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MARIA

The double doors were the exit, and they weren't locked that day. Despite many attempts by Rosa to get me to stay, I was on a hunt to see not only Daisy but also to confront Giovanni.

"He sometimes leaves them open," Rosa told me as we walked hurriedly through the doors and up what were flights and flights of stairs. "You'll be surprised at the amount of access we have in this house, but not a single one allows us outside."

"House?" I questioned, breathless by the amount of steps we were taking. Rosa nodded and hummed before swallowing, her head turning towards me again. "We're in the basement of Giovanni's house."

Rosa was walking a few steps further than me as I slowly followed her, the shock halting my movements. I clutched onto the rail, my heart thundering as I took in the gravity of the situation. The basement of Giovanni's house? How many times had I seen him, unknown that the missing girls were beneath the entire time?

"Ria," Rosa softly called, catching my attention. A knowing and sad smile on her face. I looked up at her, blinking back the tears as I caught up, gulping down the lump rising in my throat. "He's different from how he appears outside," Rosa explained. "Giovanni is a perverted man who is obsessed with women's beauty, youth, and femininity."

"I never would've expected..." I trailed off. My words were in vain. I sighed, still trying to grasp what had happened. Rosa gently sympathised, "I know." She held a sad smile on her face. "I'm sorry you had to hear that from Diamond. She's really struggling in here. We all are."

I understood Diamond and dismissed it. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," I apologised to Rosa, my heart filled with remorse. She looked at me in complete confusion and shook her head rapidly. "Ria, it's not your fault—it's not anyone's fault!" Rosa said seriously, a scolding look on her face. I shook my head and sighed again. "It's...it's his fault. We are not to blame."

"Did he hurt you?" I asked, though I was slightly afraid to know the answer. Rosa merely smiled and looked away as we continued to climb up the stairs. "There's a system here," Rosa deflected, inhaling deeply. "The whole place is flooded with high-tech security and guard after guard after guard." Rosa seriously looked into my eyes, "Never try to escape, Ria. Never. It's useless, and the only thing you'll receive is a punishment. A harsh one at that."

"We do as we're told. Practice hard all day in the hall he had built here, and we get food in return. Cook and clean when we're told to, and do whatever the help he says to stop any problems from arising. We do as we're told here. Too many issues have happened by not being obedient. Today's a day off." She looked at me and shook her head, "A gift since you've arrived."

"In that case," I began, swallowing roughly. "Why isn't Daisy with everyone else?" Rosa tensed up, her arms wrapping around her torso as we moved. "Daisy...Daisy is beautiful," Rosa solemnly commented, her voice growing quiet. "She was the first girl to be taken and the youngest." I didn't like where she was going. Shivers were running through me; I suddenly felt cold.

"Right now, she's his favourite doll," Rosa explained, her eyes averted away from mine. "So, she's up there a lot, and she only ever comes down with bruises and tears. Daisy is not the same person as before." A shuddering sigh left me. I knew enough for now.

"Are there many favourites?" Rosa shook her head, looking anxious again. "Not really...he wants us all to do different things with us, but...Daisy has it the worst...and now you're here." Rosa's eyes were filled with concern. "Be careful, Ria," Rosa seriously told me, "Be very careful of Giovanni Adami."

Walking through Giovanni's house made me acknowledge that no one would ever think he had another world below the building. We came out from his own bedroom, Rosa informed me. The large bookshelf, embedded behind his desk on the wall, hid such a secret behind it. I never would have imagined that he would do such a thing. I was seeing him in a completely different light. His bedroom was large; a double four-poster bed in the middle, space for sitting on sofas, space for working on a desk by the window. Normal for a man with wealth, tidy and quiet.

When we left that room, my ears picked up the sound of a thud. Slowly, my eyes reached Rosa's, whose lips had curled into her mouth, fear growing on her face. What had Rosa seen and experienced during her time there? We were in the corridor when a tall man wearing a suit began to approach us.

Rosa immediately stopped, and I mimicked her movements, her back against the wall and her eyes glued to the ground as he came closer. I stared straight at him. He had the kind of look on his slim face that made me think he was a soldier. His movements were rigid and controlled. The man was tall, pale, and seemingly looked like a guard.

His unfriendly appearance was uncomfortable. He stood right before us, so close, so tall, looming over our smaller frames. I couldn't understand Rosa's meekness at first. I wouldn't let myself be intimidated.

The man's head tilted as he stared at us, his dark eyes initially gazing at Rosa. Something about that look was telling me they had encountered each other before. Then he fixed his eyes on me, scanning my entire face.

