Apollo strode inside, his expression so terrifying that it sent a chill through my entire body. Before I could react, he snatched the suitcase from my hand and threw it across the foyer.
“You think you're running?” he growled, his voice echoing through the mansion. “You seriously think you can disappear after pulling something like this? Tell me, Elara... do you really think I'll let you walk away?”
My heart dropped.
That look...
I knew it too well. Every time Apollo looked at me like that, something terrible always followed.
The coffin.
The punishment room.
The endless interrogations.
Instinctively, I took a step backward.
“W... what are you talking about? I haven't done anything. I don't even know why you're so angry.”
Apollo's jaw clenched.
“You're still fucking lying?” he snarled before storming toward me.
His hand closed around my throat so tightly I couldn't breathe.
Agatha...
She'd disappeared again.
His grip tightened. “If you didn't hide her, then who the fuck did? Were you planning to kidnap her and run overseas before anyone found out?! Tell me where she is, and don't test what's left of my patience!”
I clawed desperately at his wrist.
“Apollo...” I choked out between ragged breaths. “I don't know! I... I swear this time I really don't know where she is. P-please believe me... just this once.”
He laughed.
Cold.
Merciless.
“I don't believe a single fucking word that comes out of your mouth anymore. You've lied too many times already, and I'm done listening.”
Still gripping my arm, he dragged me outside toward the large pond behind the mansion.
My legs nearly gave out.
No...
Please...
Not water.
Apollo noticed the fear draining the color from my face. For the briefest moment, something flickered across his eyes.
He crouched in front of me, his voice lowering.
“Elara... I don't have another choice. Every second Agatha stays missing, she could be suffering somewhere, and I won't gamble with her life. Be good, tell me where she is, and this ends right now.”
His fingers brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face.
It was such a familiar gesture.
One that once made me feel safe.
I shook my head desperately.
“I really don't know. I've told you the truth from the beginning. Please... don't do this. Please don't make me go through this again.”
The last trace of hesitation disappeared from his face.
“Then don't blame me.”
Without warning, he grabbed the back of my head and shoved my face beneath the freezing water.
The icy cold swallowed me whole.
I couldn't breathe.
I thrashed wildly as water rushed into my nose and burned through my lungs.
Then...
The memories came flooding back.
I was thirten years old again.
One of Apollo's enemies had kidnapped me to force my father into a deal.
They tied my hands and threw me into an abandoned reservoir.
Again.
And again.
Every time I managed to gasp for air, they forced my head back beneath the surface.
I truly believed I was going to die but Apollo had found me that night.
He slaughtered every man involved.
Afterward, he'd never allowed me anywhere near deep water.
“If I'm not beside you, stay away from lakes, rivers, or anything deeper than your knees. I already almost lost you once, Elara. I won't let it happen again.”
Back then... He'd sworn to protect me forever.
Now... The same man was trying to drown me with his own hands.
My struggles gradually weakened.
The strength drained from my body.
Maybe...
This was really how it would end.
Just as darkness began swallowing my vision, Apollo's phone rang.
He released me immediately.
I collapsed onto the grass, coughing so violently my lungs felt as though they were tearing apart. Water poured from my mouth as I struggled to drag air back into my burning chest.
Apollo answered the video call without a second of hesitation.
The moment the screen lit up, every trace of color drained from his face.
Agatha was tied to a massive concrete pillar inside an abandoned warehouse. Her wrists were bound behind her back, blood stained the corner of her forehead, and she hung limply with her eyes closed.
A masked man stood behind her with a knife pressed against her neck.
“So you're the famous Don Apollo Riccio,” the man said with a mocking chuckle. “I've heard this woman means more to you than anything else. Prepare one hundred million dollars and transfer it immediately. If you're even one minute late, I'll start cutting pieces off her one by one so you can watch.”
He dragged the blade slowly across Agatha's cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
Apollo's eyes turned bloodshot.
“Don't fucking touch her,” he roared, his voice echoing across the courtyard. “I'll give you one hundred million, five hundred million, or whatever amount you want. I don't care how much it costs, just don't lay another finger on her.”
The kidnapper laughed.
“Money isn't the only problem,” he sneered as he grabbed Agatha by the hair and forced her face toward the camera. “A woman named Elarisse Redd hired us, but that cheap bitch never paid what she promised. My men aren't happy, so here's the deal. If you know her, break one of her legs. Do that, and the moment your money arrives, we'll send your little princess home alive.”
Apollo didn't hesitate.
Not even for a heartbeat.
He placed his phone on the stone bench nearby, making sure the camera faced us.
Then he pointed directly at me.
“This is Elarisse,” he said steadily. “She's right here. You'll get exactly what you asked for.”
He walked toward me and slowly knelt beside me.
Then...
He pulled me into his arms.
