Addiction Series: Dangerous Addiction. Book 1

Her dark waves flew with the winds. Her silver-liquid eyes watched the moon in the backyard just like every other night she lived.

Her plump red lips formed a beautiful smile that illuminated the beauty of her face.

She was a huge fan of nature, and nothing could ever stop her from watching the beautiful stars that never failed to light up the skies daily. Seeing them above adding beauty to the plain skies became her world of thoughts, peace, and comfort.

She knew her father would be back soon, the thought of him intriguing a rush of fear within her body. His being back concluded with her going back inside as soon as possible. 

She flinched as a sweat covered her forehead.

Just like every daughter, she longed for his love, attention, and acknowledgment, but only his hatred and violence were all she received. It clouded her heart and took away the happiness within her replacing it with a feeling of rejection. 

She stood up sadly from her swing bench, losing the only smile she always received just from watching the beautiful stars and the moon, then turned around, walking back into the gigantic house while greeting most of her father’s men on the way.

She was always happy to see her father or at least do the only thing that made him find her useful, serving him wine. To him, she had no more use than that.

She walked into the living room expecting to find him alone as always, but today, apparently, she had walked in on his meeting with two businessmen that wore well-tailored suits, their cold expressions standing out and intimidating as their eyes turned to the petite her making her feel like all her flaws were exposed.

She could feel the heat rise up her throat to her cheeks, a feeling of being uncomfortable making her lower her head slightly, allowing her brown wavy hair to cover up half of her face. 

“Larissa!” Her father’s deep voice yelled, making her almost jump out of her skin at his dark tone.

She gulped down a lump in her throat and slightly looked up, her eyes coming in contact with his cold silver ones that matched hers perfectly, except hers would sparkle.

 “I’m...I’m so...sorry,” she stumbled over her words, not knowing exactly what to even say before running out of the living room.

She couldn’t even wait for a response or more stupid of her to think there would have even been one that wouldn’t contain violence. 

She neither couldn’t wait to embarrass herself anymore or her father and make a certain mess of everything.

Just as a few steps had been taken, she ended up finding herself trying to listen to her father’s conversation with the other men.

“How much do I get on her? “Dante’s deep voice made her confused and curious.

Maybe it was just all about business and not something concerning her allowing herself to push further thoughts at the back of her head. 

As she got herself to move, the next words made her freeze in her steps in surprise and shock mixed with disbelief.

Her mind was screaming while her feet had a heart of their own, making her run off to her room as a few tears started falling down her face.

“Well-well, she’s beautiful enough for me to double the price…” A dark voice replied with a hint of amusement.

The words still played in her mind like a catchy song, not giving her space to think she heard wrong. She couldn’t believe he was selling her off to some man she didn’t even know, or maybe she was thinking a lot more than she should be. 

She lay on her bed, hiding her face in the blue pillow as tears fell down her eyes continuously. Her silent sobs were muffled by the pillow while a feeling of rejection took over her. 

Her father was willing to sell her off. He was eager to get rid of her. All she needed was just a little attention and his love, just like any daughter but not even once did he refer to her as a daughter. To Dante Conzalato, Larissa Lana Conzalato was a waste of time.

She had done all she could in her life just to see at least a proud look on his face or a smile her way, but all she received was his disgusted side, his cold shoulder.

As the tears subsided, she looked up over at her bedside table, where she always kept her mother’s photograph.

She sat up and grabbed it in her grip, pulling it in front of her eyes. 

Maria Natalie’s Green eyes looked up at her with a beautiful smile on her lips, her dark brown hair held up in a beautiful, messy bun. Larissa ended up hugging the photo so tight to her chest as another set of tears came flowing down her slightly pink cheeks.

She still wished this loving woman was still around to hold her and make her smile at times like this. It made her hope she could change all the events that happened that day. The same day that started all this hatred.

Maybe her father wouldn’t even blame her for all of it at all.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her bedroom door being thrown open harshly, almost giving her a heart attack.

She had no time to process what was going on before he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her harshly with him, her mom’s portrait falling out of her hands to the bed as her heartbeat increased ironically.

“Father...” she cried out in pain from his tight grip on her left wrist, but as always, her cries were nothing to him. What he wanted to do always happened no matter what.

Reaching the end of the stairs, he let her go so roughly that she stumbled in front of him, standing face to face with this man she called father. He slapped her hard across the face, which sent her down onto the floor. 

She sat with her hands on the floor and tried looking up at him through her scattered hair that covered her entire face.

“Father...” she sniffed as he unbuckled his belt, unable to talk through the heavy tears that kept falling from her beautiful eyes.

“Next time you will never listen in on any of my conversations,” his bitter deep voice playing around in the cubicles of the room, making her flinch. Was he going to punish her for what she didn’t do? She only heard two sentences.

The whip laid on her skin, making her flinch again and gasp. The bitterness of this man toward her came out more like a larva from a volcano. She wondered if, once in his life, he ever loved her as a daughter.

Just like every night, with its every touch, it left marks on her slightly fair skin.

Certain marks make her remember and regret every minute of the day her mom died or when she was born.

Laying on the cold floors with her wavy hair covering every inch of her face.

Soft sobs and hiccups escaped her lips painfully slow while her baby green dress was all covered in her blood. Her eyes looked up at the ceiling with all emptiness. It wasn’t like she was in her thoughts; she was being taken up by a blank empty world. 

Franco knelt down beside her fragile state, his eyes filled with pain and worry for her. He made sure his hands came in contact with her knees and back without hurting her more than she had been.

He carried her off the cold tiled floors, her hands hanging in the air as if she didn’t acknowledge him, but he understood. 

Franco started moving upstairs to where her room was, carefully as always. He had promised Maria that he would take care of this young girl, her baby girl, but he couldn’t even stop the violent side Dante had toward her.

He was like a second father figure to her, and he couldn’t let her suffer like this when he could do something else to stop this from destroying her.

He knew Maurotti would never take her as his wife. He would either sell her as a slave to get more of the money he had spent on her, and Dante won’t care at all.

She was too innocent for Dante’s plans, and he couldn’t just watch a girl he had raised and would always see as his own daughter be sold like that.

She deserved more and the precious ones only.

 As he placed her on the bed in her room, he looked at her, his caring instincts toward her kicking in.

“Rissa...can you walk?” he asked calmly, and her eyes flew open slowly, and she shook her head slowly in a no gesture, but sincerely she wasn’t sure which was which.

She had no words left to say in such a state or any strength left as she thought.

“Let’s try, baby girl. Don’t give up yet,” he whispered soothingly while giving her a hand to take. She eyed it, then his face, and decided to try as he said.

She sat up slowly, her eyes closing again as she winced in pain along sitting properly, then grabbed his hand for more help.