Thomas steps out of the car once they arrive at the office. He walks inside and nods to anyone who greets him. He considers passing by his younger sister’s office before going to his brother’s. Aurora, his younger sister, manages their chain of hotels. Being the Don and heir to their family’s fortune puts a lot of pressure on Stefano, so instead of making Thomas his VP, he gives it to Aurora. Stefano did this so that Thomas could focus on helping him run their mafia. It works perfectly because they own one of the best hotels in the world and are one of the most feared mafias.
When Thomas realizes he’s already late for his meeting with Stefano, he decides not to. He knocks on his brother’s office door before entering.
“I’ll call you back; Thomas is here,” Stefano says to the person on the phone once Thomas walks in.
“Hello, brother,” Stefano greets his brother in Italian.
“Hello, why did you ask to see me?” Thomas takes a seat opposite Stefano.
“I believe you know why.” Stefano raises an eyebrow at his brother
“My decision is still the same. I’m not selling Melina.”
“Then you’d better find someone better than her for Xiao Zhan, because he’s refused to sign the contract.”
“We don’t even sell women. Why is the fucker so obsessed with Melina?”
“I believe it’s for the same reason you keep her.”
“I have little doubt.”
“I’ll agree to disagree. I don’t have the time to argue with you. I need you to do two things for me.”
“What?”
“First, find a woman for that asshole or find another way to get him agree to sign the contract.”
“Done.”
“Secondly, I need you to take a trip to Chicago. Our contact is having some trouble with the Mexicans. I need you to make it go away.”
“Done too.”
“That’s great to hear, and I advise you to take her with you. I’ll sell her if you leave her behind.”
“Who?”
“Since you don’t know who, that’s your fucking business.”
“You won’t fucking dare.”
“Are you my brother?” Stefano asks, smirking.
“Yes.”
“Then you know if I’ll or not.”
“Do you know you’re one cocky bastard?”
“Likewise, brother, now get the fuck out of my office. I have work to do, and so do you.”
“Goodbye,” Thomas says as he stands to leave Stefano’s office.
***
MELINA
Melina walks back to the maid quarters after a long day. She couldn’t wait to get home and take a good shower. Serena had to leave her halfway through cleaning to attend to Linda. As always, she walks through the gardens on her way back; it has now become a habit for her. Melina notices a figure leaning against the wall near the greenhouse. The moon isn’t shining tonight, so she can’t see who it is from afar. The color drains from Melina’s face on recognizing the person. She freezes, staring at him.
“Hello, Melina,” Matteo says. He knows her name. That isn’t good.
“Hello Matteo,” Melina gives him a fake smile. She takes a step back away from him. He can’t be here for a good reason at this hour. A yelp escapes Melina’s lips as she bumps into someone from behind. She turns around to see Seth standing behind her. Where did he come from?
“Why do you want to flee? We haven’t even said why we’re here,” Matteo says, pushing off the wall and walking closer to her. Melina’s heart begins to race with each step he takes.
“Are you afraid we’ll do something bad to you?” Seth whispers from her left side. They are slowly caging her in between them. Fresh sweat breaks out on her brow, and she starts to feel claustrophobic.
“No, I’m not,” Melina shakes her head, her gaze divided between the two men as they close in on her.
“That’s good because we just want to talk,” Matteo says as he wraps a strand of her hair around his finger. Her breathing stops, feeling his breath fanning her neck.
“T-t-talk about what?” Melina moves a little to the left, taking her hair out of Matteo’s hand, but this only brings her closer to Seth. She swallows hard, blinking to clear her eyes of sweat.
Melina screams as Matteo grabs her hair and shoves her face into his. “Talk about how I fucking lost my dick because of you.”
“I swear to you, I didn’t ask Thomas to do that to you. Please let me go.” Her scalp is burning as he holds on.
“Do you really think I would believe that?”
“I swear it’s the truth.” Melina couldn’t believe this was happening to her. The second time she does something good, and it backfires. The first was what got her here in the first place.
“You lying fucking bitch,” Matteo smacks her hard across the face.
“I swear I’m not lying; please do not hurt me” Tears stream down her stinging cheek.
“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t be the one who hurts you. I’m just going to help my friend do what I wish to do to you. It’s referred to as “helping a friend out.” “I’m sure you’re familiar with the term.”
“What do you mean?”
“You will see,” Matteo smirks, pulling her by the hair to the nearest wall.
“What do you w….” Matteo slams her into the wall face forward, cutting her short. Melina’s nose is shot with pain, and blood pours out. She’s pretty sure it’s broken right now.
“You’ll wish you’d walked away that day,” he whispers, pushing her against the wall.
“Please let me go; I swear I didn’t tell Thomas to do that to you.” Melina turns her head to the side against the wall, her eyes widening in terror as she notices Seth working his pants. She struggles to get off the wall, shaking her body to break Matteo’s grip on her neck. He rips her underwear from beneath her dress with his other hand. Melina’s heart sinks, fearing the disaster that is about to befall her. Is she cursed or something? Why the hell is she getting raped all the time?
“I can’t wait to fucking have her,” Seth says, as he approaches her, licking his tongue.
“Act quickly. Sotto capo will be back soon,” Matteo warns, holding Melina still against the wall.
“Please stop, please, I am begging you” Melina continues to fight to get free, thrashing more against the wall. Tears stream down her face in waves. Her stomach drops as she feels her dress lift. This time, she knows there is nothing that can stop this monster from taking her. She closes her eyes and braces herself for the pain to come, but instead, a loud voice sends shivers down her spine.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Thomas yells as he approaches the scene. Matteo immediately lets go of Melina, who collapses to the ground, drained of all her energy. Seth also steps away from her.