Rafael Adriano Curzio:
I jumped out of bed when I heard her scream and was already at her door when she stopped.
Just a moment of silence, less than a second, so she could catch her breath.
She screamed out of pain again, and I froze. I wanted to enter the room, to see what was going on. But what was I supposed to do to help her?
I couldn't just go into her room, I couldn't go near her without wanting to feel her again, and I definitely wouldn't know how to help her.
But worst of all, I wouldn't be able to look at her because of the pain she has to endure-
She screams again. A pain so hard and clear that it flows through my body, aching deep in my bones, my soul, and I freeze.
I'll wait for Leon to get here and I hope he gets here fast.
Just breathe... I press myself against the wall and take a deep breath. Trying to stop myself from running into that room.
But why? Why am I not laughing at her pain? Why am I not bursting through the door, not caring about her pain? Why am I not yelling at her for waking me up?
I shouldn't be worrying about her reaction to me storming into her room, because she made it clear. She wants nothing to do with me.
And I should want nothing to do with her as well. She lied to me. She broke my trust by letting her emotions get the best of her.
Just as I expected.
I just thought... What did I think?
Because I always knew that she was going to fall at some point. I just thought that it would be a lot easier, way more dramatic. Way less... Painful?
No. None of this is painful. Not to me.
But to her it is. And...
And seeing her in pain, pains me? As if her pain is somehow in the air I breathe. As if her screams are a reminder of how much I hurt her, even though her nightmares aren't about me at all.
At least they weren't last time.
Manuela told me that she dreamed about killing Luca. His soul tainted her, ruined her vision even in her sleep. She was in so much pain the last time, and I actually thought the nightmares stopped.
But here they are.
She screams again, making all the walls in the house and the ground, tremble with fear and pain. The fear and pain she's feeling right now. Shit.
If I was good at comforting, I would've gone into the room. Despite her hatred towards me, I would've helped. But I don't know how to. And I don't think I'll be able to.
Because it would get worse.
Her panic would only grow if she saw me. I know it would.
Just like she almost panicked when she said it. When she said those three words.
"I love you."
She was so scared to say it, but she did. The look in her eyes- it made me panic.
It made me panic in the worse way ever. I didn't know what to do or how to respond. So I did what I do best. I lashed out.
And then that incident with Molly.
Talk about the devil. The spare bedroom door opens and Molly walks into the hall. 'What's going on?' 'Go back to sleep.'
She rolls her eyes, but walks back into the room. I called her in last night, but I regret it. The look on Valentina's face was too pained.
Valentina...
She came back to the house. To our house.
I thought she was going to stay with North and Leon, but no. She wanted to be in the same house as me, she could bear it.
If I had known she would've come to the house, I would've never called Molly in. Never.
I would've gone to her, try to make up for the pain I put her through, try telling her that I'm fine with her falling for me. Because she was right.
I should've forgotten it, should've acted like everything was fine.
Because I knew. I knew she was in love with me. I've known ever since I held her trembling body, right after she shot Luca. Maybe even before that.
The look in her eyes changed over time. She wasn't afraid of me anymore, I don't think she ever was.
So why did I do it? Why did I hurt her? Why am I continuing to hurt her?
Because she's a pain in my ass and I will not be bossed around by anyone, let alone her.
The only reason I would go back to her is because she knows me. She knows what I like, she knows what my limits are, she knows me.
Her body has become my addiction. And I hate her for it.
I hate her for making me addicted to her, but I guess that's exactly how she feels. Because I made her addicted to me, not only my body but me. My body, my soul, me.
But how? How can she love- My stomach turns at the thought of it and I take a deep breath. She screams again, louder this time, making me flinch against the wall.
How can she love me after all I did? After all the shit I dragged her through? How?
'Adriano? What-' Finally. Leon rubs his eyes and stumbles towards the door. 'Why are you standing here?' He asks, slowly opening the door. 'Not a word.'
