You Can Run But...

"Damon, please, I beg of you, let me go," she cried. He pulled her up with his tie, which he used to bind her hands.

She knew struggling was futile when he looked at her eerily, and like he was voodoo, she shivered. She tried to read his eyes, but, like his conscience, they were blank.

To her surprise, he left her and walked to the bedside table in the room. Still, her fright soared as she wondered where he went and what he would do with her.

But when he came back, he was holding a pair of scissors.

"I love it when you beg me," he murmured, snipping her white dress away, tearing it to pieces till she was completely naked before him because she wore no undergarments. "Beg me, Maya. Beg me!"

Maya swallowed.

"Oh, you're being disobedient, aren't you?" He inserted his tongue into her ear and whispered, "I like that too." He buried his fingers in her bum. "Because now, I have every reason to do what I've always wanted to do to you. Maya..."

Some Months Earlier

Maya entered the room, exhausted from work. Working as a journalist was quite eventful that day. It was a miracle a stray bullet didn't slash her due to the collision of criminals and the police.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Maya turned to find her casually strolling in. Ana, standing a foot taller than her, was a beauty to behold. Carrying every physical trait of their mother, the unpleasant sneer in her beautiful lips held her disdain for her elder sister.

At least with a detest that open, there was no need to wonder if it was all in her head. She was not only unloved by her sister but by her entire family. Her parents were filthy rich, but she was always treated like dirt for reasons unknown.

So it was no surprise when she got her first freedom in the form of her job. Alfredo, as a patriarch, although hating the sight of his daughter, made it a rule never to let her leave, which she never understood the more she thought about it.

"Maya father calls for you."

She felt the ripples run through her skin. The last time she checked, her father ducked, seeing her. "Why?" Maya asked, on alert.

"Well, he didn't tell me, but he wants to talk over dinner."

Maya eyed her sister, and seeing the smug on Anna’s face, she suspected she was lying about knowing nothing. And the fact that she had been called to dine with the family was even more strange.

"I'll be there in a minute," she said finally

"Just be fast about it," Anna said as she walked away. "There will be a visitor soon, and Dad wants to be done with the conversation before he comes in." when she was at the exit, she added mockingly, "Don't forget to take your bath, too, Maya. You stink,"

As she watched her sister leave, Maya became scared. The last time her father called her was two years ago when she slapped Anna because of a specific disgraceful incident. Her punishment wasn't an experience she liked to remember.

But since it was over dinner, maybe it wasn't so bad. Being the second daughter and child of Alfredo Petra had her constantly on the defensive.

She got into the bathroom and took a quick shower. She wore a light gown, and because she didn't wear a bra, her nipples were very visible against it.

Maya strolled to the dining room, where her family had already sat around the table. She stood beside an empty seat, waiting for him to scream at her. She wondered what she'd done this time. As far as she knew, she was successful in avoiding him and staying clear of his part. She guessed that wasn't enough.

"Sit down, Maya; let's have dinner," her father said softly.

She looked up at him sharply. Did he use that soft tone on her? She couldn't believe it. Was she dreaming?

Still standing and wondering if she heard well, her mother repeated, "Take your seat, child. Your food might get cold."

Her bones stiffened. But she did sit down, and her food was served to her by a maid. The seat opposite her was empty. Her father sat at the head of the table, while Anna, who was opposite their mother and still eying her up and down, was close to their father, holding his hand.

Maya noticed that the older man looked frail and sick. He also looked worried.

When they began eating, Maya watched them, unsure what to do. She wasn't comfortable within her own family, and it showed.

"Why don't you eat your food, Maya?" Her mother asked her.

"Maybe she thinks we poisoned it," Anna said spitefully

"No, No," she quickly said, "I don't think it was poisoned. I'll never think that, mother.."

"Then eat your food."

She quickly began pilling the food in her mouth, tasting nothing.

Her father cleared his throat. "I know you're wondering why I called for you," he paused, and after seconds of silence, he continued, "I want to know if you can make a sacrifice for your family."

Confusion heightened. "I don't understand, father."

She spotted the heat rising to his face, and she quickly added so he wouldn't hurt her like he always did, "Yes, I can, father. I can make a sacrifice for my family."

"No matter how big?" He prodded.

Maya wasn't comfortable with where all of this was going, but still, she answered, "No matter how big, father.

He nodded, then, from a briefcase at his side, he brought out a piece of paper and handed her a pen. "Sign this," he said as he gave her the paper.

This time, she had to ask, "What is this?"

"This will prove your love for your family," he said. Heon. He broke eye contact with her and looked out of the window before he began to explain, "Anna found the reports on Cosa Nostra you've been working on."

Her heart beat loudly against her chest. The project on the Nostra dome was a personal one; it wasn't supposed to be seen by anybody. What had Anna been doing in her room to bump into the papers it had been on? Maya hoped nobody else had found out

"And she sent it to the police for a small bounty."

She gasped. She was shattered. No matter how much her sister treated her, she wouldn't wish for the danger coming for her. She looked at her father and wondered: weren't they making a big mistake by keeping her here instead of hiding her somewhere far away from all the danger that was sure to come?

"Luckily, the Don had an insider who got the papers, so it's in safe hands. But the Don..." His breath was shaky. "wants something in return if we want to keep our lives

"What's that, father?" She asked. As far as she knew, she was ready to do anything to help her family. If he wanted her to go to the public and tell them everything she wrote on that paper was a lie, maybe with that, she could even earn her parents' love. "What do I have to do, father?"

He gazed at her and then finished, "In place of your sister, you have to agree with whatever Don Damon says."

The shock stuck in her throat