ELEANOR
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the drawer where the phone was hidden. The silence in the mansion pressed down on me like a heavy weight and I hated how quiet it was-how every shift of the wind outside seemed louder than my own heartbeat. I just had this lingering feeling that he was going to call.
My hands shook as I waited-each second feeling like an eternity-and then it happened. The phone rang.
The sound sliced through the quiet like a knife, and for a moment, I couldn’t move. My heart raced as I reached for the drawer-my fingers fumbling to open it-and when I finally pulled the phone out, my stomach twisted into knots.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves, and answered. “Hello?”
The line was silent. Not a sound. Not even the faintest breath on the other end. I swallowed hard, gripping the phone tighter.
And then, his voice came-smooth, calm and controlled. “Eleanor.”
I didn’t respond right away. My mouth was dry, and my chest felt tight.
“Have you been thinking about your sister?” he asked, his tone causal with a dangerously mocking edge to it.
“Of course I have,” I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Good,” he said. “You should be. Because time is running out. Every day you stall puts her closer to a point of no return. Do you understand what that means?”
I nodded desperately before realizing he couldn’t see me. “I… I just need more time,” I stammered, the words tumbling out. “It’s not easy. Armando is always watching, always on guard. I can’t just-”
“Excuses,” he interrupted, his tone sharp but never loud. “Excuses don’t save lives. Results do.”
I clenched my jaw, gripping the phone so hard it hurt.
He continued, his voice cold. “You want to see your sister alive? Then I believe you already know what needs to be done. You’ve known from the start.”
Tears stung my eyes but I blinked them away. “I’m trying,” I said, my voice trembling. “I swear I’m trying. But it’s not as simple as you think. He’s not stupid. If I make even one wrong move, it’d be over for me.”
“And if you do nothing, it’s over for her,” he countered smoothly. “The choice is yours Eleanor. You can’t have it both ways.”
My breathing was shallow, my mind racing. “I can’t just-”
“You can,” he cut in again, his voice colder this time. “You just won’t. There’s a difference. And if you think pleading with me is going to change things, you’re just wasting your breath.”
The phone buzzed in my hand and as I pulled it away from my ear, I saw a message pop up. My heart sank.
I opened it with trembling fingers.
It was a photo of my sister and she looked even worse than before. Her face was pale, her cheeks hollow, and her eyes-God, her eyes looked so empty.
“Do you see her now?” Salvatore’s voice came through the phone. “That’s what your hesitation has done. That’s what waiting gets you.”
I pressed my hand over my mouth, fighting back a sob. My grip on the phone tightened as I stared at the image.
“You think I’m bluffing?” he asked. “Look at her Eleanor. Take a good look. Because this is what happens when you waste my time.”
“Please,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “Please don’t hurt her any more. I’ll… I’ll do it. I just need a little more time, that’s all I’m asking.”
“You’ve had plenty of time,” he said flatly. “More than most people ever get. Do you know how many people I’ve given this much leeway to? None. You’re lucky I’ve been as patient as I have.”
“Lucky?” I choked out. “You call this lucky?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Because I could end this right now. I could end her suffering, end your stalling, and move on with my life. But I haven’t. Do you know why?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
“Because I believe in results,” he continued. “I believe in people doing what needs to be done when it matters most. And you Eleanor, you have a choice to make. Time is a luxury you don’t have. And you’ve already wasted enough of mine.”
The line went dead.
I lowered the phone, my hands trembling so badly I almost dropped it. The photo of my sister was still on the screen and as I stared at it, my chest heaved as I tried to breathe through the panic-my thoughts a mess crashing into each other like waves in a storm.
What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to carry out something as risky as trying to kill Armando when I couldn’t even think straight?
But if I didn’t act fast then only God knows what that beast of a man would do to my sister. The same path i had taken to be able to save her life had now turned around to threaten it even more.
I shoved the phone back into the drawer, burying it under a pile of old letters I’d found in the room when I first arrived. My hands were shaking, and I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears as I slammed the drawer shut, taking a shaky breath.
When I turned, Armando was leaning against the doorframe-arms crossed. His expression was unreadable as usual, but his eyes-sharp, cold, and focused-were locked on me. My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I tried to steady my breathing.
“You’re jumpy today.” He said as he tilted his head slightly, studying me. “Something you want to tell me?”
I swallowed hard and forced a smile, hoping it looked natural. “Just startled, that’s all,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I didn’t hear you come upstairs.”
His brow lifted slightly and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Didn’t hear me,” he repeated slowly, “or didn’t want to hear me?”
I blinked, trying to play it off. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve been… distracted lately.” He answered as he stepped into the room. his He closed the distance between us as his eyes scanned the room with a calculating precision that made my skin crawl.
“I’ve been fine,” I said quickly, brushing my hands against my jeans just to keep them from trembling. “There’s just not much to do around here. Boredom gets to you you know?”
He didn’t respond right away, just kept looking around. His hand trailed along the edge of the dresser-his fingers grazing the wood-and my breath hitched when he stopped near the drawer.
“Boredom, huh?” he said, his tone light but his gaze cutting right through me. “Funny. For someone who claims to hate being here, you seem awfully preoccupied with your own little world. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
My throat felt tight as I forced a casual shrug, trying to appear unfazed. “Just… thinking,” I said. “There’s always a lot to think about when you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere.”
His fingers tapped against the surface of the dresser, and his eyes flicked to mine.
Armando’s gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than I could stand, and then finally, he stepped back-his eyes still sharp but no longer pinning me in place. The corners of his mouth curved into a faint, almost amused smirk-the kind that always left me unsure whether he was being playful or deadly serious.
“Well,” he said, his voice soft but laced with something unspoken, “try not to think too much. It doesn’t suit you.”
I nodded, barely trusting myself to speak.
He lingered near the door-his hand resting on the frame-and I thought he might say something else, but instead, he gave me one last look-a slow, dead glance over his shoulder that made my stomach twist into knots.
The door clicked shut, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the bed-my body trembling with relief and fear. My heart was still pounding, each beat a reminder of how close I’d come to losing control.
I stayed there for a moment, staring at the ceiling and trying to calm myself. But it didn’t help. The weight in my chest didn’t ease. If anything, it grew heavier.
I couldn’t keep doing this.
I sat up, my movements slow and deliberate, as if any sudden motion might shatter what little composure I had left. My hand reached for the drawer before I could stop myself. The phone was still there, buried under the letters. I pulled it out, gripping it tightly in my hand.
I felt a rush of anger so sharp it nearly took my breath away.
Don Salvatore’s words echoed in my mind-taunting me-as I clenched the phone tighter, my jaw stiffening as a mix of anger and determination bubbled to the surface. My whole life felt like it was spinning out of control but one thing was clear; I couldn’t let him control me anymore.
The clock was ticking faster than ever and I didn’t have the luxury of waiting. If I was going to survive this, I had to act. Now.