Valentina pov
In the minute it took to buy ice cream, we were shoved into a car by masked men. My hands and legs were bound with rough ropes, and to top it off, three muscular men, excluding the driver, were currently glaring at me like they wanted nothing more than to kill me.
“Pfft, would you three stop glaring at the girl already? I still can’t believe you grown men got your asses kicked by a fragile girl and a child,” the driver scoffed from the front seat.
I swallowed nervously as I felt their glares sharpen on me.
Uh-oh.
Did I forget to mention that during all the chaos, I had fought with everything I had? (Which, by the way, I had no freaking idea I could even do.) I threw punches, kicking and thrashing, refusing to let them lay a hand on Felix. At one point, I swear I heard the sickening crack of a bone as my fist connected with one of their jaws.
And Felix? Despite his small frame and young age, the kid managed to deliver a slap so loud it echoed through the car. The force of it actually snapped one of the men’s head to the side.
For a moment, I thought we had a fighting chance. I mean, it was like we were in an action movie with the way we fought but it wasn’t long before we were easily outmatched.
Because apparently, it turned out, a woman and a child were still no match for three full-grown men.
How did I know that? Well, it was painfully obvious. But at least they didn’t tie Felix up, so it was okay.
“Mmmm! Mmmm!” I tried to speak, but with my mouth taped shut, all that came out were muffled sounds.
I felt Felix move closer to me, his worried eyes trained on me as he tried to climb onto the chair and pull the tape from my mouth. But I shook my head, signaling him not to.
He wasn’t bound, but if he was seen as a threat, they probably wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him.
Felix understood and pouted, his eyes turning watery. Guilt settled deep in my chest- I had failed to protect him.
This was bad. If I had been the only one kidnapped, I wouldn’t be this scared. But Felix was here, trapped in this situation with me.
And it definitely looked like it wasn’t a random kidnapping.
I had to think.
Why would they kidnap us? It couldn’t have been because of me, I was the sweetest person ever, and I hadn’t even met enough people to make enemies. Felix was just a child, and he was even sweeter than me.
That only left Alexander- who was a dangerous mafia don with a long list of enemies and wasn’t exactly the nicest man alive.
Shit.
It was because of Alexander, alright.
“Mmmph!” I struggled against my restraints, trying to speak again, but the men ignored me like I didn’t even exist.
“You guys should just take the tape off and find out what she wants,” the driver said. “The boss won’t like it if she finds out you gagged the girl.”
She?
I raised a brow.
The person who ordered our kidnapping was a woman?
“Should we really do it? She talks too much, and she’ll start yelling. The boss wouldn’t know,” the bulkier man grumbled.
“Rock is right. We’re almost there anyway so let’s just keep her like this. We didn’t touch the kid, so the boss won’t get too angry,” the other agreed.
And just like that, they decided it was better to keep my mouth shut.
I quickly shook my head, silently assuring them I wouldn’t shout, but they merely looked away as the car continued down the road in tense silence.
Ugh! This was so bad.
“Mommy,” Felix whispered, his small hands wrapping around my waist as he looked up at me with wide, uncertain eyes.
I sighed, wanting nothing more than to pull him close and promise that everything would be okay. But with my hands bound, all I could do was blink down at him.
Still, he seemed to understand. Without another word, he rested his head against me, his tiny body seeking comfort.
I really, really hoped everything would turn out okay and Alexander would find us soon.
___
“We’ve arrived.”
I stared out of the window, trying to take in my surroundings, but I instantly froze when I felt one of the masked men’s hands on me, untying the ropes around my wrists and ankles.
Before he could remove the tape from my mouth, he gave me a sharp look and warned, “You better behave. No punching anyone.”
I quickly nodded, putting on the most sincere expression I could muster. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously but still peeled the tape from my mouth before stepping back and gesturing toward the door.
My heart pounded violently against my chest as I clutched Felix and did as I was told, stepping out of the car while keeping him close.
The moment my feet touched the ground, I nearly gasped in pure shock at the sight before me.
It wasn’t just the massive mansion looming in front of me or the armed guards patrolling the grounds. No.
What truly stunned me was the fact that every single one of them, men and women alike, was dressed in pink.
Yes. Pink.
Imagine getting kidnapped and then being escorted into a place like this.
What the actual hell?
Before I could even process the shock, the men in front of us started moving toward the building, gesturing for us to follow.
I turned to Felix, only to find him tilting his head, his eyes narrowed in confusion, lke he was trying to piece something together.
“Let’s go… everything will be fine. I’ll protect you, don’t worry,” I whispered, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
Felix snapped out of his thoughts, his mouth opening as if to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance for the fear that the men would get mad at us for being slow. I held onto him and led him forward, stepping into the house.
The moment we entered, I stiffened. A line of maids, dressed in pink, stood with their heads bowed, welcoming us with warm smiles.
“Welcome, Madam Emily and Young Master Felix.”
Huh?
I was still reeling, trying to wrap my head around this bizarre situation, still wondering what kind of sick joke this was when a voice echoed from the staircase.
“Ah, welcome. You’ve arrived. I hope the ride wasn’t too rough?”
I froze, my breath hitching as I lifted my head toward the source of the voice.
An older woman stood at the top of the stairs, smiling down at us with effortless grace. She was breathtaking, draped in an elegant pink dress, her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders and down her waist.
She was perfect.
She reminded me of someone.
A shiver ran down my spine as her gaze met mine, and the corners of her lips curved into a bright, welcoming smile.
But before I could react, before I could even think-Felix’s voice shattered the silence.
His scream echoed through the hall.
“Grandma!!”