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Stefania chuckled darkly, nodding to the men who tightened their grip on me. “Of course, sister. Did you really think you could walk away with something that valuable without any consequences?” Her eyes sparkled with mal
as she stepped closer, her hand sliding into her purse.
“You won’t get away with this!” I spat, but the words felt hollow, swallowed by the dread rising in my chest “Y
and Lorenzo!”
She smiled, a cold, triumphant curve of her lips. “Oh, dear sister, I already have. And Lorenzo? I couldn’t care le
if he lives or dies.”
Before I could react, Stefania produced a syringe from her handbag, its sharp tip gleaming in the sunlight. “Th is just to help you relax,” she said sweetly, and before I could push her away, she pressed it into my neck.
The world spun violently, my vision blurring as my body became heavier, unresponsive. I fought to stay conscious, but my strength faltered. The last thing I saw before everything went black was Stefania’s smug face, watching as I collapsed to the ground.
The hours passed in a disorienting haze. Time blurred, and I was lost in a dark void where nothing made sense My mind clawed at the edges of consciousness, but it felt as if I were drowning in thick fog. Slowly, agonizingly, I surfaced, my head pounding with the intensity of the drug still coursing through my veins. My body felt heavy, as if
were trapped in a cocoon I couldn’t break free from
When I finally forced my eyes open, the dim light of the room greeted me. The sharp metallic scent of cold steel lingered in the air, and the stale, lifeless surroundings made it clear I was somewhere unfamiliar.
My limbs were bound wrists and ankles secured with rough, unyielding ropes to a chair, Panic surged through
me as I tried to move, but I was too weak, too disoriented. My head hung low, but I could hear the faint sound of
someone’s footsteps approaching, I strained to lift my head, and there she was Stefania.
She stood in front of me, her arms crossed, her eyes gleaming with a mix of disdain and amusement. She was almost unrecognizable in the glow of the low, flickering light, her expensive clothes seemingly untouched by the situation. She had all the time in the world, it seemed.
“Oh, look who’s finally awake,” Stefania purred, her voice full of mock sympathy. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it
I tried to speak, but my mouth felt dry, my tongue too thick to form words. I swallowed, mustering what little strength I had left. “Why… why are you doing this?” My voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but I needed to know
“Because you’re as stupid as you’ve always been,” she replied, giggling cruelly.
I squinted at her, trying to make sense of her words
you were–an
“It wasn’t you those men needed earlier, just the briefcase. I just happened to stop by, and there you wer
easy catch.”
“You!” I hissed. “You’re so evil, Stefanial Matteo won’t let you get away with this. You’ll pay for it!” “Matteo?” She laughed, a wicked sound that sent a chill down my spine.
My eyes widened as her laugh hinted at something sinister. Did she know where Matteo was?
C
“So proud of being screwed by a man like Matteo, aren’t you?” Stefania sneered. “The reason you ran away was because you seduced the Emperor. You should be at your wedding! You should be marrying Lorenzo! You should be
his wife!”
I scowled. What was she saying? Didn’t she want Lorenzo for herself?
Stefania’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “So, you’re asking me why, huh? You honestly don’t know?” She leaned closer, her face just inches from mine. “Maybe you should’ve paid more attention to the people around you, Aletta.”
I shook my head, still struggling to make sense of her words. “What are you talking about?”
202 PM c
She took a slow step back, her eyes scanning me, her gaze calculating and cold. “You really think Lorenzo
and ever cared for me, don’t you? You think I was the one he loved, the one who mattered to him more than anyone anything?” Stefania’s laugh was like ice, her words cutting through the air “Oh, Aletta, you’ve always been so naive.” Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I wanted to scream, to say it was true, Lorenzo cherished her, adored her, loved her… but a sense of dread crept over me. There was something behind what she was saying. Something buried beneath the layers of her bitterness.
“Lorenzo loved you,” I said, my voice steady despite the wave of uncertainty crashing against me. “He always has. Don’t twist the truth to suit your theatrics, Stefania!”
Stefania’s expression flickered for just a moment–anger, jealousy–before she masked it with that cold smile. “He loved me, yes. But not in the way you think! You didn’t really know Lorenzo, Aletta. You didn’t know why he wanted to marry you. It was always you he wanted! Not because of his parents, but because you were the queen he saw standing beside him.”
My eyes widened in disbelief, What was she saying? Lorenzo’s actions had shattered my trust in him. I’d seen him with Stefania, and the diary confirmed his betrayal. How could this be true?
“You’ve always been in my way!” Stefania yelled “And when I found a chance to make him mine, he still wanted to marry you! He found you boring, reserved, but he saw you as his queen! Me? He only wanted my passion, my fire… but not my heart.”
“Then, Lorenzo wanted you to be his whore,” I said venomously. Just like your mother,” I scoffed, “Lorenzo thought of you as a mistress, nothing more. Poor Stefania How pitiful you are!”
Her hand shot out, slapping me across the face with a force that made my head spin My vision blurred, but I held on to my defiance
“I will kill you in front of him,” Stefania hissed. “I made sure Lorenzo will be here to see how I end his precious
Aletta’s life.”
I sneered. “Precious? What a joke. That’s the term I used for you when Lorenzo neglected me for your pathetic
drama.”
Stefania’s eyes burned with fury. “Savor the moment, Aletta Think your emperor will save you? Sorry to say, my friends already have him. Just as I have you here.”
What? They took Matteo?
