A Beauty So Cruel Manuscript (2)

by Alone Eagle

  I didn’t want to think about what Salvi had just done.

  It would only confuse me further, so I shifted my focus elsewhere, desperately trying to cling to the here and now rather than retreating to my past.

  A part of me missed Vlad. I didn’t want to, but I did.

  Why did my treacherous heart always speed up whenever he was around?

  Even it wanted to betray me.

  He betrayed me.

  There was something very wrong with me. Something dark had blossomed inside of me. Something unnatural. I shouldn’t feel betrayed by a man who was my captor, but he was more than just my captor now and had been for a while. He was never one of the good guys, I knew that, but somehow a part of was still hoping that he was. He hadn’t planned on taking me. He wasn’t pure evil. I’d fallen into his path, and he’d taken me because I was a liability.

  He said I revealed my face to him, that’s why he took me. Was that the real reason? Because he never even kissed me until I made the first move. I remember the first meeting when I met Vlad at the ball, before it all turned to shit in the parking lot. I’d hoped he would talk to me again at the ball, but my date hadn’t left my side.

  I saw his good side that sometimes slipped through the cracks before it disappeared again.

  He hadn’t harmed me.

  He had protected me.

  He had laughed with me.

  He had joked with me.

  So, you think your friends now?

  I was alive because of him.

  I existed because of him.

  I existed only for him.

  I didn’t know how long I sat like this.

  Just then, the door was wrenched open.

  My head slowly turned in the direction, thinking the devil was back.

  I met wild, gray eyes.

  The beast greeted me instead.

  29

  Chapter 29

  Vlad’s eyes met Dahlia’s vacant gaze.

  She sat there on the floor of the limousine, leaning against the seat. Her sheer, small dress was bunched around at her waist. Her side profile faced him, and she was only in her underwear. She was exposed. He didn’t know what the hell had been going on in the car.

  His anger flared at the sight of her.

  “Doll,” he whispered.

  She only blinked at him.

  Her waterline was teary, smudging the kohl around her eyes further. She looked an absolute mess. Her midnight-black hair was free and hung around her like a cloak. It acted like her clothes, enveloping her. Her cheeks were flushed and there was blood on her lips. His eyes narrowed in on her.

  He hated to ask, but he needed to know.

  “Are you…are you…?” his voice trailed off.

  He couldn’t even form the right words now. He hoped he wasn’t too late. After he had found out his father had tricked everyone into letting her leave, he had been frantically searching for her.

  She had been gone for a couple of hours.

  It had been hard tracking down Salvi.

  By the time he had reached the auction, Dahlia was already long gone.

  Then, he had found out she had been sold.

  The small hope he had in his chest that she hadn’t been forced was slowly dimming.

  She didn’t answer his question, just stared blankly at him, almost as if she didn’t know who he was. She wasn’t really seeing him.

  What the hell had happened?

  “Let’s get you dressed,” he said to her gently.

  He kept his voice soft. He’d never spoken like this to anyone before besides Natalie.

  Dahlia brought out things in him that he wasn’t trained for.

  She turned away from him, lost, and stared at the ceiling.

  She looked so broken.

  His hatred for Salvi ran ablaze. The need to kill stirred in his body. He would set this whole car on fire, with him inside it. Burn the fucker alive. But first he was going to torture Salvi in the worst way possible, keeping him alive for days, not letting him die until he begged for death.

  “You sold me,” Dahlia said at last in a soft but accusatory voice.

  It tugged at his cold heart.

  A part of him slowly died at her words.

  “I believed in you.”

  His head jerked up at her words.

  “You said you would save me from your father,” she continued.

  “I didn’t know…” Vlad said softly.

  She kept talking as if his words didn’t register to her.

  “You gave me your word.”

  His breath hitched at her words.

  “Is it because I accused you of breaking your promise of taking me out? Was that my mistake? Was that why you changed your mind about keeping me?” She sniffled then looked him dead in the eye. “You said ‘we just had a couple of fucks.’ You stomped all over me and then threw me to the devil!”

