I had no time to rest. I couldn’t rest because my mind was consumed with thoughts and what might be happening to the people who weren’t here yet.
Mom guided me to sit down. She rubbed my back, trying to calm me down. Her voice was soothing, but her words felt empty. Because I knew that no matter what they said, I wouldn’t find peace until they brought my sister and Dario to me.
I lost track of time, and I didn’t know what was happening because only Dad received the reports. The other members of the Locatelli family and their associates were not present, as they were in other countries.
Only Valerio and Dad are with me. Mom is also here. Raffaele is in the country but is preoccupied with laboratory work.
The door suddenly swings open. I looked up and got to my feet as I saw Gio. His eyes are furious, but the word doesn’t quite capture the intensity of the anger in his eyes.
“Gio!” I ran towards him, and he immediately embraced me. I could feel his hand on my back.
“Update,” Gio demanded authoritatively.
Valerio provided an update on the ongoing search for Dario and Sienna. I learned that they still hadn’t been found.
“I will call for backups-”
“No need for that, Taddeo,” Dad interrupted Taddeo.
“The team we sent there has combed the entire area. They found the secret underground passage where Millie was taken. No one is there; everyone escaped. They’re also searching the entire forest where Millie’s sister and Dario might be, but they haven’t found them yet. Our men on the ground are sufficient for them. Instead of sending backup, secure your houses and the people who could be used against us. So, no one else becomes a hostage.”
Taddeo and even Valerio immediately followed Gio’s instructions and started making calls.
“Whoever was behind this knows how we think and operate. He knows the pattern of our movements, so he knows how to counteract it. Anyone in mind, Gio?”
“Dad…” I interrupted. Due to my earlier shock, I hadn’t mentioned to them who was behind our abduction. “I know who kidnapped me.”
I had everyone’s attention. I also felt Gio’s gaze on me.
“It’s Nicolas. Nicolas Belleza. He told me he’s the heir to the Belleza family and the sole survivor of your destruction of their family.”
I saw a furrow in Dad’s brow. I think this is the first time I’ve seen even a hint of emotion on his face, other than coldness.
“That’s impossible. We already killed them.”
“Someone escaped. He introduced himself to me earlier.” My revelation silenced everyone. No one spoke after that.
Gio took my hand, and I looked at him, seeing the concern he didn’t want to display. “You should rest. I’ll put you to bed, Millie.”
I shook my head vigorously. “No, I’ll wait for news about Sienna. I’m staying right here, Gio.”
He didn’t push me against my wishes. He allowed me to stay in the living room as we waited for news.
Throughout the night, I received no updates about Sienna or how she was doing. There was no news about Dario either. The heavy rain made their search even more challenging. I couldn’t blame them, considering the vastness of the forest where we were held earlier.
I leaned against Gio. I knew he was tired, but he never rested until there was news. I knew he worried not only about me and Sienna but also about Dario.
I fell asleep on Gio’s shoulder. I didn’t even realize it, given how disoriented I was.
“Sir!”
I was awakened by a noise, and I heard Elliott, who seemed to have just arrived. I wasn’t sure if he was part of the team that searched for Dario last night.
“We caught five men on their side. We’ve taken them to the basement. We tried to question them to find out where Dario and Sienna are, but they refused to speak,” Elliott sighed.
My heart sank at his words. I had a strong sense that the news he was about to deliver wasn’t good.
“Authorities in the area where Ma’am Millie was held were called. They reported finding bodies in the river. They want us to confirm the identities.”
Gio asked, “How many bodies were found?”
Elliott let out a deep breath. My hand trembled as I tried to steady it. “They said two, but they couldn’t confirm the gender.”
I quickly stood up and turned to Gio, telling him that we needed to go there.
By land, it would take us several hours to reach the location, so we used Gio’s chopper for a faster journey. Elliott mentioned that they had informed Aunt Elsie about her daughter’s disappearance. They hadn’t told me last night, but they had rushed her to the hospital after receiving the news. She was okay now.
As soon as the chopper touched down, I hurried off. Gio chased after me.
“Calm down,” Gio told me. That’s where I managed to find some semblance of calmness, even if I hadn’t realized that I had stopped breathing almost completely.
Locatelli’s personnel were scattered all over the area, ensuring there were no other individuals present aside from us. Besides them, there were a few policemen who had probably assisted in searching for Dario and Sienna last night.
“Mr. and Mrs. Locatelli,” a police officer greeted us. I immediately asked them where they had found the bodies and they led us there.
I was bracing myself but still praying that it wasn’t Sienna or Dario. Was I a bad person for hoping that it would be someone else?
I saw two body bags. They opened them while I held my breath. When I saw the bodies of two men, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“These must be Nicolas’ men. They might have clashed with Dario,” Gio nodded and spoke with the officer. The officer mentioned that the two men had gunshot wounds, which had caused their deaths.
I gazed at the now calm river. I overheard someone say that it had been turbulent last night, which was probably why they hadn’t spotted the bodies immediately.
“Sir, we found something. We searched the cliff,” one of the men pointed to a nearby precipice where the river flowed. “We found this.”
He revealed an item they had discovered, and my eyes widened when I saw what it was.
I quickly approached and grabbed the item. Gio held me back, saying it might be evidence, and he allowed me to examine it.
Tears welled up in my eyes when I realized what it was.
“This is my hair tie. Sienna took it last night to deceive the enemies, to make them think I was her,” I approached the man who found it. Was Sienna there? I sighed with relief earlier when I learned that it wasn’t Sienna who was identified in the body, but now I feel like I should be worried again.
“Was there anything else or anyone there, Ma’am? The owner of the hair tie might have dropped it off the cliff and into the river. Considering the strong current last night and the rocky terrain, it’s possible they didn’t survive.”
“Watch your mouth,” Elliott reprimanded the man when he saw where he was heading. I also noticed Gio’s dark gaze fixated on the man.
I couldn’t speak. I didn’t want to entertain the idea that the man might be right. Sienna couldn’t die. She promised me. She promised that we would see each other again. Dario assured me he would protect my sister.
“Boss…” a man, who I believed was one of Locatelli’s personnel, approached us. I looked at him, and I noticed he was also staring at me. He quickly averted his gaze and faced Gio. “You have to see this.”