Valentina began to respond, when another door opened, and a man pushed a second man into the room.
"Oh no," she whispered on recognising the man being pushed forward.
Natalia gripped her arm tightly from behind, and she instantly knew that her friend wouldn't be able to handle the pressure for too long.
Natalia was too sweet. Too much of a darling for any of this. And it hurt her heart greatly that she even had to be in the presence of these barbarians.
"I can see from the look in your eyes that you recognize this man. He's your driver, isn't he?" Luciano cleared his throat and continued.
"What is this? Now you're harassing everyone close to me? To what end?"
"The truth. I asked you to tell me the truth, and you blatantly lied." Luciano's voice remained measured, as he kept his temper in check.
It would do him no good laying it thick on the girl he was yet to even see her entire face.
"That damn mask!" He thought, wanting badly to see what was behind it.
"But I literally just told you–"
"Not one more word." He lifted a silencing finger, and Valentina squeezed her mouth shut.
It happened so quickly, she didn't even realise she was obeying him until she had.
Her heart raced loudly in her ears, as she saw his piercing gaze shift to Jackson.
"What did you tell my good friend here?" He gestured for him to repeat himself.
Shaky head lifted up. An apologetic expression formed in his gaze as it swept over Valentina.
"What did you say?" She worried in her heart.
"I told him that Miss Valentina and Miss Natalia were in Italy for vacation. When they heard about the party at Mr Giovanni's mansion, they decided to attend. That's all I know sir."
Valentina's chest heaved, releasing the breath she was holding. It wasn't even bad. She definitely could find a way to weave his story into theirs.
"Did you hear that?" Luciano questioned her.
"I did." She bobbed her head. "There's nothing he has said that warrants you calling me a liar."
"Shall I make a list then?"
"Maybe after you tell me why you're holding me hostage," she fired back.
Luciano's voice dropped. "I think I haven't made myself clear to you yet, hence you acting like a—ragazzaccio. So let me be clear. You do not talk to me in that tone. Do we have an understanding?"
"Wh–"
Natalia's voice pushed over hers, but her head remained lowered. "She understands sir, and she's very sorry for upsetting you. Right, Val?"
Heck no! I'm not sorry.
She screamed profanities in her head.
"Right, Val?" Natalia dragged the words between her teeth in emphasis when Valentina did not respond.
"Ugh, fine!" She rolled her eyes.
Awildone, Luciano thought.
He had never met anyone who challenged him so openly– until now.
Not even Daniela with all of her toddler tantrums, was audacious enough to talk back at him.
Greater men had died for lesser offences.
A part of him wanted to keep her solely for investigative purposes, and then toss her out to wherever she belonged if she was innocent of the charges.
However the other part saw a challenge. A character that needed modification. Discipline that needed to be installed. And strong will that needed to be subdued.
That part tingled with excitement at the thought of taming her.
"You're going to have to prove you're sorry for being stubborn."
"Huh?" her eyes popped.
"You heard me. Prove you're sorry."
"How?" Valentina's face scrunched curiously.
"The mask. Take it off," he ordered.
Her heart skipped a beat. The mask so far had been her biggest confidence booster.
Behind it, she could say anything with the reassurance that they could only see a glimpse of her.
And now she was just supposed to take it off?
"I can't." She shook her head.
"Why's that?"
He wondered if she had some kind of scar on her face she was trying to hide.
From the little he could see, she was pretty enough.
"I don't want to. Isn't that enough reason?" her voice faltered defensively.
"No." He shot straightforwardly, showing how serious and uncompromising he was.
"Just do it," Natalia whispered from behind. "My mask has been off, and I'm fine."
"Yeah, burying your face to the ground is you being fine," she retorted before she could stop herself.
"Ouch!" Natalia recoiled into her shell.
"I'm sorry Natty. I didn't mean to–"
"I'm waiting. Take off your mask," Luciano pressed.
"Ohhh, I want to see this." Elio, who has been silently watching the girl go back and forth with the one and only, Lucenera, rubbed his hands messily.
Although the visible part of her face promised a stunning girl, he really wanted to see the full package.
Her friend was beautiful. There was no way she wouldn't be too.
"Marcelloamico, take off one tooth-any one of your choice from the infame," Luciano ordered when Valentina didn't immediately move to cooperate.
Valentina's eyes widened. "Please stop!" She screamed out. "I'm going to take it off."
"Marcello, proceed as ordered." Luciano blatantly ignored her.
"Oh God! Sorry sir. Please don't hurt Jack. Please. He did nothing wrong. Punish us instead. Punish me." Natalia burst into tears as she begged.
The raw fear in her voice caught Vittorio's attention.
She was more sensible, he concluded. She could acknowledge that she had no control in the situation she found herself and acted accordingly.
The other girl, not so much. Her fire would either be her saving grace, or leave her with a third degree burn she might never recover from.
"I'll take it off. Please!" Valentina's lips quivered as she begged.
Luciano took mental note of her reaction. The driver clearly meant more to both girls, but especially her. Seeing how humble she suddenly was.
"Proceed Marcell." He remained unchanged, curious to see what their reaction would be.
"Sicarpo." Marcello flexed his muscles, and tightened his fist, ready to land a punch directly on Jackson's mustache area.
The sheer force was certain to pop a front tooth out.
"Val, he's going to do it!" Natalia choked. "He rea-lly is!"
Valentina shot Luciano a desperate look. "I said I'll take my mask off. Please don't hurt him," her hand began to move to the back of the mask, ready to pull it off.
"Why are you wasting my time, Marcello? I said take a tooth out immme–" the rest of his command hung in the air, as Valetina yanked the mask off her face.
Her hair rolled in a cascade, down the length of her back.
She ran a hand through its thick, auburn curly tresses that exploded like flames in the presence of light. Pushing the strands covering her face to the back, she lifted her head to face him.
"Mammamia!" Elio whistled.
Vittorio's attention was drawn to his reaction, and when he saw Valentina fully, he understood him.
She was really a beauty. So striking, even Marcello couldn't bring his already folded fist to do the task he was commanded to do.
"I took it off. Please don't hurt him," Valentina begged.
Luciano was too much at a loss for words to respond to her.
His pulse quickened, and his heart raced faster than time.
There wasn't a woman on any surface of the earth he had stepped in more beautiful than she was. And he had travelled everywhere.
He couldn't understand anyone hiding that kind of beauty behind a damn mask.
His grip on the throne tightened, as he drank in her desperate teal-green eyes.
"Please," the words slipped out of her cherry red lips, airily.
The vision that one simple word spun in Luciano's mind, rendered him breathless for a few seconds.
"Capo?" Elio touched his lap.
Luciano blinked out of his mind. "Let him go," he ordered.
Both girls exhaled at the same time, and comforted each other with a hug.
"Take them away," he rose to his full height. "We'll continue tomorrow."
Without so much as a glance back, Luciano hurried out of the room. Fleeing from the beauty with a sharp tongue, and all of the things he wanted to do to her.