The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 127

Rachel

With each step Veronica took, my heart seemed to hammer harder in my chest. She held my arm tightly, her fingers digging into my skin like claws. With each step Veronica took, the tension around me increased. The grip of her fist on my arm. was uncomfortable, firm, as if she wanted to remind me at every moment who was in control. Her cold, merciless presence was a suffocating weight, and the object pressing against my back-a gun-made everything even more desperate. Fear made my thoughts run in every direction, and with each passing second, my situation seemed more fragile.

With each step, I felt my heart hammering against my chest, as if it were trying to escape the situation along with me. The air around me seemed heavier, each breath more difficult than the last. My stomach was in knots, and an unbearable chill crept up my spine. At the same time, a strange mixture of anger and helplessness grew inside me. How could Veronica be so cruel? How could she use other people's pain as currency to fuel her twisted desires? My eyes searched for something-anything-that could give me hope. When I met Vincenzo's gaze, I saw controlled anger, but also something that felt like guilt. He was watching me as if he wanted to protect me, but he also seemed to be struggling with his own emotions. It was comforting and painful at the same time. Will I get out of this alive? I thought, as the cruel reality closed in on me. I couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenarios, but something inside me refused to give up completely. I had to be strong, even if I was terrified. Vincenzo was there, and that meant there was still a chance to escape this madness. The pressure of the gun barrel against my back was a constant reminder that one wrong move could be my last. I tried to stay calm, but it was difficult, almost impossible. Vincenzo was only a few feet away, and I could see the tension in his eyes. He was trying to control the situation, but it was obvious that Veronica was in control. She pulled me forward, and when we were face to face with Vincenzo, the silence became deafening. Veronica stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes filled with something I couldn't quite decipher: anger, pain, regret? "Everything could have been different for us, Vincenzo." Her voice was almost a whisper, but it carried an enormous weight. "You don't understand... My plans for us were far from all this madness." I felt the grip on my arm tighten, and even without looking directly at her, I knew that Veronica was completely out of her mind. Vincenzo narrowed his eyes, confused. "Veronica, this doesn't make sense." He took a step forward, but her henchmen raised their weapons in warning, forcing him to stop. "If you need help, then ask for it. There's no need for all this." Hostages, threats, violence... That's not how you solve anything.

"Help?" She laughed, but there was no humor in her laughter, only bitterness. "You think all this is a cry for help? Vincenzo, this is justice." I knew I shouldn't say anything, but my survival instinct spoke louder.

"You're not going to gain anything from this, Veronica!" My voice came out firmer than I expected.

Immediately, I felt the barrel of the gun press harder against my back.

"Be quiet!" she growled.

"Let her go, Veronica." Vincenzo sounded calm, but I knew that tone. He was holding back a storm inside himself. "If you want to talk to me, talk to me. You don't have to hurt Rachel." Veronica ignored his words and pulled my hair hard, forcing me to look at her.

"What did you see in her, Vincenzo?" Her voice was full of contempt. - What does this girl have that I don't? She's so... bland, so ordinary.

That humiliation hurt more than the grip on my arm or the gun against my back. I tried to say something, but Veronica only pressed the barrel of the gun even tighter.

"It's not about her, Veronica," Vincenzo replied, his voice low but firm. "It's not about you either. I just... I didn't want this life anymore."

She laughed again, but this time there was something else in her laugh, something that seemed to be approaching a breakdown.

"Oh, don't give me that redemption speech." She shook her head, as if trying to push the thoughts away. "You're just like me, Vincenzo. You always have been. This life is in your blood, in your heritage."

He took another step forward, ignoring the henchmen, who now seemed tense.

"It's in my blood, but it doesn't have to be my destiny," Vincenzo replied firmly. I chose to break the cycle, Veronica. You could too.

For a moment, I thought those words had gotten through to her. She was silent, her eyes fixed on Vincenzo's. But then she pulled me tighter,

as if I were a human shield, and looked at me. He looked at me with something that seemed to be a mixture of hatred and pain.

"Why her?" Her question came out as a desperate scream. "Why was she able to change you?"

Vincenzo hesitated for a second, and I could see the internal struggle in his eyes.

"Because I wanted to change. Not for her, but for myself."

Veronica seemed to absorb those words, but instead of backing away, her expression grew even darker. She gripped my hair tighter, pulling my head back painfully.

"Do you think changing is that simple?" she scoffed. "Do you think you can erase everything you've done, everything you were?"

Before he could answer, she continued:

"And even if you could... do you think she'll stay with you when she replaces out everything? When she replaces out who you really are?"

I wanted to scream for her to stop, but my body was paralyzed by fear. Vincenzo, however, stood firm.

"Rachel knows who I am." He replied, his voice full of determination. And she accepts me, despite everything.

Veronica laughed again, but this time there was something different in her laugh. Something that sent a chill down my spine.

"You think you know everything, Vincenzo," she murmured, looking directly at him.

"But you know nothing."

It was then that she said the words that changed everything:

"Did you change to set a good example as a father?"

The silence that followed was absolute. For a moment, it seemed as if even time had stopped. I could hear my own breathing, heavy and irregular, as I tried to process what she had just said. "Dad?" The word was out of my mouth before I could think.

Vincenzo stood still, his face a mix of shock and disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Veronica's henchmen looked at each other, confused, and even Veronica seemed to savor the chaos she had just

created. "That's right," she said, smiling darkly. "Father." I didn't know what was more terrifying: Vincenzo's silence or Veronica's smile. One thing was certain, though: that revelation changed everything. And the silence continued, so heavy that it seemed to crush that place completely.