~Next day~

~Valeria's pov~

I felt something tickle my nose, and I gently brushed it away with my hand, only to feel a soft feather against my skin. 

Opening my eyes, I saw a pair of dark brown eyes peering at me with curiosity. I screamed in surprise, causing Carmi to jump back in shock. 

I sat up huffing and puffing, glaring at her.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, trying to catch my breath.

Carmi grinned, holding up the feather she had used to wake me up.

"Do I look that bad to make you scream like that ?" she teased, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Well yes, if the person is my kidnapper ," I replied sarcastically, still a bit shaken from the surprise awakening.

"You're too dramatic; we kidnapped you to protect you from danger," Carmi explained, her tone turning serious. I narrowed my eyes on her.

"Oh, come on, not you too. Everyone keeps saying, the organization this organization that, but does it really look like I give a damn about any of that?" I snapped, feeling frustrated at being kept in the dark about the true intentions behind my abduction. 

Carmi's expression softened, understanding flickering in her eyes.

"I know it's hard to trust us right now, but please believe me when I say that we have your best interests at heart," She grinned, leaning over my train seat on my blanket , her voice low and soothing.

"We wouldn't have gone to such lengths to rescue you if we didn't care about you. You are important to us, and we want to help you."

"Help me?!" I exclaimed incredulously. "How is kidnapping me and keeping me isolated from my family helping me?-" I stopped talking as a thought struck me.

I have to pretend to trust them until I can find a way to escape. So I took a deep breath and forced a smile, nodding as if I believed her words.

"You suck at pretending to trust us, but I appreciate the effort," she replied with a smirk. "Just give it some time. You'll see that we only have your best interests at heart."

" Oh, great, my kidnappers have my best interests at heart. How thoughtful of them," I said sarcastically. "I mean, who wouldn't want to be kept in a dark, windowless room with no contact with the outside world? It's a dream come true."

She laughed at my response, clearly amused by my sarcasm.

"You're a real comedian, huh? Maybe we should start booking you some gigs while you're here," she joked.

"What are you even here for , anyway?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

"Clothes. I'm here to give you some clothes since you're still in that singer's clothes," she replied, holding up a bag of fresh clothes. "I thought you might want to change out of them before they start to smell."

I rolled my eyes at her teasing.

"Thanks, but I think I'll stick with the singer's clothes for now. They're kind of growing on me," I said with a smirk.

"Why? You think I poisoned the clothes or something?" She responded with a laugh.

"Maybe, you can't be too careful if you know," I smirked playfully. She chuckled and threw the bag at me, hitting me in the chest.

"Just wear it before I start regretting being nice to you," she said with a playful smirk.

I ran my hands through my hair with a smirk and picked up the bag, pulling out the clothes she had chosen for me.

"Are these your clothes?" I asked, holding up a bright pink shirt and floral patterned pants. She burst into laughter, shaking her head.

"No way, those are definitely not my style," she said, still giggling. "I just bought a bulk of clothes without looking because we were in a hurry to get you something decent to wear."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Well, I appreciate the effort at least," I replied, holding up the outfit. "I guess I'll give it a try."

She grinned back at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Just promise me you won't blame me if you end up looking ridiculous," she teased with a grin.

"Sweetheart, I can pull anything off," I replied confidently. "

With a smirk, I headed to the bathroom to try on the outfit she had picked out for me. 

As I slipped on the clothes, I couldn't help but stare at myself in the mirror and wonder how much longer I must stay here before they would let me leave.

Why isn't anyone searching for me? Verena should have located me by now for my rescue. As I stared at my reflection, doubts crept in. 

What if Verena is unable to locate me? No, no, why am I even saying this? Verena can find anyone; she's the best at that, and even if my sisters can't come to save me.. I can just save myself.

I adjusted the collar of the shirt and straightened the pants, pushing down the sinking feeling in my stomach.

Just then, I heard a knock on the door and Carmi's voice calling out, "Are you ready yet? I can't wait to see how fabulous you look!"

"Yeah yeah! I'm coming!" I yelled out as I quickly looked back at myself one last time in the mirror.

 With a deep breath, I reassured myself that everything would be okay. Verena would find me, or I would find a way out on my own. 

With a determined smile, I opened the door and stepped out to face whatever awaited me on the other side.