  He shut his eyes at her words, regret filling him. Then, he opened his eyes slowly and shook his head. “I would never sell you. I promised I wouldn’t.”

  “I don’t believe anything you say,” she said, her voice breaking.

  She sounded like she hated him, and pain ripped through his chest.

  “I didn’t know, Doll. I wasn’t home. I didn’t know what he was planning,” he whispered to her. Was he begging her now to believe him? He didn’t like her in this state. Exposed to the world and a broken shell of what she used to be.

  Dahlia didn’t reply and instead closed her eyes.

  “Your clothes. Put them on. I’ll take you back home.”

  He winced when his words came out like an order, he needed to tread gently with her, but the truth was, he was losing his patience. Home. That’s where she belonged. With him.

  “The other Don bought me. Salvi. I’m his now.”

  Her words stung him.

  “Over my dead body he did,” Vlad growled at her. “You’re mine, and I will destroy anyone that harms you.”

  Her eyes opened now, and she finally seemed to focus her eyes on him for the first time.

  “I don’t like you. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  Her words resembled more of a resentful child.

  Vlad raked a hand through his hair. He inhaled deeply and leaned in closer to her, to touch her, comfort her, but she flinched and moved away from him.

  He paused in movement.

  “Get out of the car Dahlia,” he ordered softly.

  She shook her head in defiance.

  “You want to go with Moretti then?” he bit out.

  His voice had an edge to it now. He needed her out of the car. She turned toward him, fully facing him. He had her attention now. The light was on in the limo, so he could see what she looked like. His eyes dropped toward the bitemarks on her tits, and he breathed hard through his nose. He tried to look for other marks. His eyes fell on her wrists that had large, hand imprints on them.

  Dahlia was quiet as she stared at him, a hollow shell of her former self.

  The little fire, the little spirit he had seen before was gone.

  He wanted that back. He didn’t like her so empty.

  She made no move to cover herself from him.

  Vlad’s jaw tensed and he moved closer to her.

  Her eyes widened, and she crawled back in the car shaking her head. He hated that she feared him now. She had only just started letting down her guard with him.

  That little bit of trust was gone now.

  “Stop Doll,” he muttered, reaching for her.

  She clawed at him, lashing out and nicking his neck.

  It stung slightly, but he knew she had pierced his skin.

  He wrapped his arms around her neck, not letting his hands wander any lower. He just held her for a moment, hoping she would let him. For a few seconds, she fought against him, but he only held her tighter until she stopped fighting him. She still didn’t wrap her arms around him, but she did let him hold her.

  “I told him, I belonged to you.”
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  His breath hitched.

  “But he didn’t care.”

  “I’ll bury him alive. Just wait,” Vlad promised.

  “He stopped.”

  Then, Vlad pulled away from her, confused. He stared at her, waiting for her to explain herself but she didn’t. He tried not to stare at her naked form. He lifted her dress up, covering her. He growled at the sight of the pathetic flimsy nude dress. He could see every outline of her body even though she was covered now. His father had her prancing around in this? This hardly counted as clothing.

  She tucked her hair behind her ears with shaking hands.

  This didn’t look like the ballsy, confident girl he knew.

  “Well… he wasn’t planning on stopping,” she began slowly. He arched an eyebrow at her. “But something happened, and he did.”

  Vlad was puzzled.

  He let out a sigh of relief now.

  She wasn’t raped.

  He outstretched a hand toward her.

  Come with me.

  Her gaze met his before she stared at his hand. She eyed it like it might be poisonous. Then, she slowly reached forward and placed a small hand on his.

  He hid a smile as he helped her out of the car.

  Dahlia paused in movement before her gaze landed on Salvi who lurked in the shadows. He held a gun by his side even though he was surrounded by Vlad’s men.

  She froze now, like a deer caught in headlights.

  “You know, I bought her for $5 million,” Salvi said, keeping his eyes on Dahlia.

