The Belladonna Game

Aliyah's P.O.V

I pattered toward the dining table, the mug in my hand warm against my fingers. I sipped the coffee slowly, hoping the bitter heat might burn away the sluggishness gnawing at me, but the zeal in me had already been reduced to its lowest flicker. My other hand slid absently over my phone, letting the endless scroll of the internet pull me into its distraction.

Footsteps approached from the hallway, deliberate and unhurried, but I didn't bother to glance up. I share this place with only one other person. Who else could it be?

"You seem a little too unbothered for someone who just failed a second time," Eva's voice sliced through the calm like a sharp nail on glass.

"I didn't fail," I shot back, setting the mug down with a soft thud. "I just left. Because I can't stand either that shitface Brown or his demon bodyguard."

Finally lifting my gaze, I met her eyes. Her blonde hair, glossy in the morning light, always reminded me of Michaelo not that mentioning it would help. Those two hated each other, and bringing his name into the room would guarantee me a frosty silent treatment for the rest of the day.

"And why is that?" she pressed, arms crossing tightly, her glare hitting like a blade aimed between my ribs.

"Because I was violated, Eva. If it hadn't been for his arrogant bodyguard who, for whatever twisted reason, stopped suddenly that dickhead would have slid his hand into my pants." I snorted, anger coiling again in my chest as the image of the man burned into my mind. The brunette. Gorgeous. Dangerous. The kind of man whose face you hated remembering but couldn't forget.

Eva tilted her head, leaning her chin on one hand. "Ottavio, was it?"

I gave a curt nod, pulse quickening at the sound of his name.

"And why did he stop?"

I shrugged, the truth more frustrating than anything I could invent. I'd asked myself the same question too many times. "Doesn't make him any less of a monster. Men like them have done worse to more women than they can count."

The room went still, heavy with the kind of silence that squeezes around the lungs.

Eva's gaze sharpened. " Aliyah don't tell me you have given up right?"

I let out a dry laugh, leaning back in my chair. "Apparently, my perfect tits and ass didn't do the job, so no. If that didn't work, nothing else could. And honestly? I'm glad. Better that than living a lie just to get in his good graces."

Eva hummed low in her throat, not arguing. Her attention drifted toward the cupboard, where she plucked a tin from the shelf and pulled out a biscuit.

I narrowed my eyes. "Where did you even get that name Aliyah Santiago?"

She broke the biscuit in half, taking a bite before answering. "I did my research. Dug into some Mafia family records. Figured it would give you credibility and originality since your name is also Aliyah.The real princess is a runaway nobody knows her face. Which means... nobody except her family in Spain can prove you're not her."

She chewed slowly, eyes never leaving mine, as if weighing whether I had the spine to play the part.

"You said that Ottavio guy said he has trust issues huh?" She began, munching on the biscuit so hard, i fear for her teeth.

I rolled my eyes, "drop it Eva," she snorted and continued. "Why don't you do something to gain his trust?"

I paused, staring at her like she had lost her mind, I just said I was irritated by the man for fuck sake. "Honestly I'm no longer cut out for that. Isn't there any fast way to do this?"

She scoffs. "Oh yes, I know of one fast way, I've suggested it to you but you refused." I rolled my eyes knowing where all this was going. "Let's get a gun and shoot at the family one by one till they're all dead,"

"We might end up in jail before we finish one of them or rather,the lovely Marinos will gut us down before we lift a finger.My answer still remains the same. No," I emphasized.

"Then we do it my way then," she cocked her eyebrows at me.

***

I hid behind the warehouse Eva had traced Brown's car to, waiting for Eva to plant the nicotine she had somehow acquired before we left the house.

Eva's words echoed in my skull, low and smug: Get Brown out of trouble in the most confident way, and I bet he's yours.

I gritted my teeth, not because I believed her, but because I hated being this close to proving her right.

She darted back to my side from the shadows, brushing dust from her jeans. "It's done. The cops are on their way. Brown will be out soon." Her lips curved into that sly little smirk that always meant she was five steps ahead of me in a game I didn't know we were playing.

True to her prophecy, Brown emerged minutes later, casual as ever, his hands in his pockets like he'd been strolling out of a spa instead of a nicotine-stinking warehouse. That same evil grin twisted his face, the one that said he thought the whole world was his stage.

But he wasn't the one twisting my insides into knots.

It was the man behind him.

Tall. Sharp. Dressed in a black suit that seemed tailored to match the permanent scowl etched into his features. Ottavio. The image of him draping his coat over me days ago hit like a sucker punch, my chest tightening despite every rational part of me screaming to stop.

The distant wail of sirens dragged me back to the present.

"Freeze!" a voice barked. Three policemen poured out of a patrol car, guns at the ready.

Brown paused mid-step, exchanging a quick glance with Ottavio before striding forward to greet the officers. I couldn't hear the words, but I could read the body language hands gesturing, a charming half-smile, leaning in just enough to suggest familiarity without surrender.

The lead officer's head shook, slow and firm. He wasn't buying it.

Eva's breath brushed my ear. "You can go out there now."

My pulse jumped. Stepping into this was the last thing I wanted but if I didn't, Brown was going down, and Eva's bet... might actually be won.

I squared my shoulders, feeling the air between us grow heavier as I prepared to walk straight into their mess.