Chapter nine

"Keep that in mind," Sandro smirked, his tone dripping with his usual arrogance. With that, he made his way to the door. "Ciao," he called, turning back to blow her a kiss accompanied by a wink. As soon as he was gone, Arabella sighed in relief. She lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Her neck still throbbed from his forceful grip, and she couldn't help but wonder why he didn't just end her life then and there. It would have spared her from the undeserved suffering he had inflicted upon her, and she could have joined her father wherever he was now. Her thoughts shifted to Blaze. He was part of a gang- the mafia, an undeniable fact. The realization was surreal, and she struggled to believe it. Had she not seen him here, she might have dismissed it as a lie. But now, she was caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty. Her feelings were a jumble of confusion. The person she had been harboring a crush on, the one she had watched from her office window, was a bona fide gangster. It was