He looks at me for a second, before turning to bed in the room. I want to walk in after him, but I know I shouldn't. I would only get in the way.
So instead of walking in there to see what's going on, I stride down the stairs, towards my office.
I need a fucking drink... I drop in my chair and pour myself a drink, I need it after all that shit upstairs.
I gulp it down and let the bitter taste take me away. Where the fuck, I don't care, but I need this emotional shit away from me.
She knew. She knew how I felt about love and she had the nerve to say it. Stupid bitch...
All I asked was for her to not say it. Even if she felt it, she should've kept it in, then we would be just fine. Everything would be perfectly fine. But no.
She had to disobey. She had to be a pain in my ass. She had to ruin whatever we had.
The screaming finally stops and something waves over me. Relief?
The pain stopped. Finally.
I stare at the door, waiting for either of them to talk to me, but nothing happens. Shit?
Should I go back there? Should I go check what's going on?
No.
I stay put and pour myself another glass of whiskey and chug it away, wanting this feeling to stop. It needs to stop.
After a while, Leonardo walks into my office.
'Any news yet?' I look at him and see that he's not going to tell me about her dream. Not like Manuela did.
He picked his side.
His side with her.
'On what?' I sit up straight and lean over my desk, keeping my eyes on his. 'On Neveah.' North.
Right. I stopped looking for her the moment we had Celine back.
My men were exhausted, they needed a break. So I let them go.
'I stopped the search when we got Celine back, fratello.' His eyes widen and he steps closer. 'What?'
I stopped the search for his girl and started digging deeper. I needed to know why they were doing this. And I found out why.
They want to get us out of our den. To split up, to get angry with each other. To get to us.
'Do I have to spell it out?' I ask, jumping to my feet. He rushes after me as I walk towards the kitchen to grab something to eat.
'You're telling me that you've been doing nothing the entire time?' He sneers, ready to punch me if I say yes.
'I stopped the search because I was busy with other things.'
'Other things? My girlfriend is missing and you're not even helping?!' I glare at him, letting him know that I don't like his tone.
'Your girlfriend. Not mine.' His anger grows, but I couldn't care less.
I never liked North and she never liked me.
The fact that I still tried to get her back, even if it is with the least effort, says enough.
I'll see what I can do, but I won't go all out just to save her.
If she dies, Leon will finally understand to not let get love get to him. It's not safe.
It has never been safe to fall in love in this world.
We both saw that when we were growing up. We saw the dangers our mothers were in. The threat on every second of their lives.
It's not fair towards anyone. So that's why we should both block it out.
I already did. But Leon...
He's too in love with North to see. And I'll always blame her for Leon's actions. Because he does them to impress her.
Even the tattoo. Valentina got one because of North. She got pulled into this mess because of Leon's love for North.
Okay, I was the one who made the final decision, but still.
It wouldn't have come to my mind if Leon didn't love North as much as he does.
'Adriano, we have to do something. It has almost been two weeks since we had any clue on where they were. Celine is not responding to any calls and we have no idea where Neveah might be.' Celine...
I made sure no one could contact her anymore. It would be too risky.
Leon walks over to the fridge and grabs all the ingrediënts he needs to fry an egg.
Celine needed to heal. She needed to take some time off. Maybe forever.
And as much as she probably hates me right now, I did it for her.
She needed to get out of here. Kai hurt her, worse than Jayden ever could, so she needs time.
And working on finding North wasn't going to help her at all. She needed time. Time away from all of the shit that we brought into her life.
But they don't know that. They don't need to. Because they're too desperate to get North back that they wouldn't care about Celine's wellbeing.
'We'll see what happens.' 'See what happens?!' God. I can't believe that he's that desperate to get her back.
As if his life depends on it. 'You heard me.'
He wants to respond but goes silent when someone steps into the room.
It's her. I don't even have to look at her to know that it's her.
