The Forbidden Love: Cecilia and Santiago's Love Story

"I hate you!!" Cecilia shouted, tears in her eyes, as she watched the man who she had called Dad all her life give her out to a group of scary-looking men with no hint of remorse or guilt. Handing her over like some piece of garbage he wants to dispose of.

"Let me go!" she screamed again, but this time to the man who carried her over the shoulder with his strong arms.

As she screamed, she did everything possible, which included hitting and punching him in the back, but it all felt like she was hitting a hard wall. He did not even flinch; all she needed was a chance so she could try making her escape.

She had a small chance, seeing that the distance between his car and her house was less than 20km. The two other scary men who followed them also made her chance of escape slimmer. "Woman, you better stop your little tantrum right now," he said, his voice sounding really scary.

This was the first time she had heard him speak. He had come into the house, giving his phone to her stepfather, and hearing the conversation between her stepfather and the man made her realise that she had just been used as a bargain piece to pay off his debt.

She was just nineteen years old and had just gotten into her dream dance academy. Her life was just beginning, and a tear slipped out of her eyes, knowing that her life was about to take a whole new turn just because her stepfather could not control his gambling addiction.

She heard her stepfather calling the man on the other side of the line, Don Santiago. Everyone knew Don Santiago, even though few had seen his face. He was a well-known and feared Mafia lord and the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the country.

He had connections with people of all walks of life, ranging from politicians to officers, businessmen, and prominent figures. Cecilia has only heard of him from the rest of her friends, but one thing she was sure of was that he had to be some old, psychotic man because of the description she has heard.

Some say that he kills like it is a hobby and he has no heart. He is also involved in all the shady things imaginable. She was not naive enough not to know what it meant for someone to be bought by a Mafia lord.

Even though human trading has been abolished, it was still something that everyone knew happened, and the tales of those who were bought by Mafia lords were as terrifying as ever.

"Let me go!!! This is kidnapping!" Cecilia shouted, but the man just flung her onto the seat and sat beside her. As the car moved, she tried once more to escape, but she was seated in the middle, with the two men tightly at her sides, watching her every move.

All she needed right now was a little distraction to help her. She was a dancer, and jumping out of there would be a piece of cake to her compared to their training.

A phone rang, and the man on the left moved to get it from his pocket. It seems like her prayers were about to be answered. This was her opportunity, as she quickly manoeuvred her way to open the door, shocking the man who had just picked up his phone.

Before he realised what was happening, she had already slipped through him and started running, grateful that the car was big and had enough space for her to slip away. She kept on running, and when she turned back, she saw that two of them were almost catching up to her.

People were just watching her like it was a movie that they were seeing, not a lady being chased by hefty men. "Fuck," she swore as she increased her speed, looking for places where she could take cover. All she needed was a place to hide in and to make sure that they were no more there before she stepped out.

She finally found a place-a jewellery store that was hidden from the road. It was the perfect spot for hiding. "Please, let me hide here. Some men are after me," she said, running into the store. A young boy was seated there, wearing a high school uniform busy with his phone.

"Sure, whatever," he said, with all his attention still on his phone. This was not her wisest choice, but it was better than nothing.

"Did any girl run in here?" Cecilia heard someone ask. "I am doomed," she said to herself, thinking of the nonchalant boy that she had met when she ran in here.

"No," she heard the boy say, much to her relief. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. "He is lying." She heard another voice. "I am not lying," the boy said, shocking Cecilia, who did not know that he would cover up for her in the midst of these scary men. She did not need to be there to see how menacing their faces would be.

"The CCTV camera on the street says otherwise. She entered here," the same voice said. The next thing Cecilia heard was the screeching of chairs and the men shouting to tell them where she was.

Cecilia heard the boy say where she was, and she just put her hands over her face as she heard the curtain opening up to where she was. The next thing, she was carried up again over the man's shoulder while the boy mouthed sorry to her.

She let out a small smile to assure him that it was not his fault. He tried his best. The same process of screaming while she carried him repeated itself, but this time, as she was put in the car she felt a sting on her arm, she suddenly began to lose consciousness slowly, and then everything went black.

Cecilia felt a slight headache as her eyes tried to adjust to the light when she opened it. She could hear voices-an unfamiliar voice at that-and, feeling the soft mattress under her, she realised that she was on a bed. The headache was interrupting her thoughts, messing them up, and making her unable to remember where she was.

