Chapter 107 One hundred and seven
Sydney’s POV
My heart sank as Bella relayed Tavon’s response and reaction when she suggested that he conduct a paternity test
I slumped on the woven chair I sat on in the garden terrace. The garden terrace was one of my favonte spots in this mansion. Apart from the fact that it was secluded and quiet–the perfect spot for meditation- it has now served as the perfect spot to hold our meetings and be rest assured that no one could easily eavesdrop without getting caught. And it was also a bit of a walk from the mansion.
I closed my eyes, the sound of birds chirping and flowers rustling slightly filed my ears as I thought of our next course of action and what we could do. The warm spring breeze caressed my face, but I found Intle solace in the tranquil garden surroundings with the weight of our predicament hanging over
Since Tavon didn’t in any way care if Dylan was truly his nephew or not, in fact he had gotten so riled up when Bella suggested it that Bella knew it was only smart to not talk about it with him again. And that meant that our plan in getting rid of Dylan was in vain, invalid. We were back to square one in our quest for vengeance against the man who had put me through such unspeakable honors.
I could have found other means to get rid of Dylan from the family. I could make Tavon kick him out of the Esposito family and leave him stranded and wretched to live the rest of his life in misery and abject poverty- what he had feared that brought about all of this issue in the first place. Cast him out like the parasite he was, leaving him to rot.
But the revenge of a miserable and bitter person who fell from grace to grass would be worse and more brutall than any other revenge. He would not hesitate to ruin me. Mark, Grace and my precious son Aiden. Or worse, forcefully take my baby from me. I couldn’t let that happen. The thought made my blood run cold- I had to exterminate this threat to my family once and for all, by any means necessary.
Besides, I didn’t want to get rid of him from just the family and make his life a living hell I wanted him off the surface of this earth. I wanted him several feet beneath my feet. I wanted him in hell, suffering eternally for the pain and trauma he inflicted on me and mine
“I have an idea though.”
I looked up to find Bella swirling the wine in the cup of glass that she held. Her casual, almost bored tone immediately put me on guard.
“What’s it?” I asked cautiously as I sat up straighter With Bella, you never know what twisted scheme she might propose.
She shrugged and said casually, “Why don’t you just give up?” She raised her eyebrows, a mocking glint in her eyes. “You do know there are some things in this world that you can’t accomplish no matter how much effort you put in, right?”
I caught her by surprise when I snatched the glass of wine from her hand. She watched me warly as I downed it in one go, the rich liquid emboldening me. Tm not ready to give up,” I said after swallowing, resolute. There should be other ways. There definitely are. We just have to look more thoroughly and think harder.”
Bella chuckled derisively. “I advise you to give up and leave when you still can.”
I frowned, immediately suspicious of her motives. “What do you mean?”
She took her time before responding, letting the silence hang heavy between us. “I saw several notices plastered on the streets and on walls. It’s a notice of a missing person…and the missing person is you”
I raised my brows in surprise. “Me?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes. It must be Mark using his power and influence to look for you. If you stay here any longer, he might think you’re dead, and then your way back home will be completely cut off.” A cruel smile played across her lips, taking perverse delight in my discomfort
I was a little taken aback when I heard Mark’s name. It was true, I had stayed far longer than the time I had told them I would for this trip, made even worse by not communicating at all. Of course they would think something was amiss and use all available resources to locate me.
Gult gripped my heart as I imagined how distraught Grace would be if they truly believed I was missing or worse. And my poor Aiden. he was just a baby, he needed his mother. I wondered how many of Mark’s men were scouring Italy right now, that missing person notices with my face were already being circulated. For him to take such a drastic step, he must have been frantic with worry. An ache blossomed in my chest as I realized just how much I missed them all – Grace’s warmth, Mark’s strong embrace, but most of all, holding my sweet Ittle Aiden, watching him grow each day.
