I heard a crash and a bang on a microphone. My body was dead, but my mind was alert and begging to wake up so I could run away from that place.

My uncle's voice was heard over the loudspeakers, and the deep sound flooded my room, which was completely dark.

I had no strength, no desire for anything but to scream, but even that I could do.

The crowd of people clapping made me come to my senses as I remembered the belt hitting my back. Was Carlos still there? Was he still hurting me? The fear dispersed through my mind and little by little my body reacted, my back felt totally sore and cold at the same time.

My aunt began by thanking me, with a speech referring to the Olsen family and the great deals and years of performance together in everything. The marketing and oil refining deals had reached the highest standards in the business around the world.

She paused, and this time the voice of command was my uncle's.

"It is a pleasure for us to celebrate these triumphs with you all. However, the greatest triumph is yet to be conceived. From this moment I want to announce that our bonds will unite and expand exceptionally from now on and until life permits. It goes without saying that for many years these two families have been the right hand of the other and that among the slips and similarities we have not stopped leaving on high everything that we have and intend to do with so much effort; But well, I do not want to burden you by giving so much thought to the matter, we are gathered here because officially I am pleased to announce the commitment between the young Carlos Olsen and my beautiful niece Sophia Asher."

A sea of applause invaded my ears and my body finally reacted. Automatically the horror on my face dispersed throughout my body, swearing that what had just happened had been a single dream or a hallucination of being unconscious; but no, still awake I heard those voices calling me in the garden, nobody knew where I was. How could they know? Did they even care? A chill ran down my back and I was losing myself again, my vision became blurred and I heard the door to the room open just before I fainted again.

⤞.⫷⩫⫸.⤝

My body was wiggling and my arms looked like ropes from side to side, I had a great pressure on my back and under my knees that I could not decipher.

I tried to open my eyes and in the blur I could get I looked at the jaw of a man above me, whoever it was carrying me off somewhere, but even if I didn't know where, I didn't care.

Anyone was better than Carlos at that moment.

I heard voices the moment he left me inside a small dark place, it seemed to be on the back seat of a car. Little by little I recovered my sight and raised my head to look at the window, two men I didn't know were lying on the car door with a cold expression.

-Take her away. -The man ordered.

-With him?

-Take her to the apartment and make sure everything is locked up, I won't risk them finding her, much less knowing that I was the one who kidnapped her. -He explained. -I still have some things to work out here.

There were two other men in the front seats of the car, one was looking at me sympathetically while the other checked my pulse.

-He lost too much blood up there, we need to stitch up his back wounds as soon as possible! -Shouted one.

-We have no orders to do that.

-If we hand her over dead, there will be two more holes by her grave and they will be ours.

-We have to get out of here.

I felt the engine start and somehow all the strength I had been looking for for a long time came out and I started to scream frantically. The men beside me became alarmed and began to hold me by my feet and arms.

-Let me go, I beg you! -I cried out in tears.

-We don't want to hurt you, miss, we're just following orders.

They started the car and the acceleration shot me forward, I clung to the seat and the man in the co-driver's seat smiled.

-Don't worry, you're safe now.

Safe? I've just been kidnapped, you idiot.

-Who are you guys?

I hear the car pull up and they won't let me go on. While one of them tied my arms, the other blindfolded me with some kind of warm, wet towel. One of those voices kept repeating the same thing "Please calm down, we won't hurt you". During my struggle and effort, despair took hold of me, I felt a needle sink into my neck and at that moment I knew that I had everything to lose again.

No, please...

⤞.⫷⩫⫸.⤝

I woke up feeling inflamed. I was lying on a bed still wearing last night's dress in a huge yet unfamiliar room.

Most of the room was in darkness except for the moonlight coming through the large window beside me. I could not move, my body seemed to be still asleep from the sedative, but I noticed that I was no longer bound and apparently not hurt.

A large bandage surrounded my waist and abdomen, most of the volume was on my back, a kind of cotton and soft fiber that caressed my wounds.

Standing in the doorway a man was looking at me. I couldn't see him at all, so identifying him was not an option.

-Who are you? -I asked cautiously.

-Someone you already know, Sophia. -He spoke softly and the voice sounded familiar, although I couldn't put a face to it yet. I tried to lift my head to see it, but the pain of lifting it threw me back into bed.

-Don't get up, you're still too weak. -He exclaimed cautiously.

I wanted to ask the man in front of me a thousand questions, but my voice had no strength. The best I could do at once was to take his word for it, that I would be safe at least at this time, if he had wanted to do something to me I think he would have done it already, at some point the sedative would wear off completely.

I concentrated on the room, it didn't make sense that someone would kidnap me to bring me to a place of luxury. The grey body armchairs, the silk curtains and the minimalist decorations all over the place.

Immediately the man on the porch moved. I could see his black hair and that night-dark look in his eyes. A smile was drawn on my lips and a relief ran through my body.

-Diego. -I exclaimed silently to him.

I saw him smile and walk towards me. He was wearing the same waiter's clothes, except that he threw away the bow and his shirt was open with buttons down to his chest.

He was right, I was safe.