No One’s Pov

"Boss, Miss Viella was last spotted going inside Mr. Elias’s mansion. Our men have kept an eye on her, the moment she leaves, we will track her down," the subordinate reported, his voice trembling as he stared at the floor. He could feel the pressure in the room rising.

Dante took off his gloves silently. Hearing that she had gone to Elias voluntarily made his blood boil with a possessive jealousy. His eyes became gloomy.

"Into his mansion?" Dante repeated, his voice dangerously soft. "Alone?"

"Yes, Boss. She bypassed the perimeter. We believe she had help from the inside."

The man standing beside Dante felt the sudden drop in temperature, the cold aura radiating from his boss. He understood Dante was beyond pissed.

The subordinate stepped aside.

Dante turned and walked towards the basement door, his heavy boots crunching against the cold floor.

He stopped at the door frame, not looking back.

"Keep the car ready. We will leave in five minutes," he commanded, his voice a low.

Without another word, Dante climbed the stairs and retreated to his private quarters. He entered his room and tore off his clothes which was stained with blood of Alina.

He tossed them into the burning fireplace.

"Filthy," he hissed, watching the flames burning the stains.

He moved to the bathroom, turning the water to a bone chilling temperature. He scrubbed his skin raw, the freezing spray hitting his back as he tried to wash away the smell of blood from his body and the image of Viella standing next to Elias. His muscles were tight.

Emerging from the steam with a towel wrapped around his waist, his eyes were like ice. He dressed quickly. He adjusted his cufflinks as he left the room

"Were you too desperate to meet him, Viella?" he muttered to the empty hallway, his voice become more irritated with each second.

"I hope you said your goodbyes, because after tonight, you’ll never see another face but mine."

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Viella walked out of the mansion, the heavy doors closing behind her with a thud. It felt like the end of a long exhausting Chapter.

The night air was cool. Waiting at the end of the driveway was the man she had hired using her brother’s untraceable accounts.

He stood beside a dark colored sedan.

As she stepped inside the car, the driver gave a short nod.

"My lady, the wig and clothes are ready in the back seat," he said quietly. "I have everything prepared. Once you reach Germany, our man will receive you at the Frankfurt terminal. From there, you’ll disappear into the city."

Viella nodded, her fingers trembling slightly as she touched the fabric of the simple hoodie and jeans waiting for her. She sat back as the car began to move, watching the silhouette of Elias’s mansion shrink in the rearview mirror.

She had never felt this peaceful before. The air in her lungs felt lighter. She could finally taste the freedom.

The last time she had tried to run, she was a frantic animal fleeing from Dante’s shadow, her every heartbeat thumping with the fear of being caught. But this time was different. She wasn’t running away from anyone anymore, she was simply moving toward a life that belonged to her.

It wouldn’t be a life of luxury. But it would be better than dying under someone’s storyline.

Her plan was simple. Just dress like a commoner, board a commercial flight, and land in a new city where nobody knew the name Calestine Viella.

She would change her identity, find a quiet apartment, and get a mini part-time job. Maybe she’d work in a bakery or a bookstore just like how things used to be in her original world before this nightmare began.

The more she imagined the beautiful boredom of a normal life, the happier she became. A small smile touched her lips. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

But suddenly, the temperature in the car seemed to drop. An icy chill ran down her spine, making the hair on her arms stand up.

"Damn... I am such an overthinker," Viella muttered, rubbing her arms and brushing the feeling off. She forced a scoff to break the silence. "Right... Dante is probably enjoying his time with his ’beloved’ Alina right now. He’s far too busy playing hero to care about where I am."

She rolled her eyes at the thought, trying to convince herself that he was out of her life for good. As the car drove down the long highway toward the airport, she leaned her head against the window.

________________

The sedan finally came to a halt at the departure terminal. Viella took a deep breath, checking her reflection one last time in the dimmed light of the car. The transformation was complete. She had swapped her designer dress for a baggy hoodie and worn the dark brunette wig. With the addition of brown contact lenses and a simple medical facemask.

She looked like just another tired traveler.

"Good luck, My Lady," the driver whispered as she stepped out.

She didn’t look back. She moved through the terminal with her head down, her heart pounding. She navigated the security checks and walked down the carpeted bridge. The final path to her new life.

Just as she disappeared into the aircraft, a fleet of three black SUVs stopped Infront of the halt at the airport curb. The doors opened with a bang.

Dante stepped out, his cold eyes scanning the crowds.

Inside the plane, the atmosphere was a world away from the tension outside.

"Hello, Madam," a flight attendant greeted her with a polite smile. "Welcome aboard. Your seat is 12A, just down the aisle on the right."