"You dare stare back?" He questioned, an accent I couldn't recognise threading through his words. Rosa tugged on my wrist discreetly, but I chose to ignore it. My eyebrows narrowed at him as I continued to fearlessly stare back up at him. A simple look had earned me a slap across my face. My head whipped to the side as a breath escaped from me. Rosa immediately dragged me down to my knees, a flood of words rushing out of her as she begged, "Please, sir, she's new; she doesn't understand or know the rules here. I'm sorry—she's sorry; please forgive us!"

My head cocked to the side to face her as I stared at Rosa in complete confusion and disbelief. "Rosa, why are you—" I shifted my target to him, "You fucking—" she pulled my wrist again as though she was also begging me to stop. I was speechless all of a sudden, the breath knocked out of me.

"Is that so?" The man chuckled slowly, his hand reaching down and lifting my chin. I moved my head away from his hands straight away, throwing a cold glare at him. "Feisty..." He whispered, intently taking in my appearance as he smiled to himself, gazing at me.

I parted my lips to shoot something at him, but Rosa cut in before me. She stood, taking his hand away from me and placing it in hers. "It's my fault," the fear was running through her words as she frantically spoke. "I didn't teach her anything yet—she won't do it again." I stood behind her, staring at my best friend in shock. My eyes flicked between them. He was staring at Rosa with such a dirty and lewd way that I realised there really was something between the two of them and not in a good manner.

He cupped her cheek, chuckling again. "That's fine," he sarcastically reassured her, his thumb stroking her cheek. It was then that I grasped that I had brought trouble to Rosa. "You can be punished in her place." My eyes expanded at his words, and I immediately grabbed Rosa's shoulder and yanked her behind me, staring at the evil man incredulously.

My cheek was stinging, and I was infuriated at his boldness. "Don't you dare touch her." He shook his head at me, dismissing my words as he chuckled, his eyes still fixed onto Rosa.

"You know where to find me," he simply said, ignoring me and walking down the other end of the corridor. I turned to Rosa, and she was smiling as if nothing had happened.

"Rosa," I could only say, blinking rapidly as my eyebrows knitted together. She shook her head and lifted it high; her empty eyes didn't match her smile. "Don't worry about it," was what she kindly replied with as she began walking ahead of me. Rosa didn't look like she wanted to explain what had just happened.

"What did he mean?" I pushed further, holding onto her arm. Rosa turned to look at me, masking her face from giving away her true feelings. I felt the tears begin to build in my eyes. "Rosa, what did he mean?" I repeated, my voice becoming weak as I feared the worst.

"It happens," Rosa sighed, maintaining her smile. "And it's not your fault. It happens to us all here. I should've told you. Head down and eyes down when passing the guards. There's a lot to learn here, and... most of it is the hard way."

"Ro-"

"Ria, I'm fine," she sharply interrupted, her eyes telling me that she wouldn't divulge any further. "Come on," she quietly said, continuing our walk to find him.


There was a growing sound of crying as we drew closer to the room. It was the top floor where the sounds were the loudest. "It's here," Rosa said once we reached the door of a room. She placed her hand on the handle, and we both flinched at the sudden sound of a whip coming from the inside.

A growing fear was running through me. My whole body felt stiff. I was suddenly remembering parts of my childhood I desperately wanted to forget. I closed my eyes momentarily before looking back at Rosa. "Maria, please don't do anything too rash," Rosa cautioned me, her eyes filled with concern.

I gave her a reassuring smile, placing my hand on the handle too. "You know me, Ro," I whispered. "I'm always rash." Her eyes widened as I pushed the door open, revealing the crime before me.

Daisy was naked. The young girl was bareheaded, head to toe, with her tanned body bent over Giovanni's knees while he sat comfortably on a chair, a whip to Daisy's butt that was covered in red and blue bruises. Her whole body was covered in red cuts and scars, large and deep bruises brewing from beneath her skin, all over her. My eyes expanded at the sight as Rosa gasped beside me, her hand holding mine tight.

The whole room was filled with toys. Inappropriate toys hanging on the wall, drawers open with all sorts of sexual toys that I didn't even know existed. Rosa was crying beside me, her hand covering her mouth. It felt like the world had stopped the moment my eyes met Daisy's. The vulnerable girl was shaking in fear, her face red and swollen with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes were so broken; the young girl's body had been abused and tortured without her will. I had never seen anything like it.

"Daisy..." Rosa whispered, her voice shaking at the sight of her.

