Bella's face brightened with a sweet smile. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and nodded shyly. "Yes…" she said softly.
Alessandro's eyes glowed with fatherly love. He reached out and gently patted the top of her head, a rare gesture for him, but one that made Bella's heart flutter with warmth.
And Leonardo didn't even join dinner, which made Bella feel a bit disappointed as she went back to her room.
[TW: Violence, Torture — Some paragraphs include sensitive content. You can skip those parts and continue reading when you see "TW: end."]
Far away from the warm dinner table where Bella sat unaware, Leonardo was in his private underground basement — a cold, hidden chamber beneath a different property. The walls were soundproof, the smell of metal and antiseptic mixed with something far fouler.
