Chapter 172
They used me.
They lied to me.
They locked me up and left me in the dark.
And now, Paul Salvatore stood in front of me, pretending to be some kind of savior.
But I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. I wasn’t going to fall for sweet words and empty promises. I wasn’t going to trust another person just because they said they cared.
Because when people say they love you… it’s usually the first sign they’re about to destroy you.
After making up my mind, I nodded and we went out of the villa. I looked around with skeptical eyes, the men, the women, and even the children. I glanced around the walls, the hidden cameras, and every little detail that my old self would never notice.
“De Luca has no power here. It’s Salvatore’s land, it’s your land,” he voiced.
I frowned, “My land?” I said incredulously.
“Yes it’s yours“, He murmured and I became more puzzled.
“I don’t understand…” I shook my head.
“What there’s to understand, Nikolai?. Once we succeed in killing Alessandro, all his businesses will be yours” he stopped and grabbed me by my shoulders,
“You have no idea how ecstatic I was when Leah told me that she helped you escape from Alessandro. I told her to bring you so that I can train you like…..“,
“Excuse me?” I took a step back, looking at him with a deep frown, “Train me? What do you mean train me? And why would you just hand me everything after Alessandro’s death, I don’t want to sound rude but it all sounds like loads of bullshit.”
If he was thinking of making me his puppet then he was wrong. I was no man’s puppet anymore. I refuse to let any man tell me how I can live my life and what should I do with it. I have had enough of it in my twenty one year lifetime.
“Don’t you want to avenge your parent’s murder?“, He asked.
I let out a dry breath, “Of course, I want to avenge my parent’s murder but you really think I can cross Alessandro?, Do I look strong enough to fight him? To destroy him?”
“You will be, Nikolai You can be as strong as ALESSANDRO DE LUCA, we have the money, the resources, the links, and we have an army of men loyal to Salvatore’s name, we have everything and it’s yours, Nikolai if you want it. Now you can choose, do you want this or not? I’m not going to force you. You have all the time in the world but please, think about this,” he held my hand and softly rubbed his thumb over the back of it.
I squinted my eyes, “How many men do you have?”
‘More than two thousand-”
I cut him off with a laugh, “Alessandro has more than ten thousand men all loyal to him. He will squish your little army under his thumb.
“You think I don’t know that?” he asked, “There are other ways to fight a war, Nikolai‘
“What ways?”
1/2
Chapter 172
“You’re still legally married to him, aren’t you?
I nodded, glancing at my empty finger where my wedding ring used to be. “I am.”
Tell me one thing then, Nikolai. Do you want to go back to him or do you want to take charge of your life?”
I stared at him, “Of course, I want to take charge. I’m done taking orders“,
Paul Salvatore smiled, “You can’t take charge by simply running away from the problem. You want power, Nikolai. Seize it. Face your fears, you think you can do that? No, the question is–Are you willing to do that?”
I shook my head, “It’s not that simple…”
“All Alessandro De Luca has right now is the semblance of power he still has over your mind. It’s an illusion, Nikolai, an illusion that your mind created, only you have the power to break it. You’re here. Alessandro has no power in our land.”
“You don’t know what he’s like-”
“We don’t need an army, we only need one single weakness.”
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