∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

LEONARDO

My hand slammed against the horn as I yelled, "Fuck!" I couldn't contain my anger. I had taken in the gravity of the situation around me. The traffic was unusually high - cars had completely blocked the exit of the road. There was no way that I could turn back and find a different route.

I was frustrated and ashamed of myself. I knew it. I just had a strong gut feeling that something was off about that man but I had always brushed it away. I let the lack of evidence on him and Maria's strong trust in him influence my judgement. I was wrong and that had cost me.

But the main reason why I was so angry was because I let her leave. I let Maria leave and be alone despite knowing her situation. I let our relationship issues hinder the true meaning as to why she stayed with me to begin with. Protection. Guards weren't the same, Maria always stayed with me and was safe when she did. I had selfishly left Maria vulnerable even though we both realised the Grand Performance was the night most likely for her to be attacked, and it was exactly that.

And she would have no idea that her own stalker was walking around the place, pretending to be her friend. Maria was in serious danger and if I didn't get there soon enough, something terrible would happen.

I ran my hand through my hair and loudly exhaled, agitated. I couldn't sit still, my leg was shaking uncomfortably and my hand was tightly holding onto the steering wheel. "Ria, please be there," I murmured in desperation under my breath before turning to Marco and questioning, "did she answer?"

Marco looked at me and sighed with a disheartened look. "This is the busiest night of her life, and Iris'. There's no way they would answer." I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. "The security there is tight, they're not even allowing any of our people in—"

"Then find a way!" I suddenly snapped, enraged at my own people. "No place can ever stops us in this world." I sighed again, harshly beeping once more as if that would make the entire road free. It was like that across the entire city, not a single person instructed by me had managed to reach the site yet. Whether it was organised or whether it was because of the Grand Performance was still unknown. We were so close and yet so far away. I glanced at the time, at that point, Maria would already be on stage.

I needed to find a solution fast. "Vince," I said the moment he answered my call. "Don't take the car, use the chopper. That's the quickest way you'll get to her."

It was half an hour later when things had progressed; I had made it out of the traffic and was nearby the building when Vincenzo called again.

"I'm here," he slowly informed me. There were various different voices piling up on each other in the background. My eyebrows furrowed at the commotion, unsure if I was hearing police sirens or not.

"But she's not."

Unconsciously, my foot pressed down on the accelerator, quickening the pace to the building. My heart rate shot up at his words, my whole body tensed up as I feared the worst. I uselessly asked, "What do you mean 'she's not'? You're with her, aren't you? The performance would've just finished."

Vincenzo momentarily didn't reply and I heard a sharp intake of breath. "Are you far? I think it's best if you see the situation here yourself."

"Vincenzo, put Maria on the phone," I told him, Marco seemed to be feeling the same as Vincenzo, a knowing look on his face. I parked randomly on the curb and took the phone with me as I began storming my way into the building. He didn't reply straight away again. "I'll see you inside," was all he replied with, hanging up afterwards. I gripped onto my phone as I moved, my mind filled with thoughts that I never wanted to think about.

I just needed to see her. The moment I knew she was standing safe and well, I would be content. I would take her back to stay with me, I would never leave her out of my sight again.

But it was too late.

I knew the reality of the situation the moment I saw Iris on her knees crying in the middle of the corridor backstage. I froze in my tracks, my eyes widening as I stared at the broken woman sobbing her heart out. I swallowed, blinking rapidly as I felt my heart twist in my chest. An uncomfortable and unbearable weight laid heavy on me, I couldn't breathe as easily as before. My whole body heated and my tie suddenly felt too tight around my neck. I loosened it immediately, wincing at the pain building in my chest.

Vincenzo then came out of a room and his downcast eyes met mine. I didn't believe it at first. I couldn't. "Where...Where is she?" I slowly questioned, trying to remain level-headed and strong. Vincenzo looked away, his eyes behind me as two police officers walked past, their radio loud and their movements swift. I deeply inhaled, my eyes darting all over the place.

