Dante? Where had I heard that name from before?

I shuffle closer towards the bars, wanting to get a better look at this mysterious man. Maybe if I see his face, I'll be able to remember.

"Are you injured?" I ask.

Dante grumbles and groans, moving around in his position. "Not really, unless you count waking up from a month long coma." He mumbles.

A coma? If he only just woke up, then why the hell is he down here, about to get tortured or whatever by Harry and his men? Surely there has to be something missing. It's in the back of my mind, and I'm reaching for it. I'm so close, I just need something else to jog my memory.

"Why are you here?" I probably shouldn't be asking as many questions as I am, and I doubt I'm going to receive many useful answers considering he allegedly just woke up from a coma.

"I'm not really sure where 'here' is." He replies.

"You're in Harry's torture chamber." I whisper. I can't even mention his name without getting Goosebumps. I'm utterly terrified of the man, and I have no idea how I'll react the next time I see him... I sincerely hope I'll have a gun when I see him next.

How I'd love to put a bullet through his pretty little head.

"Who's Harry?"

Hm. That's strange. "Do you have any clue why you could be here?"

There's a few seconds of silence, where I suppose he is contemplating the answer himself. "I'm not entirely sure... I don't really remember getting her at all. I just remember waking up in hospital, and I was on the phone to Matteo one moment-"

"Matteo?" I question, my ears perked from the mention of that very familiar name.

Now it all makes sense.

"Dante..." I begin. "You work for Matteo Giovanni, don't you? You... You know Mia!" I exclaim.

Dante... Harry and I had planned on talking to him about the disappearance of Mia... He was a suspect. He's the man who offered Mia the job in the first place. He is the man who helped Matteo Giovanni take Mia.

I swear to god, when I can get my hands on this man!

"This is all your fault!" I yell, quickly realising my mistake.

"I never meant for any of this to happen." He says quietly, in a solemn tone.

"It doesn't matter." I spit. "Is Mia alright? I swear to god, if that man even touched her..." I mumble my thoughts for Dante to hear.

"Mia is alright... At least she was when I last saw her. She was free... I had helped her escape."

Could that mean that Mia is free? Is she living a life in hiding? Where is she?

Mia could be living happily, she could be safe. But that means that Harry may be close to finding her, and I have a feeling when he does, things aren't going to go well. God, this is all my fault! If I had just kept quiet about the messages that I had found on Harry's phone, maybe I could've discovered more about his motives. Maybe I could've told Roman.

But there's no use in wondering what could've happened.

Because I made my choice then, and now I have to make my choices now. I have to get out of here, and I have to do everything in my power to help Mia, to stop Harry from crumbling his own family.

I don't even know how he can do this to Mia, his sister... And going behind his fathers back... I thought I knew him, I thought I loved him. I'm disgusted by the fact I even know him, let alone used to love him.

"Who is Harry?" Dante repeats, pulling me from my thoughts.

"He's Mia's brother." I state.

"She has a brother?"

"Unfortunately."

"And what does he want with you?"

"I - That doesn't matter." I mumble. "All that matters is getting out of here and I'm willing to put it aside that you caused this whole mess, if you help me."

Once again there's a moment of silence when he thinks about his answer.

"Sounds like a plane to me."

Nodding my head, I lean back onto the wall behind me. Now all we have to do is come up with a plan. Harry spoke of a funeral that Mia would attend... Maybe that's when we can finally take our chance at escape.

I squint my eyes in frustration and lean my head on the wall. Looks like I'm just going to have to wait it out.

"We will have to depart for Italy tonight." Matteo says sternly as he looks between me and Alistair.

"Italy?" I question, fiddling with my fingers, the anxiety hitting me suddenly like a tsunami.

"That is where the funeral is being held." He confirms, raising his brow as if he expected me to know. I turn away from his stare, and look down at my hands. They're coated in a thick layer of sweat, and I gingerly wipe my hands onto my pants.

"Isn't that so soon? I thought it wasn't for three more days?" Hailey asks, taking a step forward.

"The earlier we get there, the better. I need to ensure that security is tight, and Harry won't be expecting us early. I have made sure there is no possible way for him to be able to detect our arrival, which will help us get the jump on him." Matteo states confidently, his posture straight and his face back to that expressionless mask, as if he hadn't just poured out his soul to me not long ago.

"And Alice?" I cross my arms. "Dante? What will happen with them?"

"My men have tabs on them. Trust me when I say I will do everything in my power to bring them home safely." Matteo's words are comforting, and I think it's because I'm beginning to trust him. If not for Stockholm, then for the fact that I know he wouldn't abandon Dante.

"I trust you."

