, that you would leave Ariadna for me."

Leonidas let out a low, cruel laugh.

"Oh Melina, sweet, naive Melina, did you really think that? Look at yourself and look at your sister. Who do you think I have a better future with?" His words hit Melina hard, she stepped back as her face turned pale.

"You... you are a monster," he whispered.

Leonidas leaned towards her, his smile had turned into a ruthless sneer.

"No, Melina, I am a businessman, and this one" he gestured with his arm towards the party, towards Ariadna. "It's the best deal of my life, now if you'll excuse me, my fiancée is waiting for me." And with that, Leonidas walked away, leaving Melina trembling in the corner.

She watched him return with Ariadna, saw them kiss with apparent adoration, saw everyone praise them as the perfect couple, and something inside her broke.

Without anyone noticing, she went up the stairs to her room, closed the door behind her, and dropped to the floor as sobs shook her body, she couldn't take the pain anymore.

Melina slowly stood up and went to her desk, took out a paper and a pen and began to write. Tears stained the page as she wrote her feelings, she was ready to tell what happened between her and Leonidas.

Downstairs the party continued, Ariadna and Leonidas danced, posed for photos and received congratulations from all the other guests, realizing that Melina was not there, Athena began to discreetly look for her among the guests.

"Nikolaos," she whispered to her husband, "have you seen Melina?"

Nikolaos, busy in a debate with a local politician, barely glanced at her.

"She must be around somewhere, you know how she is at parties." He replied without giving importance to the whereabouts of his daughter.

Athena frowned, she had a feeling that was bothering her, so she decided to go up to look for her.

Melina finished her letter, folded it carefully and left it on her bed, then, she took her bag and the car keys, before leaving, she took a last look at her room.

She left by the service stairs to avoid being seen, reached the garage, and started her car, the sound of the engine was lost among the music and laughter of the party, Melina got out, her vision clouded by tears as she accelerated down the driveway.

Leonidas took advantage of a moment of distraction from Ariadne to sneak away, he went up to Melina's room, upon entering, he realized that she was not there, he immediately noticed the letter on the bed.

He read it quickly, paled when he realized what it implied, immediately put it in his pocket, when he was about to leave, he met Athena.

"Leonidas, what are you doing here?" She asked surprised.

Leonidas kept his charming smile.

"Athena, I was looking for Melina to thank her for her congratulations, have you seen her?"

Athena denied it, it was evident that she was worried about her daughter.

"No, I have been looking for her, I don't know where she could be, this is not like her."

"She will appear soon, I am sure." Leonidas said, accompanying Athena out of the room. "Let's go back to the party, we don't want Ariadna to worry."

While they returned to the party, Melina drove through the streets, aimlessly, she could not stop thinking if they had already found her letter, she felt ashamed and hurt.

Due to her distraction she didn't see when the traffic light turned red, the screeching of the brakes, and the loud impact of hitting another car, were heard in the night.

At the Kallistos mansion, they continued celebrating, oblivious to the tragedy that had occurred, Ariadna laughed with her friends, Leonidas talked with potential partners, and Nikolaos continued toasting the future.

Athena continued looking for her daughter, a strong oppression inside her chest seemed to indicate that something was wrong, at that moment her phone rang, she paled when she heard the voice on the other end of the line.

The phone fell from her hands, as she began to cry inconsolably, Nikolaos, seeing the state his wife was in, immediately approached.

"Athena, what happened?"

Athena looked up, brought her hand to her mouth, trying to get the words out.

"Our daughter, Nikolaos, Melina... has been in an accident."

Nikolaos dropped his glass as he tried to process what his wife had said.

Ariadne, seeing the commotion, came closer, more upset than worried.

"What is going on?"

Her mother, wrapped in tears, with great difficulty managed to answer.

"Your sister, Melina... has died."

Ariadne did not know how to react, she stood there staring at her mother, unable to process the news, the word she had said so many times to her sister, echoed inside her head, whale, that was what she had called her, mockingly.

Leonidas, hearing the news, felt relief, enjoying that Melina was dead, so he would take the secret of his affair with her to the grave.

He approached Ariadne, hugging her, the gesture of comfort was more acting than genuine.

"I am so sorry, love."

Ariadne leaned against his chest, sobbing, guilt and remorse for how he had always treated his sister, consumed her.

"I... I was always so cruel to her, and now I can never ask her forgiveness."

Nikolaos, recovering from the shock of the terrible news, began to give orders.

"The party is cancelled, everyone must leave, right now."

The guests who had remained silent, completely shocked by what had happened, quietly left, the place soon empty.

Athena dropped into a chair, sobbing inconsolably, Nikolaos stood beside her, his face reflecting the pain he felt.

Leonidas, seeing the opportunity to see if there was any other evidence of her sin left in Melina's car, offered to take charge.

"I'll go to the police to get information about what happened, stay here, I know how difficult this is for you, if you allow me, I'll take care of everything."

