Mulligrubs (adj.) Despondency, low spirits; a state of depression.
*WARNING: Violent Mature Content. The content below will include a scene with rope around the neck and forceful drowning. Proceed at your own discretion.*
Alexander's P.O.V.
It pained me to look at her when we walked away; she was terrified, hurt, and confused, but I've kept the truth away, for her own safety. She deserves to know what is happening, but it is not my place to tell her; I could not tell her, even if I wanted to; I was under strict orders.
It was not part of the plan to be caught by Nicolo and his men; images of her getting hurt crossed my mind every second, and it made me feel like shit knowing that I brought her into this fucked up mess, knowing that I could not do anything to stop her pain.
She's a strong girl, but the events she has gone through and the deaths she has witnessed is enough to break and traumatize her. She has pulled herself out of desolation before, she can do it again, I tried to reassure myself.
"Dante, venga con me," I heard Nicolo call out to one of his men and watched as he started to follow us towards his office (Come with me).
I scoffed, Nicolo bringing another guard into the office just proves his lamentable naivety. To think that I am a threat is purely pathetic; I am simply outnumbered and weaponless, to try and pull something on him in this situation would be foolish and place Arabella in harm's way. Vlákas, I thought as I stared at the back of their heads (Dumbass).
When we reached his office I made my way towards the leather chair and sat down, ignoring the presence of Leone and Manuele as I walked in. Nicolo made his way around his desk and reached down, pulling out a file and slamming it on the table in front of me.
I looked at the file and read the tab, Alexander Aetos.
"So, Alexander, we all know your last name is not Davis..." Nicolo spoke out as he began to light a cigar.
"...please, enlighten us with your plan here," he said as he let out a puff of smoke.
"My plan does not concern you," I said as I leaned back and crossed my legs.
"The only thing you have to know is that Arabella has nothing to do with this," I sighed out, tired of having to repeat myself.
"You think I haven't figured that out already?" Nicolo asked as he glared back at me.
"I think your head is so far up your ass, you can't see what's really happening here," I said with a condescending sneer.
My smile grew wider as I felt one of Nicolo's men press a gun against the back of my head.
"Why are you lying to her?" Manuele asked, stepping away from the wall he was leaning on.
"There are some things she doesn't know," I replied as I continued to glare at Nicolo, not breaking eye contact.
"She's been telling the truth then," I heard Leone mumble out.
"What does Cairo want you to do with her?" Nicolo asked and my glare hardened at the sound of that name.
"As a boss for one of the world's most powerful mafias, I would think you would have figured this out by now, unless you're truly just that dense," I responded looking away from him as I felt the metal tip of the gun push into my head harder.
"I want to hear the answer from you," he said as his eyes lowered at me.
"I cannot tell you," I said as I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head.
"Tell me why I found two members of the Aetos Family in my establishment, or else I will fucking kill her in front of you."
"Ai gamisou," I said in Greek, through gritted teeth, a small smile started to creep upon my lips as I knew they didn't understand (Fuck you).
"Bring me Arabella," I heard him say to Manuele as he scowled at me.
I immediately stood up, knocking down the chair with my sudden movements, and lunged towards him. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and brought his head down.
"Don't fucking bring her into this," I yelled as my fist came in contact with his jaw.
Before I could swing at him again, my head was forced down onto the table as Dante held me down.
"Bring him to the cellar," I heard Nicolo yell. I tried to thrash out of Dante's hold but he twisted my arm around my back and forced me to walk towards the door, following Leone to the cellar.
"Arabella..." I yelled out loudly as my voice echoed throughout the empty halls.
"Get out of here," I managed to yell out again before Dante elbowed me in the mouth, causing the taste of metallic blood to go down my throat.
Arabella's P.O.V.
I sat in the kitchen as I pondered the small interaction that Nicolo and Alexander had. Why did Nicolo keep repeating Alexander's surname? If Alexander lied to me about his name then, who is he really? I continued to think, but flinched when I heard a loud thud coming from upstairs. If they're fighting I need to stop them, I thought to myself.
I stood up from the stool, and was about to make my way towards the stairs until I heard shouting. I took a deep breath and hurriedly walked towards the voices, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard Alexander yell out my name. Get out of here, his voice repeated in my head.
"Get out of here?" I questioned and mumbled under my breath. I felt my heart rate quicken and my fingers become numb from the frightened feeling that began to surge through me.
"Arabella," I heard Manny breathe out as he ran towards me.
I stepped back and held my hand out, telling him to not move any closer.
"What's happening?" I said as I started to feel the blood drain from my face.
"You need to come with me," he said nervously.
I shook my head and continued to walk backwards slowly.
"Do not make this difficult, Arabella," he said as he started to walk towards me.
I stared at him in horror, but then looked over his shoulder to see Nicolo.
"Puttana..." Nicolo seethed as his eyes narrowed at me.
"You think I use money to try and get people to talk?" he questioned me as he moved closer.
"Come and see what actually happens," he said as he grabbed my wrist forcefully.
"Let me show you what I should have done to you days ago," he said furiously as he dragged me towards the cellar.
"Nico!" Manny yelled out
"Do not forget what Alexander said about her," Manny exclaimed as he put his hand on Nicolo's shoulder pulling him back.
"She thinks she knows how I run my interrogations, so let's let her learn," Nicolo smiled at Manny evilly as he continued to pull me through the halls.
I looked at Manny pleadingly, hoping he would explain what was happening, but he gave me a stern look as he followed behind us closely.
"Blindfold her," Nicolo said as we neared the cellar door.
"Nico..." Manny said hesitantly.
"Do it!" Nicolo yelled and I saw as his face was now red with anger.
"I'm sorry," I heard Manny whisper to me as my eyes began to take in darkness.
