And I'm about to lose everything.
Chapter 19: Camilla
Something is wrong.
I know it the moment Renato enters my room, carrying his phone in one hand and wearing an expression I've never seen before. Not the controlled businessman from our early sessions, not the desire from yesterday's lesson. This is something darker. Something that looks almost like dread.
"Good morning," I say from my position by the window, studying his face carefully. "You look troubled."
"Sit down." He gestures to the bed. "It's time."
"Time?" My heart jumps. "Time for what?"
"To talk to them." He holds up the phone. "Your fiancé. Your father. Alessandro. I've kept them from speaking to you since the kidnapping. Now you're going to tell them exactly what will happen to you if they don't pay what they owe me."
Finally.
After days of knowing they're out there, being negotiated with like I'm a business asset, I'm finally going to hear their voices.
"You'll tell them everything you've learned from those files," Renato continues, his jaw tight. "Every detail about the buyers. Every depravity, every preference, every way these men treat their acquisitions. Make it real for them. This is your chance to convince them. Say whatever you need to."
"And then they'll pay?" Hope flares in my chest.
"That depends on how much you're worth to them." Something bitter crosses his face. "You can say whatever you want. Beg, plead, describe what these buyers will do to you. But you do NOTtell them where you are. If you give away any location details, I end the call immediately. Understood?"
"Yes. Yes, I understand."
I see the shadows under his dark eyes, the tension in his shoulders. Whatever's troubling him runs deeper than business negotiations.
"Start with Lorenzo. Let's see if your future husband values you enough to pay for your return." There's something cruel in his tone as he pulls up the contact and hands me the phone.
My hands shake as I take it. The phone rings twice before Lorenzo answers.
"Hello?"
"Lorenzo, it's me. It's Camilla."
A sharp intake of breath. "Camilla." He sounds almost uncomfortable. Caught off guard. "I... are you alright?"
"Am I alright?" The question nearly breaks me. "Lorenzo, I've been kidnapped. I've been held for days. And this is the first time anyone has let me speak to you or anyone."
"Yes, well, Vitiello has been very unaccommodating. He wouldn't allow communication. Papa has been handling the negotiations with him."
"Negotiations? Lorenzo, do you understand what happens if those negotiations fail?"
A pause. "Papa says Vitiello is just trying to pressure us. That it's all an empty threat to get his money."
"It's not a threat! There are buyers coming soon. Real men who purchase women. I've seen their files, Lorenzo. I know what they do. What they’re capable of."
"Camilla, you're getting hysterical for no reason. Papa says—"
"I don't care what your Papa says! Listen to me. There's a Saudi businessman who keeps women in isolation for years. Complete submission, total control. His last acquisition hasn't been seen in public in three years. He expects—" My voice catches. "He expects women to thank him for every moment of pain he inflicts."
Silence on the other end.
"And there's a Russian arms dealer, Kozlov. He broke his last acquisition's jaw when she hesitated to obey him. Broke her ribs when she looked at another man. Women don't last long with him, Lorenzo. They can't survive him. He’s very interested in me."
"This sounds..." He clears his throat. "This sounds like something outrageous out of a movie. Are you sure Vitiello isn't just trying to scare you? He's evil, Camilla. You can’t trust him."