'You look better, little one.' Leonardo chimes, making me want to rip his throat out.
But she smiles at him, even though I saw it as an insult.
She thanks him and walks over to one of the chairs, taking a seat and looking at us. 'So what are we going to do today?'
I chuckle and turn back to her. 'I was thinking about going for a swim and maybe after that-' Leon cuts me off, making me groan.
They seriously can't take a fucking joke.
Valentina straightens her back and leans forward, placing her hands on the counter in front of her.
God, she looks good.
Her lips so full, her eyes so dark, her hair so perfect. But she won't let me fucking touch her.
'Can you be serious for once?'
'As if I haven't been for months. Let me have some fun, Valentina.' Her name wasn't supposed to come out that way, but it did.
I just want to touch her, let her hair go through my fingers, press my lips against hers, make our bodies go up in flames.
But she won't fucking let me.
Not until I get North back at least.
That's another reason why I'm doing this in the first place. That way she can't blame me for not doing anything if Neveah dies, because I at least tried.
Not my hardest, but I tried.
I barely pick up anything while I stare at her. Her beauty. The fire in her eyes as she talks to me, yelling about something I should be doing.
But then I hear Marco, and I slowly turn to the door. He smiles at Valentina and walks to the fridge.
Is he still not over her?
They start talking about his family problem and I realize that she's trying to avoid eye contact with him. As if... As if she's nervous to look at him?
'I agree with her, we need to make progress. Otherwise, it will be too late and we would have no clue of-' Leon's tone is bothering me more than ever and I sigh, before walking out of the room.
No way in hell that I'm staying there. They're all going to corner me into doing something I don't want to.
I head towards my office and pour myself another drink. If Celine was here, she would be shouting at me, but I don't care.
'You can't be serious, Adriano!?' Of course, Leon ran after me. 'Stop shouting.' I sneer, dropping to my chair again.
He walks over to the other side of my desk and looks at me. Clear anger in his eyes.
But why is he angry at me? At least I'm doing something to get her back.
'They still have her-' 'Really? I didn't notice with the two of you so desperate to get her back!' I sneer, shoving my glass on the table between us.
'Do you really not know anything? Like is there nothing you found out yet?' I sigh and look at him. 'Only that they're trying to break us apart, and I think they'll be happy to see the impact of his master plan.'
'Send more men.' Oh my god... 'Are you insane?' He stubbornly shakes his head, knowing that what he's asking me is too much, it's too risky.
'You want me to drop everything at once, just to get North back?' He takes a deep breath, before looking at me again. 'Yes.'
'I'm not risking all we have for her.'
'Adriano-' My phone buzzes and I look at the screen. It's not a text to me. It's a text to Valentina's phone.
An unknown number... And a link. Shit. 'Where's Valentina? Someone's texting her.'
Leon looks at me and rushes to the kitchen. Since there's no response there, I jump up from my seat and rush up the stairs. Straight into her room.
She's looking at her phone, almost pressing the button that might get us all into more trouble. 'Don't open that.'
I run over to her and take the phone out of her hands.
'You were going open that alone?' I ask, a little disappointed that she would. She's smarter than this.
But she's desperate.
And desperate times call for desperate measures.
'How do you even know that I-' Leon interferes and tells her I can see every text message or phone call going through her phone.
The realization on her face, makes me grin. She realizes that I saw every text she sent. Not about the stupid stuff to her mother or Celine or Leon.
But the stuff she sent to Neveah. The text about how much she hated me, the text about how much I annoyed her. And the texts how much she wanted me. How much she wanted me to come over and set her body aflame.
And I did. Every time a text like that came through, I went to her. I showed her how good I could make her feel.
But the look fades when she looks at the phone in my hands. 'Are you that stupid, Valentina?'
'Don't call me stupid, it might lead us to Neveah.' She sneers, making me chuckle again.
She's talking to me. Finally talking to me.