Dancers were either crying, huddled or hidden away, the staff were frenzied, moving up and down the place with papers in their hands or phones to their ears. It all seemed too much in one simple corridor. The intensity of the situation was growing and growing by the number of people and all their individual actions.

Marco and I followed Vincenzo into a room. I glanced at the door sign on the way in, it was Maria's dressing room. The place was a mess, her desk on the floor, the mirror shattered, her clothes lying around on the tables. A dead dove was on the ground and on the wall beside it had the words written in crimson red: 'all mine now, darling'. My blood boiled at the sight of it.

My eyes went to the body on the ground, an instant relief hit me that it was a man. I moved closer to the side. "Jorge," Marco muttered. I didn't have the time to be glad about his death. I focused on the bullet to the back of his head. It was instant. It was too perfect to be true. Someone skilled would've shot him, it was no amateur.

"So...So where is she?" I rose the question again, my stern eyes meeting Vincenzo's. He sighed, looking hesitant. Marco decided to answer me, "Don, you heard what they said? She was taken."

"She can't be!" I strongly refuted, my loud exclamation catching a few's attention. "She had protection, she had eyes on her. How the fuck did she get taken?" There was no one to provide me a response that made sense in my mind. I stormed out of the room and started checking every single one for her. Door after door I opened and yet Maria was no where to be found.

My hand reached out for another until a feminine hand was placed on top of mine, stopping me. I looked down and it was Iris. Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears as she looked up at me in sorrow. "There's girls getting changed in there. Maria is gone, Leonardo," Iris wept, her voice shaking. My hand slipped off the door handle and I had finally grasped the truth. Maria was taken. The one person I swore to protect was gone.

My body leaned against the wall as I stared into nothing. My hands slowly covered my face as I exhaled, starting to feel a mixture of anger and regret. The deep emptiness inside me was overwhelming. I felt like I had lost a part of myself that night. I moved my hands away as Iris began tearfully speaking again, "I should've been with her, I shouldn't have left..."

My eyes ran down Iris' distressed face and down to her neck. There was evidence of harm against her. My eyebrows narrowed at the marks. "What happened? What happened to you?" She sniffed, wiping her eyes and shaking her head. "I left to go to the bathroom during the performance and when I came out, someone with a mask locked me up in the cupboard. I only got out after someone heard me from the other side."

"I had placed guards everywhere and every single one of them was either locked away or killed," Iris informed me, her eyes filled with melancholy. My hands curled into fists by my side.

"Did you see anyone suspicious tonight?" I questioned seriously, pushing aside my emotions. Iris shook her head as the tears ran down her puffed cheeks. "No. Maria is our principal ballerina. All eyes are always going to be on her. There was nothing out of the ordinary when I left." I glanced up and Marco was already starting to question the dancers too. My focused shifted back to Iris as I asked, "How was she? Did she seem different? Nervous?"

Iris let out a shaky breath before answering, "Maria is always nervous before a performance but it's normal. She was...She was more hoping you'd show up." Iris' hand covered her face as she was unable to contain her cries, her pain for Maria. I looked away, clenching my jaw as I closed my eyes. The stinging was starting as my heart sank in agony at the thought of her. Maria waited for me, Maria wanted to see me and I wasn't there for her. I wasn't there for when she was attacked and I wasn't there to support her. The thought of her hoping to see me in vain was painful. I had never felt more remorse than in that moment.

I deeply inhaled before continuing, "what about Giovanni Adami? Did you see him? Was he here tonight?" Iris looked up at me through glossy eyes in confusion. "Giovanni? Why? He's always at her performances." Her words made it all the more worse.

My lips parted to respond until Francis came walking in with purpose. "Don Leonardo, I heard the news." I barely looked at him, about to attempt to speak to Iris again but Camille came into the picture too, sobbing louder than Iris was. "Is she okay? How could this happen?" She was using her shawl to dab her tears that seemed less than the noises she was making. Francis wrapped his arm around her and awkwardly comforting his wife.

