Nino Falcone

I was taken aback when Remo brought Serafina back to the mansion. She appeared haunted, trembling, with only a towel wrapped around her.

Remo took her straight to his quarters. Why did Remo bring her here? I hoped he knew what he was doing. He couldn't become attached to her. She was just a captive and had to be released once we got what we wanted.

When Remo returned to the gaming room, I confronted him. He claimed he wanted to keep a closer eye on her, which he couldn't do if she were in the cellar. He informed me that he was going to give her a choice.

I was stunned by this information. The choice was usually reserved for women guilty of murder or defying the Camorra. But Serafina was innocent.

The next day, the cameras were all set for the video call. Remo decided to call Hope as well to demonstrate that such threats were not appreciated. There was something about her that didn't sit well with me. She couldn't have been serious, right? She's just a girl; she couldn't possibly stand up to the Falcone brothers.

When we made the call, Dante answered immediately; however, Hope took a while. I assumed she hesitated because she was unfamiliar with the number. When she did pick up, I was stunned by her appearance. This was the first time I had seen her aside from the picture, which was a few years old. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she was wearing a black turtleneck. Once she registered what was going on, she paled. Then, full-blown fury was visible in her eyes. Something about that rage didn't sit well with me.

When Remo offered the choice, Serafina chose the bite of the blade which startled both Remo and me. Remo expected her to offer her body in front of Dante and her fiance. But that clearly did not happen. This took Remo by surprise. But he composed himself quickly.

"I'll enjoy your screams." He said.

"And I'll enjoy bleeding you out." Hope spoke for the first time.

Her voice was soft, but the underlying threat was clear. The look in her eyes was no longer mysterious; it was pure rage.

Both the Camorra and our outfit men laughed at her threat. They mocked her, mentioning that Serafina passed out at the sight of blood and she'd be no different.

I, however, didn't find the situation hilarious. Something in her eyes told me she was neither innocent nor weak like Serafina. She had a stronger build than Serafina. I hoped this all went according to plan.

When Remo asked Serafina where she'd like him to cut her, Serafina looked straight at Hope. Something passed between them, even though no words were shared, almost as if they knew what the other was feeling. Then Serafina slowly guided the blade to her wrist, almost to the exact location of our scars. Remo looked conflicted and did not apply much force to the cut. Serafina bit down on her lip to stifle her scream. She then had a look of triumph. I kept my eyes glued to her wrist, then looked up at Remo, who shared the same haunted look as me. I turned back to the screen, and I knew immediately that even though no one else picked up on the change in expression, Hope did. And she'd use it against us.

Hope left the video call soon after. When we hung up on the outfit men, I went to Remo and told him to stitch Serafina up himself because he underestimated the opponent and lost. Then, I stormed out of the room.