"Thank you," Viella murmured, her voice muffled by the mask.

She found her row and stowed her small suitcase in the overhead bin. As she sank into the seat, she felt her body relax. She buckled her seatbelt, leaning her head against the cool window frame.

Outside, the runway lights flickered.

The heavy thud of the cabin door closing echoed through the plane.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard. Please ensure your seatbelts are fastened and your electronic devices are switched to airplane mode. We are currently third in line for takeoff and will be in the air shortly."

Viella closed her eyes, a small tired smile forming behind her mask.

"Finally," Viella whispered to the empty seat beside her. "I’m out." Her body, finally giving in, went limp. Within minutes, she fell into a deep sleep.

Thirty minutes passed.

The plane was still, the cabin lights dimmed.

Viella stirred, let out a soft yawn, and blinked her eyes open. She felt a warmth against her cheek and realized she had been leaning heavily against the person sitting in the seat next to her.

Embarrassed and feeling the dampness of her mask, she quickly sat upright, her face flushing. She kept her head down, fixing her wig with trembling fingers.

"I am so sorry, sir!" she whispered frantically, her voice muffled. "I didn’t realize... I was so tired, I must have fallen asleep on you. I am truly-"

She stopped.

A familiar scent hit her. Her heart skipped a beat. She remembered the seat beside her being empty.

Slowly, her eyes traveled sideways.

First, she saw a black sleeve of a suit. Then, a pair of gloved hands folded calmly in a lap. Her gaze crawled upward... to the sharp line of a throat... to a sharp jawline... and finally, to those gloomy, dark eyes that had haunted her every waking nightmare.

Dante.

Viella’s eyes widened until they hurt. Her breath hitched. She whipped her eyes shut and opened them again, praying it was a hallucination brought on by her exhaustion.

But he didn’t vanish.

Dante sat there, perfectly composed in the seat, looking at her with a calm expression. He leaned in just an inch, his shadow falling over her face, and his voice came out low and huskily.

"Good morning, amore mia," he whispered, his eyes locking onto hers with a dark, predatory hunger. "Did you have a nice rest?"

Viella’s heart felt like it had stopped beating entirely. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, her mind racing. How? How is he here? She tried to steady her breathing, clutching her bag tightly in her lap. She couldn’t give up- not yet.

"You... you must have the wrong person, sir," she said, pitching her voice higher, trying to sound like a confused stranger. "I don’t know who you are."

A low vibrating hum of a laugh came from his chest. It was a sound that made the skin on her neck crawl.

"Oh no, I definitely know exactly who I wanted," Dante replied, his voice a smooth.

"And I have her right here in front of me, perfectly trapped."

He leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing her ear. "Don’t try to act with me, Viella. I can see through every layer, every lie, and every mask you wear."

Before she could pull away, his hand moved faster. He hooked his finger under the edge of her facemask and pulled it down.

Viella’s face was fully exposed. Her cheeks were still rosy from sleep, her lips slightly parted in shock. Seeing her like this- vulnerable and flushed made Dante’s eyes darken to a shade of black that promised no mercy.

A raw, possessive hunger flared in his gaze. He wanted to claim her right there, to crush her against the seat and remind her who she belonged to, but he forced himself to stay still.

He could wait. Once they reached home... once she was locked behind his doors... he could do anything he wanted.

Viella’s head snapped left and right, her panic finally boiling over. "Where... where is everyone?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

She looked down the aisle. The seats were empty. There were no one at all. The whole cabin was empty. Her pupils shook as she realized the situation.

Dante saw the realization dawn on her face and let out a soft dark laugh that chilled her to the bone.

"Did you really think I’d let you fly away on a public flight like a commoner, mia cara?" he asked, his hand coming up to trace the line of her jaw with a terrifying tenderness.

"I bought every seat on this plane the moment you stepped into the terminal. Every soul on this aircraft works for me."

He leaned back, looking perfectly chill. "Now, why don’t you tell me... where exactly were you planning to go without your husband’s permission?"

"Husband...?" Viella gasped, her eyes wide with genuine shock. "Brother, you’re my ex-fiance. We broke up like two days ag-"

She stopped abruptly the second she saw his face. Dante’s expression turned stone cold, his jaw tightening until it looked like it might snap. The temperature in the cabin seemed to drop to sub zero levels.

Oops... I am doomed, she thought, her stomach dropping.

Before Dante could respond, one of his men approached with a bow. "Boss, we are landing now. The chopper is ready on the private strip."

Dante dismissed the man with a flick of his hand. He turned back to Viella. A cold predatory smirk spreading across his lips.

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TO BE CONTINUED