ANA:
"Wake up! Wake up, bitch!"
A sharp voice pierced through the fog in my head. I felt like I was still on that plane—drugged, heavy, floating. Then a splash of ice-cold water hit my face, yanking me back to reality like a violent slap.
I jolted awake, gasping, blinking rapidly to make sense of the dark blur around me.
Where the fuck am I?
No more plane. No engine sounds. No hint of movement. Just a cold, damp, pitch-black cell. A dim bulb flickered overhead, casting a weak glow over the cramped space. I had no idea how long I'd been out. I was still trying to get a grip on the situation when I heard footsteps—slow, deliberate. Then I saw her. Abby. She stepped out from the shadows like a vulture, her face barely recognizable—swollen, bruised, her lip split open. Raven must've done a number on her.
"Finally awake, princess?" she sneered, her voice dripping with mockery.
I tried to move, but then I felt it—tight ropes, digging into my wrists and ankles, binding me to a chair. Panic rushed in like a tidal wave.
Am I going to die here? Oh god. Where's Enzo? Does he even know I've been taken to Russia? Has he found me?
"L-let me go," I rasped, my voice hoarse. "My father will give you whatever you want!"
Abby laughed. Not a chuckle. A full-blown, hysterical laugh. "What could your precious daddy possibly offer me? Money? Power? Fame? I've already got it all, sweetheart. Your daddy means nothing to me."
"Then what the hell do you want from me? Why am I even here?"
She shrugged, casual, as if we were discussing the weather. "Well... for starters, your boyfriend's a royal pain in my ass. But that's just a bonus. The real reason—"
"—is this."
A new voice sliced through the air. Low. Smooth. Menacing.
I turned my head—and my blood ran cold. Alessandro Russo.
Dressed in an expensive black coat, looking like he walked straight out of a high-end crime syndicate. That same unnerving calm. That smirk I'd seen at my father's business meetings.
He stepped into the light, holding something in his hand. The black box.
"I assume you know how to open this, Ana," he said.
I stared at him, stunned. Rage churned in my gut. I knew he wasn't a saint. I knew he was behind my mother's murder. But to see him here—like this—is unbelievable..
Was he really working with my father all these years just to betray him? If my father knew...
But right now, that didn't matter. Because in this room, in this moment, he wasn't there. Nor the Devil to save me. Just me.
"No," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "I don't know how it works. So if that's why you brought me here, you're wasting your time."
He chuckled darkly and stepped closer. "Wasting time or not is my call. Now shut the fuck up and stay put."
He circled me like a vulture.
"I knew your grandfather. Smart man. Cunning. He wouldn't hand something like this over without a fight. It wasn't easy back then either. But me?" His eyes glinted. "I'm patient. I'll wait. Days. Months. Years, if I have to. Eventually, you'll help me unlock it. And when that day comes..." He leaned in close, voice like poison, "Maybe—just maybe—I'll let you live."
He gave me one last mocking glance before walking out, Abby trailing behind.
The door slammed shut.
I stared at the floor, my chest heaving.
Devil or not—I'm going to kill him. With my own hands.
He murdered my mother. Lied to my father. Played us all. And now he thinks I'll just hand him what he wants?
Never.
Because if there's one thing I've learned... No one is coming to save you—unless you want to save yourself.
So, for the first time, I took Enzo's words to heart. I closed my eyes, steadied my breath, and focused on the rope biting into my skin. I had no blade. No tool. Just willpower.
And the desperate, burning need to survive.
It wasn't easy. But thank god for that survival training I took months ago—for situations exactly like this.
My fingers were numb, wrists burning, but I didn't stop. I worked the ropes with blind precision, breathing hard, and after several agonizing minutes...
Click. The knot loosened. I was free.
I let out a shaky breath, heart pounding like a war drum in my chest. My hands trembled as I looked around. No windows. No visible doors.
But then I saw it—a narrow staircase, barely visible in the shadows. That has to be the way out. I forced myself to stay calm. Quiet. Every creak could mean death. I crept up the stairs, careful with every step. Reached the door. Tried the knob.
It turned. It was open.
Freedom was just ahead. I almost smiled at the small, impossible victory. I was just about to slip through—when it hit me.
The black box.
I froze. That box was the last thing my mother left behind. Her final message. Her secret. I couldn't leave it in their hands. I just couldn't.
So without a plan—without a single clue of what I'd do next—I turned back and slipped inside the mansion. Strangely, no guards. No movement. Nothing.
Too quiet. Too easy.
Had they gone somewhere? Were they lured away?
Maybe. And maybe that was my only shot.
I moved fast, retracing the halls I barely remembered from the drugged haze. The first room I entered—there it was. The black box.
I didn't question it. Didn't hesitate. I grabbed it with both hands, clutching it like my life depended on it—because it did.
I turned it over. Still the same. Smooth. Seamless. Deceptively simple. Just a box to anyone else. But not to me.
Titanium. No openings. No cracks. Just one way in—My blood.
How do I know it? That's a story for another day. Right now, I need to move fast. I bit my finger hard, ignoring the sting, and pressed it against the sleek surface. A soft beep. Then—click.
The box unfolded like a puzzle, pieces shifting, revealing its contents. A single key.
I didn't have time to question what it opened. I just took it, shoved it into my pocket, closed the box, and bolted.
Still no guards. Not even at the gate. I frowned—something wasn't right. Luckily, I had managed to snatch a phone while wrecking the room in a panic. Strangely, Enzo's number was already saved in it. Who did this phone belong to? Was someone from Russo's team working with Enzo? Or was this some kind of twisted joke? I had no idea, but it didn't matter now. I quickly dialed Enzo's number. The line had barely started ringing when—WHAM.
A crushing blow slammed into my skull. Pain exploded through me. My knees buckled. The ground met me in a blur. I barely managed to look up before the world spun. Alessandro Russo.
Standing over me with a smug grin. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... What a naive little girl," he said. My breaths came in ragged gasps. My vision flickered. Behind him, Abby appeared. So did his men. And Amara.
Shit. I'd forgotten about her.
Abby stormed over, knelt down, and roughly searched me. She ripped the key from my pocket with a victorious sneer.
"The too-clever fox... finally caught," Russo said, grinning down at me. Then he looked at his men. "Throw them both back in the basement."