Her body was heavy, the veins in her head throbbed with pain, and she couldn't move her whole body as if her hands and feet were tied.
Tied? Mikaela asked herself, her consciousness suddenly returning. She gasped because her arm and stomach hurt.
She couldn't quite remember what had happened and why she was there. Mikaela scanned her surroundings; she couldn't believe what she saw, and she was afraid to call it by its name. Her lips trembled as she uttered their names.
She saw four unconscious women, with both their hands and feet tied.
Does this mean we were caught? Mikaela questioned in her mind. Despite her fear of admitting it to herself, a violent force propels her back to the present moment.
There is a woman regaining consciousness.
"Ouch," it weakly moans. The woman scanned the surroundings and stared at her; surprise was evident on her face.
"Ellese?" she whispered, causing another woman to wake up; she panicked and searched for Jenny and Chesca with her eyes.
Jenny, Chesca. She scanned her surroundings, and only then did she notice that someone was beside her. So she immediately turned to look at them.
She felt a thorn removed when she saw that its condition was stable and it had not yet regained consciousness.
There was a gaze directed at her, so she followed it, deep in thought while staring at her.
"Mikaela, it's good that you're okay." Said the person next to her, who had regained consciousness. She flinched because she had sustained an injury while they were escaping from the mansion.
"Don't worry, don't look at me like that, Mikaela." Jenny said.
"Jenny!" said the young woman who was looking at her earlier.
"Thalia?" Jenny asked in surprise. Jenny attempted to escape, yet she found herself unable to do so.
"Sister Mika—Ela?"
Were they caught? How did they end up here? Mikaela kept asking herself one question after another.
"Oh, I guess you're all awake now," a man who was watching them said.
Mikaela saw the mocking smile and look; there was no one else watching them but Giovane. He approached Mikaela and Chesca.
"Welcome home, dear sisters." Giovane said with a mocking voice.
She stared at him sharply, but he grinned at her, full of teasing.
"My, my, don't look at me like that, sis. We just met again, and you're already looking at your sibling like that?" Giovane asked her.
Mikaela wasn't speaking then; the fear she felt earlier was replaced by anger at the person in front of her now.
Giovane cupped her face and stared at her. "Don't worry, Dad will be here soon." He said softly.
"Get away from Mikaela!" That was the shout she heard from her sister Chesca, her voice full of hatred, her gaze sharp as she looked at the man in front of her.
Giovane grinned at them. "Well," Giovane said, looking at each of his captured companions one by one.
"Why don't we talk a little?" I have a lot of questions for you, especially for these two. Blanco is here." Giovane looked at Jenny and her other sibling.
Felix's sibling sighed.
"Do you know the history of Fuego and Blanco, as well as my stepsister here, Fuego-Roman, Chesca?" Giovane couldn't help but say.
"I don't know why, even now, you still side with Dad!" That's what she blurted out.
"You let Mommy die at Dad's hands back then! You repeatedly caused her pain and suffering!" She expressed her anger at that time.
"Don't you know how worried Mom was about you back then? You're really pathetic!"
Giovane looked at her. "Stop that commotion, Mikaela. No one will save you anymore, because the people you were counting on are dead." He even said it while looking at her with a cold stare.
He snaps his fingers, and there are staff members carrying the body. Her world suddenly crumbled, and she almost lost her breath. Mikaela felt the room getting smaller and smaller, making it hard for her to breathe properly.
She observed the wounded men, who appeared to have sustained bullet wounds. She was terrified to identify them one by one. She screamed at what she saw. She recognized Jake, Vince, Zenne, William, Charles, and a young man their age, Thalia.
Not only was she surprised, but they all were. It seemed she lost her voice after she shouted; no voice was coming out of her mouth. Tears are falling; she doesn't know where Felix is now. She prays that he is still alive. She met the gaze of her older brother.
Giovane smiled, let out a soft chuckle, and gradually burst into laughter—laughs of joy.
"Oh no, I'm truly sorry; I shouldn't be laughing, but I love that expression you're showing right now." Giovane laughed again as if there were no tomorrow.
"Did I burst those bubbles within you?" He looked around. He took a map.
"I will be grateful now. I will leave the map. This map leads to their death." The scene made him laugh.
"Oh well, I'm not done with Blanco yet. I know your eldest sibling is involved in this. Am I right?" He asked Jenny.
The two didn't answer; they just silently stared at the corpse in front of them, disbelief evident on their faces.
"You've taken everything back, haven't you?" You've already killed my cousin; what more do you want to do?" She heard Jenny ask, glaring sharply at Giovane.
"Good, I love that eye. I love smashing that eye of yours. I love that spirit of yours." He said those words while looking intently at Jenny.
"What else do you need?" Kill me already! In exchange for their lives." Mikaela said those words with great courage.
"You're getting brave now, Mikaela?" Well, let's see how brave you are when Dad gets here." He pulled her hair while staring at him intently, tears streaming down her face.
"Just like how your mother was murdered back then, brother Giovane?" You will really keep bringing up the past when you did nothing for your younger sisters and your mother back then. You did nothing; you just watched because you're an asshole!" This was the only thing she heard from Chesca.
Mikaela heard a loud slap land on Chesca's back then.
"Chesca!" All she could say was that she saw her face bleeding. Giovane stared at them sharply. He sighed.
"Oh no, I need to calm down." He smiled at all of them.
"I'll deal with you harshly." Dad is on his way. I will go to my office first." He said.
"No one can watch over you anymore; no one will help you." He looked back at them before leaving.
"Because I'm kind, I will have my three subordinates watch over you; it would be unfortunate if you ended up with those slowly decaying corpses." He laughed.
"See you, I will entertain myself. I'll just wait for Dad to deal with you, Mikaela and Chesca." He said this and then walked away from Mikaela and Chesca.
She calmed herself down.
"Are you okay?" she asked her companion with concern.
"We will get out of here." That's all Jenny said.
Mikaela wanted to hug Jenny back then, even when she was being brave.