  She broke her gaze from his and leaned in close to Vlad.

  Her vulnerability bothered him.

  He wanted to crush Dahlia in an embrace, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t show an emotion like care in front of his men. It was weakness. Everyone knew they screwed, but no one knew how deep his feelings for her went. It was an unspoken rule, practically forbidden.

  “Too bad, she wasn’t yours to take,” Vlad replied to him simply.

  “What about my money?”

  Vlad scoffed under his breath. Salvi was wealthy like him. Five million was like pocket change for him when he was rolling around in billions.

  Vlad motioned to Gabriele to come to him, and he handed Dahlia to him. She still clung desperately to his hand, refusing to leave his side.

  “I’ll come in a while. Gabriele will take you home, okay?” he whispered in her ear.

  She frowned at him before staring at Gabriele.

  “Gabriele will protect you if needed, Doll,” Vlad assured her.

  Then, she nodded hesitantly.

  “I should be here with you Vlad. Let me fight,” Gabriele said to him, his blue eyes wide.

  Vlad only shook his head. “You’re taking Dahlia home.”

  Gabriele opened his mouth to protest but Vlad spoke first, “It’s an order.”

  Then, Gabriele reluctantly nodded.

  Dahlia moved away from Vlad. She took a few steps forward, but then she glanced at Salvi who gave her a lazy smile.

  “I’ll see you again, sweetheart.”

  She stared at him momentarily then she turned her face and hurried away, rushing toward the car. Once she was safely inside and Gabriele drove off, Vlad turned to face Salvi.

  “She’s not your fucking sweetheart,” Vlad gritted out at him.

  “Tonight, she was,” Salvi taunted.

  Don’t you dare.

  “There’s one of us getting out of this alive,” Vlad told him calmly. “I have more men here than you. You’re outnumbered.”

  There was backup here with him. He hadn’t come here to negotiate Dahlia’s freedom. He had come here to kill.

  It was kill or be killed now.

  Salvi looked at him, unimpressed. “You need that many men to take me down?”

  “They were actually for my father. I didn’t know you were the one who paid for her.”

  Paid not bought, he finished under his breath.

  “What kind of Don lets his father undermine him?”

  A stupid one, clearly. Vlad refused to take the bait.

  His father was a task he had to deal with too.

  Salvi gave him a taunting smile.

  “She means that much to you?”

  Vlad didn’t reply.

  “I can see the appeal. Exotic little beauty.”

  Vlad tried to calm his anger. He knew Salvi was trying to aggravate him.

  “If you kill me, that means a never-ending war with my family. You know how that ended up last time before the alliance was made. Is she worth it?” Salvi asked, tilting his head, and looking at him.

  He didn’t seem afraid of what Vlad could do. Most made men weren’t. They always knew they had a target on their backs, and they were prepared and ready to die when the time came. If he were a normal person, he would be pissing his pants right now.

  Vlad made his decision.

  He couldn’t embrace Dahlia in front of his men because they thought she was his mistress. But she was more than that. He tried to hold in his deep sigh. He was tired of acting. His heart was too damn tired. All his life, the code had been drilled into him.

  A Don cannot show weakness.

  A Don cannot show affection.

  A Don doesn’t show mercy.

  Fuck the rules.

  He had already broken all of them.

  He was going to handle Salvi and Enzo once and for all.

  Vlad stared at Salvi, his rival Don.

  “Everything you did to Dahlia is an act of war,” he stated calmly. Letting everyone around him hear his words. Then, his expression turned amused. “The last time a man touched her, I shot him between his legs. He died slowly in a pool of his own blood.”

  He caught the hesitation on Salvi’s face before his expression changed to a smirk again.

  “Drop your weapon,” Vlad ordered.

  Salvi grinned wickedly at him.

  “No, I’m going to get in at least one good shot before you kill me.”

  “Who said I’m planning on killing you?” Vlad shot back.