Nikolaos nodded weakly, without questioning his son-in-law's offer, Leonidas quickly left, determined to get to the scene of the accident, and thus eliminate any evidence that would compromise him.

For Ariadna the reality check was hard, looking at her engagement ring, she realized that her perfect night now felt so empty.

"Mom, do you think Melina ever knew how much she loved her?"

Athena looked at her daughter, for the first time in a long time she saw her vulnerable and weak, far from the facade of perfection she always had.

"Oh Ariadne, sometimes the love between sisters can be complicated, but I'm sure Melina knew that."

Nikolaos, not used to showing his emotions, retreated to his study, under the pretext of making some calls.

Meanwhile, at the scene of the accident, Leonidas arrived just as the police cordoned off the area, with his usual charm, and ease of speech, he managed to gain access to Melina's wrecked vehicle.

He searched the interior of the car meticulously, looking for anything that could incriminate him, he was relieved to find nothing, he remembered the letter in his pocket, remembering how close he had been to losing everything.

In the mansion, Ariadne sat on a sofa, her gaze lost.

"I should be the one who died," she said almost in a whisper. "Melina was the good one, the kind one, I'm just... this." He made a dismissive gesture towards her dress, her ring, realizing how arrogant he had been.

Athena approached her, taking her hands.

"Don't say that, daughter, every life is valuable in itself." Athena said it to reassure her, but she felt guilty for always having focused all her attention on her, leaving Melina aside.

Ariadna turned to look at her mother, paying attention for the first time to the love and concern that reflected her eyes.

Leonidas returned shortly after, on his face there was a look of studied regret and affliction.

"I have spoken to the police, it seems it was an accident, Melina did not respect the stop sign, and due to the speed, she lost control of the vehicle." He said in a tone that seemed to be difficult for him to say.

Athena sobbed again, Nikolaos who had returned, nodded weakly.

"Thank you, Leonidas, you have been of great help in this difficult moment, I... could not have."

Leonidas bowed his head, immersed in his role as the perfect and compassionate son-in-law, a strategy that he was sure would help him gain points in the Kallistos family, and put him closer to his fortune.

The night that should have been one of total celebration, was now gloomy, the members of the Kallistos family, each one immersed in their thoughts, and regrets, at that moment the future no longer seemed so bright and safe.

After the funeral, and saying goodbye to the people who accompanied them, Ariadna looked out the window, towards the garden where she and Melina used to play when they were children. For a moment she thought she saw her sister among the rose bushes, smiling as she used to do, before her pride and arrogance separated them.

"I'm sorry, sister," she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek, "I hope you can forgive me, I'm so sorry."

Athena entered the room a little later, her face showing the pain and how exhausted she felt.

"Ariadna, darling, you should eat something." She said sweetly.

Ariadna turned to her.

"How could I eat when Melina is gone? Mom, I... I was so cruel to her, and yet she never reproached me for how I treated her."

Athena sat on the edge of the bed, as tears filled her eyes.

"We all made mistakes, we failed Melina in some way." Mixed feelings invaded her, all generated by the guilt she felt.

At that moment Leonidas arrived, his face had that studied expression of false concern, although his eyes lacked true emotion.

"Ariadna, you must get over it, you can't continue like this."

Ariadna turned to look at him, unable to believe what he said, his lack of empathy.

"Get over it? Are you serious, Leonidas? My sister is dead."

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in an elegant Italian villa, Dimitrios Galanis read the news, the headline caught his attention, 'Tragedy dulls engagement of the heiress Kallistos.' The mention of that last name made Dimitrios' mind flood with memories.

"It's time" he muttered to himself. "Time to go back and do justice."

He remembered the words his sister had told him before she disappeared, "Ariadna and Leonidas behaved like monsters towards me, they did terrible things to me at school."

He ordered his luggage to be packed, he was determined, his revenge against Leonidas, but mainly against Ariadna, was about to begin.

Meanwhile, in the Kallistos mansion, Athena was crying in her room, Nikolaos entered, on his face you could see the suffering for the death of his daughter.

"Athena, what happened to us? How did we fail Melina in this way?"

Athena stared at him, her gaze was full of reproach.

"You don't have to ask, you know it as well as I do, we always put Ariadna over Melina, and now Melina is gone."

Nikolaos dropped into an armchair, giving a long sigh, feeling guilt choking him.

"I was the worst parent to Melina, a terrible father."

At that moment, his phone began to ring insistently, it was Theodoros Petros.

"Nikolaos, I know this is not the time, but you should think about your companies, maybe you should talk to the vice president, leave the company decisions in his hands for a while, so you can take a few days to be with your family.

Nikolaos sighed, he was silent for a moment, thinking.

"I think you're right, friend, now I can't concentrate on business, when I can't even with myself."

A month later, Leonidas prepared a romantic dinner in his apartment, placed candles, champagne, and soft music, shortly after Ariadna arrived, still dressed in mourning.

"Leonidas, what is this?" She asked, annoyed that he didn't respect her pain.

"I tried to cheer you up, my love, it's time for you to stop mourning, you can't be like this forever, life goes on."