"Did you hit her?" She heard someone say, and as fast as a light, everything came back to her. She immediately raised her head up with enough force that caused her to sigh at the sudden pain and held her head that was now raging, probably due to how fast she had moved.

"Go get her some medicine now." She heard his voice before she saw him. A voice that was so smooth and captivating, like a melody floating in the air. The voice was deep and velvety, with a hint of huskiness that adds an extra layer of allure.

The few words he spoke sent a tingle down her spine, and she couldn't help but be drawn in by the sheer seductiveness of his voice. It was like magic, casting a spell on her, making her heart skip a beat.

"Are you okay?" He asked her again as she finally opened her eyes; her eyes had already adjusted to the light, and what she saw took her breath away. The man with the seductive voice had a face that perfectly matched the charm and allure of his voice. He had strong, chiselled features and a jawline that could cut through steel.

His eyes were deep and mysterious, sparkling with a hint of mischief. His lips-oh, his lips-were full and inviting, with a mischievous smile that could make anyone weak in the knees. He bent his body down as he stared into her face, making Cecilia get a better view of him.

His perfectly groomed facial hair added a touch of ruggedness to his overall appeal.

Cecilia could not stop staring at him, and she was almost sure that she would catch a drool at the side of her mouth if she checked.

"Don, here is the medicine." A scary-looking man came into the room, a rather familiar face to Cecilia at that point. It was the man who had carried her over the shoulder, and he had just called the man that she was drooling over, Don.

"Do... Don Santiago." The word left her mouth in a quiet whisper. She could not believe that the man she always heard about was not an old man but rather a man who looked like he was in his early thirties.

"You must have heard of me then," the man said, confirming what she already guessed.

He took the medicine and the water from the scary-looking man and stretched his hands to her so she could take them.

"What do you want from me?" Cecilia asked him instead of taking it, leaving his hands hanging. "Just take the medicine," the man said, the voice that was like music to her ear suddenly turning annoying to her as she realised that he was the one who was about to destroy her future.

"Do you know what you are doing is kidnapping? You have no right to take me here against my will," Cecilia said, not caring that the person she was talking to was one of the most dangerous men in the city. "I paid in full," he said.

Cecilia took a while before she realised that he was talking about paying for her while the man gave an expressionless face as he placed the medicine in her hand and stretched the glass for her to take.

The shattering of glass was heard next. The scary-looking man made a move to where Cecilia was, but Don Santiago stopped him with just a wave of his hand in his direction.

"Go get someone to clean this mess up," Don Santiago told the scary-looking man, who did not look like he was so happy with the order, but he left anyway. Cecilia watched as his eyes morphed into something different.

Something scary and predatory as he looked into her eyes and spoke with a deep, smooth timber that sent shivers to her body, but not because she found it attractive this time around; it was because it sounded like the devil himself was giving a warning.

"I would let this slide for now, but any more disrespect from you would not be tolerated," he had said. Now, she understands why he was feared. For the first time in her life, she was afraid to speak because of the power he wielded with just his words.

She had always believed herself to be someone who could never be intimated, no matter the situation, but this time she was not only intimidated but scared.

The man who had a 'God-like' face spoke to her in that tone for his, which made her believe that it was not just an ordinary warning but something that he would most definitely do.

"That's a good girl," he said, slightly ruffling her hair before someone came in. It was a young girl that looked slightly older than Cecilia, and Cecilia could see the gaze she gave Don Santiago, one of pure respect and adoration, like she worshipped him.

Don Santiago left her room with a promise that he would be back when her headache subsided. That was when Cecilia saw the medicine that the man who left to call the girl was holding. He dropped it at the bedside before also leaving.

The girl cleaned up the mess with an unkind look on her face whenever she looked in the direction of Cecilia. It seemed like she already held a grudge against Cecilia. As soon as the girl left, Cecilia decided to take her medicine, as she was just doing it herself if she did not take it.

Plus, the headache looked like it was returning. But she knew she had not accepted her fate, though. She was still going to find a way to get out of this place sooner or later, and a headache would just be an added burden. With the way Don Santiago left the room, it looked like they had an urgent meeting to attend to, and that would be perfect for me to escape.