  “Oh. Torture then?” Salvi sneered. “Going to live up to your reputation?”

  Just then, Vlad lifted his gun toward Salvi.

  Salvi instantly raised his.

  Vlad’s men and Salvi’s men followed suit.

  “How about you and me do this a different way?” Salvi asked. “How about a good old-fashioned fight?”

  Vlad’s jaw ticked.

  “Come on. You can kick my ass then,” Salvi said, smiling.

  Vlad cocked his gun, not in the mood for games, and aimed for Salvi’s leg. Maybe he should make him a cripple to begin with. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Salvi opened his big mouth.

  “I tasted her. Her lips,” Salvi said, his smile widening.

  Vlad froze.

  The blood in his veins churned and whooshed past his ears. He let out a ragged breath, urging himself calm the fuck down.

  He’s trying to provoke me.

  “Her nipples are so pink. I wanted to keep sucking on her full tits.”

  That explains the bruises.

  Salvi kept talking with no intention of stopping.

  “I wanted to mark every inch of her tight little body.”

  She’s not yours.

  Vlad tried to shut out his thoughts, but he was getting to him now.

  “Just before you reached her, I was about to pound her soft, pink cunt. If you were just five seconds late, she wouldn’t be the Dahlia you wanted.”

  That last dig stung. He lost his cool and breathed harder through his nose. His rage blazing inside him. Injuring Salvi by bullets was easy. He didn’t need a weapon. He needed his hands on Salvi’s throat. His hands would be enough. He wanted to break the bones in Salvi’s hands for touching her, his mouth for biting her, his jaw for talking shit about her, and gouge out his eyes for looking at her. On every single part of Salvi that had harmed Dahlia, Vlad would inflict such pain that he couldn’t imagine.

  Vlad didn’t rec
ognize this part of himself now.

  This wasn’t who he was.

  Mercy. He was merciful.

  But right now, he wanted to be cold.

  A part of him was glad Dahlia was long gone so she wouldn’t witness this side of him.

  He lowered his gun then, the fury inside him bursting for release.

  Salvi smiled at him widely now. “So, a good old duel?”

  Vlad tucked his gun behind his shirt, but his men didn’t drop their weapons. They knew better. They still aimed at Salvi.

  Salvi arched an eyebrow at him and tucked his own weapon behind his shirt.

  Vlad knew as soon as one of them tried to cheat and draw their weapon, man’s men would shoot, taking care of it, defending their own Don.

  Vlad stared at Salvi whose appearance was disheveled. His made-up hair rumpled and messy. He no longer looked like the neat and clean-cut Salvi he knew. Wrinkles appeared on his clothes. Vlad’s Adam’s apple bobbed knowing exactly why.

  They both took the stance of a fighting position.

  Their faces were unreadable, but there was no fear, and no invitational smirk.

  Vlad showed no pleasure on his face, as tonight there would be only tears. Just one man would walk away.

  He shuffled to the side and waited for Salvi to attack, possibly preempting his own death. No number of possible scenarios could prepare him for the result in a fight. That was only if one could think. Salvi seemed to be doing the same. He knew Salvi was waiting for his move. So, Vlad gave him an opening. Just on cue, Salvi charged at him. Vlad dodged to the side in a quick stride.

  Then, he turned his gaze to Salvi. His gaze menacing, his thirst for blood blazing within him. His body was brimming with a new vigor, an untapped rage. His fists clenched in and out until his nails stabbed his own palms and aggravated the shards of glass still in his hands.

  Then he raised his fists and punched Salvi in the jaw. He hit Salvi again, but Salvi blocked it with his forearm. Vlad then kicked him in the stomach making him grunt.

  You came for Dahlia. Now I stand in the way.

  The battle wasn’t just on the outside. The real fight was within his heart, the feeling of betrayal of trust. He was angry at Salvi and wanted to kill him, but his hatred ran far deeper for his father. And even worse, he loathed himself for not being there to protect Dahlia when Enzo had come for her.