Matteo's eyes widen, as if surprised, and then they go back to normal in the blink of an eye. He coughs awkwardly. "Yes... I almost forgot..." I watch as he makes his way to his desk and pulls out a draw, grabbing a small box from the inside. Eyeing both Alistair and Hailey, they understand his silent message and promptly leave the room.

Now it's just the two of us.

He takes a few steps towards me, almost hesitantly. "I know this marriage is not traditional in any sense. But I wanted to give you this." Matteo opens the small box, and inside is a ring.

A very beautiful ring.

A small diamond is fitted upon a thin gold band. It's simple, but absolutely beautiful.

"It was my mothers... I've been holding onto it since she passed." He takes a shallow breath. "I think it would look nicer on your hand rather in this box." His words are soft, and a warmth spreads through my chest.

"I - I don't know what to say." I whisper.

"Then don't say anything." He holds his hand out waiting for me to give him mine. And I do. In silence, he slips the ring onto my finger, and it fits perfectly.

He doesn't let go of my hand once he's put it on, and I find my eyes drifting to his. Those dark eyes don't look as threatening or scary as when I first met him. Now they look different... They look beautiful.

"She would've liked you." He whispers.

I give him a small smile, and squeeze his hand. "I wish I could've met her, she sounds like she was amazing."

"She was." He hums.

I don't feel strange or awkward in the silence. I can't seem to find myself thinking about anything other than how much I think I'm falling for this man, no matter how much I don't want to. No matter how wrong it is. I want to stop fighting him.

Maybe I just should.

What's that saying? Life is what happens when you're out making other plans?

Something like that.

I finally free myself from my hypnotic state and pull my eyes away from his. "Thank you." I say. "This ring must mean a lot to you, so thank you for trusting me with it."

"I would trust you with my life." He smiles, jokingly, though I feel like those words hold more weight to them, that he lets it seem.

Matteo's face suddenly flushes red, as if embarrassed, and he looks away from me, letting go of my hands. I can't deny that it hurts a bit when he does. "You should um - You should get packing. We'll be leaving for the airport at six sharp."

"Okay." I mumble.

I begin to make my way to the door and just as I'm about to step out of the door, Matteo's voice stops me. "Oh and-" He begins, and I turn around to look at him.

His back is facing me.

"Yes?" I query.

He shakes his head. "Never mind."

I purse my lips and slip from Matteo's office, closing the door behind me.

***

I glance at the clock, and it reads five-thirty.

For the past few hours, I've been trying to rid myself from thoughts of Matteo by talking with Hailey and playing with Mirabella. It has been partially successful, though I still can't stop thinking about him.

I stare down at his mothers ring, on my finger. It looks too nice to be on my finger. Too precious for me. Yet, I stare at it, and I can't stop thinking that Mateo chose to give me his mothers ring. Despite everything, he still trusted me to look after it. He trusts me.

"You're thinking about him. I can tell." Hailey giggles and she nurses Mirabella.

"I'm not." I deny, though anyone would be able to tell that was a lie.

I grab a few shirts from the draws and begin to fold them neatly. I'm not sure how many I'll be needing because I have no idea how long we'll be there... Or when I'll be back.

If I even make it back.

I swallow the oncoming fear, shaking my head as if it will shake away my worries and problems.

"Don't even try to lie. I can see it in your eyes. I may not know you well Mia Giovanni, but I can tell when a girl is falling for a man."

"C'mon, I'm not falling for him." I scoff.

I am falling for him though. And I'm doing everything in my power to stop.

"Mhm, keep feeding me these lies, it is only you who is trying to convince yourself aftercall."

I gasp mockingly and grab the closest pillow, chucking it at her face, skilfully avoiding her baby.

She just smiles. "I deserved that." She shrugs. "But I think you really need to decide whether or not you're going to let him in. Matteo is fragile, he may not look like it, but he is. And if you play with him... He might just break."

I bite my lip, knowing all too well of his horrifying past. Anyone would've broken down after everything he's been through, yet he's running multiple multi-million dollar businesses and two mafias...

"I told you when I first met you Mia, that I would do everything in my power to help you. And I still hold that promise. But you also need to help yourself Mia."

Her words are all too familiar. They seem to be singing like carols on repeat within my mind.

I'm the only one who can help myself.

"I know." I whisper.

"It's almost six." She states, and I look back at the clock to find that it's ten to.

Surprised, I quickly shove more clothes into the suitcase, not caring what they are. I then hurry to the bathroom and take out my toiletries, rushing back.

I wipe sweat off of my forehead. I think I might sleep on the plane, I feel exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Hailey asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reply, zipping up the suitcase.

"Mia," She says sternly, gaining my attention. "It's okay to be scared."

I stare into her eyes, her words settling in my chest.

I give her a faint nod.

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