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~Now they see what will be, blinded eyes to see~

Metallica

(edited)

The moment I screamed, all my brothers barreled into my room. I was struggling for air, caught in the cruel grip of an asthma attack, tears streaming down my swollen, flushed cheeks.

"What the fuck just happened this time?" Dylan's voice cracked, raw with panic and anger, while Vince pulled me close, pressing my head hard against his chest. I could hear the pounding of his heart beneath me as I sobbed uncontrollably.

I pointed shakily at the video playing on my laptop, unable to bring myself to meet their eyes. In an instant, all heads snapped toward the screen, their eyes widening with the same horror reflected in mine.

It was Valeria!

Tied to a cold, metal chair far too small for her, her head slumped back helplessly. She was barely clothed, her ribs bruised purple and black, the rest of her torso a map of pain. Her hair was tangled, soaked with sweat and blood dripping slowly from her cracked lips.

Watching her was like staring straight into my past. The bruises on her body mirrored mine... Exactly how I looked after my parents' cruel fists battered me into silence. How I once lay broken, blood dripping from my mouth and nose after their final, merciless blow. The exhaustion, the desperation, the utter helplessness... all reflected in Valeria's trembling form.

Two men loomed over her, masked, their cold eyes the only visible parts of their faces. One held a small knife, gripping her chin to keep her still. Tears glistened on her cheeks, but she tried so hard to swallow her sobs, to smother her screams, her heart hammering in terror.

"Okay, ascolta Augustinos, il nostro capo vuole il tuo intero impero, altrimenti questa ragazza incontrerà i tuoi genitori morti e perderai la custodia della tua preziosa Nefeli!" the first man sneered, his voice dripping with cruel amusement, sending a shiver crawling down my spine. (Okay, listen Agostinos, our boss wants your entire empire, otherwise this girl will meet your dead parents, and you will lose custody of your precious Nefeli!)

I didn't understand the words fully, but I knew. I knew it was a threat so vicious it made my blood run cold.

"You better give it to him" he hissed, "or you'll never get back her custody papers... And I'm sure you know exactly what that means."

But what shattered me most, what tore my heart to pieces and let loose a flood of silent, muffled screams, was the other man dragging slowly his knife, cruelly, carving letters into Valeria's cheeks.

H-E-L-P M-E

Blood and tears mingled, staining her pale skin as she gasped and shrieked, the sound raw and broken. My sobs soaked Vince's shirt, my fingers trembling as I clutched at him, desperate for some anchor in this storm.

The video ended with a shattering crack... glass breaking on her head... and Valeria's scream, piercing and heart-wrenching, as darkness claimed her.

"W-what did he say?" I cried out, slamming the laptop shut and spinning toward my brothers.

Their faces were furious, veins bulging, faces flushed with rage, yet beneath the anger, I saw something else... fear, worry, uncertainty.

'What the hell did that bastard say?'

"Call Enzo. Now" Noah commanded, his voice steel, before storming out with Aiden and Chris.

Cole and the twins exchanged a brief glance and followed silently, leaving me trembling in Vince's arms.