No One’s Pov

With a soft click, the lock turned, and the door swung open. Vivien peered out into the dimly lit hallway, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

Everything was completely dead. It was incredibly suspicious because of how quiet it was. A grand villa like this should have had guards pacing the floors or staff moving about, but the entire corridor was draped in silence.

"Is it supposed to be like this?" Vivien muttered under her breath.

A nagging feeling in her gut warned her that too much opportunity is only like a trap. It felt almost too easy. But then again, she didn’t have much time in hand. She had to escape anyhow, no matter the risks. She couldn’t afford to sit around and wait for Enzo to drag her into some psycho ritual. She forced herself to think back to the last time she had visited this estate.

She remembered a few paths. She recalled a low-lying back window on the ground floor that might help her slip out unnoticed, or perhaps the backdoor she had noticed earlier.

With the help of her memories guiding her through the darkness, she tried to follow the path down the grand staircases.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried voices echoed from around the corner. Vivien’s eyes widened, and she hurriedly hid behind a massive pillar, holding her breath.

A group of maids walked past her hiding spot, whispering frantically among themselves.

"Have you seen that girl?" one of the maids whispered, her voice trembling with genuine fear. "She was looking so horrifying tonight, covered in so much blood..."

Another maid sighed, nodding her head. "Yeah... and she had absolutely no emotion on her face at all while walking down the hall. It’s like she doesn’t even feel pain. It’s unnatural."

The third maid quickly hissed, "Shhh! Keep your voices down! If the Master hears you gossiping, you’ll be the next target. Just shut up and get to your rooms before someone sees us." The other two nodded in terror, picking up their pace, and they quickly disappeared down the servant’s quarters, leaving the hallway silent once more.

Hearing their conversation, Vivien felt a sudden pang of sadness for the mysterious girl.

I don’t know if she is really Lily or not... but leaving her behind like this feels so wrong, she thought, her chest aching with guilt.

Vivien stayed silent, torn between her own survival and the urge to run to the dark room to save the girl. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, forcing herself to stay focused.

No. I have to do this. I have to save myself first. Once I am out of here and safe, I will get Dominic to help me rescue her.

Reassured by her plan, she crept out from behind the pillar and made her way toward the lower level. Unknown to her, a pair of cold eyes were deeply observing her every move from the shadows at the top of the stairs, watching her escape attempt without making a single sound.

Finally, Vivien spotted the wooden backdoor at the end of the kitchen corridor. Freedom was just a few feet away. But just as she reached out to grab the handle, the bright flash of headlights suddenly cut through the glass windows.

Vivien froze in panic as she noticed several cars pulling up into the driveway outside.

The moment Vivien’s eyes landed on the person stepping out of the lead vehicle, a spark of hope lit up her face. It was Dominic! He had actually found her.

Before she could shout his name or run out the door, a cold slender hand gripped her mouth from behind, completely cutting off her scream.

A strong arm wrapped around her waist and forcefully pulled her back into the deep corridor. Vivien thrashed wildly, kicking her legs and digging her fingernails into the person’s arm, desperately struggling to break free. But their hold was incredibly tight, dragging her away from the exit and deeper into the dark.

Vivien was just about to use all her strength to strike her captor in the throat when her eyes caught a flash of white under the dim hallway light. It was a messy bandage.

Because Vivien had been struggling so violently, the clumsy layers of gauze had shifted tearing the freshly stabbed wounds underneath wide open. Deep red blood was rapidly soaking through the cloth, dripping warm against Vivien’s own skin.

Seeing this, Vivien froze entirely. She stopped fighting and slowly looked up, her wide eyes meeting the blank gaze of the mysterious girl.

The girl stood completely stunned, her grip loosening slightly as she processed how quickly Vivien had surrendered the moment she saw the blood. She hadn’t expected the prisoner to care about her pain.

For a long moment, the two of them just stayed perfectly still in the dark hallway, listening to the chaotic noise echoing from the front of the mansion.

Meanwhile, Dominic had barged into the estate in the absolute dead of night. He was a master of strategy, he knew exactly when was the best, most vulnerable time to strike an enemy. His boots clicked against the floor as his armed men flooded the grand entryway, weapons drawn and securing every exit.

But before his men could advance past the main foyer, a mocking voice interrupted them from above.

"Who exactly gave you permission to enter my private property in the middle of the night, Mr. Valente? What is the meaning of this uncivilized behavior?"

Enzo walked slowly down the grand staircase. He was wearing a loose robe, intentionally looking like he had just been peacefully awoken from a deep sleep, completely unbothered by the armed men in his living room.

