Chapter 31


    VERNERO POV


    It was a little after 7 when I decided it was time to leave Leigh’s room. She was sleeping soundly and I


    felt like watching her was just going to disturb her peaceful rest. Enzo had long gone, left me to myself as


    I insisted on watching over her.


    Somehow just sitting here, watching as she took small peaceful breaths gave me a sense of relief, made


    me forget for a minute how badly I fucked up. I didn’t want to put the me on anyone or anything else.


    It was with my ignorance that she passed out. Had I checked the system well, things wouldn’t be like


    this. The harder I thought about it, the more I felt like I needed to skin someone alive,


    With that, I left.


    I went straight into the monitoring room and checked the surveince. I had to be sure of what


    happened. And if someone actually dared to turn up the temperature… Oh Lord, help them!


    To my surprise, there really was no one. The only people who went to the sauna today were Enzo, and


    me. Even Valerie saw from the surveince room that Leigh passed out.


    Now, this meant one thing; The system did have a small error.


    I let out a loud growl as I mmed my fists angrily on the keyboards that were on the table, earning me a


    yelp from the guy sitting next to me.


    I left without further ado and quickly dialed Ciello’s phone number. The phone clicked as he answered on


    the third ring:


    “Boss?”


    “I want whoever that was in contact with Leigh-Ari in 30 minutes, chained in the dungeons,” I


    commanded as I ran to my office to ready myself for what came next.


    “Done, Boss.” He replied cutting the call. Upon reaching my office, I walked into my private bathroom and


    stood under the icy cold shower. The cold sprays of water cleared my mind, numbed my body, removed


    all the unwanted thoughts that may lead me to failure. I had hurt one person I cared about the most.


    Someone had to suffer for all she did. And I was going to inflict the pain very, very, well.


    30 minutes on the clock, my phone rang and it was Ciello. I smiled and picked it up, loyal to his words,


    he had everyone that talked to Leigh today.


    It was about to go crazy!


    LEIGH-ARI


    lopened my eyes and blinked a few times, I felt rested, very rested, and very energized. I got u p into a


    sitting position and pulled my knees to my chest, with my back against the headboard. The room was


    dark, signaling that it waste in the night. I nced at the digital clock on the bedside table and it


    showed that it was well after 10 pm.


    After giving out a heavy yawn, I switched on the bedsidemp and padded across the room to switch on


    the main lights. A gasp tore out of me when I saw bags and bags of the things I bought today.


    But I realized that being surprised wasn’t going to do it for me, I mean I was with Ciello, maybe he was


    the one who brought the bags home.


    Still lost in my mind, my stomach rambled embarrassingly and that’s when I realized I hadn’t, had


    anything since the hearty breakfast I had in the morning. Good Lord this had been an insanely long day.


    From finding out that I was kidnapped to attempting to escape only to be found yet again, then locked in


    the steam room where I fainted what happenedter?


    Heck! Just the mere thought of today’s crazy events made my stomach grumble angrily. I looked for


    another set offortable clothes and slipped them on, then left my room on a hunt for a kitchen.


    Right after closing my door, I realized that I had no idea where the kitchen was, let alone theyout of the


    castle. I didn’t even know on which floor of the castle I was on.


    I leaned against one of the neighboring doors trying to make out the sound that maye from inside.


    However, the hallways were as still as death, unmoving, and eerily quiet. I heaved a sigh and walked


    through the hallway where my portraits were staring back at me.


    I don’t know for how long I milled in this maze of a castle, climbing up and down the bare and carpet-


    covered stairs, but eventually, I saw a huge, oak, doubled doors, and ran towards them, then pushed


    them open with all my might to reveal what looked like a rooftop. There were stone-carved seats and


    tables, as well as manicured statues and fountains. The light from the ground created thick shadows,


    making the ce a little bit unsettling. But despite that, it was breathtaking. From here, the rooftop


    seemed to be 2 floors up.


    as


    I turned around and spotted a stone staircase on my left. I took off and walked down the stairs that


    stretched on forever. The stairs went on and on and it was insanely chill in here. I shivered in my small


    ck summer dress and covered my arms in an attempt to keep a little bit of warmth to myself.