Giovanni had a sadistic, twisted smile on his face. He was completely different from how I had once seen him. I felt my blood boil at the sight of him; I was growing in fury simply staring at him.

"Maria," he said with a bright tone, his hand resting on Daisy's butt. "Lovely for you to join us."

I didn't hesitate to start, "Let her go, Giovanni!" He chuckled, his large hand tapping Daisy's butt. I clenched my jaw, ready to tear off his limbs. I could feel my face getting hot as I grew more angry.

"Sweet little Daisy," she was trembling on him, small whimpers coming from her mouth. Daisy didn't deserve any of it; she was innocent. The poor girl looked like she had been through more than anyone could possibly imagine. I blinked back the tears beginning to sting in my eyes as I looked at her in that state. "You love being here with me, don't you?"

"You disgusting piece of shit!" I loudly snapped as Daisy began to cry even harder, her eyes tightly closed. I let go of Rosa's hand and began to storm towards them to free her until the whip rose and came into contact with Daisy's body again. I immediately stopped; my breath hitched as she let out a scream, the abused girl withering in pain on his lap. I slowly met Giovanni's amused eyes as he leaned back, intently gazing at me.

I scoffed lightly at him. He was pathetic. "Let Rosa take her back so we can talk," I demanded, my voice hard and serious. I tried not to look at Daisy as she continued to painfully cry out.

"Hmm..." Giovanni let out a breath, his hands caressing her inappropriately. He had such a playful look on his face that it spiked my vexation. My hands were shaking with outrage, my pulse quickly radiating through me. "It's me you took. Don't you think we need to have a conversation, Giovanni?"

He pushed Daisy off his lap; Rosa ran towards her as Daisy fell onto the floor, scrambling to stand, but she was weak; her legs were shaking so much that she could barely walk. Her thin hands gripped onto Rosa; the girl was so broken that she was unable to stop crying, her cries ragged and filled with agony.

"Take her," I whispered to Rosa, blinking rapidly as I tried not to cry, watching as the two of them left. I deeply inhaled before turning back to face Giovanni, the door closing shut behind me.

He sat with his legs spread open, a relaxed and uncomfortable gaze on me. "I'm happy you came to see me, Maria." I glared hard at him, refusing his welcome.

"You stalked me and all those girls for what?" I strongly questioned, my indignation laced through my words. I was practically breathless with anger. "For a fucking show? Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you do that to Daisy—how dare you attack all those innocent girls who have lives, families, and dignity—you tore them away from their happiness!"

Giovanni simply laughed, a wide grin stretched across his face as he exhaled. "You look pretty in that little dress of yours, Maria. Why don't you bend down for me?" My whole face twisted in disgust as I looked down at him, my temper sparked at his degrading comment.

"You must think this is a joke," I was overpowered by fury, unable to understand the psychopath before me. "You're so tense," he sighed, glancing at his watch. "It's exhausting, don't you think? Shouldn't you be more grateful that I saved you from that ballerino of yours?" I turned my head to the side, staring at him in disbelief at how deluded he sounded.

"You won't get away with this!" I fumed, "I'll never let you get away with this."

He stood, walking towards me. I stood firm as he came close, his hand reaching for my face, but I turned away, my face seething at him. Giovanni deeply chuckled, his eyes all over me. "I don't think you realise just how much trouble you're in, Maria."

My eyebrows narrowed at him; I flicked his hand away as he tried to touch my hair. His hand went for my neck instead. I gasped immediately, the tightness around my throat cutting off all air for me. He pressed me against the wall, my eyes wide as I began scratching his hands, my legs kicking, but he pinned them down with his own. I was boiling hot, my whole body panicking from the loss of oxygen as he choked me. I was fighting him, struggling against his strong power as I tried to free myself, but he was too much for me to overcome.

His whole face had turned sour, a daunting and furious look on. "You're mine, Maria. Don't you understand?" I was still glaring at him through it all, my nails digging deep into his skin. His voice shook with fury as he continued, "you're my doll, mine only. You played around with other men, Leonardo Romano, Jorge Ivanov. You had the whole world seeing you being a dirty slut on that stage!" His voice was raised, brewing with anger as his eyes drilled into mine. I was choking, incoherent sounds coming from me as I fought to stay conscious and free myself.

"You're not exempt from your punishment," he then whispered into my ear, "I've been waiting for this for a long time." Then his eyes met mine once more.

"You're my prima ballerina. You need to understand who your master is."

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~ Author's Note ~

Giovanni is a complete psychopath and it looks like there are a couple of rules in place that Maria does not intend to follow.

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