One day this will be mine, but the old man is dragging his heels, and I’m nearly thirty. I want to take the reins. I want to rule, and I want to show people that my ex-fiancée isn’t the only one who can shake things up in this stale fucking Syndicate. If I had my way, I would eradicate the lot of them and take it all for myself. Maybe rather than killing her right away, I should join forces until we can destroy them all, and then kill her and my brother, taking the rest for myself.
Arianna
Chapter Five
I wake slumped in the chair, still bound tight. My neck aches, my ass is numb, and I need to get the fuck out of here.
I glance around, and it’s just me and Matteo down here. He’s out cold. I silently feel around my wrists. I wriggle and pull, stretching the plastic as it grips, biting into my skin. It burns from the friction before I feel the trickle of blood. I twist and turn, tugging at my thumbs to move them out of the way, sliding the blood around, trying to coat them. I finally start to feel them give as my hand starts to slip out. I wrench free, gritting back the scream as I feel my thumb pop. I breathe through it, keeping an eye on Matteo.
I stretch, leaning down and pulling at my feet until they’re free. Rivulets of blood seep down my wrists and ankles where the skin has been broken from the sharp plastic.
As I stand, I have to fasten my trousers, and I spare Matteo a murderous glare for now. My shoes are long gone. I creep towards the door, gently turn the handle, and it clicks. My gaze shoots around to Matteo, who starts to stir; I pull the door open and step out into the corridor.
One of the brothers is asleep against the wall, propped up in a chair, and I shake my head. The key is still in the fucking door, but this dumbass didn’t bother to lock it. I look at his face—I will kill this motherfucker first. I lean over him and snatch his gun, taking it with me. Stepping through the house and creeping upstairs. I check every room as I pass before finding Bellino’s.
Igently click the door open and step inside. It’s dark. The curtains are drawn, and a sliver of light peeks through, cascading over Bellino’s sleeping form. Lying across the bed, face down, his arms up and underneath the pillows. His face relaxed, void of the normal tension. It’s soothing watching his body rise and fall rhythmically, and I contemplate; can I turn him to our side, or should I just kill him now? I take a seat on the chair in the corner of the room, resting the gun against my thigh and wait for him to wake. I really could do with a shower, but I don’t want to get caught until we figure this shit out.
He stretches and rolls onto his back. His eyes land on me, and the moment of surprise schools itself instantly as he tuckshis arm nonchalantly behind his head and casually slides his hand under the covers.
“Morning, Fiancée.” His gruff, sleep-addled voice fills the room.
“Good morning, brother-in-law.” I smirk. “We need to talk.”
“Do we?” He pulls a face. “Do we really?” He smirks at me, rubbing at his dick as he stretches out his legs under the covers.
“You do realise we could be stronger together?” I cross my arms over my body and give him a questioning look.
“Well, I think you were the one who called off the wedding, ya know, when you married my little brother.” He gives me a smug smirk.
“Oh, please, you never wanted me. You never even noticed me until I killed my father.” I huff a laugh at him.
“So it was you all along?” He grins as if he’s just figured out the key to the universe, while actually knowing it all along.
“As if it wasn’t blatantly obvious. Come on, Bellino, you’re a smart man—you and Vittorio could be so strong together. Why do you hate each other so much? I get why he hates you, but what has he ever done?”
He sits bolt upright, snarling at me. “You know fucking nothing!”
I frown. That’s such an aggressive response while being the favourite. There’s a disconnect between what I’ve heard from Vittorio to Bellino’s reaction. I stand and walk over to the bed, sitting next to him. “So tell me your version of events.”
He snatches me by the throat. I lift the gun to his temple, and I sit and stare at him, making no move to stop him. His eyes assess mine before he huffs and pushes me back. I move back a little but stay on the bed.
“Bellino, why aren’t you and Vittorio close?” I eye him warily.
“This isn’t a therapy session. We’re not friends,” he scoffs.
“We could be.” I eye him. A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth, and he hasn’t tried to kill me yet, so I’m taking that as a good sign.
“We could be what?” He scowls.
“Friends.”
He barks out a laugh. It echoes around the room before his gaze settles back on me. “Yeah, we could be friends, and when I sleep, you’ll gut me for what Matteo did to you. Truth be known, I would have done the same. I would have taken you. I would have forced you. I would have destroyed you.” He pushes into the gun, smiling at me, not a genuine smile, a savage, manipulative smile. “I don’t trust you. I don’t trust anyone.”
“But what if you could? Trust me, I mean?”
He huffs a humourless laugh. “How hard did he hit you?”
“I’m being serious, Bellino. Do you want to rule under your father forever, or do you want to lead and take over just like I did?” I appeal to his nature, the ruthless man I know he is, and he will realise that while I am genuine, I’m also devious.Choose me to be on your side or choose against me at your own peril.