    A loud scream jolted me out of my own skin. It sounded like it wasing out from somewhere below,


    instead of walking back, I took hurried steps downwards. The doctor in me surfaced and all I could think


    of was to save a life.


    After a lifetime of running down the cold stairs, I came to a clearing and stopped dead in my tracks. The


    sight in front of my eyes knocked the breath out of me. There were six people, chained to the seats, with


    blood oozing everywhere from their bodies.


    I gasped when I spotted none but the sales consultant I was talking with today, chained and nearly


    disfigured. The vendor, the police officers. Good Lord, no!


    “NOOO!” I screamed announcing my presence in the room, tears pricked my eyes and wasted no time


    spilling down my face.


    From my blurred vision, I saw Vernero shirtless, with what looked like an ax grasped tight in his hand.


    “What did you do?” That came out as a whisper as I willed my shaky legs to carry me forward.


    “Didn’t you lock the door?” He thundered to someone who made a quick apology. The


    In’t evenplete his sentence before a loud qunshot rang around the stone walls, echoing around and


    creating a ghost sound that made my heart palpitate. His lifeless body fell limp to the floor and I


    screamed.


    “Nooo! Please… Stop.” I cried so hard as I lunged forward, to no one in particr.


    The vendor whom I gave my earrings to coughed, and blood came out rushing out of his mouth.


    On an impulse, I ran to him and held him upright. Tears didn’t stop streaming down my face. My hands


    were shaking, these people were hurt, and it was all my fault.


    “Leigh-Ari you need to get out of here.” He threatened in his usual icy tone, I straightened up and looked


    at him, then angrily wiped the tears that just couldn’t stop on my face.


    “Kill me. Not them.” I announced and everyone in the room gasped.


    “You don’t know what you are talking about ma’am,” Ciello responded but I wasn’t having it.


    “Shut the fuck up. Kill me. It is me that ran, it is me that got away and not them, and if you are going to


    punish someone, it has to me.” I said defiantly, I knew that he might lose and just snap my neck into two


    and the angels would start singing Hallelujah in the very instant. But I wasn’t going to stand by and watch


    innocent people die because of me.


    “Ma’am you should really…”


    “I said, shut the fuck up!” I called out in an angry voice, causing Ciello to take a step back.


    That made room for me to draw straight to Vernero who was standing a foot from me, chest heaving


    deeply, evidently showing that he was on the edge. One more word and we were all doomed.


    I took one small step, waited for him to drawback, but he didn’t. I took the second one and when he didn’t


    react, went straight to him and stood right in front of him. His eyes were glued


    on me, forehead bundled angrily and lips pinched shut, with his nose red as he took gallons of air into


    his lungs.


    “Please! For my sake, don’t kill them.” I said in a very small voice, one that was meant for his ears only.


    His breathing quickened and I chanced my hand up, then slowlyid it right where his heartid beneath


    the cage of his bones and skin. It was beating like an angry beast ready to break free. He didn’t


    drawback, didn’t lose it as I had thought,


    “Please!” I pleaded once more and like magic, hisbored breathing slowly subsided. He calmed down.


    I said a silent prayer, hoping that it was really the end of it, that he truly heard me, and that h e wasn’t


    going to go berserk and start his killing spree.


    “Unchain them!” Hemanded, his eyes still glued to my face. I gave him a small smile and carefully


    rested my head on his chest. Only God knew what I was doing, even his angels had no idea why I


    decided to y the card I yed. But it worked. God, it worked.


    The sound of heavy metals hitting the stone floor was hard on my ears, and Vernero surprised me by


    hugging me tight on his chest, pulling me in a warm embrace. It was then I felt that he was trembling,


    hard.


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    The stench of blood covered himpletely, but it didn’t make me sick. I let him hold me, for a minute or


    however long it took. The world seemed to have disappeared when I was in his embrace.


    The groans and cries were the ones that pulled me out of the daydream,


    “I need to treat them,” I informed in a small voice,


    “Lorik will do it.” With that, he took my hand, and left the underground hell with me!