Taken By The Mafia Lord

She was not running away with him, Marcel discovered - to his disappointment. He couldn't understand himself these days, no, to be precise, ever since Arianna came into his life.

It was stupid to think that Arianna would run off with him in the first place. There was no way on earth he would leave the Luciano clan for a few hours or days of pleasure with her, however, the thought still flattered him. Sadly, Arianna would never escape with him.

Arianna just wanted him to take a breather. They were not fleeing to some utopia or whatever. Even if she were, she would never consider him, it was Elijah for her. Marcel was even surprised she was being this gracious to him after what he did to her - and would do.

Her idea of running was hilarious yet it helped. The cool night breeze stinging his face as he ran made his head clearer and he had to concentrate on his breathing so it didn't give him the time to think about other things like his problems. It was a good distraction.

At first, Marcel had fallen in line beside Arianna, matching her pace even though he was much faster. But he felt a surge of excitement and wanted to drive himself to the edge, plus the fact he was tactically testing Arianna's stamina.

So he went ahead of her, running with all of his might knowing he would tire out easily. But that was what Marcel wanted, the burnout. The point where there is nothing inside of him, just emptiness.

His mansion was a sprawling estate so Marcel didn't have to worry about space and pushed himself harder.

If anything, this run allowed Arianna to tour around the premises; she had been held hostage for the past two days.

She had not been to the outside, just confined in Marcel's little room and she came to discover that Marcel's house was not the only building here but it was the biggest and grandest so far. There were few others, mostly carriage houses and she didn't need to guess what was being done or who lived there.

However, if there's anything Arianna discovered from the run, it was that escaping here would need thoroughly thought planning and accomplice. She can't do this alone; she needed someone from the inside who knew how to get in and out easily.

Arianna returned to the present when she found that Marcel had run so far ahead, his view became indistinct.

"Damn it!" She cursed out.

She brought him out here to get some air, not for him to subject her to this kind of torture. She wasn't out of shape for crying out loud.

But then, a sudden thought came into her head, since Marcel was far away, why don't she snoop around? More like, escape?

Arianna gulped, this was a good idea that would lead to her death. Sooner or later, Marcel would discover that she wasn't with him and would hunt her down.

But there was no prize without a risk. As much as there were a lot of guards, most of them were dead ass drunk from the party while the rest were you know, doing it with their dates - and they weren't even secretive about that.

Arianna heard moans coming from a corner when she and Marcel were running past there earlier. Even at that, the men now liked her, stunned by her performance tonight. Moreover, she was still in her costume, who would think she wanted to escape?

With her heart pounding, Arianna knew her freedom was worth the risk. She had to take it.

The night was cold and with the speed he ran at, the breeze tossed his hair. Marcel heaved and wheezed as he ran further until he came to a sudden halt as if he remembered something.

Marcel turned around sharply and noticed the stillness in the air. He was far away from his mansion hence the music from the party couldn't be heard. But what annoyed Marcel the most was that he couldn't catch a sign of Arianna.

"Damn it!" She tricked him!

Marcel turned around, running back with great speed. Arianna was trying to escape and it was all his fault.

He laid his guard down and she took advantage of it. The first time he showed her his vulnerable side, she manipulated it to her advantage.

Marcel laughed coldly, Arianna needed to be applauded. She was a great actress and manipulator. Funny enough, he was the one crowned with the title of a manipulator. The great manipulator Marcel fell victim to the novice manipulator, Arianna. Victor would be thrilled to hear this.

His lungs burned but Marcel didn't slow down one bit, all that filled his head was the thought of Arianna vanishing and never to be seen again. It frightened him.

Security was lax today thanks to Victor's party and Arianna must know that since she was the one who drove them high with her stunning performance.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

The panic grew inside of Marcel. So far he doesn't know what Elijah looks like, what if he's sneaked in among his men and somehow the both of them planned this. What if right now he's gotten to Arianna and the both couples made it to the exit?

Damn it!

So many "What if" filled Marcel's head and he ran faster with the amount of adrenaline coursing through him. It pushed him further even though his legs were beginning to protest. He ran a record-breaking speed the world genius records would have been proud of if they were here to see.

And there she was.

Marcel came to a stop when he saw her in front of the Meadow. She was crouched down, taking a sniff of a flower when she turned upon sensing his presence.

She attempted to escape.

Marcel could see that through the brief panic that flashed in her eyes. Right now Arianna looked like a trapped animal and trapped prey had the best of survival instincts.

Marcel was sure Arianna changed her mind at the last minute.

Good for her.