The first thing on my mind when I woke up was the conversation I'd overheard between Diana and Luca. More importantly, I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do about it. I didn't owe anything to this mafia family, and certainly not to Stefano, so I didn't feel obligated to tell anyone. At the same time, I didn't want anyone to get hurt if there was something I could do about. Diana and Luca were my only friends here, I didn't want anything bad to happen to them.

A knock on my bedroom door snapped me out of my thoughts. "Luca, hey!" I smiled, opening the bedroom door and pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Are you ready, or do you want me to wait for you downstairs?" He asked, taking in my appearance. I was still in my pajamas and my hair probably looked like a bird's nest.

"Oh, sorry, I'll meet you downstairs. I decided to sleep in a little longer today since I'm working tonight." I quickly changed into my running clothes and ran a brush through my hair. I didn't need to put much effort in my appearance because I was only going running. I brushed my teeth quickly and then rushed downstairs to meet Luca.

Like usual, he took the lead, running out towards the trails in the trees. "Do you want to run a different route today?" He asked me as we settled into a easy pace.

"Sure, why not?" I agreed. We'd been running the same trail since I'd started joining him on his morning runs and I'm sure a change of scenery would be nice.

Luca shot me a smile over his shoulder before picking up the pace and turning down a trail I hadn't seen yet. In another situation, I would've loved living at the estate. The mansion was gorgeous and the surrounding property was even more breathtaking. I got lost in m. I got lost in my thoughts as I followed Luca down the trail and around a small pond.

The fresh air helped me clear my head and the way my feet hit the ground was therapeutic. While I had no idea what I'd overheard last night, I decided I wouldn't tell Stefano. Diana and Luca were my friends, if I really wanted to know, I could just ask one of them. Making up my mind, I decided I'd ask Luca after our run when we got back to the mansion.

After a few miles, we finally looped back to the front of the property. We slowed to a jog and, eventually, a walk as we headed towards the front doors. Luca used the front of his shirt to dab at his forehead and I put my arms above my head to catch my breath.

"You know, it still surprises me how easily you keep up." Luca laughed.

I grinned back. "I told you, I'm a runner. It's my sport." Now was as good a time as any to ask him about what he and Diana were talking about last night, but before I could say anything, we got interrupted by a car pulling up to the front.

Luca and I both turned and I frowned when Stefano stepped out of the car. I was hoping that I'd be able to avoid him a little longer, but I wasn't that lucky. He made his way up the steps, towards us where we had paused.

"Ciao, com'era l'Italia?" Luca greeted Stefano in Italian.

(Hey, how was Italy?)

"It was fine. How was everything here while I was gone?"

Stefano sounded tired, but I didn't blame him. Jet lag was a bitch and he had just gotten back from Europe.

"Things were good. Our shipment went smoothly."

"Good." Stefano said, before turning his attention to me. His eyes slid down my body, taking me in, before settling on my face. That look alone was enough to set me on fire. "You might want to shower before tonight."

Without another word, he made his way inside, leaving me slightly offended on the front porch. Luca laughed next to me. "Come on, let's get inside."

"That was rude." I grumbled, following Luca through the door.

"Yeah, but he has a valid point. You stink."

I laughed, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Yeah, but you smell worse."

Now that Stefano was back, I felt uneasy talking to Luca about the conversation, so I decided I'd ask Diana later. I promised her I'd help her with the laundry anyway. I quickly showered and threw on some comfortable clothes before meeting her downstairs in the laundry room.

"Hey, sorry. I lost track of time on my run." I apologized to Diana as I joined her in folding clothes.

She gave me a sideways glance and her lips twitched. "Is that code for you had sex with Luca?"

"What? No." I quickly shut her down.

"With Stefano, then? I know he's back."

"No, it's not code for anything." My friend was crazy. "It means I lost track of time."

We continued folding clothes and Diana filled the silence with her usual chatter. I must not have been as responsive as usual, however because she didn't take long to notice that something was off about me.

"Okay, spill." Diana said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You've been acting weird. What's bothering you?" She turned to face me, focusing all of her attention on me, abandoning the pile of clothes she had been folding.

"Diana, I've been meaning to bring something up." I started slowly. I didn't want to make it sound like I was accusing her of anything.

"What is it?" She was starting to look genuinely concerned.

"Well, I went to your room yesterday to talk to you and I accidentally overheard something you were talking about with Luca. It sounded bad and I just don't know if I should be worried. I considered telling Stefano but I didn't want to say anything without talking to you first." I admitted.

Diana's eyes widened and she tensed briefly before relaxing and letting out a laugh. "Oh my god, I realize how bad that probably sounded."

"You said you were meeting up with someone regularly and that Stefano would kill you if he found out. It sounds really bad." I reiterated what I'd overheard.

"Okay, let me explain. So basically Luca is Stefano's right hand man. Luca's helped Stefano keep everything running smoothly since he took over for his father, Alessio."

"Right." I said slowly, still not quite understanding what that had to do with anything.

"Alessio has been worried about how things are going over here, but he can't just come check it out himself because it would make the family look bad if people assumed that he couldn't trust his son. Basically, Luca has been reporting back to Stefano's father through me." Diana explained.

"But you said he'd kill you if he found out." It was the only thing left that didn't make sense. Why would he kill her for looking out for the family.

"He wouldn't kill me, but he'd be really fucking pissed. Stefano doesn't like people undermining his authority." Diana said with another laugh.