Not in a friendly way, but at least she is.
'So you're that desperate to get her back?' I ask, already knowing the answer to my question.
'Yes! Sorry if that wasn't obvious yet!' She reaches for the phone, but I pull it away and throw it at Leon, before turning back to Valentina.
She's close. So close. I could just-
Leon walks to the bed and takes a seat and she takes a seat next to him, before looking at the screen. Did he press the link?
Nothing. Just a black screen. 'It's fake.' It was probably a tracker... Now they know exactly where we are. Great!
Leon says something about a new search, while I try to come up with ways not to kill him for opening that link.
'Adriano hasn't been looking anymore.' Leon groans, looking directly at me. He hates me. But I couldn't care less.
I'm not risking my entire empire for North. There's no way in hell.
'What?' Valentina's tone is shocked. More than shocked, she's blown away. Dannazione...
I need to drink again. 'I don't have time fo-' 'You piece of fucking shit! You lied-' She stops because of sound coming from her phone.
She stares at the screen and her eyes slowly widen as tears form in the corner of her eyes.
A video. A video of North tied to a chair, crying because of the pain, and someone else.
Adrain Steel.
I move closer to the phone and take a good look. It's him. The monster that killed my mother. Fucking prick...
I should've killed him a while ago, but I didn't want to start shit. Not again.
His voice is rough and filled with lust, while he explains what he desires. What deal he's willing to make.
And my heart drops.
'Neveah for that precious Cataleya of yours.' No.
My vision goes dark and I try to not slam my fist into the nearest surface. 'You have until midnight. We'll meet in front of the Cathedral in Montpellier-' No.
That's not happening. Let her die. I don't fucking care. There's no fucking way that I'm sending-
'I think we should-' I grab her phone, open the window, and throw it as hard as I can, before turning around again.
'Stay here.' I don't leave them any time to respond and rush to my office, dialing Marcello's phone.
Pick up. Pick up.
'Ciao, Rafael.' He says, a little distantly. 'I need your help.'
He takes a deep breath and moves around a little, taking his time with whatever it is he's doing. 'Again? What is it now?'
'You didn't really help me last time.' I sneer, trying to calm myself down.
His tone is bothering me, but I can't let him get to me. Not now.
'What do you need, Rafael?' He asks again, making me take a deep breath to calm myself down.
I explain everything to him, from why I stopped to the stupid video we just got.
'What do you want me to do?' He asks nervously. He knows that we need to do something, we can't just sit here and do nothing.
The Steels have gone too far this time. Threatening to take Valentina, to take one of us or kill the other.
'I need your help with finding out where they are.' I state. 'Come meet me in two hours, I'll be in Lautrec.'
'Okay. I'll be there.' I hang up the phone and stare at my office, before pouring myself a drink.
I can't believe I'm doing all of this just to get North back.
The front door slams shut and footsteps get closer to the door to my office.
The door bursts open and Valentina steps in, panic in her eyes. But something else as well.
Determination.
She's determined to go through with the deal. But there's just no way.
'Leon and I already-' 'I'm not doing it.' She looks at me, slowly crumbling apart, 'And neither are you, understood?'
She walks closer to my desk and shakes her head. 'She's my friend and I can't let her die.'
And I can't let you die.
I can't give her over to him. To the monster that wants to make my life a living hell.
I sigh and pour myself another drink, before chugging it down. 'Miss North knew about the risks.'
She stares at me in shock that I'll let this slide so easily, even though I'm not.
'What are you trying to get at, that we let her die?' I look at her, basically shouting the answer at her. Yes.
I don't care that North is going to die, I'm not sending her to them. She won't survive, and by the looks of it, North is already a lost cause.
I'm not giving up, because she would hate me if I did, but I'm not going to let her boss me around as if she owns the place. Because she doesn't.
And then it happens. She hits me. Right in the face, making my head shoot to the right.