"I can't do this, not now, I hope you understand, I'm sorry, Leonidas."

Before he could answer, she turned around and left the apartment, Leonidas felt furious and frustrated at her rejection.

Ariadna wandered through the streets, her mind was clouded by pain and guilt, without realizing it, her steps took her to the train tracks, she stopped at the edge of the platform, watching the rails.

"It would be so easy to meet you, little sister." She thought, taking a step forward.

But thinking about the pain it would cause her parents, she stopped, it was the first time she thought of others, before herself.

Meanwhile, at the offices of Kallistos Enterprises, Nikolaos was facing a tough crisis. After leaving the company in the hands of the vice president to be with his family, things had gone terribly wrong.

"Damn it! How is this possible?" Nikolaos shouted, then hit the desk hard with his fist. "How could you steal such a large amount of money in such a short time?"

The vice president, sitting in front of him, paled terribly.

"Mr. Kallistos, you see, I... investments, the market, no..."

Nikolaos interrupted him.

"You will not get out of here, I will hand you over to the police, vermin like you cannot walk free." The man paled even more, but made no attempt to escape. The mastermind behind all this had promised to help him and a million-dollar sum.

Nikolaos nervously loosened his tie. He felt like a fool, but it was too late to regret it. The damage was done, and Kallistos Enterprises was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Days later, he called an emergency meeting with investors, and the tension in the boardroom was palpable.

"Gentlemen, I know the outlook for the company is not encouraging, but I know that with your support we can get ahead." Nikolaos' words were pleading.

The investors turned to look at each other, all shaking their heads.

"We are sorry, Nikolaos, you know it is risky, too high an investment, without the assurance that it will work."

When everyone left, Nikolaos slumped into an armchair, feeling defeated.

"Mr. Galanis." A voice startled him, it was Dimitrios, who had been watching the meeting from a corner."

"Who are you?" Nikolaos asked distrustfully.

Dimitrios smiled with a certain mockery.

"Someone who can save your company."

Nikolaos' face lit up with hope.

"Are you serious? Are you willing to invest?"

"Of course, that's why I came, but I have one condition for doing so."

"Whatever, you tell me." Desperate Nikolaos was willing to accept whatever.

Dimitrios' gaze flashed with malice as he stared at him.

"I want you to grant me your daughter Ariadna's hand in marriage." He said coldly.

Nikolaos paled upon hearing such madness. Was this man asking him to sell his daughter?

"You can't be serious, it's madness." He said as he stood up.

"I'm very serious, Mr. Kallistos, it's this or ruin, you decide."

Nikolaos dropped back into his chair.

"I need time to think about it." He managed to say.

Dimitrios nodded.

"I'll give you 48 hours, Mr. Kallistos, not a second more."

Dimitrios stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Nikolaos tormented and confused.

That night, upon arriving at the mansion, Nikolaos called Athena and Ariadna to his office, his sad and gloomy face indicating that something bad was happening.

"Dad, what is happening?" Ariadna was worried seeing him in that state.

Nikolaos took a deep breath before speaking.

"The company is on the verge of bankruptcy."

Athena brought her hands to her mouth, stifling a scream.

"What are we going to do? We can't go bankrupt."

"There is a solution, an investor has offered his help, but..." She paused.

"But what, Dad?" Ariadna asked.

Seeing his daughter, Nikolaos felt his heart break.

"He asked for your hand, daughter."

Ariadna felt the world crumble around her.

"No!" she exclaimed, furiously. "You can't force me to marry a stranger, I'm engaged to Leonidas, have you forgotten that?"

Athena stood up.

"Nikolaos, you can't be considering that proposal, using our daughter as a bargaining chip, that would be a very low thing to do."

Nikolaos sank into his chair, seeming to age 10 years in a matter of minutes.

"We have no choice, the situation is worse than you imagine." He said with deep regret.

"What do you mean, Dad?" Ariadne asked as a lump formed in her throat.

"That we have to vacate the mansion, it no longer belongs to us, we've lost it."

"What?" Athena and Ariadne couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Dimitrios Galanis not only offered to invest in the company, but he bought all our debts, the mansion, the cars, everything that was ours, now belongs to him."

The two women remained silent, trying to process the news that Nikolaos was giving them.

"I need to be alone, and I'm really sorry about all this." He said, then stood up and left the studio.

Stunned, Athena and Ariadna didn't know how to react.

"This can't be happening, there must be something that can be done."

"I'm going to call Leonidas, he'll know what to do, I'm sure his father will offer to help us."

Ariadna waited anxiously for Leonidas to react, and he finally answered.

"Ariana, honey, what's going on?"

"Leonidas, we're in trouble." She paused for a moment, feeling embarrassed. "A man named Dimitrios Galanis bought all our debts, since the vice president ruined the company, he wants me to marry him or we'll be out on the street."

Leonidas remained silent for a moment.

"What? Marry another man? Impossible, don't worry, love, I'll find a solution, no one is going to take my fiancée away from me.