I let out a breath of relief. "Okay, thank god. I kind of freaked out when I heard all of that."

"You're fine girl. I'm an open book, you can ask me anything." She reassured me with a smile.

While I was relived to find out that it wasn't anything bad, I was still unsettled by the whole situation. I decided to let it slide and not press her for any more information because, at this point, I didn't care. Stefano wasn't my friend—he wasn't even nice to me—so I had no business looking out for him.

We finished up with the laundry and made our way upstairs to get ready. We had a few hours before the event, so we decided to take our time getting ready. When the time finally came, Diana and I made our way downstairs to a big room with lots of lounging chairs, couches and tables.

I spotted Stefano across the room at a big table, but I immediately looked away. The job was pretty simple. I just had to make sure that the guests were happy and that there was always something in their cups. Time flew by and I almost found myself enjoying it.

"Alaya!" Stefano yelled from across the room, drawing my attention, along with the attention of everyone else in the room.

I had successfully avoided him all night. I had tried to keep my head down and blend in to the shadows. It seemed like I couldn't anymore. I ignored the eyes that followed me as I made my way across the room and focused only on him. His gaze wasn't as hard as normal and he looked almost relaxed. When I reached the table, he smirked and I noticed his pupils were dilated. He was drunk, and if he wasn't yet, he was getting there.

"Pour me another drink." He ordered. The table he was sitting at was full of important looking men. I had spent the majority of the night serving the other tables where the less important men were sitting. I'd gotten some sleazy remarks and looks, but I'd ignored them all.

I gritted my teeth and poured another glass of whiskey for the man who was controlling every aspect of my life. I set the drink down and turned to walk away, but Stefano grabbed my wrist. "Where do you think you're going, I didn't say you could go."

"I'm going back to work." I explained calmly, looking away from him.

"No, you're not. Sit down, I need to speak with you." I hesitantly sat down next to him, keeping a safe distance. Stefano notice my discomfort and, with a smirk, pulled me into his side. I tensed up, but accepted that this was going to be over quicker if I cooperated.

"Don't you have other business to attend to right now? These lovely men are here to speak with you. I'm always here, you can speak to me any other time." I reasoned with him. His fingers tightened at my hip when I called his guests lovely.

"Are you asking me to come find you later?" He murmured into my ear, his fingers tracing patterns on my sides. I suddenly became aware of close he was to me.

"No, I simply meant that you probably have more important things to discuss right now."

He waved I off casually. "We've already agreed on the terms of our deal. Our business tonight is over."

I could smell the alcohol on his breath. "You're drunk." I tried to stand, but his hands were planted firmly on my hips, preventing me from moving.

"I don't want you to leave just yet." He growled.

I was suddenly worried about my well being and the stability of his current mental state. "Please let me go." I said quietly, afraid of what he was capable of.

"Va bene." He sighed, loosening his grip. "Get back to work."

(All right.)

After that, the night went smoothly. Diana and I exchanged jokes about the men here when we got a few seconds to ourselves and I brought rounds of drinks to the tables. I was relived when the night finally ended and I got to go back upstairs to my room.

Exhausted, I stripped out off my blouse and skirt as soon as I closed the door behind me. I barely made it to the closet to change into my pajamas when the door burst opened. I jumped, spinning around. I had half expected it to be Stefano to come yell at me, but to my surprise and confusion it was one of his guests that I had been serving.

"I heard you're new here. I came to welcome you!" He announced rather loudly. The man stumbled into the room towards me. He was drunk. "What's your name?"

"Alaya." I mumbled, realizing I was still standing in my underwear. I unfroze when his eyes dragged down my figure and grabbed a pillow from the bed, holding it up in front of me.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as he closed in on me, cornering me. The smile on his face made me feel nauseous and I couldn't help but be terrified of the man before me.

"How about we get to know each other. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, making me shudder.

"Please leave." I tried to sound stern, but it came out as a whimper. I was terrified of what this man would do to me if he didn't leave.

"Aw, stop playing, I know you want this. I saw you looking at me during dinner." He tells me, placing his hands on my hips and pulling me closer. I struggled to get out of his grip, but he held on to me, dragging me towards the bed.

My heart sank as he threw me on the bed and my instinct to fight kicked in. "Stop!" I was realizing the gravity of the situation and my chances of getting out were becoming slimmer and slimmer.

I screamed as he covered my body with his, but he didn't listen. He ripped my panties off of me and tears stung at my eyes as the fabric bit into my skin before breaking and pulling free.

"Please, Stop!" I screamed again, but he covered my mouth with his hand to keep me from screaming.

"Shh, just relax, this'll be nice." He hushed me. The smell of alcohol on his breath was almost enough to make me gag.

I tried to kick out, but I was trapped underneath him. I clawed at him with my bare hands and kept screaming from under his hand, but he seemed unfazed as he reached down and undid his zipper. Tears spilled from my eyes as he pulled his member from his pants.

I kicked out in desperation, but his weight crushed me to the bed. I was trapped. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying this would be as quick and as painless as possible.

Just before the man broke me beyond repair, a gunshot rang out.

Sorry for disappearing for like two weeks! I've had a lot going on with my classes, work and my family. Here's a tip, don't take biology and chemistry 2 at the same time.

Don't forget to vote if you liked this and please comment and let me know what you think!

-Emma🎶