"The corporation between the two companies is not something that you all should be concentrating on right now. Don't you all know how to do your damn job?" Santiago said angrily to his employees, who were currently in a video meeting and were stressing him.

Everywhere was silent as soon as he finished talking. No one was brave enough to continue because it looked like he was in a bad mood. He barely raised his voice at anyone. He was more of a quiet devil. A knock helped them out of the situation as Santiago ended the meeting to focus on who was at the door.

The person knocked three times, as Santiago always instructed before coming in. Whenever he had some secret dealings, he usually locked the door. As far as the door was unlocked, three knocks were enough to alert him to their presence.

Santiago's right-hand man, Jordan, came into his home office. "Don, the lady escaped," Jordan said. Santiago already knew who he was referring to. The one person who had made him frustrated all day. After her first very foolish attempt to run away from his men when they were in a moving car, he realised that she was a force to be reckoned with.

Punishing her was the first idea that came to his mind when they found her, but that thought flew over his head the first time he met her. He had seen her in different pictures but was taken aback when he saw her from a close distance.

She was still unconscious when he came into the room. He had gotten angry at his men for injecting her, but he knew that was the best thing to be done from what he heard of her struggles.

Then she woke up, and the way she stared at

him sent blood flowing through him. She looked at him like a meal she wanted to taste, and her looking at his lips almost made him undone until she seemed to step out of her trance.

She was too preoccupied with whatever dirty thoughts she had to see how he was also looking at him at the moment, but he knew that nothing could ever happen between them. Even if he wanted it, it was simply impossible, as that would be the last strand of his morality.

She was now his to protect and fulfil his promise, as well as the guilt he had had all these years. "Was no one guiding her?" Santiago asked Jordan.

"Someone was positioned at her door, but she made her escape through that little space in the bathroom window. We did not bother about it because it was too far away from the land," Jordan said. "Is she a monkey now?" Santiago asked nobody in particular.

"Don't, if I may talk?" Jordan asked, waiting for Santiago's response. With the nod of Santiago's head, Jordan continued. "Boss, I think you have been too lenient with her.

This is not the first time she tried to escape, even though she is aware that she was used to paying back her stepfather's debt. She also threw that glass back then, which might have been threatening to you.

I think she needs to be taught her place, and some punishment would be needed," Jordan said. "I know what I am to do. She is now mine, so nobody has any right to lay a single finger on her. Go find her now," Santiago said.

Jordan left, and as soon as he closed the door, he shook his head. The don was beginning to act differently after less than a day of meeting that girl, and he did not like it. The girl was too rude, had sharp tongues, and was violent, yet all the bosses could say was that she should not be touched.

Cecilia was found in no time and brought up to where Santiago was. The whole house was so big and confusing to her, so getting away was harder than jumping from the third floor.

"Don't think that you can leave here. You are in my territory," Santiago said to her before turning to Jordan.

"Lock her up in the cell room for one week until she learns her lesson," Santiago said. "Where are you taking me?" Cecilia asked, but they just carried her out. The place did not seem like a good place to be, as she could see that the scary-looking man had a small smirk of satisfaction when his boss said that.

She was sure that he hated her on a different level, especially because of the way he looked at her all the time. They took the elevator down to the place where she would be locked. Yes, the house was so big that it even had elevators. Cecilia spotted a metal door, and the man was moving towards it.

"Don't put me in there like a prisoner. You are all the real criminals, not me."Cecilia shouted, but he just kept going as if she wasn't talking to him. Something that she noticed he always did. He kept her there and went ahead to lock the door.

"Let's see how you sneak your way out of this place," he said, jamming the big door.

Looking around, the place was empty with no sign of life around, and the space was no bigger than a walk-in closet. It was also a colder temperature than normal, and she was just wearing a nightgown.

Something that she had been made to change into before she tried to escape. She folded her hands as the cold started seeping in, and she started feeling it. What she hates the most is staying in a quiet, lonely place, away from any source of life.

She was also claustrophobic, so her anxiety was acting up. "Mama, I am scared," she said, her voice reverberating in the room.

Remembering the technique her mother taught her as a child whenever she had a bad dream or was scared, she tapped her hands on her shoulders as she sang her mom's favourite bedtime song as tears streamed down her eyes.

All she had even been doing since she came here was cry like a little baby.

She misses her mother so much now, more than ever.