"What are you going to do, Nicolo?" I managed to croak out nervously as tears streamed down my face.
"Don't fucking question me, Arabella," he said as he practically pulled me down the stairs.
I felt Manny grip the back of my shirt, keeping me from falling forward, as I could not see where I was going.
Once I felt that we reached the bottom of the stairs, Manny let go of my shirt, and Nicolo continued to pull me down the corridor. When we slowed down, Nicolo positioned me in front of him and tied my hands behind my back, he pushed me forward and I felt the front of my toes come in contact with a hard wall.
"There are four steps in front of you," Nicolo said impatiently.
What are you going to do to me? I wanted to question him but he pushed me forward, almost causing me to trip over the step. I took in a deep breath and started to walk up carefully.
One.
Two.
Three.
I gasped as I almost lost balance but Nicolo held my arm tightly.
Four.
I breathed out and slightly raised my foot in front of me to feel if there was anything around me, but it was empty. I listened to Nicolo's footsteps as he stepped up behind me, suddenly I felt a thick rough fabric around my neck. I gasped for air when I felt it tightening around me, constricting my throat; the tightened rope caused me to lift up slightly and I stood on the tips of my toes as I struggled to stand on the surface below me. The blindfold was quickly taken away and I shut my eyes at the sudden bright lights.
I opened my eyes slowly and noticed that Nicolo stood below me, my eyes trailed towards the side of the room and I saw Manny and Leone staring at me with worried looks in their eyes. The rope around me scratched at my neck as I struggled to control my breathing.
"Nicolo, stop please stop," I begged him as I began to panic. I tried to fix my footing on the stool below me but I lost my balance, causing the stool to tip slightly.
"Cazzo! Arabella, stop moving. Do not make this easier for me," he said as he held the stool down.
"Please just let me go," I said between sharp breaths as I began to cry uncontrollably.
Tears blurred my vision as I saw a man drag Alexander in front of me and begin to shackle his hands and feet to chains. The sound of a wooden barrel scratching against the concrete floor filled my ears as it was dragged and placed in front of Alexander; I looked down into it and saw a dark substance flowing irregularly as it glimmered under the dim lighting; I watched as some of the substance leaped over the edge of the barrel and splash onto the ground, darkening the area as it soaked into the porous concrete; it's filled with water.
"Alexander..." Nicolo said tauntingly.
"I will give you one last chance to tell me why you were in my establishment," he said with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm sorry, Arabella," I heard Alexander say, and more tears began to fall down my face.
"If you refuse, I will move this stool away from her feet and you will watch her die. I will make you watch as the noose begins to tighten, causing her body to suspend in the air by her neck, and you will listen as she suffers for 10 minutes, struggling to breathe, until she is strangled to death," he said as he placed his foot on the bottom rung of the stool.
"Nico," I heard Manny gasp out and tried to make his way towards us, but Leone stopped him.
"Fermati, non permetterà che accada nulla," Leone muttered to Manny as he gripped his shoulder (Stop, he won't let anything happen).
I shut my eyes and pictured an elderly woman; her gray hair rested gracefully along her shoulders as she lied down in a bed that was placed in the center of a sterile white room, lines of blue and purple traced her arms as her skin became frail and delicate throughout the years, exposing her veins, and a device was placed over her bony finger, letting people know that she was still alive with the constant and rhythmic sound that tracked her heartbeat.
The woman was me; I had always imagined my life would come to an end with old age. Or maybe, through a series of unfortunate events, I would find myself with a cracked skull and blood splattered across the windshield of my car.
But death by hanging? It has never crossed my mind.
"I will not wait any longer, Alexander!" Nicolo yelled loudly, pulling me back to my dreadful reality
"I cannot tell you," Alexander sighed in defeat as he looked down.
The guard behind Alexander, grabbed his hair in his fist and forced his face down into the barrel of water. The sound of water splashing around filled the barren room as Alexander began to struggle against the guard's hold.
"Answer me," I heard Nicolo yell again, patience fading away from his voice.
I watched as Alexander's lips began to tremble as he struggled to keep it in a straight line to try and hide his emotions, but his sorrow and misery became clear when he looked up and began to shake his head with tears streaming down his face.
"No," he croaked out and his face was forced into the water again. When he resurfaced, his chest began to heave rapidly as he choked and coughed up water that was mixed with his blood.
"Last chance," Nicolo said as he moved his foot, which caused the stool to shift slightly, and I began to lose my balance again.
"Alexander, please!" I managed to yell out to him and I gasped for air when I felt the rope tighten around my neck as my left foot struggled to find the stool beneath me.
"Stop!" I heard as Alexander yelled out to Nicolo, but he just stared back at him complacently.
I watched as Alexander fell down onto his knees and tried to control his breathing as he looked down at his hands. The sound of Nicolo's footsteps dragging across the ground filled the room as he made his way slowly towards Alexander; he crouched down so that he was at eye-level with the tortured man.
"It is simple, Alexander, all you have to do is answer my question," Nicolo said as he grabbed his throat to force him to look at him, but Alexander remained silent.
Nicolo sighed and got back up making his way towards me.
"It's a shame really; a life gone to waste," Nicolo said as he stared into my eyes.
I looked down at Alexander and his deep blue eyes gazed at me with regret, hopelessness, and suffering. I did not need his words to know that he was struggling with himself; his eyes were glossed over with tears, but I could see he was conflicted with what to do, fighting between what was right and what was wrong, but I watched as he took deep breaths and gathered himself together.
"Arabella is part of the Aetos Family by blood."
*****
Author's Note:
Hi People,
I don't know if it's because of my period but I like almost kind of teared up writing Alexander's parts lol. What are your thoughts on this chapter and what do you guys think will happen next?
-Love, A
P.S. I think the word for this chapter sounds really cute but the definition is quite gloomy!