Taken By The Mafia Lord

"No!!!" Luca moaned in defeat.

"Yes!!!" Arianna and Victor gave each other a high five as they jubilated and danced in unison, rubbing their victory all over their opponent's face.

Their opponent was no other than Luca and another soldier that had teamed up against them to play the video game. It had been Victor's idea of fun from the very start and Arianna knew inwardly that it was all his ploy to keep her distracted. Nonetheless, she didn't say anything and went ahead with it.

But then, it became obvious to everyone present - yeah, some of the soldiers had come to cheer the winning team up - that Arianna and Victor were a match made in heaven, at least when it comes to video games.

The both of them had proven to be inept at video games and beat Luca and his partner to a whipping score of 10: 2. Luca was even beginning to suspect that the both of them might have let him score the two on purpose just to save their face.

Had Marcel accidentally returned at that moment, he would have been stunned at the state of the base. His living room had been turned into a gambling den as the soldiers betted on the teams with Victor and Arianna having nearly ninety percent of their bets.

The only reason Luca even had bets placed on him at all was that his opponent was the captain and the few who voted for them were scared of the captain taking it out on them in training. It was just a game, right? He wouldn't be that childish to punish them over a mere game, right?

If only they knew.

With their winning streak, it was not surprising that the game finally lost its flavor and they had to call it quits.

"I know that I'm a man of many talents, but the both of us together, we are invisible, formidable," Victor playfully bumped her shoulder, "We would make quite a fortune as Esports players, don't you think?" He intentionally teased her.

"Yeah," Arianna retorted, "It would be quite a pleasure to watch Marcel travel around the world to drag your ass back here," She knew Marcel would never let that happen.

No, Victor wouldn't even leave Marcel. The both of them were inseparable like conjoined twins - their bond was shocking, to be honest. To think of Esports? Pffft! It was never happening, nor was Victor dragging her into it. It wasn't possible.

Victor and Arianna walked to the verandah, letting the cool night air wash over their skin. Arianna let out a deep breath and sipped her energy drink, the atmosphere now was completely different than the jovial one minutes ago.

"You know you don't have to worry about him," Victor told her, coming closer to place his hand on top of her palm resting on the balustrade, squeezing it comfortingly, "I have watched Marcel go on several missions, near death ones and yet, he returned to me, to us. This is a piece of cake compared to his other works. So you should relax before you break down else we get a share of his foul mood."

Arianna chuckled, "You're right on that one, I haven't seen a man with great mood swings as Marcel."

"It's because of you," Victor said abruptly and he couldn't take back his words.

"What?" Her head whipped in his direction, waiting for answers.

Victor took a deep breath, his big mouth was definitely going to land him in trouble one day.

"Marcel has been living on a schedule before you came into his life," Victor said, drawing all of her attention and Arianna turned fully to face him, leaning against the balustrade. She knew somehow that this was important.

Victor wet his lower lips and went on,

"Marcel had great plans for his life. Everything that he wanted, he had planned out. His first priority was gaining power without losing his humanity like his father. And the next was giving Chloe the life she needs before settling down with a woman that understands his boundaries and starting a family. Marcel never understood nor believed in anything called love, no, if he had known the drawbacks that came with it, I believe that he would have rejected it in the first place. But then… " Victor smirked knowingly, "Whoever sees love coming?"

"You, my dear, came in like a wrecking ball, bam!" Victor gestured the impact with his hands, illustrating the momentum of a golf club hitting a ball, "and you hit him so hard that he was unable to catch his breath nor find his balance. And then, he just keeps on spiraling and spiraling out of control as he tries to use his human logic to apply to love, only to learn that it doesn't work that way, and then, here we are, at this point. Congratulations. "

"Wow," Arianna breathed, stunned, "You should be a love therapist."

Victor grinned at her, "I embrace all who embrace love."

"Oh please," Arianna couldn't believe his level of cockiness yet a smile still crossed her face. "Thank you, Victor," She thanked him sincerely.

"Thank you too for not giving up on Marcel. It's worth it seeing that smile on his face." Victor meant his words.

Arianna nodded her head and then an awkward silence fell upon them for a while.

"Alright, since I can't sleep just yet, I might as well go swim and occupy myself," Arianna informed him.

"Sure," Victor simply waved at her and resumed his drinking as she left.

As soon as Arianna returned inside, Luca was by her side like a royal puppy, "Where to?" He inquired.

"The swimming pool," She said while walking and he followed after her. Arianna didn't say anything already used to it and she might need company anyway.

Getting to the pool, Arianna took off her clothes until she was in her undies while Luca had his back turned to her.

"Seriously?" She shook her head, yet let him be. Putting on her favorite playlist on her phone, Arianna dived into the water and began to swim. She needed to clear her head from the worries and tire herself enough to fall asleep.

She couldn't tell how long she swarmed but when Arianna stepped out of the water, her body was as heavy as lead. Damn, she overdid it this time. It wasn't until she climbed back to the surface and turned off her music that she realized the house was eerily quiet. And where the hell was Luca?

As if she conjured him, Arianna saw Luca sprawled out unconscious on the floor and a scream left her mouth, although she quickly cupped her mouth from the shock - she thought he was dead. It was a huge relief when Arianna didn't see any sign of blood or struggle, that meant that he was asleep.

But then, it was weird, Luca would never sleep on duty, or in that uncomfortable position. Something was not right. That was when Arianna sniffed deeply and coughed, there was something in the air. And now that she thought about it, she was getting weaker.

Oh no, the base was under attack.

At once, Arianna took her top and wet it with the pool's water, and covered her nose with it. She didn't know what chemical this was, but it should ward off the smell until she got help.

Arianna went back to the house to see what was going on only for her jaw to drop to the ground, there were bodies everywhere and they were all asleep - at least they were breathing. Whoever did this was careful enough not to harm them as if he didn't want any war with Marcel, he had others ….. Arianna's blood chilled at once she figured it

No, no, no!

Arianna saw a shadow move from the corner of her eyes and she turned to see that it was a man wearing a mask. There were others with him and all dressed in the same attire, but the man in the middle was clear to Arianna. Even with the mask on, she could tell who he was, Elijah.

Arianna took off instantly, trying to get away from him, but they were faster and stronger and she couldn't outrun them. Even when they held her down, Arianna didn't stop screaming Marcel's name. She couldn't leave him, not now. Arianna wanted to get to him. But it was too late.

There was no one to save her when darkness took over.