Book 1: Chapter 2

Gabriella rolled on the bed at the sound of a loud knock on her door, she groaned internally wondering who it could be this early in the morning. Grabbing her phone on the bed, she checked the time squinting her eyes as the screen brightness popped up. 

8:00 AM.

The knocking got louder as she rolled on the bed grabbing her bathrobe and wearing it over her naked body, "Who is that?" She yelled making it to the living room.

As she approached the door, her mind raced with possibilities. Could it be her nosy neighbor? Her neighbor was fond of coming to complain about something Or maybe it was the delivery person with a package she had been eagerly awaiting. 

She looked into the peephole just to be sure, she stared at a delivery man waiting patiently with a package. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

"Good morning, ma'am," the delivery man greeted her courteously, his friendly demeanor putting her at ease.

"Good morning," she replied, returning his smile. He reached out to hand her the package but he suddenly grabbed her by the arm instead and twirled her around. 

"What the hell is -" she struggled to protest but he placed a handkerchief over her nose trying to subdue her. 

She thrashed and fought against the man's grip, desperately trying to pry his hand off her mouth and nose. But his hold was strong and his grip unyielding. As the world around her began to blur and fade, she felt panic rise within her.

Suddenly, a surge of adrenaline coursed through her veins, giving her renewed strength. With one last burst of energy, she managed to break free from his grasp, stumbling backward and gasping for air.

Her heart pounded in her chest, turning around, she kicked him in the groin, and the delivery man yelled jerking backward and falling to the ground. 

Who the hell was he? Why was he trying to kill her? Gabriella thought as she placed her hand on her throat rushing out of the apartment to call for help, "Help!!!" She yelled running down the hallway but her legs began to wobble.

Fear and adrenaline surged through her, her vision blacking out, "Help!!!" She yelled again, and this time she fell to the ground face-first.

She heard a voice as she struggled to see who was approaching, was it the delivery man? He was going to kill her and no one was going to come to her rescue, she opened her mouth to yell for help again but she suddenly fell into an unconscious state. 

"Seems the dose was too much," she heard a female voice in her head. 

She groaned as she slowly regained consciousness, her head throbbing with pain. As she blinked opening her eyes slowly, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Panic began to set in as she realized that she had been taken, but her body felt heavy, making it impossible for her to move or escape.

The female voice from before echoed through the room again, but this time she could see the source. A woman in a lab coat, her face adorned with a smile.

"You're awake," the woman said, "Thought I would need to administer some medication."

Confusion washed over Gabriella as she tried to comprehend the situation. "Who are you?" She managed to croak, her voice barely audible as she placed her hand over my head. 

The memory of the delivery man attacking her flooded her mind, did she get rescued? Was she in the hospital? But this didn't look like the hospital ward, it looked like someone's room. 

Where was she?

"Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce myself," the woman responded,  "I am Dr. Abigail, you were overdosed."

Her heart raced as she tried to grasp the gravity of the situation. "Overdosed?" 

The door to the room opened as another lady stepped in dressed in a maid dress, "Thank you, doctor, I will attend to her now," the lady said

"Of course," the doctor nodded. "Please make sure she eats something," the doctor instructed the lady before walking out of the room. 

The maid closed the door behind her and walked toward Gabriella, her eyes filled with concern. She approached with a tray of food and gently placed it on the table beside her. 

"I apologize for the confusion," she said softly. "You are currently in Saviano's estate. My name is Maria, and I am here to take care of your needs."

Gabriella stared at her in disbelief, trying to make sense of everything as she sat up on the bed. "Saviano's estate? How did I end up here?" Gabriella panicked rushing out of bed hoping it was not the SAVIANO family she was thinking about. 

"What the hell did you do to me?" She yelled at the maid looking around the room for anything she could use to defend herself.

The maid raised her hand in the air showing she meant no harm, but Gabriella didn't trust her. "Relax, I mean no harm."

"When you say Saviano, do you mean Saviano?" Gabriella asked. 

"Yes, Enzo Saviano, he had his men bring you here when you wouldn't wake up. You have been out for the whole day."

"E-Enzo S-Saviano, the mobster?" Gabriella stuttered, running her fingers through her hair. She needed to get the hell out of here, they kidnapped her, it was all making sense now but why? Why did they kidnap her? She had never gotten involved in any of their dealings.

Maria sighed, her eyes filled with sympathy. "I understand your fear, but you need to be rest assured that you are safe here."

"Safe? Did you just say safe? How can you be so calm? Didn't they kidnap you as well? I need to get the hell out of here."

"You are safe here Miss Gabriella, they -"

"How can you tell me I am safe when you all kidnapped me and brought me here against my will? But of course, you will defend him, he is your boss after all."

"Mr. Saviano is not as bad as you think, he is actually -"

"He is a mobster, is there anything good about being a mobster?” Gabriella asked, angry that the maid was trying hard to defend him. “He is a womanizer, he is involved in illegal dealings and he is a murderer, everyone in town knows this so don't give me that crap about him being a -"

"Good morning Sir," Maria suddenly interrupted Gabriella, fear evident in her voice as she bowed her head. Gabriella turned around wondering who the maid was talking to and she found herself staggering back. 

Standing by the adjoining door was Enzo Saviano.

Gabriella swallowed, frightened by the sight of him. She watched him fold his arm over his chest with a mean glare plastered on his face.

"You should have let her finish Maria,” he said staring at Maria before meeting Gabriella's gaze. “Please go on, what else do you know about me," he asked.