Chapter 44: Threatened
After a thirty minute drive, Alejandro and Marisa finally arrived at the Gambino’s empire. Pulling up at the parking lot, Alejandro turned off the car and stepped out.
One of his men rushed forward to open the door for Marisa. Marisa remained inside the car, staring around the empire through the car window.
“Are you gonna keep sitting there all day or are you gonna step the fuck out?” Alejandro said from outside the car.
Marisa rolled her eyes at him before stepping out of the vehicle. The moment she stepped out of the vehicle, she couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the Gambino’s empire. The tall buildings, the shiny, expensive cars, the surroundings, the hundreds of mobsters dressed in black suits; she was marvelled by them all.
As she gazed around her surroundings, she forgot about her problems; she forgot that she was Alejandro’s captive. All she wanted to do at that moment was to admire the beauty around her. The Gambinos’ empire was just too beautiful to be ignored. It was too beautiful to be owned by a Mafia family.
As she checked out the scene, she kinda forgot she was stuck with Alejandro. The fancy surroundings overshadowed the problems for a bit. The big buildings, fancy cars, and all those mobsters – it was like a scene from a movie.
Alejandro, watching her reaction, smirked. “Impressed, huh? Welcome to the real world, Marisa,” he said, sounding kinda amused and superior.
Marisa, caught between the beauty and her messed-up situation, gave a sarcastic smile. “Oh, what a charming world you’ve brought me into, Alejandro. Truly enchanting,” she replied, her words kinda dripping with sarcasm.
“Follow me.” Alejandro said with a cold tone.
Alejandro adjusted his white suit jacket, then he began walking towards the entrance of one of the buildings in the large compound.
“I’m not following you anywhere.” Marisa said, prompting Alejandro to stop in his tracks and turn around.
“Did you say something?” He asked, even though he clearly heard what we said.
“I said I’m not following you anywhere.” Marisa repeated confidently.
Alejandro smirked as he buried his right hand in his pocket, then he began approaching Marisa slowly. Marisa remained on her spot with a confident expression on her face as she watched Alejandro approaching her. She swallowed nothing as Alejandro stood in front her.
“Sweetheart,” Alejandro said, raising his hand to touch her face. “You’re in my empire, and as long as you’re here, you’ll do as I say.”
Marisa angrily slapped his hand off her face, “I’ve told you a countless times not to talk to me like you own me. You don’t fucking own me, so I’m not gonna do as you fucking say!”
Alejandro’s smirk widened, “Really?”
“Yeah,” Marisa replied, trying to act confident even though she was so scared of him, especially now that he was smirking widely.
“Do you still wanna live to see Jeffery?” Alejandro asked with a mischievous smirk dancing on his lips.
Marisa’s heart skipped a beat the moment Alejandro mentioned Jeffery’s name. Before Alejandro could blink an eye, Marisa delivered a resounding slap to his face.
“Don’t you dare say my son’s name. An animal like you doesn’t deserve to say his name,” she said with a fierce look.
In a split second, dozens of men surrounded Alejandro and Marisa, and they all drew out their guns, then they all aimed their guns at Marisa.
Marisa’s eyes widened with fear when she saw the number of guns pointed at her. She started regretting the moment she slapped Alejandro.
Alejandro raised his hand, signalling to his men to lower their weapons. His men got the signal and lowered their weapons. A sigh of relief escaped Marisa’s lips as the men returned back to their positions.
Suddenly, Alejandro grabbed her neck and made her look at his face, “If you still value your life, then don’t ever try the shit you just did! Understand?” He said with a dangerous tone which sent shivers down Marisa’s spine.
Marisa’s heart began racing as she gazed at Alejandro’s face which now looked dangerous and scary.
“I asked you a fucking question. Do you understand what I said?” Alejandro raised his voice, and she nodded fearfully as his grip on her neck tightened, making it hard for her to breathe properly.
“Good,” Alejandro said with a smirk as he released his grip on her neck. “Now, follow me.”
