CHAPTER 129: MONSTROSITY

Maya wanted to stay up late, deep in thought to create the perfect escape plan, but she wasn’t really a social butterfly, and hanging out with her big Italian family after dinner had drained all her energy, making her feel so damn tired. She just allowed the maids to bathe her in the bathtub again. She was so consumed by fatigue that she didn’t care that she was acting like a lazy, spoiled, rich princess. Afterwards, she jumped straight into bed, and the blanket of sleep wrapped over her.

When she woke to a brand new day, her reality hit her hard like a brick, and the little happiness she had felt the night before dissipated, leaving her feeling dread and distressed again. She missed Dalton so much that she could cry.

And she is beating herself up, distraught over whether he was still going to love her or not. It was killing her inside; now she just wanted to escape so she could see Dalton one more time and look into his green eyes, just to see if the evidence of his love for her was still glistening in them.

A knock interrupted her train of thought.

That must be the maids. Maya has already taken a shower, dressed up in the least fancy dress she could find in the walk-in closet, and styled her hair into a sleek ponytail. So she doesn’t need their services.

Maya cleared her throat. "Come in’

It wasn’t the maids who barged in; it was a towering, muscularly built, grim-looking guy who jaunted in.

Maya’s heart jumped to her throat. What the hell is this terrifying-looking dude doing in her room?

"Miss De Luca, the don wants you to come down for breakfast." Maya felt her muscles unclench, relaxing. "Oh, just breakfast." She thought this scary dude was coming for her for some dubious purposes.

"Seeing that the scary guy was still at the door, meaning he was her escort, she said in a formal tone, ’Okay, lead the way,’ and followed him out of the room."

It has been all roses, she is yet to be prickled by the thorns. She is waiting for a bomb to drop. What will that terrible monster Vico do to her? What plans does he have for her?

So far, he has only ordered her to divorce Dalton, and she thought he was going to use some compelling means to make her do it. Instead, he is just leaving her alone. Unfortunately, she has to see his despicable face at the dining table this morning, but seeing Zia Arianna again will make up for it. She needs to get close to her and gain her trust. Zia Arianna is her only hope for escaping

Maya was so deeply trapped in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that Vico’s thug had led her past the dining hall and was taking her somewhere else.

She became anxious but didn’t want to interact with this thug, so she didn’t ask where he was taking her.

She was being led straight to the basement. A wave of nostalgia hit her, making her miss her basement apartment.

A strong stench of blood wafted into her nose as she jolted off the last staircase. Her stomach churned, and she nearly tripped. She felt like throwing up, spilling out the contents of her stomach.

Maya’s eyes immediately located the source of the blood. "Oh my fucking God!" she shrieks. The scene before her is a replica of a massacre. No, it’s a real fucking massacre! A sea of dead bodies in a brittle, disassembled state is packed and heaped up like a big pile of garbage, and around the horrors is a large pool of blood forming a pond.

Not far from the barbarous sight sat Vico at a table, eating a cornetto; a croissant-like pastry, and he was immune to the brutality on display since he was the perpetrator

"Good morning, Tesoro. Come join your papa.’"

Maya was petrified. She was rooted to the spot, frozen like a statue. She was quivering inside, hagridden by immense trepidation.

She felt a hand grip her arm. "The don wants you at the table," the thug who led her here sternly reminded her. This was more of an order. She is being forced to take a seat at the table against her will.

Maya didn’t want to know what Vico would do if she refused his demand. She walked robotically to the table and settled into a seat to Vico’s right.

"Eat," Vico’s baritone commands. He shoves a plate of Cornetto with a glass of yoghurt in front of her.

"No," Maya defiantly refused. She would be damn right evil if she ate in the midst of this monstrosity.

"Antonio! Bring in that baker’s daughter," Vico orders in English for Maya’s understanding.

One of the armed men in the basement with them jogs to a door at the right corner of the basement. A minute later, he emerges with a girl about 18 or 19 years old. She was wailing woefully and resisting, trying to free herself from the man’s grip.

Maya held her stomach as she felt tremendous internal pain. "What are you going to do to this girl!" she cried.

Vico nonchalantly ate his Cornetto "This unfortunate girl’s father is a baker who decided to insult me by baking me a bad cake, so I added him to the heap of dead bodies you are seeing."

"You killed a man because of a bad cake!" Fretful goosebumps assaulted Maya’s skin. "You are a fucking monster!" She wanted to jump out of her seat and get the hell away from this vicious, evil man, but it was as if she were paralyzed; she couldn’t move an inch.

Vico laughed maniacally. "I’m about to show you that I’m the real definition of evil. Since you decided to disobey me when I ordered you to eat. This innocent girl, will bear the consequences of your disobedience."

"No," a frightened, raking scream rippled from Maya. "Please don’t harm her; she is so young and has a whole life ahead of her. Have mercy, Vico. I’m sorry for disobeying you." Maya’s heart clenched as she stared at the girl’s face, smeared with tears and fear, an agonizing, painful look. She looked so fragile as well.

But Vico’s heart was cold as ice and unyielding like steel; he ignored Maya’s pleas and ordered the girl to be killed.

Maya thought Vico was going to have the girl shot, but he cruelly decided his men should stab the girl to death.

The girl screams in excruciating pain, and her cry for help haunts Maya’s mind as the men keep plunging their knives into the girl’s stomach, taking her life.

Maya broke into hysterical tears, begging them to stop, but they continued to stab the girl 24 times, Maya’s age, until the girl gave her last cry, and death came for her. They tossed the body into the sea of bodies.

Maya was so traumatized that she started shivering as if she were suffering a seizure as hot tears streamed down her face.

"Now eat your breakfast," Vico spoke to Maya as if she were a child. "If you disobey my orders again, the next victim will be an innocent child."

Maya quiveringly reached out for the glass of yoghurt and took a bite of the Cornetto. She was in shock, in a trance-like state, as she forced herself to eat.

"Now you’re going to be my respectful, beautiful princess, obeying every word I say, or else innocent people and children will die." He grinned like a psycho.

Maya sobs silently. She is living in a horrific nightmare. The last flicker of hope died out. She is never going to escape, because if she tries to do so, innocent children are going to die

Maya was forced to finish her breakfast. She will probably throw up later. They had finished eating, and the table was clear.

Maya stopped crying and sat obediently, waiting for Vico’s next orders.

Vico spoke. "Now that you have settled in, you will have to start your training. I want you to join the family business."

Maya bit down on her lips to prevent a sob from escaping. "Mafia business?" Her voice quavered.

"Yes, you will take over my throne one day, so I’m personally overseeing your training, nurturing you, and turning you into a ruthless mafia queen who will rule my empire when I’m gone."

Terror engulfed Maya. Vico was going to turn her into a monster. She was really better off dead. She would kill herself before she becomes a callous, nefarious person capable of such brutality.