𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝟏𝟖+

chapter thirteen

ARIA

HE FOUND US. Ronan found us, but he wasn't in plain sight. After Stella dropped two chess pieces, she turned to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me up the stairs into the room where we were held. She shut the door and locked it.

I watched her pace back and forth, shooting me occasional glances but continuing her restless movements. I approached her and gently guided her to sit down on the chair. By the time she took a deep breath, she had calmed down enough to speak.

"He has found us. He has been waiting for the right moment, and today was it," she said, tapping her index finger on the chair handle.

"Do you think you know his next move?" I asked. She shook her head. "There's no telling what Ronan's next move is. He could make a grand appearance right now or taunt us. But finding us wasn't even the scariest part of this whole thing," she paused.

"It was the objects-the queen and the pawn. These two chess pieces hold significance. Aside from the king, the queen is one of the most important and powerful pieces. It's not just important; it's unique. While there are two kings, there's only one queen. And as for the pawn, though it doesn't hold the same position as the queen or the king, it is still valuable. It may be perceived as weak and numerous, but it comes together to control one side of the board," she concluded.

I truly wondered how Stella was able to account for everything she had witnessed from Ronan-his behavior, motives, and decisions. The king, the queen, the pawn, and even the knight must have represented specific people. Maybe it was us.

Stella, the queen.

Me, the pawn.

Nicholas, the knight.

And Ronan, the king.

"Chess is a significant game for Ronan. Besides his pets, it provides him comfort. Nicholas told me they have been playing since their teenage years. Ronan found a chessboard lying around outside and picked it up. There were no chess pieces, but that didn't stop him from learning and playing the game. He used rocks instead of chess pieces, even going so far as to label them. A white rock represented the queen, a black rock was the king, a grey rock stood for the knight, and the pawns were beige. He always forced Nicholas to play, even to this day. But Nicholas never understood the game as well as Ronan did," she finished, smiling.

As I prepared to speak my next words, the sound of the doorknob rattling made Stella and me turn our heads. Following the rattle, came hard and fast knocks. I glanced at Stella and then back at the door. I approached it and unlocked it. It swung open immediately, revealing my father storming in. He brushed past me and headed straight for Stella, grabbing her by the arm and forcefully dragging her out of the room.

"Let her go!" I exclaimed. He ignored me and continued out the door. I followed closely behind as they descended the stairs and reached the center of the living room. Stella managed to wriggle free from his grasp and took a few steps back.

"Explain this," my father demanded, holding the chess pieces and the note in the air. Stella remained silent, and it was evident that my father's patience was wearing thin, and his paranoia was resurfacing.

"There's nothing to explain. You're old enough to know that those are chess pieces, and that's all you need to know," Stella responded firmly.

My father's hands fell to his side. "I need more. I need fucking more. What does it mean?"

Stella crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know what it means. All I know is that he found us, and he's coming soon. If it's not today, it'll be tomorrow because Ronan has already waited longer than he usually does." I wasn't sure if Stella's words were true, and it seemed my father didn't understand either.

"Ronan enjoys the thrill of the chase. And what you witnessed was him being lenient. If you and your family had any sense, you would've left the country. He gave you time to hide, to attempt an escape from the fate he has planned for all of you. Instead, you all stayed here like a bunch of cowards, and now you will all perish at the hands of Ronan," her words pierced through me.

I couldn't comprehend where this side of Stella had come from; it hadn't been present just moments ago. I wasn't certain if she intended to frighten my family, but if she did, it was working. My father sank into the couch, and the objects in his hands slipped to the floor. My mother hurried to his side, gripping his arm as they sat down.

"This is complete bullshit. Every bit of it," my brother Alessandro finally spoke after standing silently all along. "We're all going to die," he muttered.

"And it's all your fucking fault." He looked up, and it didn't even surprise me when his gaze landed on me. He took three strides toward me, shaking his head with angry eyes. "None of this would have fucking happened if you had just followed the rules. Just for fucking once, you could have followed the rules, and we wouldn't be in this situation right now," he spat.

I remained motionless, frozen in place. As more hurtful words spilled from his lips, tears welled up in my eyes, but I managed to keep them from streaming down my cheeks.

"I was supposed to be in Italy right now. Training and helping people. But I'm stuck in this fucked-up situation because of you. Ares was supposed to finish college and enjoy his senior year to the fullest, but he can't, not knowing if he'll survive or not. Amelia was meant to accomplish great things in her life, but she can't, all because of fucking you. All you ever did was cause trouble and never consider the consequences of your actions. And now we're all going to die. And it's all because of the principessa," his words finally ceased, and that's all I had wished for during those agonizing five minutes.

Perhaps Alessandro's words held some truth. Maybe this was my fault. If only I had followed the rules and stopped being so stubborn, perhaps, just maybe, this dreadful situation could have been avoided. If I hadn't gone to the market with Amelia, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have fallen into Ronan's clutches, and my father wouldn't have had to make the agonizing choice between his daughter and the family business.

It was unfathomable how a single man could cause a family to turn against each other in a matter of minutes. Yet, deep down, I realized we were never truly a family. It had never felt like one, and I had to finally accept that and stop forcing myself to believe that these people would ever become a family. Instead, it was a shattered business, a failed scheme, and for some reason, they all decided it was my fault.

・・・

Finally, an update! I know I promised a double update, and I'm currently writing it right now. But it won't be out until tomorrow! The first few chapters aren't that lengthy, but I promise that as the book progresses, the chapters will be longer.

Please share your thoughts and give me feedback on today's chapter! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and I appreciate every single one of you.

I love you all.