Chapter 7

~~~ LUST WAS ALL Chase felt when he'd seen her on her knees, unknowingly showing him the outline of the beautiful shape of her round perky ass in that shorts, packing those plates from the ground. For the fucking first time after so many years, he remembered how to feel. Like, he felt something, and it had to be lust; something he never for once felt for his fiancée Saige even after all her sexual advances towards him; the same feeling he buried years ago for the same girl. Sophia Bennett. As absurd as it may sound, he had been lusting over her since he knew her as a fucking child. He never failed to secretly admire her every time he was sent on an errand to her dad's place. She loved wearing all those knee-length, floral dresses and leaving her hair in a pigtail style. The main thing that always attracted him to her was the way innocence radiated off her in waves with those beautiful freckles on her tanned skin. Anytime looked into her eyes, he felt himself drown in them and it hurt him that she was oblivious to how he felt. Of course, it wasn't her fault. They never talked because she was a young girl, a mafia princess-something he doubted she knew father's little princess, which he hid away from the world and she was just out of bounds. Chase knew that, but still, he let himself think with his dick as long as it was related to her, and maybe, just maybe, that was why he had let her live again that night for the second time. He made the mistake of leaving her all those years, but it seemed like destiny had something else in store for them, rather than having them apart, so he would hold on to that. If their fates wanted them together, he was going to have her no matter the cost. He didn't even care about the fact that he had a fiancée; for, he didn't owe her his loyalty. Only she owed him the loyalty because that was how their world worked. The husband owed no loyalty but the wife owed all of hers’. She was to be an obedient wife, stay at home, and give him babies. Chase was dangerous for Sophia. His world was too dangerous and corrupt for a soft soul like her. He knew that more than anybody, but that was the least of his problems. They were made for each other and no one would ever be able to change it because they would lose their lives even before doing so. After all, he was the devil. He always got what he wanted, and his eyes were only set on Sophia. So, he would have her and make her his' whether she wanted it or not. Chase got distracted from his thoughts when his phone rang on the bedside table. With slow, calculative steps, he strode to the table and picked up the phone. Seeing as the call was from his underboss, Lucas, he picked it up with a silent growl. “Che cosa," {"What?"} Lucas replied almost immediately. "è scappata, cazzo," {"She fucking escaped"}. Chase knew very well who Lucas was talking about from the tone of his voice. He didn't seem fazed. He just didn't expect Sophia to escape that early. He slowly pulled out the cigar from his lips and blew out smoke, not saying a word. Lucas called from the other end. “Don," "Non è andata lontano,” Chase said, without any panic in his voice. “stendila quando la trovi," {"She hasn't gone far.”} {Knock her out when you find her."} ~~~ The distant sound of squeaks became louder as her consciousness slipped in, and the moment she recognized the sounds, Sophia's eyelids opened on their own. She let out a squeak when her eyes settled on the uncountable number of rats running around the familiar-looking room she was in. She tried to move or run but was restrained by something hard pulling on her bruised wrists and ankles. She accessed her whole form before realizing she'd been tied to the same wooden chair she was tied to earlier that night when she was brought in. A lone tear slid down her cheek, followed by a muffled sob. All she wanted to do was go home, but there she was, being tied up like a criminal for witnessing a murder, with squeaking rats all around her. Annoying animals, she hated and felt scared of all her life. She continued crying as she remembered how she had gotten there. Flashback "No-Papa-" She whimpered. “Mama-please don't go-please," Sophia's eyes snapped open, and she sat up with a jerk on the bed. Sophia hugged her knees as violent tears kissed her cheeks, landing on her knees. She was petrified. She waited for the usual warm touch and voice to reach her ears but nothing happened. All she heard and felt was silence and loneliness. Her eyes ran over the room, searching for her Nana until realization dawned on her when she took note of the room. She wasn't at home. She wasn't there in her room, and her Nana wasn't there to comfort her or give her milk. In a panic, Sophia got down from the bed and pulled on her hair as images of the terrible night her parents were murdered crossed her mind, threatening to make her lose her sanity. She clutched and pulled on her hair as she fell on her knees. “Please-go away-don't-", Fresh tears fell down her cheeks, and the images flooded faster than they normally did. She dragged her hair, almost pulling it out of its roots till some of her hair was in her hands. When she realized what she had done to her hair, her breathing labored a little, and she got up on her feet, rushing to the closet. It was empty, and there were no clothes in it. She rushed to one of the drawers there and pulled it open, till her eyes landed on two pair of black clothes. With shaky hands, she picked them up and assessed them. It was a pair of hoodies and joggers. She didn't know what had taken her to the closet, but whatever it was a blessing in disguise and she wouldn't let the opportunity pass her. She would wear the clothes and find a way to escape. She missed her Nana and wanted to see her. She wanted her to soothe her and tell her everything was going to be okay. She wanted Nana to tell her that her parent's murderers wouldn't be able to harm her even if he had found her. She quickly put on the joggers and hoodie over the clothes she was wearing and rushed to open the door. She walked out of her room and tiptoed down the stairs, hoping not to bump into anyone and luckily for her, no one was there. She followed her instincts till she got to the large main door and opened it since it wasn't unlocked. A part of her told her it wasn't normal for people as rich as that to leave their doors open, but to her, it was their business. It wasn't her business to meddle in and she made her out. She walked down the porch of the mansion and halted in her steps when she saw a lot of men standing all around the compound, wearing all black, their bulgy arms folded across their chests, with stoic expressions on their faces. She was sure they were Chase's men, considering their intimidating looks and body builds. Her breath hitched and she hid when one of them looked towards the direction she was in. Her eyes fell on a stone by her feet, and she picked it up the moment an idea struck her mind. She immediately threw the stone towards a dark place, and all the men's eyes went there. They all looked at each other in confusion and brought out their guns from their holsters. "Who is there? "one of them said, pointing his gun towards the direction, and Sophia gulped. She suddenly realized that they could all blow off her brains if she got caught. When she saw how some of them walked in that direction, she seized the opportunity and ducked behind a pillar close to the dark place. She silently watched them in the dark with a fast racing heart till they left the place and walked back to their spot. "There's no one there", Another man said, and they shook their heads. When she was sure everything was settled, she ran in the dark direction and placed her hand over the fence but it didn't reach. For the first time, she internally thanked her friend back in high school for teaching her how to climb over a fence. "This fence is so high I can't jump over" " she mumbled. She took a step backward till she stumbled over something, and she let out a loud yelp before palming her mouth in realization. "Who is there? “One of the men asked, his voice ringing, and her eyes widened in fear. “Who is there? “His voice got nearer, and Sophia could swear she heard the loud thumping of her heart beating. She looked at what she stumbled on and breathed out in relief when she saw that it was a stool. She quickly picked it up and placed it close to the wall before standing on it. When she raised her toe and placed her hand over the fence, she froze when she heard a deep, scary voice behind her. “Who are you?"