Dominic stepped forward. "I heard that Mr. Enzo has something in his possession that belongs to me. Something very precious," Dominic said, his deep voice filled with threat.

The two men stood face to face at the bottom of the stairs. Fake smiles remained fixed on both of their faces, yet their locked eyes told a completely different story- they wanted nothing more than to tear each other completely apart

"Oh, how can I, a mere college student, have the possession of the city’s most successful businessman?" Enzo said, his voice dripping with false innocence as a mocking grin stretched across his face. "I wouldn’t dare to do something like that, now would I?"

Dominic didn’t even blink. He took a step forward.

"A mere college student?" Dominic murmured, a dark chuckle vibrating in his chest. "Don’t sell yourself short, Enzo. It takes a very specific kind of pathetic coward to hide behind a student ID while playing god in the shadows. But let’s be entirely honest here- you’ve always been second rate. In high school, you couldn’t even keep a girl from transferring away from you, and today, you’re still playing the same losing games."

Enzo’s mocking grin faltered, his jaw clenching tightly at the mention of the past.

Dominic smoothed the cuff of his suit jacket, his eyes gleaming. "You see, a real man takes what he wants by standing in the light. A boy like you? You steal things in the dark and pray nobody notices your pathetic existence. But you made a critical error, kid. You touched something that belongs to me. And unlike your little high school playground, in my world, people like you don’t get a second chance. They just vanish."

The public humiliation in front of his own staff made Enzo’s blood boil. The arrogant facade he had built completely shattered, his face turning flushed red.

"Do you have a warrant to check my house?!" Enzo suddenly shouted, his voice cracking slightly with rage. He snapped his head toward the trembling maids standing near the kitchen. "What are you all standing there for?! Call the police right now! Tell them armed thugs have broken into my property!"

Dominic chuckled darkly, "As if your little local police can stop me," he said flatly. "Go ahead. Call them. Let’s see if they arrive before or after I burn this entire villa to the ground."

With a single wave of Dominic’s hand, his men bypassed Enzo completely, tearing through the mansion and starting to search the whole house. They slammed doors, checked hidden panels.

Enzo looked a bit scared now, his eyes darting toward the hallway that led to the dark room. Dominic waited with a smug, entirely confident face, expecting his men to bring Vivien out at any second.

But as the minutes ticked by, the footsteps of his men returned to the foyer. The lead guard walked up to Dominic, his head lowered in shame. "Boss... we searched everywhere. There is nothing unusual. No hidden passages, no secret rooms on the upper floors. There’s completely no trace of Miss Vivien."

Enzo’s tense shoulders instantly relaxed, and that victorious smile returned to his face. "See? I told you, Mr. Valente. There is absolutely nothing here," he said, his voice returning to its smooth arrogant tone. He even took a bold step forward, looking directly into Dominic’s furious eyes.

"Vivien was my close friend, you know. I was absolutely devastated to hear about the tragic explosion and her supposed death. I truly hope you can find a way to move on."

With a smirk, Enzo reached out and lightly patted Dominic’s shoulder, a gesture of pure mocking pity.

Behind the kitchen wall, Vivien could see everything through a crack in the doorframe.

Her heart screamed to run out, to throw herself into Dominic’s arms. She wanted to shout his name with all the breath left in her lungs, but the mysterious girl’s bleeding hand was still firmly stopping her, locking her in place.

Dominic didn’t move a muscle when Enzo patted his shoulder. Instead, his intense gaze slowly drifted upward, moving past Enzo’s smug face, past his shoulder, and locking directly onto the exact crack in the wall where Vivien was hiding.

Vivien’s eyes met his through the tiny gap.

In that exact second, her entire body felt burning hot, her heart stopping completely. Even though she was shrouded in total darkness, it felt as if Dominic’s piercing eyes were looking directly at her, cutting right through the solid wood to claim what was his.

Dominic’s eyes slowly slid down to Enzo’s hand, still resting on his shoulder. Without a word, Dominic gripped Enzo’s wrist, his fingers crushing the bone until Enzo’s smirk twisted into a grimace of pain. Dominic leaned in close, his voice a quiet whisper.

"Don’t ever mistake my patience for peace, kid. I know you have her. And I know exactly where you hide your secrets." Dominic let go of his wrist, brushing off his own shoulder as if erasing Enzo’s entire existence. "Enjoy your little house while you still have it. Count your days, because next time I come back, I won’t be looking for a warrant. I’ll be looking for a gravesite."

With a turn, Dominic spun on his boot as he marched out into the night, his small army following behind him.

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TO BE CONTINUED