As Alejandro started walking towards the building, Marisa coughed and took a moment to compose herself. As she rubbed her neck, she gazed hatefully at Alejandro’s retreating figure. She couldn’t believe that he almost choked her to death.
Alejandro suddenly stopped walking, and he turned around to look at Marisa, “You coming or not?” He asked, raising his voice a bit so she would be able to hear him.
Marisa rolled her eyes at him before walking towards him. The both of them walked inside one of the buildings in the empire, and the moment they stepped in, Marisa’s eyes went wide with astonishment.
In all the years of her life, she had never seen such luxury as the one she was presently seeing. They were inside Alejandro’s living room, and inside the living room, everything in it screamed wealth.
The living room itself was large enough to contain over two hundred people. Everything inside, starting from the couch to the golden chandeliers, to the golden statues; they all looked shiny and expensive.
Marisa remained on her spot as she gazed around in awe. She had never seen such wealth and luxury, not even in movies. There were about three dozens of mobsters positioned in every corner of the room. They were all dressed in black suits and they all had dark shades on their dangerous-looking faces.
Marisa was quite surprised to see the mobsters dressed in dark suits. She wasn’t expecting mobsters to look neat and smart. The mobsters she had always seen in movies all looked rugged, and they always dressed badly.
“You like what you seeing?” Alejandro suddenly asked from behind Marisa, causing her to gasp and flinch.
“You fucking scared me!” Marisa exclaimed angrily as she turned around to look at Alejandro, who had two glasses of red wine in his hands.
“You want some?” Alejandro asked, stretching one of the glasses of wine to her.
“I don’t want your fucking wine,” Marisa replied with a deep frown on her face. “All I want is to get the fuck out of her and return back to my son.”
“I’m trying to act nice to you, so the least you can do is to accept my kind gesture.” Alejandro said, and Marisa rolled her eyes at him.
“I didn’t ask you to act nice to me. All I want is just to get the fuck out of this place.” Marisa replied.
Alejandro chuckled softly before gulping down one of the glasses of wine. Then he began walking towards a couch with the second glass of wine in his hand. Marisa watched as he majestically sat on the couch, and he crossed his legs before taking a sip from the wine.
“Have a seat, sweetheart, and let’s talk.” Alejandro said with a calm voice.
Marisa gazed at him for a while before sitting down on the couch which was opposite him. Alejandro’s lips curled into a mischievous smirk as he gazed at her body. Marisa noticed him staring at her body lustfully, causing her to clear her throat and adjust herself properly on the couch.
“Marisa,” Alejandro began, placing his glass of wine on the table in-between him and Marisa. “I know you want to return back to your son, but that comes at a cost.”
“And what is the fucking cost?” Marisa asked with a frown.
“You’ll have to obey each and every of my commands throughout the days you’d spend in my empire.” Alejandro replied with a wide smirk.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Marisa glared at Alejandro, a mix of anger and defiance in her eyes. “You think I’ll just obediently follow your every command? Dream on, Alejandro.”
He leaned back on the couch, swirling the wine in his glass. “You don’t have much of a choice, Marisa. I control the strings here. You either play along, or things can get a lot uglier.”
Marisa scoffed, crossing her arms. “Uglier? You almost choked me back there. What could be uglier than that?”
Alejandro’s smirk faded for a moment, replaced by a hint of irritation. “That was a consequence of your actions. Disobey again, and you’ll see what real consequences look like.”
Marisa clenched her jaw, suppressing her frustration. “Fine, I’ll play your little game. But don’t think for a second that I’m doing it willingly. The moment I get a chance, I’m out of here.”
Alejandro chuckled, seemingly amused by her defiance. “We’ll see about that, Marisa. Now, let’s discuss the specifics of your ‘stay’ here.”
As Alejandro delved into the details of what he expected from Marisa, she listened with a simmering anger. The demands were unreasonable, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that this supposed deal was just a way for Alejandro to exert control over her life.
Throughout the conversation, Marisa strategized, looking for loopholes and opportunities to resist. She knew that playing along was her only option for now, but she refused to let Alejandro break her spirit.
As the discussion continued, Marisa’s mind raced with thoughts of her son, Jeffery, waiting for her to return.
