Kelly.

I sat on top of the counter inside one of the kitchens downstairs while Marco stood between my legs. He held my waist and stared at me as I listened attentively to what he was saying. I didn't know if Margaret was telling the truth or not but what would she gain from killing me? I was wondering who the hell was this Amanda Ross who wanted me dead.

I felt so bad for what I said about Mildred. That poor woman was in the hospital fighting for her life and I was so judgemental. I needed to go and visit her and apologize for what I said even though I didn't say it to her face. Marco said that she was admitted to the same hospital where I was doing my internship.

The place was a mess. Marco had paid off and fired all of the housekeeping staff. I was busy interviewing various persons for the housekeeping positions.

"I have to find this woman," Marco said to me while I ran my hand in his hair.

I nodded at him. "Did Matteo have a girlfriend?" I asked.

"He had an on-again, off-again girlfriend. I had Luca dig up some information on her but she's in Italy."

"Does she fit the description that Margaret gave you?" I questioned.

"I'm not sure, Bella. I don't remember what she looked like. I only met her once and that was years ago before I became king. The fucker introduced us."

"Oh," I said, surprisingly. "So, you two were friends?"

"Yes, we were." He replied, abruptly. "We became enemies after my grandfather made me his successor."

"That's horrible," I told him.

He nodded. "Yes, it was. I'll tell Luca to get a picture of her." He sighed deeply.

"Okay," I uttered.

"Bella?" He called, softly.

"Yes," I answered and looked at him.

"Are you still having doubts about being with me?" He asked as he stared into my eyes.

"No," I responded briefly. "I'm so sorry about what I said."

"It's good, bambino. Don't worry about it." He reassured me as he caressed my cheeks.

I smiled at him and nuzzled into his neck.

**

Margaret looked frightened and distraught as she sat chained to an old metal chair in a dark cold room down in the basement. Her clothes were bloody and drenched with sweat. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen as if she was crying. She had a gunshot wound on her arm that badly needed dressing.

Before I could say anything to her, she choked out, "Ms. Joseph, you have to believe me. I was blackmailed. I was protecting my son. Please don't let Mr. Russo kill me." She said, begging for her life.

"It's okay, Margaret. I believe you." I said to her. "Marco, I believe she's telling the truth. Can you have one of the guards unchain her?"

"Are you sure?" He was hesitant.

"Yes, baby, I'm sure." I gave him a reassuring smile.

He nodded and one of the guards came and unchain her.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Joseph." She said as the tears welled in her eyes. "My son is innocent, ma'am. He was framed." She said as I held her trembling hands in my own.

"You're welcome, Margaret. I'm sorry to hear about your son. Does he have a lawyer?"

She shook her head at me. "He was appointed a public defender who didn't care. I can't afford a private lawyer."

"I understand. I'll get an excellent criminal lawyer for you. He was my dad's lawyer before my dad passed away and he's very good at what he does. The expense is on me." I smiled at her.

I heard Marco clear his throat.

"Bella, are you sure about what you're doing?"

"Yes, Marco. I want to help her. She's a good mother who was trying to help her child the only way that she knew how."

He shrugged, "Okay, fine." He mumbled nonchalantly.

Margaret looked from me to Marco. "Ms. Joseph, I'm sorry to hear that your father died. I don't want to cause any problems between you and Mr. Russo."

"Thank you and it's fine. Marco's okay with me helping you." I squeezed her hand reassuringly.

She gave me a weak smile. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome. Now, can you tell us anything more about this Amanda Ross lady?" I asked her softly.

"Ms. Joseph, I do not know anything more about her. I'm so sorry." She said, defeatedly. "I hope that Mr. Russo catches her before she hurts you."

"I hope so too," I said more to myself than to her.

"Margaret, you can leave, but under one condition, you can't tell anyone that I shot you or that my family and I held you hostage here. If you do, I'll find you and I'll kill you and your entire family," Marco warned her in a stern tone. "Do I make myself absolutely clear?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

She quickly nodded at him. "Yes, sir, I won't say anything to anyone. I could also go to prison as well for attempting to kill Ms. Joseph."

"Good, I'll ensure that you and your family have protection because I know this Amanda Ross woman is going to be after you and your family," Marco told her.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Russo." She clasped her hands as she looked at him.

"Don't thank me, thank Kelly. I'm only doing this because I know that's what she wants me to do." Marco said and then he looked at me.

'Thank you,' I mouthed to him and he gave me a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He was reading my mind because that was what I was going to ask him to do for her.

"Margaret, if this Amanda Ross, tries to contact you or your son, please let me or Marco know immediately, okay?" I said to her.

"Yes, I will." She replied quickly to me.

"Before you go, let me clean and dress your wound for you," I told her.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Joseph. You're such a nice young lady." She complimented me. "Mr. Russo is lucky to have a wonderful person like you in his life."

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Now that everything is settled, let us all go back up," Marco suggested.

"Sure," I said while Margaret nodded.

**

Leonardo Russo\ Edward Armstrong

3rd person's pov

**

Whitney threw her wine glass at the wall in anger. It fell to the floor and shattered into tiny pieces.

"That little twit is not dead! She's still alive!" She yelled into the phone.

"Okay, then," Leonardo said in an aloof tone. He was relieved that Kelly wasn't dead. He wanted her for himself. He was smitten by her.

He was hiding from Marco and Marco's men in an underground bunker.

He found out that they were onto him after his villa was attacked and all of his men there at the time were murdered.

"That's all you can say, huh?!" Whitney shouted at him. "Marco killed your firstborn son, his own brother, my husband and that's all you can say!"

"What the fuck do you want me to say, Whitney?" He snapped at her. "You hired an amateur to do the job." He said, sarcastically.

"I didn't hire anyone. I blackmailed an old tramp into doing it but she has failed me. As my late husband would say, if you want something done right you better do it yourself." She said, holding her gun. "I'm going to put a bullet in that little twit's head myself." She had an evil smirk on her face.

Leonardo sigh audibly as he poured himself a drink. "Marco is going to be the sad and pathetic little idiot that he is when I kill him and take what's mine. He doesn't deserve to be king, I do. My father made him his successor to hurt me. I'm glad that old motherfucker is dead." He smirked.

"He did that to hurt you and boy, you are so hurt." Whitney laughed at him. "Do you think that taking away the empire from Marco is going to hurt him? Obviously, you don't know your son. That's not going to move Marco. The only thing that's going to hurt Marco is when I put a bullet in that little twit's head." She said with an evil scowl on her face.