Maybe I found myself starting to think, suddenly feeling hopeless. Maybe I should just go back home and live in peace with my family. Put this vengeance against Dylan aside before it consumed me entirely. But then, I had come too far, involved myself too deeply in the Esposito world to o just slip away unnoticed. Dylan would eventually discover I was missing and he would relentlessly hurt me down to the ends of the earth. I couldn’t risk him finding out about Aiden’s existence. I refused to put my son in danger from that maniac. No, I had come too far to turn back now, no matter how enticing the thought of returning to my old life was.
But even if I did decide to go back home and he came looking for me. I could at least rest assured that Mark would never let him or his thugs get anywhere near me and the children. He would do anything to protect us….
“So you’re just gonna give up, huh?”
The sound of an unfamiliar voice jotted me from my thoughts. First, it was the smell of cigarette smoke that wafted across the terrace and tickled my
Charter 107 One Bunded and even
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nose. But it was the mocking words that made my heart skip a beat. I exchanged a panicked look with Bella before we both whipped our heads around
toward the source of the voice.
A slim but shapely girl emerged from behind the tall shrubbery at the far end of the terrace, a cigarette dangling lazily from her lips. She looked to be in
her late teens and was dressed in the uniform of one of the mansion’s maids. My mind raced – had she been lurking there the whole time, listening to our
entire conversation?
Bella and I looked at each other again, the question clear in our wide, fearful eyes. Where the hell did this girl come from? I quickly scanned behind her,
taking in the hedges that had been sculpted into a tall, enclosing wall shape. I hadn’t paid them much mind before, assuming they were just decorative.
But now I could see there was likely some sort of hidden path or entrance for staff behind them.
But figuring out how she snuck up on us was secondary to determining how much of our discussion she had overheard. Her smug smile and insouciant attitude spoke volumes. Had Tavon put her up to spying on Bella and 17 Or worse, was she reporting back to that snake Dylan, assessing if I was holding
up my end of his depraved bargain? One thing was for certain – we could no longer speak freely here.
1 steadied my pounding heart and broke the tense silence. “Who are you?” I asked firmly.
The girl exhaled a thick cloud of smoke with a practiced nonchalance that immediately set me on edge. Then she gestured lazily to her uniform and
sneered, “As I’m sure you can see, I am one of Tavon’s maids. You can call me Scarlet.”
My brow creased in consternation. Of course–having the house staff keep clandestine watch over his associates was a classic mob tactic. What better
way to monitor everyone’s comings and goings?
“Did you hear our conversation?” I asked bluntly, then shook my head, rephrasing. “You heard a handful of our conversation, didn’t you?”
Scarlet nodded emphatically. 1 heard all of it.” She jerked a thumb back towards her hidden alcove. “I hid here to smoke earlier than you guys,” she said by way of explanation. Then she cocked her head, a strange half–smile twisting her features as she added mockingly, “You know, discussing secret matters like this in a public place is no different from posting these secrets online” she cocked her head to one side and I couldn’t help but wonder if she did
drugs. She kinda acted a little bit like she was mentally unstable.
“Don’t you think?” Her question brought me back to the present with a jolt
My slightly calmed heart leapt into my throat as the full implications of her eavesdropping hit me. She had overheard everything, our plans. She knew it all.
She definitely knew what she had heard, and I knew deep down she would have no qualms about using this dangerous information to her advantage. If she exposed our secrets to Tavon or Dylan, we were ruined.
I asked firmly. “What do you want?”
Scarlet’s eyes flicked over to Bella briefly, gauging her reaction, before her mischievous gaze settled back on me
Then she smiled
If you guys still want to take revenge…count me in.”
That was absolutely not the response I head expecting. Beside me, I could sense Bella’s surprise as well.
“Why?” we both blurted out at the same time.
Scarlet’s eyes glinted with cunning as she turned her attention fully to me
“Because that damned Dylan killed my crush, Luigi” she said with a nonchalant shrug, as if discussing her motivations for premeditated murder over tea.
She tsked and shook her head in disappointment.
“Pity, I hadn’t slept with him yet before he bit the dust.”