Alejandro, seemingly satisfied with their ‘agreement,’ leaned back with a triumphant smile. “Now that we understand each other, your new life in the Gambino’s empire begins.”
Marisa, masking her inner turmoil, forced a nod. “Just remember, Alejandro, this is not over. I’ll find a way out, and you won’t control me forever.”
Alejandro chuckled and signalled towards a maid. The maid approached them and she bowed respectfully.
“Take my sweetheart over here to her room.” Alejandro said to the maid without taking his gaze off Marisa’s face.
“Alright, sir,” the maid bowed and turned her attention to Marisa. “Follow me, ma’am.”
Marisa gazed at Alejandro for a while before rising from the couch, then she followed the maid upstairs. Marisa, while walking up the stairs behind the maid, felt Alejandro’s eyes on her. Each step she took carried a silent promise to herself – she’d find a way to break free from the grip of the Gambino’s empire.
The maid guided Marisa through a maze of fancy hallways, stopping at a beautifully designed door. “This is where you’ll stay, ma’am,” the maid said with a little bow.
Entering the room, Marisa took in the lavish surroundings. Despite the elegance, the room served as a constant reminder of her captivity.
As the door closed softly behind her, Marisa found herself alone in what felt like a gilded cage. She walked to the window, looking out at the vast empire below. As she gazed out the window, Marisa thought about the challenges she’d face.
Determined not to lose hope, Marisa began to plan. She observed every detail of the room, searching for any potential escape routes or weaknesses. Her mind raced with thoughts of Jeffery, hoping he’d be safe with her best friend, Clarabelle.
Meanwhile, Alejandro, still downstairs, reveled in the control he had gained. The smirk on his face lingered as he resumed his seat, contemplating the power game he played within the vast Gambino’s empire.
As Alejandro sat in his seat, his twin brother, Alexandro, stormed in with a fierce expression, followed by the top members of the Gambino family. Blade, one of the top members, dragged a man wearing a Reverend father’s attire, visibly battered and bruised.
“Alejandro,” Alexandro called out angrily as he approached his brother. “We were on a crucial mission, and you left midway. Why did you abandon the church? Why?”
Alejandro calmly rose, walking past Alexandro without uttering a word. He headed toward the cellar in the living room, intent on fixing himself a drink. The room watched in silence as Alejandro prepared his drink, intensifying Alexandro’s frustration.
“Answer me, Alejandro!” Alexandro yelled in anger. “Why did you leave when we were going after the person who killed our parents?” Alexandro demanded, pointing to the Reverend father kneeling beside Blade.
At that very moment, Marisa descended the stairs into the living room, capturing everyone’s attention. Alexandro’s fury intensified as he laid eyes on Marisa. Instantly recognizing her as the woman Alejandro was obsessed with, he understood that she was the cause of Alejandro abandoning their crucial mission, heightening his anger.
Alexandro directed his focus to Alejandro, demanding, “Alejandro, is she the reason you abandoned the mission?”
Alejandro remained silent, casually sipping from his drink, further infuriating Alexandro.
Finally losing his patience, Alexandro pulled out his gun. Marisa’s heart raced as she witnessed Alexandro pointing the gun at her, sending a chill down her spine.
Alexandro’s voice echoed through the room, demanding answers. “Answer me right now, Alejandro. What is she doing here, and why did you abandon the mission?”
Alejandro, seemingly unfazed, finally spoke, “She’s here because she belongs to me and she’s under my protection. As for the mission, it became irrelevant when I saw her.”
Alexandro’s anger boiled over, his gun unwaveringly pointed at Marisa. “Irrelevant? You mean that bitch over there is more important than capturing our parents’ murderer?”
Alejandro, impassive, continued sipping his drink, refusing to offer an explanation. Alexandro, fueled by rage, stormed toward Marisa. She gasped as Alexandro seized her by the neck, pressing the gun against her head.
“Since this bitch is more important than capturing our parents’ murderer, I’m gonna kill her right here and right now!” Alexandro’s voice vibrated with a dangerous intensity.