I slowly turn back to her and sigh. 'No one is doing anything, Miss Velez.'
She flinches at that name and scowls at me. 'Fuck you.' She's trying to stay calm, but I can see the anger in her eyes.
I'm glad that she hates me right now. Because I would much rather have her hating me, than sending her over to Hunter Steel. No fucking way.
They'll just use her to torture me. Because... No.
'Get out of my sight.' I sneer, not actually wanting her to leave. I want her to stay. I want her to shout at me at the top of her lungs.
At least that way she'll talk to me.
'Gladly.' She fumes, slamming the door as she walks back into the hall. God.
All of this because of love. I throw my glass across the room and watch as the glass splatters everywhere. It's not enough. I need more.
I need to- 'Adriano.'
Leon is standing in the doorway and rushes over to the desk. 'Cataleya and I have come up with-' 'I don't want to hear it. I'll talk to Marcello, see if he can help us and we'll try it our way.'
'We have less than fifteen hours, we need to hurry.' He says nervously. 'I know.' 'Then why are you just sitting here and doing nothing?'
I called Marcello. There's nothing much we can do until he gets here. So I don't get where he gets the nerve to talk to me like that.
But I blame it on the anger. He's angry at Hunter for doing this to us. 'I'll do this my way.'
'I'll never forgive you if you just sit here and do nothing.'
'It's not my fault she's with them, it's yours.' He freezes at my words and looks at me with wide eyes. 'How is this my fault?'
'You're the one who made sure that she stayed here by fucking her the night before. You heard what Cel said about her state, you were just too selfish to take her with us. It's not my fault that she wasn't able to tag along.'
My words cut through him like knives and I hate talking to him like this. But it's the truth.
He knows that too.
'So instead of pointing your finger at me,' I sneer, shoving my glass on the table again, 'I suggest you look in the mirror, fratello.'
He takes a deep breath, almost exploding just like I did a few seconds ago.
He has always been better at keeping his anger in. Unlike me.
But I have other solutions to my anger issues.
'I'm begging you, please do something.' He states, looking at me with those pained eyes.
'I'm going to talk to Marcello, see if he can help. I need you to stay here and make sure that no one leaves the house, okay?'
He looks at the ground and takes another deep breath. 'Fratello-' 'Just get her back. Let me help.'
'I need you to make sure that Valentina stays in the house. Promise me you won't risk it.'
He finally looks up at me and sighs deeply. 'Promise me.'
'I promise, just- Just get Neveah back.' I nod and walk out of my office, not wanting to make promises I might not be able to keep.
I walk out of my office and bump into someone. I bump into her.
'Were you eavesdropping?' I ask, grabbing Valentina by her arm. She tries to break free, but I'm not letting her go.
I simply drag her up the stairs and throw her into her room. 'Let me come with you.'
'No, you're staying here.' I sneer, shutting the windows, before locking them on the app. 'I don't trust you.'
What? She doesn't trust me?
I mean, sure. I lied to her about a lot of things, I kept things from her most of the time, but I never put her in danger.
'I don't care. You'll stay in this room until I get back.' She steps in front of me, instead of running out of the room, she's going to try and convince me.
'If you're not back in three hours I'm going through with the deal.' Three hours?
'Are you that pathetic to get her back?' North is the reason she has to go through all of this. She's the reason her life went to shit, so I don't get how she could want her back that much that she would risk her own life.
'Yes. And you're not really going to talk to Marcello, you're just going for a drive! So if you-' I pull her close, wrapping my fingers around her neck.
Her soft skin is sending me places I shouldn't be right now. But I can't help it. I press her against the wall and lean in, almost making our lips touch.
'Get off me!' She shoves me away and I let go. I told her we were done. But I can't get over her. I can't risk sending her away and never getting her back.
'You're staying in your room.'
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A/N: Well... Well... The chapter all of you have been waiting for... Did you like it?
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Have a great day and until the next chapter!