Quattro

Trying to be subtle, the blonde probed Victoria as best as she could. This was frustrating for her, considering that Victoria didn't know anything relevant.

Even so, the redhead patiently explained everything, hoping to be able to find her parents again. However, upon hearing about the textile factory, Catarina displayed a look that seemed to reveal she knew something more.

Before she could inquire about it, Victoria heard knocks on the door, and her heart raced again. In a moment of desperation, she leaned against the corner of the bed, afraid of being taken away again.

Catarina got up, and upon opening the door, the redhead saw that it was one of the men who had kidnapped her.

Victoria screamed, pleading not to let him take her. However, Catarina knew that her orders were not followed. Unfortunately, her father only listened to her brother.

"He wants to talk to her, ma'am," the man said briefly.

"Alright. I'll take her; just let me get something for her to wear," Catarina replied, closing the door afterward.

She went to her closet, searching among her hangers for something that could fit Victoria. Luckily, they seemed to wear the same size, as the white floral dress she chose fit perfectly.

"It looks perfect. You look beautiful," Catarina smiled without any happiness, trying to ease the tense situation. "Here's the deal, Victoria. You need to be as honest as possible, for your own good and that of your parents. Understand? They won't hurt you if you're honest."

The redhead nodded without saying a word. She had barely gone through a trauma, and now she had to face another terrifying situation. Life seemed to be applying some kind of test when she found herself walking through the long corridor that led to a room.

It was as if she were walking down the corridor of death. Even though she didn't know what would happen inside, the possibilities were not the best.

Upon reaching the front of the room, she stopped, observing the huge bookshelf that decorated its entrance. Before she could look more closely, the guard guiding her pushed her, causing her to stumble and fall in front of the two men waiting for her.

"Why the brutality, Eric?" The older one asked, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand and smoking a cigarette in the other. "Weren't you taught to be gentle with women?"

The man remained silent with his head bowed.

"You can leave," the younger one asked without even looking in his direction. "And close the door."

Upon hearing his words, Victoria shuddered, remaining seated on the floor like a child. The older one placed the glass on the table next to him, walking toward her.

Noticing the fear on her face, he extended his free hand, indicating that he wanted to help her.

Feeling humiliated by her state, Victoria accepted his help, getting up with difficulty and moving to the armchair next to her.

"Now that you're comfortable, we can talk," he said before sitting back down. "My name is Dominique; I'm the owner of this house. This is my son, Damiano."

"The man pointed to the side, toward the guy who was standing next to one of the bookshelves.

It was him. The one who brought her there, the one who saw her naked and humiliated moments ago. The one responsible for all of this.

"Do you know why you're here?" Damiano asked, looking in her direction.

"Because I asked," Victoria replied, trying to keep her voice louder, even though she felt weak.

"And why did you ask, Victoria?" Dominique asked, with a cynical smile on his face.

"I didn't want them to hurt my parents," she replied, trying to hold back her tears.

"And why would they hurt your parents, little girl?" Dominique continued, amused to observe the suffering on her face.

"I don't know. I don't know what's going on," the redhead tried to control her crying but failed, letting the tears flow copiously.

"No need to cry, Victoria. You're here to help your parents," Dominique replied, setting aside the drink. "Think of it this way. They took out a loan for you to go to college, and now you're going to repay it. Understand?"

Even though she was paying attention, Victoria was confused. Why did her parents owe anything to this family? It must be some kind of mistake, after all, they had owned the factory since before her birth.

"What are you talking about? My parents borrowed money from the factory," she retorted.

Upon saying the words, she could hear Damiano's rough laughter, who was on the other side of the room.

"You don't know, do you?" he asked before continuing. "This factory is a front, darling. They launder our money, and we pass a portion back. Only this time, they didn't return everything they should have. After some research, I found out it was to pay for the perfect daughter's college. Medicine, right? I hope you've learned enough to do some sutures on your father."

Hearing his words, the redhead felt her blood boil like never before in her life. She couldn't explain whether it was because of the lie her family was covering up or because of the cynical way Damiano told the story, seemingly enjoying the completely desolate expression on Victoria's face. It was inhumane.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, tired of the games they were playing.

"Do you have 200 thousand euros? If you do, that's what we want. If you don't… We'll have to be creative to compensate. For now, you stay with us to motivate them. They'll have to launder triple to recover the amount in at least 6 months. Do you think it's motivation enough, Victoria?" Damiano approached, making explicit how much he was enjoying the situation, displaying a sly smile on his face.

Victoria didn't answer, directing him only a disgusted look.

"Huh? Answer, little bitch," he shouted, banging on the table with clenched fists, making Victoria recoil.

"Enough, Damiano. She understood," Dominique reprimanded him, noticing how agitated he was. "You can go back; Catarina will put you in a room."

Without saying anything and overwhelmed by tears, Victoria went to the room that Catarina had arranged for her, not understanding why her parents hid so much during her entire life. It was unfair not to be able to confront them, but at the moment, she only wished they were safe.

This doubt gnawed at her inside, making it difficult to assimilate all the external events.

The elegant and well-decorated room sounded like a great irony, given the situation she was put in by being in that house. Completely forced to be there, treated like a common guest. Despite that, she wouldn't complain after spending days locked in a cubicle without seeing the light of day.

She couldn't sleep during the passing night; she didn't feel safe closing her eyes and resting her body in a house of criminals, whatever these people were. What saved Victoria from going crazy during the first night was the enormous number of books in her room.

She spent the night awake, leafing through one of the many dusty books on the shelf, even though she couldn't fully concentrate, becoming terrified every time she heard footsteps in front of her door.

Without closing her eyes even once, she realized that it had already dawned when she felt a small ray of sun pass through the gap in the thick curtain covering the windows.

Approaching more, opening the curtains completely, she came across a beautiful lake in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

It would be the perfect scenario, like a private paradise, if it weren't for the circumstances she was in. For a moment, looking at the beautiful lake, Victoria forgot the nightmare she was experiencing.

However, upon hearing the knocks on her door, she remembered that it might take a while for the nightmare to end.

Before answering the door, not knowing what awaited her, Victoria took a deep breath, thinking that she would have to resist. She owed it to herself, and above all, she owed it to her parents.

She would fight to get out of that place, no matter what.