No One’s Pov

Before Vivien could even process the horror in front of her, the air behind her turned cold.

Dante had moved in silence, appearing right at her back. He leaned down, his breath falling against her ear. He could see the tiny hairs on the back of her neck standing up in pure terror.

"Are you looking for this, Amore Mio?" he whispered. The vibration of his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

Vivien’s heart was thumping rapidly. She shakily turned her head to look at him and found him leaning down close.

She came face to face with him, her nose brushing against his. The man in front of her felt truly horrifying now, she had always known he was the cruel, but seeing this level of cruelty was insane.

Then, her eyes caught something in his hand.

He followed her gaze and smirked, his eyes glinting with a dark satisfaction. Finally, he moved his hand into the light, showing her exactly what he was holding.

"The... the dagger..." Vivien stuttered, her voice barely a breath.

Dante nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving hers.

"How... how is that possible?" she asked, her mind spinning. "How do you have it?"

In that moment, she no longer cared about the rotting smell or the bodies on the floor. Her whole focus was on the dagger.

"Give me a kiss and I will tell you everything," Dante said, his smirk widening as he enjoyed the play of terror on her face.

This man was truly shameless and cracked in the head. He actually expected her to kiss him while standing in a room full of rotting corpses? Vivien looked at him with pure disbelief, her breath coming in shallow hitches.

"Aw, what happened? Is my bunny scared of me now?" Dante mocked, his voice a low as he moved his lips closer to hers.

Vivien tried to scramble backward, but Dante was faster. He caught her by the waist, jerking her body flush against his hard chest. Before she could scream, he pressed his lips firmly against hers.

It was a cold, possessive kiss. While Vivien’s eyes were squeezed shut in horror, Dante kept his wide open, staring straight at Alina’s decaying corpse over Vivien’s shoulder.

Vivien’s mind was spinning, the smell, the bodies, the Truth, it was all too much. She felt her legs turn to water, giving out beneath her.

Just as she began to sink, Dante caught her, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her bridal style out of that basement.

As they reached the cleaner area of the upper halls, he spoke softly, his tone almost tender.

"Like I said, I keep my promises."

"I was the one who stole the dagger from Elias in the first place," he explained casually. "Later, I switched it for the fake one and made sure his men ’found’ it. And guess what? Lily stole that very same fake for you afterward. I let her do it."

Vivien heard his words through a fog of shock.

"Then... how did it work when I used it?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. ".... the power... it felt real."

"It’s because just like Elias’s blood, my blood is effective too," he said, his voice coaxing and gentle, as if he were soothing a frightened baby.

"Not as much as his, perhaps, but enough to make a fake blade appear real if I coat it properly"

Viviens eyes widened.....that- that means....Elias...before she could process she felt her body going numb.

Dante smiled and hugged her more closely. He didn’t expect her to stay awake till now afterall her body was too exhausted from last night.

"Sleep well, Amore Mio"

________________

Instead of returning to the room, Dante walked straight out to the tarmac where his private jet stood.

He carried her up the stairs and into the luxurious cabin, ignoring the bows of the flight crew.

He sat down in a wide seat, placing her limp, unconscious body on top of him and wrapping his arms around her in a tight protective embrace.

His hand moved slowly, caressing her head. He leaned down, burying his face in the crook of her neck and breathing in her fragrance, savoring the scent of the woman he had been waiting for years to return.

The glint in his eyes was unmistakable.

Everything had gone exactly according to his plan. After all, Dante Valerio Moretti’s plans never failed.

It had all been a calculated performance. It was him who had left the office unlocked, him who had planted the box for her to find, and him who had left the basement door slightly ajar. He wanted her to see the room; he wanted her to find Alina’s rotting corpse. Why? Because the truth was his most powerful weapon.

He knew that if she understood the sheer scale of his power and the darkness he was capable of- she would realize there was nowhere left to run.

Every "escape" she planned was just another room in his palace. He wanted her to understand that she couldn’t fool him, no matter how many attempt she tired.

Willingly or unwillingly, she would eventually stop fighting. She would have to come to him, because he was the only thing left in her world.

No matter what... in the end, she had to be his and his alone.

With a look of pure atisfaction, Dante closed his eyes. He hugged her soft body closer, feeling her warmth against his chest as the jet began to fly away.

_________________

The Miami sun was casting golden ray. Outside, the air carried the smell of salt and the sweet rot of tropical blooms.

The sound of wave crushing could be heard from little distance. Sunlight cut through the room, falling across Vivien’s face as she lay in a soft bed.

