Chapter 1

• "Let me go, you heartless brutes!" Roselle Dasa thrashed about, her limbs flailing in a desperate but fruitless attempt to break free. The iron-like grip of the hulking goons on her arms was unyielding, and despite her best efforts to fend them off, Ford's henchmen succeeded in dragging her out of the colossal mansion, away from her sister.
• Ford, the offspring of evil, had her sister in his clutches, and there was no telling what savage plans he had in store for her. Roselle resisted with all her might, but the behemoths pulling her away from her sister were too powerful. She was certain they were juiced up on steroids, granting them an unnatural strength they didn't deserve.
• The hulking henchmen managed to haul Roselle out of the massive mansion. She was clueless about their intentions for her - perhaps they intended to end her life. No, Ford had assured Merline and her that one of them would be safe if they didn't reside with him, so murder wasn't on these dimwitted goons' agenda. Were they planning to abandon her in the wilderness? Leaving her to navigate her way back to her apartment. Were they even in Florence anymore?
• Kicking her legs and clenching her jaw in an attempt to bite one of the burly men, Roselle was dragged out into the open. The sun was shining brightly, creating a cheerful ambiance, but she was far from feeling joyous. Anger was simmering in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to unleash her rage, but she knew it wouldn't aid Merline. She had to strategize and rescue Merline before it was too late.
• Inhaling deeply, Roselle attempted to persuade these brainless goons to release her. "Hey, big guy, how about you and I have some fun?" She leaned closer to the man on the right and whispered, doing her best to sound enticing, "Somewhere private?" She knew it was a ludicrous idea, but she needed to distract this guy long enough to make her escape.
• The man grunted before uttering, "Silenzio." Roselle pondered what that meant. (Silence) They led her to what appeared to be a forest. Towering trees loomed over her, their presence slightly daunting. The sunlight wasn't as intense here as it was in the rest of the area. The silence was heavy, punctuated only by the occasional crunch of twigs under the goons' feet.
• They arrived at a small clearing, and Ford's thugs unceremoniously dumped Roselle onto the muddy ground like a bag of potatoes. She muttered curses under her breath as she felt tiny rocks digging into her thighs, her jeans offering little protection against the sharp, uneven edges.
• Swearing under her breath at the unsightly henchmen, Roselle quickly got to her feet and dusted herself off, the combination of brown and green clashing horribly with her outfit. She ran a hand through her hair, attempting to ensure every strand was in place, only to growl in frustration when she realized her hair was a mess.
• "Go straight." The goon on the left gestured behind her. "Find taxi. Go home." With that, both men turned and briskly walked away, leaving Roselle abandoned in the desolate forest.
• "Well, that's just great, now I'm free," she grumbled to herself before surveying her surroundings. She had no idea what kind of creatures Ford had enlisted to do his dirty work. They just left her here and told her to find her way back. Did she look like Dora the Explorer?! At this rate, even Dora would have the upper hand, she had a map.
• With no intention of heading home, Roselle began retracing her steps. She wasn't going to leave without Merline, she wouldn't abandon her sister in this dangerous place. She just hoped she wouldn't starve before then.
• After about ten minutes of walking, Roselle cursed Ford's men and her own sanity: she was lost. Everywhere she looked, there were trees, nothing but trees. And she had been too preoccupied with her pitiful attempts at seducing the repugnant brute to take note of their route. Damn, damn.
• Roselle had been aimlessly wandering the forest for what felt like an eternity when an idea struck her. Perhaps, if she closed her eyes and walked around blindly, she might somehow find her way out of this forest and back to the mansion. Despite it being a long shot, she decided to give her idea a try. Closing her eyes, she began walking slowly. She had no idea how much time had passed or where she was heading, she just kept moving.
• "Ouch, oh shit," she cursed as her head collided with something hard, causing her to lose her balance and tumble back onto the muddy ground. Groaning, she sat up and rubbed her tender head. "Great, now I'm going to have a bruise," she mumbled before standing up.
• Her eyes widened in frustration when she realized she had only managed to walk a few steps before walking straight into a tree. She knew this because the large bush adorned with big, red flowers that she had been standing near earlier was now just a few feet away from where she now stood.
• Taking a deep breath to regain her composure, Roselle began walking, doing her best to avoid the towering trees. Her forehead throbbed where she had banged it against the tree trunk. She prayed fervently that she would find her way back and not end up lost, a potential meal for insects and other creatures. She passed numerous trees and bushes adorned with vibrant flowers, but the forest seemed endless.
• Just when she was on the verge of giving up, she saw it. The mansion. It stood tall and majestic, captivating anyone who caught a glimpse of its magnificent facade. The stunning Italian architecture took her breath away and momentarily made her forget about her now bruised forehead.
• Not wasting time admiring the grandeur of Ford's mansion, Roselle's eyes narrowed as her anger surged back in full force. She was determined to track down Ford and rescue her sister. Taking a deep breath, she jogged towards the grand entrance doors. She was just about to devise a plan to sneak inside when she spotted him; Ford, stepping out of a car, a white coat draped over his arm.
• "You bastard," she muttered to herself as she watched Ford shut the car door gently before heading towards the entrance doors. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, that it couldn't be Ford because he was supposed to be with her sister, but there was no mistaking him; his face was as she remembered it, as if God had taken special care while crafting his features and physique because he was perfection. His hair looked soft even from where she was hiding behind a pillar. But the most unsettling thing was that he was here, acting as if everything was perfectly fine in his world, oblivious to the fact that he had an innocent girl locked up in his house, ready to be subjected to his twisted games.
• Oh, I'm going to make you pay, Ford. You're going to regret the moment you decided to hold my sister captive, Roselle thought.
• Deciding to catch him off guard, she charged towards Ford and tackled him to the ground. She didn't think, she just started punching and clawing at Ford, trying to inflict as much damage on his perfectly sculpted body as she could.
• "I'm going to kill you! Give me back my sister, you monster, or I'll gouge your eyes out!" she screamed, continuing her onslaught.
• She genuinely believed she was going to win. She thought she would keep attacking Ford until he begged for mercy and promised to return Merline to her. But she was sorely mistaken. In less than five minutes, Ford had overpowered her, and she found herself lying on her back with Ford's battered face looming over her. And he looked furious.