Sofia eventually got up and brushed the sand and dirt off her clothes. Still, her school uniform was completely messed up. She picked up the knife that was stuck in the sand. She looked at it carefully and discovered that the back of the handle had a button. When she clicked the black GPS device fell out of it. She threw it into the sea.

She planned to keep the knife. It's going to be her weapon of choice when she meets Anastasio again. If she meets him again.

Sofia had left her phone in her school locker, not the best idea now that she thinks about it. Well, thankfully she had some pocket money. Enough to afford a bus to Catania. It would take around 50 minutes to get to her city from Taormina.

She was far away from the city centre so she had to ask around how to get to the bus station. Without Raul driving her around she felt like a normal person for a moment. She planned to use the time she had to rehearse her apology speech.

She arrived at Catania at 10 pm. The sky was pitch black, it was cold and she was walking briskly to not freeze. Her brother's house wasn't exactly anywhere near the bus stop so she had to walk for around 40 minutes to get to her destination.

During her journey home she was glad that she wasn't used to luxury and comfort her brothers provided for her. The cold was bothersome but it didn't prevent her from walking. Her feet hurt, she was tired, thirsty, dizzy from hunger and emotionally exhausted.

And yet she did not stop walking. She didn't just break down and cry. Anastasio was wrong, she wasn't a fucking princess. She wasn't naive. She will kick his ass so hard when they meet again. The anger was what fueled her fight response so as she was walking she imagine herself slapping Anastasio right across the face. Yes, that felt good.

But was she fair to him? He was scary and annoying, but he also saved her life twice. And that last stunt he pulled? She didn't know what his deal was, she wanted to understand him.

Why would he scare her like that at the end of their meeting? Then she realized. He had trust issues himself. What if he didn't like that she agreed to drink with him? He wanted to show her that she's putting herself in danger and someone one day can use it against her. It wasn't malicious, it was a warning. A very scary one.

And effective.

She was so caught up in her own thought that she hadn't realized when she arrived home.

And yet there she was. In front of Ianniello mansion.

She recalled when she took this place for a historic site, even though she now slept and ate food regularly in this place, it didn't lose its magic. She wondered who lived in these walls before her. What were their stories? Maybe she will ask Alessandro if he won't kill her first.

When she walked past the open gate she could hear one of the bodyguards stationed at the main entrance informing her brothers through his headpiece that she's back. None of her brothers came out of the house and when she opened the door she could hear Alessandro's voice from the living room, he said "Call off the search"

For the moment nothing happened.

Sofia had the time to analyze every figure present in the living room. Francesco was sitting on the couch with a black laptop on his lap. Valentino just stopped his nervous pacing around the room to stare at her. Alessandro was sitting on the brown, leather chair near the crackling fireplace, he just finished speaking over the phone. On the coffee table, there was a map with crossed off possible locations. They were really doing everything to find her.

Alessandro stood up and started walking slowly towards her. The moment he grabbed her by the chin, he asked with all seriousness and severity in his voice.

"Are you hurt somewhere?"

It was impossible to lie to him when he was staring at someone this intensively.

"No" Sofia replied.

"Why are your clothes dirty then?" Francesco came to her as well and started wiping her back gently from the remains of dirt.

"Nothing, it's nothing I just fell but I'm okay"

"Sit down, you're trembling" Alessandro instructed and Francesco guided her to the couch. Valentino handed him a blanket and soon Francesco pulled the blanket over her figure.

The next thing she knows she was having a cup of steaming black tea in her hands and reheated vegetable broth was placed on the table in front of her.

"Are you feeling better now?" Alessandro watched her carefully as she was taking a sip of her tea.

"Yes, thank you," she said, he wanted to tear up with how gentle they were with her. Valentino was sitting right next to her providing an extra source of heat.

Alessandro and Francesco weren't sitting they were standing right in front of Sofia, analyzing her every move carefully. It was an overwhelming experience.

"Have you left the school voluntarily or against your own will?" Alessandro asked quietly but Sofia heard him clearly.

"Voluntarily" Sofia replied.

The disappointment was visible in his eyes and Sofia reacted with pain spreading all over her chest.

"Then frankly I don't understand this situation. You left the school on your own, without notifying anyone. You turned off your phone so we couldn't get in contact with you and chose the back door so Raul won't see you leaving. I'd like an explanation" he said in a very cold and formal voice.