"I'll do everything in my power to help find her," Francis firmly decided for himself, his eyes determined as they looked into mine. "She will be found." The last thing I wanted to hear was the voices of unnecessary people. I fixed my focus back onto Iris, questioning, "Did you see him with her?" Iris shook her head, sniffing.

"No. Not him but after the performance, I was told that Jorge followed Maria into her dressing room. Is it not Jorge who has something to do with this?" Iris earnestly asked me, her voice desperate to know the truth. "That fucking bastard was always tormenting Ria. He was found in some inappropriate circumstances. There was clearly a struggle between in that room." I clenched my jaw and let out a breath of frustration. I tried not to let my fury overpower the more important priorities in that moment.

"It's not him. It's Giovanni," I told her, a sharp gasp coming from not only Iris but Camille too. Camille was startled, her hand went to her chest as she commented, "Giovanni? He'd never..."

I looked at her with narrowed eyebrows and sharply responded, "That's exactly it, someone you'd least expect." Iris' hands covered her mouth as she cried. I placed my hands on Iris' shoulders, my eyes staring into hers seriously. "Iris, there was no one else you saw? No one else too close to her tonight?" My voice was filled with emotion, I needed the whole picture to guide my next steps. She shook her head and I took that answer as enough.

I pulled Iris to me and wrapped my arms around her as she sobbed in my clothes, providing the comfort me needed in that moment. "It's not your fault," I told her with some empathy. I could feel the pain she had for her best friend. She was an emotional wreck in my arms. I looked up and met Vincenzo's eyes. "I need you to take Iris home."

"What?" Iris' moved backwards a little, her watery eyes glancing between us. "Please, I wanna help. I won't rest until I find her." I nodded as Vincenzo came closer.

"I know you won't," I gently replied, feeling my chest grow tighter and the thought of Maria. "But right now, Iris, I need you to head home for the night. From tomorrow you'll be huge help." She nodded, wiping her eyes and she stood more courageously.

"She'll be alright, won't she?" Iris weakly asked, her voice cracking as more tears spilled out her eyes.

I looked at her in assurance, telling both myself and her, "She will be. She'll be completely alright."

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

I couldn't convince myself of my own words when I was back alone in my office. The lights were off and only a small lamp lit the room. I sat with my head in my hands by my desk, finally feeling the emotions I had swallowed down for so long.

Vincenzo and Marco had been sent to prepare weapons, men. To find out everything about Giovanni, to find Maria. Giovanni's properties were empty. The man had disappeared off the face of the earth someone. I had spent hours and hours identifying places, vehicles, people, fighting for a way to figure out where the hell that man had taken Maria.

It was the guilt of being away from her that tortured me that night. My pain poured out into tears as I buried my head in my hands. My shoulders shook with agony as I released my sorrow, my whole body aching with sadness and desperation. I was filled with regret and despair as my mind began rambling with all the possibilities as to where she was and how her condition was. All I could think about was her, my mind was filled with her beautiful face, reminding me of her sweet smile and laughter, reminding me of her gentle voice and loving eyes. I had lost her, I had lost the woman of my life.

I wiped my cheeks and intensely stared at the screen before me, my eyebrows narrowed and my lips curled.

I vowed to find her in one piece, alive, safe and well.

And there was nothing that was going to stop me from doing so.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

~ Author's Note ~

Leonardo's regret!

Will he be able to save Maria before anything bad happens?

What will come to her next?

Thoughts on this chapter?

Please vote, comment, share and follow.

Please tag users you think will be interested in NEPENTHE!

Votes and comments really help me know how the story is going, if the book is going well or not, and helps boost my confidence for more updates :)

Thanks for reading!

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

AUTHOR'S NOTE

~ Leonardo's Mistake ~

Should Leonardo have placed the Grand Performance as his priority to avoid being late?

Will his lateness impact on Maria?

Vote, Comment, Follow, Share for more.

Twix