~Verena's pov~

I had to leave the house, away from my sisters constant chatter and the overwhelming pressure of finding Valeria. Taking a moment to myself, I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. 

Inhaling slowly through my nose, holding it for a few seconds, then exhaling through my mouth. I repeated this calming technique a few times, but it still didn't help ease the anxiety gnawing at me. 

Valeria was out there somewhere, in danger, and I needed to find her. I pulled out a cigarette from my pocket, lighting it with shaky hands as I tried to calm my nerves. 

The smoke filled my lungs, offering a temporary distraction from the chaos swirling inside my head. But even as I took another drag, the worry and fear continued to consume me. Why couldn't I find her?

She wasn't on any security cameras anywhere near the area, so how could someone have kidnapped her without leaving a trace? 

I needed to think, to come up with a plan to track her down before it was too late. Pacing back and forth in the dimly lit alley, my mind raced with possibilities, fueling the tension in the air. 

Maybe she had been taken to a nearby warehouse, or perhaps she had managed to escape and was hiding somewhere close by. Argh, why can't I find her?

 The frustration and desperation were building inside me, fueling my determination to find her no matter what. I needed to act fast before time ran out. 

I pulled out my phone and began to brainstorm possible leads or contacts that could help me in my search, and that's when my finger lingered on a certain name in my contacts list—Rune.

 The person I despised the most, yet the only one who could provide the crucial information to locate Valeria. 

I hesitated for a moment, knowing that reaching out to Rune meant potentially giving him blackmail material to use against me in the future. 

But the thought of finding my sister outweighed any fear of what Rune might do with the information.

 Taking a deep breath, I pressed call and waited for him to pick up, my heart pounding in my chest.

After a few rings, he finally answered with his usual smug tone, "Well, well, well, look, who's calling me? I thought you swore that you would die before ever calling me again."

 His words sent a shiver down my spine, but I pushed aside my unease and got straight to the point.

"Rune, I need your help. Valeria is missing, and I think you might be able to help me find her." There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before Rune spoke again, his voice now tinged with curiosity.

"Your sister? Why should I help you find her?"

I knew I had to tread carefully with Rune, as his loyalty could easily shift depending on his own motives.

"Because if you help me, I'll owe you a favor. And we both know how valuable that can be," I replied, trying to appeal to his sense of self-interest. After a pause, Rune chuckled softly.

"You couldn't find her yourself? After all, you're pretty good at hacking into security cameras and tracking people down." Rune's tone was teasing, but I could sense a hint of willingness to help in his words.

"I can, but out of both of us, you have more connections to the underworld . Plus, your reputation precedes you," I gritted out. I knew that appealing to his ego was the best way to get him on board.

"Aww, Does Ms. I can do it myself finally need help from the great Rune?" he teased, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I rolled my eyes, knowing that he was just trying to get a rise out of me.

"Just shut up and help me, Rune. You know how important my sisters are to me, and I would do anything to keep them safe," I replied, my voice softening slightly.

Rune let out a sigh, his demeanor changing from teasing to serious.

"Fine, what do you need me to find?" He asked.

I grinned as I took a long drag from my cigarette, blowing the smoke out in a slow, deliberate manner.

"On the night of 4th October 2023 in Los Angeles outside of the Elite Gala near a lamp post, the whereabouts of Val wearing Rosalinda del Cruz's clothes after 9 p.m. I need you to find out who saw her that night and if anyone has any information on her whereabouts after that. Can you handle that for me?"

"Yes, I can-"

"Also, there's no security cameras near that area, so you'll have to rely on witnesses and possibly some good old-fashioned detective work. Think you can handle that?" I asked Rune with a sense of urgency in my voice.

"My dear Belladonna, I can handle anything you throw at me," Rune replied confidently.

"Good." I mumbled as I dropped the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with the heel of my boot.

"And, Verena. Remember, if I find her, you must do whatever I say ," he teased.

I rolled my eyes at his cocky attitude, but couldn't help but feel a sense of reassurance in his confidence.

"I know, I know. Just find her first," I replied, trying not to show how worried I truly was. Rune simply chuckled before he cut the call. 

As the call ended, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. Rune's bravado was comforting, but there was something off about this whole situation. 

Val could take on 15 people at once, so how did she get kidnapped in the first place? It just doesn't add up. Unless she got kidnapped by someone she knows.

Someone she loves.

Alton... That motherfucker-