BUSTED

Eros sat on his balcony, watching Dimitra's red blinking track at Carlos' place. He was sure something was going on between those two. The night he was stabbed in the neck, he had seen them coming out of the restroom. He had brushed it off as nothing because Cassandra had also been there. But he had seen Dimitra going over to Carlos' place for the second time now, and she was always spending hours there. Dimitra didn't know that he had tracked her phone and sees her wherever she went unless she didn't go with her phone. He didn't bother tracking her all this while, it was none of his business where she went or where she didn't, she wasn't his business, and tracking her movement, would be a waste of his time. But he suspected that she was responsible for the death of the women he had been with.

It was logical, she was the only one who could have the motive to do that, why would someone else kill the women he had sex with? Everyone knew he never cared about those women, and he was getting concerned because it was becoming too obvious, and he needed to know the reason why. Now, he had found out about another thing. Dimitra and Carlos. He smiled to himself and rubbed his stubble.

"Those fools," he snarled.

He would find out what it was they were doing together. It could be they were working together, and they were trying to betray him, or they were f*cking. God help Carlos if he was f*cking his woman, he would lock him up in the tomb, torture him for days, burn every part of his body with his cigar, cut him open with the sharpest knife, and release him to be chased by his dogs. They would devour him alive. He slammed the tablet on the stool beside him, tired of thinking about what was going on between them. He took up the glass by the side and sipped the wine.
The door to his room opened and in no time, Javier appeared with Bully, dragging his feet behind him. Javier was his second in command as well as his best friend, but they were different in so many ways. Javier wanted him to run his family in a more modern way and focus on business rather than women. Letting women have their say and come in on their own. Eros laughs at that sometimes. As long as life was running through him, women will never be given that privilege. They were vipers and one was just proving that to him right now.

"How did it go at the warehouse last night?" he asked. They had been alerted that there were some intruders in their warehouse the previous night. Eros had been out of town and had asked Javier to check it out.

Javier huffed. "We got there but someone else had taken care of them. They were Sebastiano's men and they wanted to steal from us."

Eros sat up. "Sebastiano?" he asked, and Javier nodded his head.

Sebastiano was the leader of his rival gang. The man was always on his neck, although he was no match for him whatsoever. But Sebastiano was not his problem right now, it was the stranger who took care of them already.

"Who is this someone?" he asked.

"A man named Apollo. We know nothing about him, but his name."

"Why did you let him go?!" Eros barked and shot up from his seat.

"What? Should we have shot him too? He helped us get those thieves who are now in the cage where they should be. But of course, I have men getting information about this Apollo. We have to know why he did that first before we think of killing him."

Eros sat down again and looked out at the men playing games in the compound. He took a deep breath. "I feel so uneasy these days and I keep having dreams. I don't know if it is because of this stab by that girl, but I don't want anything to go wrong. Find out everything you need to know about this Apollo man and why he helped in getting those Sebastiano's men."

"Have you seen the girl lately?" Javier asked.

Eros looked at him. "Out of everything I said, that's what you choose to reply to?"

"You know I have already gotten all you said. I am just concerned; she had slept for too long."

Eros scratched his stubble and frowned. "Well, Grandma Adella said she is in a coma."

"Alright, I will be on my way, when you are in a better mood, we will discuss your trip and how it went."

Eros didn't reply to that. He was never in a better mood. Lately, a lot of things have been pricking his mood, especially since the infamous rejection from that b*tch lying there, a few rooms away from him. "Keep an eye on Carlos and Dimitra, those two are up to something."

Javier wanted to ask what it was but the look on Eros' face told him it was better he waited too. Javier signaled Bully and they left him alone.



For one week, Cassandra enjoyed the liberty of staying with Grandma Adella who became best friends with her. No one knew she was awake, except Adella and her friend Lucia, who has now been brought to serve in the main mansion. Sometimes, Lucia goes to Grandma Adella's chambers when she was out and keeps Cassandra company. Cassandra's injury healed faster than expected and in no time, she was going about chores in Adella's chambers. Adella had refused to tell her who her daughter was or how she was related to Eros and even Lucia didn't know. They had different last names and Cassandra figured she might be his grandma from his maternal home, but she didn't want to conclude yet.

Eros seemed pretty busy to be visiting his grandmother lately. After almost catching her eating with Adella, he came once again and never came again. Cassandra had toyed with the thoughts of asking Grandma Adella to help her run away but she didn't completely trust the woman, so she had kept her cool and tried on her own to figure out ways to escape. Sometimes, she sits by the window and watches the army of guards that flood the compound with long machine guns strapped across their chisel bodies and wonders if she was ever going to be able to make it.
She was only stubborn but not strong. If in her wildest dreams she decides to fight with those men, she knew she was in for her death because her strength was no match for theirs. But she believed that there must be a way of escape.

Now, she was cleaning the living room while Adella was in the room getting ready to leave. As usual, Cassandra was watching the men in the compound. They were playing a game of darts. Sometimes, she wished she could join them She noticed that they drink a lot of alcohol and when they were tipsy, they shoot darts to hit the center. It was only a few of them that was able to hit the target. That was a good way of escaping. To get them all drunk and then take her leave when they were all concentrated on winning the game.

But once she left Adella's chambers, she was going back straight to the dungeon where they had brought her out as a slave, or she was going to be receiving the punishment of her life.

"I am all set to leave now," Grandma Adella came out of the bedroom, making Cassandra jump a little.

Cassandra turned to look at her. Grandma Adella might have advanced in age but not in fashion. She was a natural fashionista and even though she wasn't really keeping up with the modern trend, she styled herself to appear in vogue. She wore a white button-down shirt, that was flared at the end of the sleeves, a black, knee-length, A-line skirt, and a mink fur cloak wrapped around her neck. Her jet-black hair was permed and styled beautifully. Everything about her spoke of elegance and her emerald eyes showed that she had been a strong and bold woman in her youth.

"You look beautiful," Cassandra said. She noticed that Grandma Adella loved to be complimented,

"Oh, thank you, I always do," the woman said with a wide smile and grabbed her purse from the ottoman. "I will be leaving now."

"Have a great day ahead."

Adella left the room and Cassandra returned to watching the men in the yard. A knock came at the door, and she turned, but the door flung open immediately. Grandma Adella rushed in. "I forgot my hearing aid; can you get it for me?"

Cassandra went and got the hearing aid for her and handed it over to her. The old woman took it with a smile and wore it.

"Have a nice day ahead." She turned and left.

Cassandra turned to go back to what she was doing but Grandma Adella opened the door again and poked her head in.

"And lock the doors, you might not know who would be coming in."

"Alright ma'am," Cassandra said, pushed the door closed, and twisted the lock. She went back to wiping the surfaces.
A few seconds later, a knock came at the door again and Cassandra huffed in exasperation. She dumped the rag on the center table and went over to the door.

"Grandma Adella, what have you forgotten this time?" she asked as she twisted the lock and opened the door. But it was not Grandma Adella that was standing there.

Staring back at her were furious grey eyes that reminded her of stormy skies. Those eyes were not only furious, but they looked astounded and with every passing second, they grew darker.

Eros!

Her heart stopped.