The moment they started driving away, Sofia started sobbing. She was trying to calm herself down by wiping her tears furiously but it only resulted in her crying harder.

"Shut up!" Paul yelled furiously, his body was tense, his hands were trembling from anger. Things didn't go as he planned. That fucking brother of hers could ruin everything. He might ask questions or even report when she eventually goes missing.

No.

The moment they arrive home he will beat the shit out of that little bitch and then he will force her to call her brother and she will explain to him that she's not interested in keeping in touch. Done.

There's no problem. I have everything in control. Paul assured himself.

But still, Sofia made his life difficult. He wanted to start punishing her for it right here and now but he had to be patient. The police may still want to question her when she's back in the US. He couldn't risk it. But at least he could properly scare her. He felt sick satisfaction at the idea that he can make her tremble.

"You have no fucking idea what your little escapade put me through" He started driving faster and faster. "I will make you pay for it. You will see-"

Sofia did see. Two black cars blocking the road. Paul had to hit the breaks abruptly to not crash into them.

"What the fuck is going on?" He grumped and walked out of the car shutting the door loudly behind himself.

Sofia's eyes widened and her jaw fell on the floor when she saw Alessandro leaving the car. Her brother completely ignored Paul who was now apprehended by two of his employees.

Sofia felt like she can't move, she didn't have to. Alessandro came closer and he opened the door for her. He gently grabbed her hand and guided her out of the vehicle. "Shut him up" he sent the order to the two men who were keeping Paul in place. Suddenly Paul's screams were gone. Sofia realized that he was now gagged by a piece of cloth.

Sofia got scared at the sight of this brutal scene. Her eyes widened, she started trembling and she took a step back. She hit Alessandro with her back and then stopped moving. Paralyzed with fear she was waiting for Alessandro's next move.

He did something surprising. He noted her discomfort and the moment later his dark brown coat was wrapped around her shoulders. "You must be cold, you're shivering" he muttered more to himself than to her. His coat was made of thick, heavy material. It had the scent of a men's cologne. "Follow me" Alessandro instructed. His voice was commanding but also very convincing and Sofia felt compelled to listen.

Sofia let Alessandro lead her to the car. It was a massive, black SUV with two people already sitting in it. One familiar face. Valentino. On the driver's seat.

The moment Sofia got inside the car Valentino was already driving away.

Sofia ended up in the car with a stranger sitting next to her in the backseat while Alessandro was sitting in the front passenger seat next to the young driver.

The car was silent the atmosphere was thick and heavy.

"Holy fuck that was insane" Sofia blurted out not knowing what to say.

This made the two men relax a little. The guy sitting next to her started chuckling gently.

"I will forgive that language just once," Alessandro said and waved his finger.

"Don't scare her, she has been through enough" the man sitting next to her responded. Sofia looked at him wondering if it's her third brother. Considering how similar his looks were to Alessandro's the answer was probably yes.

"Maybe she needs to be more scared. She just went into the car with three strangers" The youngest brother pointed out.

"It's just... you're my brothers after all" Sofia muttered quietly, looking down with embarrassment.

"Speaking of brothers. I'm Francesco"

"Sofia" they shook each other's hands.

"Sofia, why are you afraid of Paul?" Alessandro asked coolly, he looked like a person who mean business but Sofia wondered how does he know Paul's name.

"Paul... He's... um. He's... not a good guy. I am thankful that you saved me from him but couldn't you just take me to the car when we were at the parking lot? Why kidnapping me on the highway?" Sofia asked, she wanted to change the topic quickly as she hated being questioned. Especially about her family situation.

"Making a scene in public was unnecessary. I especially preferred to avoid attracting attention to us at the parking lot of the police station" he explained at it made sense but Sofia still had some follow up questions.

"Who are you?" Sofia asked "I mean who does that? How did you find me so quickly? The whole car thing? And Valentino holding a gun to my ribs I mean-" Sofia stammered. Her mind was a mess and she could barely collect her thoughts. She had a million questions and zero answers.

"What?" Francesco hissed. "Valentino?!" Francesco's eyes traveled to his older brother who could only feel the burning gaze he was receiving.

"What?" The blond boy asked defensively "I didn't know she's our sister I thought someone tries to get to Alessandro through me" he said in a voice that indicated he doesn't care, but his grip tightened on the steering wheel. He was nervous.

"I don't see how using a gun to threaten her was necessary" Alessandro responded and Sofia realized the warm coat cannot be warm enough to protect her from the coldness in Alessandro's voice. Valentino left a heavy sigh as he was acutely aware that he was in a lot of trouble with his older brother.

Sofia looked at this exchange with growing impatience. Hello, shouldn't someone answer her question? Who are they? Why are they doing crazy things like hijacking acting as if they were above the law! Of course, Sofia appreciated that they saved her from Paul. It's just... she didn't know if she can trust them.

Sofia was hoping that their external looks will help her answer the question but they looked like... people. Just not a normal people. More like models straight from The Vogue magazine. Sofia felt incredibly sour about their good looks because clearly, she inherited the worst possible mix of genes from both of her parents. Unlike her brothers, Sofia's looks were completely mediocre. The only thing she and her brothers had in common was dark brown eyes they all inherited from her mother.

It was Valentino who resembled mother the most. He inherited not only her eyes but also her dark blond locks. Then there was Francesco with a hair color of warm caramel shade and Alessandro with a shade of maple syrup. Their skin color was darker than Sofia's it was a warm olive skin tone.

Valentino was wearing the most casual clothes. A forest green hoodie and black chinos. Sofia could see that there's a tattoo on his neck but she couldn't tell the shape. He was also wearing a silver chain necklace.

Francesco was wearing a beige shirt with black chinos, there was a silver watch on his left wrist. His hair was mid-length and they were forming into gentle curls. Finally, Alessandro was in the most formal attire. His outfit was fully black: shirt, pants, suit jacket. The touch of color was added with the satin patterned red scarf that was left untied, draped over his shoulders, and then there was a golden signet ring on his finger, it didn't look like an engagement ring it looked more like a family heirloom with a crest engraved into it.

"Paul will call the police the moment you let him go " Sofia warned knowing that she should demand more answers but her safety came first.

"Don't worry about him. We decide when he calls who he calls and what he says to the police" Alessandro responded in a steady, calming voice. Normally, Sofia wouldn't believe that but his voice was very compelling she could feel how her body involuntarily loses tension and relaxes on the soft and heated car seat. Suddenly she felt sleepy. She could feel her eyes closing but then when she felt someone's hand touching her she quickly woke up and jumped on her seat, scared.

"Relax. Just checking your temperature, you're freezing" Francesco explained draping his beige coat over her frame. "Alessandro, I don't think she's feeling well we need to get to the hospital quickly" Francesco decided, looking genuinely concerned. He covered her with a coat that now felt more like a heavy and soft blanket. After many days on the run, Sofia was not just tired, she was exhausted. She wanted to tell him to not to worry but she didn't have enough strength to move her mouth.

"Sofia? Hey, don't fall asleep let us make sure you're okay first. Sofia?"

But Sofia was no longer listening to what he had to say. She wasn't sure if she lost consciousness or had just fallen asleep but soon she was out.

I hope you enjoyed today's chapter.

Thank you for helping me to stay motivated. I'm grateful for every comment, I read them all ❤️