Lucy sat stiffly in a chair, her hands gripping the armrests as Nicolo's dark expression and blue eyes bore into her. The room was stark, its walls lined with ornate wood panels that seemed to absorb the light rather than reflect it. Nicolo leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees like a predator sizing up his prey.
"You've been hiding something from me," he said, his voice smooth yet sharp enough to cut glass. "Tell me about your child."
Lucy's stomach churned. She had prepared for this moment, rehearsed lies in her mind over and over again. But she didn't expect it to come this fast. Now that it was out, her throat felt dry and her words stuck somewhere in her throat.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said finally, her voice steady but soft.
Nicolo's lips curled into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You're a terrible liar, Lucy. But I admire your nerve."
He stood abruptly and paced the room furiously. "You see," he continued, "I don't enjoy games unless I'm the one controlling them. And right now, you're trying to play one with me."
Lucy's pulse quickened as Nicolo stopped pacing and turned to face her again. "I will find your child," he said coldly. "And when I do, you'll wish you had told me everything from the start."
Before Lucy could respond, Nicolo gestured to one of his guards standing by the door. "Take her back to her room," he ordered. "But first… show her what we've found."
The guard led Lucy down a narrow corridor she hadn't seen before. The air grew colder with each step, and Lucy felt her dread deepen as they approached a heavy steel door. It opened with a hiss, revealing a dimly lit room filled with screens and blinking lights.
Lucy froze as she saw what was displayed on the monitors—images of her child at school, playing in the park, even sleeping in her bed at night. Her knees threatened to buckle as she realized how deeply Nicolo's reach extended.
"This is just the beginning," Nicolo's voice echoed from behind her as he entered the room. "You see, Lucy, I don't make idle threats. I always get what I want."
Lucy clenched her fists, forcing herself to stand tall despite the terror coursing through her veins. She couldn't let him see how much this affected her, at least not yet.
"You won't touch my child," she said firmly, turning to face him. Nicolo chuckled softly. "That depends entirely on you."
---
Back in her room, Lucy paced fiercely like a trapped animal. Her mind raced with possibilities—how could she escape? How could she protect her child? She couldn't afford to wait for Nicolo to act; she had to take quick control of the situation.
At nightfall, Lucy slipped out of her room under the cover of darkness. The mansion was vast, its halls lined with priceless artwork and gilded mirrors that seemed to watch her as she passed. She moved swiftly and silently while trying to avoid the guards who patrolled at intervals.
Her search led her to an unfamiliar wing of the mansion—a place that felt older and more foreboding than the rest. The air reeked of dust combined with the faint scent of mildew, and Lucy felt a chill run down her spine as she pushed open a heavy wooden door.
Inside was another library different from the one where she found Maria's diary. This was larger with the shelves packed with ancient books bound in leather and gold leaf, their spines etched with symbols she didn't recognize. In the center of the room stood a large oak desk cluttered with papers and artifacts.
Lucy's eyes were drawn to a diary lying open on the desk. She hesitated briefly before picking it up and flipping through its pages. The handwriting was elegant but hurried as if its owner had been racing against time.
The entries belonged to Maria—Nicolo's sister—and the details revealed secrets that made Lucy's blood run cold. This diary was different from the previous one but the content was almost similar. Maria had written of a family curse tied to their lineage—a curse that demanded sacrifices to maintain their power and wealth. But what struck Lucy most was Maria's mention of Nicolo's obsession with finding "the key."
Lucy realized that Nicolo didn't just want control over her; he believed she was integral to breaking or fulfilling this curse.
---
As Lucy absorbed what she had read, she heard footsteps approaching outside the library door. Panic surged through her as she scrambled to hide behind one of the shelves just as the door creaked open.
To her surprise, it wasn't Nicolo or one of his guards who entered, it was Enzo.
"Lucy?" he whispered into the darkness. She stepped out cautiously, relief mingling with suspicion as their eyes met.
"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply.
"I could ask you the same thing," Enzo replied with a faint smile. "But I think we both know why." Lucy hesitated before reluctantly showing him the diary she had found. Enzo's expression darkened as he skimmed its contents.
"So it's true," he murmured. "What's true?" Lucy demanded.
Enzo looked up at her, his eyes filled with regret and determination. "Nicolo doesn't just want you because of your child or some twisted sense of possession," he said quietly. "He thinks you're part of our family's legacy—a piece of something much bigger."
Lucy felt a wave of nausea wash over her as Enzo's words sank in. She didn't want any part of this legacy; all she wanted was freedom for herself and the safety of her child.
"I'll help you escape," Enzo said suddenly, his voice firm but soft enough not to carry beyond the room's walls. Lucy stared at him skeptically. "Why should I trust you again?"
"Because I owe you that much," Enzo replied.
Before Lucy could respond, they heard voices approaching from down the hall—Nicolo's voice among them and both froze. "Hide," Enzo whispered urgently before stepping toward the door as if preparing to confront his brother alone.
Lucy ducked behind another shelf just as Nicolo entered the library with two guards flanking him.
"What are you doing here?" Nicolo demanded sharply when he saw Enzo standing by the desk. "I could ask you the same thing," Enzo replied evenly. Nicolo narrowed his eyes but said nothing more as he scanned the room briefly before turning back toward the door.
As soon as they left, Lucy emerged from hiding and looked at Enzo again—this time not with skepticism but with something closer to trust.
"Let's get out of here," she whispered urgently.
And together they slipped out into the night, but they had no idea that what awaited them beyond those gilded walls would be even more dangerous than anything they had envisaged…