The next day, Vanessa was out with her friends, hoping to get the predicament she was in out of her mind.
After what she had heard from her parents’ room the previous night, she had left the mansion first thing in the morning because she knew she wouldn’t be able to look at her parents the same way anymore.
Even while she was out, she still found it hard to believe that they were plotting Matteo’s death and were planning to make her do it.
After thinking about it carefully the previous night, she had decided she was never going to marry Matteo.
Getting married to him already meant she was going to become his murderer, that was if she was even capable of killing him.
Either way, Vanessa didn’t want to be tied to her parents or become involved in their dirty plans.
“Vanessa?” Abbie nudged her by the shoulder.
“You’ve been staring into nothing for two minutes straight.
What are you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing,” Vanessa replied immediately, the words flying out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
“Please tell me you’re thinking about how to murder Tristan and Noelle for what they both did to you,” Isabella added, her eyes bright with hope.
“I’ve been watching a lot of murder documentaries lately, so trust me when I say I know at least fifty ways to make them disappear from the face of the earth before they even blink.”
Vanessa stared at Isabella with pursed lips.
Isabella Volkova was a mafia princess.
Her dark hair and piercing blue eyes were enough to make heads turn whenever she walked by.
Her family was just as dangerous as the Devereaux family, but she didn’t talk much about them because of confidentiality.
So when she said she had been watching murder documentaries, Vanessa knew her friend was not lying.
Vanessa narrowed her eyes at Isabella, suddenly wondering if she had ever actually killed someone before.
“If I wanted you to kill someone for me, I’d want you to kill my father.”
Vanessa quickly caught herself when she realized what she had just said.
She glanced between both her friends, her eyes wide with shock.
“Forget all about that.
Let’s just get our ice cream,” Vanessa said, immediately dismissing the matter.
“Let’s get our ice cream.”
Together, the girls walked into the ice cream shop, and instantly, the sweet aroma and mouthwatering flavors greeted their noses.
“There are so many flavors.
Ugh!
I want all of them.
My mother has been trying to get me into shape because of my auditions, but I don’t want to.” Abbie whined.
She tapped the two girls on the shoulder, gaining their attention.
Do I really look fat?”
“Babe, you know you don’t.
Don’t listen to what your mum is saying.
You look gorgeous, like a queen.
If I wasn’t a woman myself, I would marry you,” Isabella said.
Abbie’s jaw dropped.
“I only asked you if I looked fat or not.
Oh well, at least now I know I don’t.
But who cares if you marry a woman or not?”
Isabella gave her a cheeky smile.
“You wouldn’t want to know.”
A slight frown settled on both Abbie’s and Vanessa’s faces as they wondered what Isabella meant.
“Hi!
What flavors would you like to have?” the woman at the counter asked, reminding them that it was their turn.
“Give me a cup of mint-flavored ice cream, please,” Isabella started.
“I want the chocolate flavor,” Vanessa said.
“And I’ll have the strawberry flavor,” Abbie finished.
Once each of them had received their cups, they went to take a seat and enjoy their dessert.
“But tell me one thing, Vanessa,” Abbie said between scoops.
“If you could run away from all these problems right now, would you take the chance?”
Vanessa paused, her spoon hanging in midair, inches away from her lips.
If she could run away, without a doubt, she would have.
But her grandmother…
“I wouldn’t,” she replied.
“I still have to stay with Grandma.
I’m sure the others wouldn’t care for her if I left.
We only have each other.”
Abbie and Isabella glanced at each other but didn’t say a word.
That was when she spotted a man wearing suspicious-looking clothes walking into the shop.
He pulled the hood closer to his face, hiding most of his features, with his hands buried inside the pockets of his hoodie.
He took a seat without ordering anything, his gaze fixed on someone.
Vanessa followed his line of sight, and it landed on a small girl who looked barely six years old.
Her stomach dropped.
Someone who looked and dressed like that certainly didn’t seem to have any good intentions.
Vanessa looked closer and found a woman speaking to the girl while pointing at the flavor of ice cream she wanted.
Unbeknownst to her, a man with evil intentions was already hovering nearby.
Vanessa continued watching closely while Isabella and Abbie chatted about something she barely managed to hear.
The woman suddenly received a phone call.
Vanessa watched her mouth move as she instructed the girl to stay put while she answered it.
As soon as she stepped away to take the call, the man took the opportunity to approach the girl and speak to her.
Vanessa watched, her blood pumping with anticipation.
After saying a few words to her, he took the girl’s hand and started leading her out of the shop.
Vanessa gritted her teeth.
“Shit!”
Her friends looked up at her in concern, but she didn’t wait for them to ask any questions before jumping to her feet.
“Kidnapper!” She yelled, rushing toward the girl.
She grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled her out of his grip before pinning him with a hard glare.
“This man is a kidnapper!
He’s trying to take this girl away!” She yelled, gaining everyone’s attention.
Realizing he had been caught, the man immediately dropped the girl’s hand and ran away.
“Hey!” Vanessa yelled after him.
She was about to chase him, but the little girl held her back.
Vanessa’s eyes dropped to her, and immediately, her heart melted.
The little girl had the prettiest green eyes she had ever seen.
“It’s okay, baby.
You’re safe now.”
A shadow suddenly loomed over Vanessa, towering above her.
“How dare you touch my daughter?”
The voice came out cold and devoid of emotion, carrying a threat that made Vanessa’s entire body stiffen.