Gabriele’s POV
Hearing her talk was like medicine to my broken soul. She told me about her grandparents and how much they had impacted her. She told me about her childhood and how she had defended herself against Bullies.
I found myself smiling at her stories and wanting to hear even more. It was late in the night before we decided to call it a night and retired to bed.
I had never had such a peaceful sleep in a long time. But all of that peace washed away as a sharp disturbing scream woke me up the next morning.
“Gabriele, did you hear that?” Arianna whispered beside me.
“Stay here,” I ordered as I jumped out of bed and ran out of the room.
My guards were already repositioning themselves toward the sound and my heart went to my throat as adrenaline pumped faster into my veins.
“What’s happening?” I asked them as I got closer. “Where did that noise come from?”
Basilio appeared between them and handed me a gun. “It’s from the women’s quarters. We are heading there right now,” he said.
My face was as expressionless as ever but my head was thinking a million thoughts per second. What could have happened in their quarter? Did Gianni attack again? Did he penetrate my security force?
Basilio and I led the rest of the men to the east wing where the women were housed. As soon as we got to the entrance, another scream went off and I recognized the voice as that of Nadia.
I walked faster and as I got to the corridor, I saw Eleana bundled in a corner. Her eyes had gone pale and she looked like she had seen a ghost. I went to her and she jumped out of her skin letting out another bout of scream.
“Shhh, I am here. It’s okay,” I whispered hugging her to my chest.
She started crying as soon as she recognized me. I gave a sign to Basilio to go ahead and check where Nadia was while I stayed with Eleana.
“Oh, Gabriele… what did you do to her?” she sobbed and I pulled her away from my chest so I could at least see her face.
“It shouldn’t have ended like this for her… she was mean but… Oh Gabriele it’s terrible!” she cried harder.
I wiped her tears with my thumb and pulled her blonde hair away from her face.
“Who are you talking about?” I asked her in a gentle voice.
She shook in my arms as she tried to calm herself enough to be able to speak again. But she failed. Each time she tried to speak she broke down into tears.
“Fratello,” Basilio called and I raised my head to meet his eyes as he came from the other side of the corridor. “You have to see this,” he said.
“Okay,” I said seeing the frown on his face. It had to be bad.
I signalled to one of the guards behind me to step forward. “Stay with her,” I said and went with Basilio.
We took steps closer to the room I used whenever I went to their wing. My heart dropped the moment the door opened, Sara was sprawled on the bed in a pool of her own blood.
Nadia was by the corner letting out screams of fear and shock simultaneously. Her dark locks were smeared with sweat and tears on her face and she looked like a character from a scary movie.
“Get her out of here,” I told Basilio as I moved closer to Sara.
I had released her for a few moments. To prepare her mind for Demyan’s arrival. I wanted to be certain he was the one she had been communicating with. Or perhaps it could have been Gianni himself.
I wanted her to get a bit comfortable before I resumed torturing her for the answers I needed. I never expected her to kill herself –that was if she had actually killed herself.
As I moved closer, I saw the blade cuts on her arm where the blood had started gushing from. The blood was dried up which showed that she must have done it long before Nadia let out that cry.
Her red hair was a darker shade of red as it blended with her blood.
“What have you done to yourself?” I whispered as I walked around the scene to see if I could figure out anything.
I was not going to kill her in the end. I was probably going to lock her up in her room forever till I got hold of Gianni. I didn’t want this for her.
Too bad she had to go this way, I thought as I placed my hands on my waist.
“What a waste,” I hissed giving her dead body one last look before turning away.
I would have to speak to Nadia and Eleana to be certain none of them had contact with any of my enemies or even Sara. The last thing I needed was another mole amongst my people or another suicide.
“Clean this up,” I said to the men as I walked out of the room.
Basilio had moved the women to the other wing where Arianna was. Though I would have preferred she stayed out of this but it wouldn’t be right to leave the women in their side of the mansion especially since Sara’s body was still there.
I took the stair that led to the rooms on the upper floor. There were a couple of empty rooms there, surely Basilio would have taken them there. I was just about to take a bend down the corridor when Basilio stepped out of one of the rooms.
“How are they?” I asked him.
“I was just coming to get you. Nadia-” he didn’t finish speaking before her screams filled the corridor. “-she wouldn’t stop screaming. We need to call doctor Andriano.”
“Of course. How about Eleana?” I asked him.
“She is in the next room with a few maids around to watch her,” he said.
“How about Arianna?” I asked wondering if she was safe in all this chaos.
“I told Sofia to keep her in her room till you or I came to get her. I don’t think it will be wise to keep them in the same place. We don’t know what Sara might have told Nadia and Eleana,” he said.
I tapped his shoulder and gave him a curt nod. “You are right. Call Andriano, I will try and calm her till he gets here,” I said and moved to the room.
Her mascara had smeared all over on her face and she looked like the devil had dragged her to his ball. Her dress was stained with blood and her hair was now pulled on top of her head like a bird had tried making a nest in it but failed.
“Nadia…” I called and she raised her frightened eyes to meet mine before she pushed herself closer to the wall she was leaning against.
“Hey, it’s okay. I am here now. Nothing bad will happen,” I whispered as I took steps closer to her.
She blinked hard and wiped at her eyes as fast as she could muster. It felt like she didn’t want to miss any movement I made.
“Do you want to talk about it? It will make you feel better…” I said as I reached her.
Again she repeated her action and watched me like a hawk in search of feed.
“Nadia, you don’t have to be afraid of anything… talk to me,” I pleaded.
I could remember when she was given to me. She used to be like this, always scared and jumpy until she loosened up little by little. Seeing her back in this state was painful to watch.
I reached my hand to touch her but she flinched away and let out a scream.
“Argh!” she screamed and I took my hand away from her.
“Nadia, it’s me,” I stated. “You don’t have to be afraid. I am not going to hurt you,” I said.
“But you hurt Sara… you hurt Sara!” she mumbled like a mantra and covered her face with her hands.
I took a step away from her as I started seeing the picture she was painting in her head. “You think I killed Sara?” I whispered.
“Please leave me… I am not going to talk to anyone… I promise. Please- just don’t kill me too,” she cried.
Doctor Andriano really had to come to see her, something wasn’t right with her.
“Fine, I will leave. But if you let out another scream, I will come back,” I warned and she clipped her lips sealed with her manicured fingernails.
I left the room wondering what made her think I had killed Sara… it made no sense. Could Sara have told them a different story?
“How is she?” Basilio asked as I stepped out.
“She thinks I killed Sara,” I mumbled.