But even the postcard perfect weather couldn’t stop the fever in her dreams.

In the dark behind her eyelids, a voice kept whispering.. The shadow in her mind grew closer, blurring until the features finally snapped into the light.

Elias.

Vivien jolted upright, her breath hitching in a panicked gasp. She scrambled to look around, her eyes darting across a room that was bright.

The walls were a soft cream, the furniture was light and the massive windows offered beautiful view of the ocean.

"Where am I...?" she croaked, her voice dry.

She looked down at herself. The old stained clothes had been stripped away, replaced by a light floral sundress. Her head throbbed as the memories began to leak back in.

Dante has the real dagger. I had the fake. Her hands gripped the sheets until her knuckles turned white.

If the blade was a decoy, then the strike she had landed on Elias wasn’t a death blow. It was just a mare wound and fire to his heart..

"Does that mean... Elias... isn’t dead?"

The realization made her stomach drop. "Fuck!"

She cursed under her breath. She was well and truly doomed.

Elias was a snake, a man who survived on spite and cruelty. He’s a snake that devours his prey while playing with it. There’s no way he’s sliding this off.

Suddenly the door clicked open and a maid walked in looking relieved.

"Miss, you’ve waken up... you must be starving," she said with a polite dip of her head. "Eldest mistress had ordered me to lead you to the dining table as soon as you wake up."

"Eldest... who?" Vivien asked, her brain still foggy. Nothing made sense. "Also, where am I?"

The maid stared at her and blinked, clearly surprised by the questions. "Uh, you’re currently in Miami, miss. And eldest mistress... she is Lord Dante’s grandma."

"Nonna? She’s here?"

The maid nodded. "This is her mansion. So, if you care to follow me, miss..."

Vivien fell into deep thoughts as she followed the maid through the bright hallways.

Dante brought her all the way to Miami just to meet Nonna? It didn’t feel that simple. Dante never did anything just for the sake of a family visit.

As they started heading downstairs, the house was a filled with activity. She could see dozens of maids scurrying back and forth, carrying massive bouquets. The smell of fresh cut flowers was everywhere.

"Are we having some kind of function?" Vivien asked, eyeing a group of workers hanging crystal chandeliers in the foyer.

The maid turned and smiled at her, a bit of a tease in her eyes. "Miss must be in sleep, otherwise how can miss forget her own wedding?"

Vivien stopped dead in her tracks, the blood draining from her face. "Her wedding? Wait... what did you just say?"

The maid stopped, looking a little dumbfounded by the horror on Vivien’s face. She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak, a loud cheerful voice echoed through the grand hall.

"Omoooo! My darling has waken up!"

The maid quickly stepped aside as a wind of perfume came toward her.

Before Vivien could even blink, she was pulled into a warm tight hug. Nonna squeezed her tight, laughing with a joy.

Nonna pulled at Vivien’s cheeks, her eyes twinkling with a mischievous light. "Darling, you had me dying when I saw your unconscious body! Then I found out you were just tired from... private activities," she teased, winking broadly.

Vivien felt the heat rush to her face, though it wasn’t from embarrassment, it was pure rage.

Did Dante really tell her that?! He hadn’t mentioned the part where he nearly scared her to death or the massacre in the basement. Then again, looking down at the faint purple marks peeking from her collar, she realized what Nonna was seeing.

That perverted, horrifying monster! Suddenly, Nonna’s playful smile dropped, replaced by something much more serious. "You know, darling, when I first saw the news of you breaking up with my little lion, I thought the world was about to end. I felt so hurt."

Vivien’s heart skipped a beat, but Nonna continued, "But thank God Dante told me it was just a prank and you both wanted to surprise me with the news of the wedding."

Vivien stared in silence. Dante had even made up a story to cover up the breakup? The level of manipulation was staggering. But the next words made her head buzz with a new kind of fear.

"I was so prepared to send my men to take you and make you my granddaughter-in-law the very next day," Nonna said, a cold glint flickering in her eyes that mirrored Dante’s perfectly. "Because there can be no one but you as my little lion’s wife."

Vivien felt a chill run down her spine.

"You know, Dante’s grandpa tried to run away once too," Nonna laughed, casually smoothing out the lace on Vivien’s sleeve. "I made sure my men broke his legs and made him marry me the next day. Hahahaha!"

Vivien’s mouth hung open, her voice trapped in her throat. She looked at the woman laughing at the memory of kidnapping and crippling her husband.

Now I see where he gets it from, Vivien thought, a sense of hopelessness sinking in. The insanity is genetic

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TO BE CONTINUED