C129 Yours To Obey

Annabelle felt the weight of the silence in the house as she stepped out of her room, her stiff muscles protesting with every step.

The air felt heavier, charged with an unease that mirrored her own.

She scanned the hallway, expecting to hear Antonia’s sharp voice or the click of her heels, but the house was eerily quiet.

When she made her way downstairs, she stopped one of the men who seemed to be in a hurry.

“Miss Virelli?” she asked, her voice more timid than she intended.

The man barely paused as he replied, “She has gone out, Miss.”

Gone out?

Annabelle felt a pang of envy.

Of course, Antonia could leave whenever she wanted.

She had a freedom Annabelle couldn’t even dream of right now.

For Annabelle, stepping outside the gates required clearance, armed escorts, and Dante’s implicit approval.

Not that she wanted to test those boundaries.

At least not today.

She looked out one of the windows, her brow furrowing as she noticed an unusually large number of men patrolling the grounds.

There was a noticeable tension in their movements with their gazes sharp and alert.

She also noticed something else.

There were more unfamiliar faces among them, men she didn’t recognise from Dante’s usual crew.

Where were most of Dante’s men?

Annabelle’s stomach twisted uneasily.

Her gaze swept over the estate’s grounds, and the once expansive, peaceful area now felt suffocating.

She needed air, space to think, to run until the knot in her chest loosened.

She made her way to the front door and stepped outside ignoring the men who looked towards her as if they were expecting her to say something that would make them deny her.

The crisp, cool air hit her skin, and she took a deep breath as she tried to dispel the unease coiling around her.

She decided to run.

Dressed in loose leggings and a snug sweatshirt, Annabelle started down one of the long paths that circled the estate.

Her sneakers crunched against the gravel, her heart pounding steadily in her chest.

She pushed herself harder with the burn in her legs grounding her and the wind whipping against her skin offering a fleeting reprieve from her anxious thoughts.

The world around her was alive with sound.

The rustle of leaves, the chirping of birds, the distant hum of voices from the guards stationed farther off.

She focused on her breathing, the rhythmic pattern calming her nerves.

Until it wasn’t.

She thought she had heard a sound to her right but she couldn’t see anyone when she looked over.

“Paranoid much?” she thought to herself with a wan smile just before she got to the bend.

Annabelle slowed as she rounded a bend in the path.

Something caught her eye.

It was jarring sight that made her breath hitch.

A stark white object, splattered with dark red, lay sprawled across the trail ahead.

She froze.

Her stomach churned as she realised what it was.

It was a lifeless animal, its body twisted unnaturally and blood pooling around its mutilated form.

“A squirrel?”

She coudln’t even tell the what animal it was with how deformed it was.

The metallic tang of blood filled her nostrils, sharp and nauseating.

Her knees buckled, and she instinctively reached out to steady herself against a nearby tree.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the grotesque sight.

Her chest tightened as panic bubbled up, threatening to overwhelm her.

But then she noticed something else.

A piece of paper was beneath the animal, stained at the edges but stark against the crimson backdrop.

The bold letters on it seemed to call to her, even as every fibre of her being screamed at her to turn away.

Then her breath backed up in her throat as her eyes caught something on it.

Her name was scrawled across it.

Her hand trembled as she took a hesitant step forward.

The guards were nowhere in sight.

Which was strange based on how many of them she had met in her short run.

The chilling absence at that particular spot sent a fresh wave of dread rippling through her.

She didn’t want to look, didn’t want to touch it, but her legs carried her forward despite her resistance.

The paper was damp with blood, and she forced herself to pull it free with trembling fingers.

The words on the note were jagged, hastily scrawled, but unmistakable in their intent.

If you keep being stubborn, you’ll end up just like this.

A cold chill ran down her spine as her eyes locked onto the signature at the bottom.

Yours to obey, Tad.

Her hands clenched the paper so tightly it crumpled beneath her grip.

She stumbled back, the world spinning around her as her breaths came in short, panicked gasps. The note felt heavier than it should, the weight of the threat pressing down on her.

She dropped it.

Her gaze darted around her, frantic and searching.

The estate, which had once felt like a fortress, now seemed vulnerable. Exposed.

“Tad,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the thundering of her heart. How could he have gotten so close?

A rustling in the bushes nearby made her jump.

She whipped her head towards the sound, her pulse hammering in her ears.

For a moment, she thought she saw movement.

A shadow flickering between the trees.

Her legs moved before her mind could catch up.

She turned and sprinted back towards the house, her feet pounding against the gravel as adrenaline fuelled her flight.

The guards she had passed earlier were still absent, and that absence felt more glaring now.

She burst through the front door, slamming it shut behind her as if that simple act could keep the danger at bay.

Her chest heaved as she leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath.

The image of the mutilated animal and the note flashed in her mind, vivid and unrelenting.

“Miss Annabelle?”

She looked up sharply, her wide eyes meeting those of one of the staff members.

“Are you all right?” the woman asked, concern etched on her face.

Annabelle tried to nod, but the motion felt jerky and unconvincing. “I… I need to see Dante,” she managed, her voice shaking.

The woman frowned. “He’s not here.”

The words hit her like a blow.

Of course, Dante wasn’t here.

Angelo wasn’t here.N

o one who could actually protect her was here.

Annabelle wrapped her arms around herself, her fingers digging into her sleeves as she fought to steady her breathing.

“Do you want me to…”

“No,” Annabelle interrupted quickly, her voice firm despite her trembling body. “No, I’m fine.”

The woman hesitated before nodding and stepping away, leaving Annabelle alone in the foyer.

Alone.

Annabelle clenched her jaw, her mind racing.

She couldn’t let herself fall apart, not now.

She needed to think, to plan, to figure out how Tad had gotten so close.

The weight of the threat loomed over her, pressing down like a suffocating fog.

She stared out one of the large windows, her reflection a pale, frightened version of herself.

The men were still standing around without any indication of a threat.

If he could get so close without them knowing, it means all their parading might not do her any good if he came for her.

But as fear gave way to anger, her gaze hardened.

Tad wanted her to break.

To cower.

She wouldn’t.

Not this time.