Shit. It sounded even worse when he summed everything like that.

"I wanted to hide from everything and everyone," she said, she knew it's a lame excuse but she didn't know how to explain her behaviour differently.

"That's why you took Neri along?" Valentino asked, he was pissed off as well and it was more visible than with Alessandro.

"He said he won't let me go alone, it's not like I had a choice," Sofia explained.

"You see this is where I am confused. If you wanted to leave the school you could just ask Raul to take you home," Francesco said, not understating her decision.

"As I said I wanted to be alone" Sofia repeated.

"That's why you ditched Bruno after you went to the restaurant?" Alessandro asked with his hands crossed over his chest.

"Wait. How do you know about this?" Sofia looked at him surprised.

"You should start eating the broth, it's getting cold" He instructed handing her a bowl of steaming soup, in the meantime, Valentino placed the cup of tea she was holding on the coffee table.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Sofia questioned, it was a bit too bold and Alessandro didn't like it.

"I'm afraid this is not the time for you to ask a question" he responded strictly "Eat" he reminded and Sofia felt very small right now. She did as he said and dipped a spoon in a bowl of soup. She wasn't eating for a whole day so when the liquid hit her mouth she closed her eyes with admiration for tongue-melting flavour. Clara truly knew how to cook. There was no doubt about it.

Alessandro took a moment of silence between them to take a seat on the brown leather armchair that was facing the couch. There was more distance between them now, he wasn't towering over her but the atmosphere of the room was no less intimidating. Francesco on the other hand sat next to her.

"Where did you go after you ditched Neri?" Alessandro continued his questioning as if he was never interrupted.

Sofia was silent because she didn't know what to say. Alessandro seemed to be perfectly fine with her silence, he was patiently waiting for her to speak. But his younger brother was nothing but patient.

"Where the fuck have you been Sofia?" he asked angrily, but in his voice was also a visible concern. "You smell like alcohol and cigarettes. Are you drunk?"

"Um..." she took a breath to start speaking and no words have left her mouth. She was so scared.

"Valentino go to your room" Alessandro directed in a quiet, clear voice.

"Are you fucking serious?" Valentino wasn't having it.

Alessandro's eyes darkened.

"Am I what? Do you want to repeat that for me?" He asked. Valentino looked fearful at the darkness that was clouding Alessandro's eyes. This is when Alessandro stopped eye contact with his younger brother and instructed "Go to your room"

Valentino disappeared without a word.

"I will take Neri home," Francesco announced, "And I will call Felice to let him know that she's here"

Bruno was here?! That explained why they knew about the restaurant.

"Why would you call Felice?" Sofia asked still making sure to regularly take a spoonful of soup to not upset Alessandro any further.

"You disappeared without a word. He's your therapist. We needed to establish if he has any idea where you might be, or what you're planning to do"

Sofia's heart for the moment stopped "And what did he say?" she tried to keep her voice steady.

"That he cannot guarantee that you won't hurt yourself," Alessandro said in an emotionless voice.

Sofia's jaw fell open. She was so careful to not tell Felice anything about her mental state and somehow despite her being so closed up he could tell something like this about her?

Sofia now got distracted by Bruno being led to the living room by Francesco. His face was pale like he saw a ghost a moment ago. And there was an ugly bruise on his cheek. Sofia felt pain by simply looking at it. "Oh no" she whispered and she wanted to run towards him but a cold voice stopped her from moving.

"Stay on the couch" Alessandro warned.

"Bruno, are you okay?" Sofia asked, staying in place. She was ready to completely ignore Alessandro if her friend won't respond.

Alessandro sighed and said "Francesco, sit our guest down. I will have a chat with both of them and when we're done you can send him home"

Sofia felt like such an awful person for leaving Bruno.

"I am fine, don't worry" Bruno replied. He didn't look at her with hate or disgust. As he sat down next to her he asked in a gentle voice "What about you?" his eyes were full of concern.

Sofia looked at him with shock painted over his face. Shouldn't he hate her right now?

"I'm okay" she replied. "What happened to your face? Who did this?"

"Valentino got a bit angry at me" Bruno admitted.

"How could you let this happen?" Sofia asked Alessandro in an accusing voice.

Alessandro raised his eyebrows at her behaviour.

"He got off easy. If you wouldn't return in the next 24h his fate would be much worse" he replied without much care about his guest listening to his words.

"But that's not okay! You can't just-" Sofia started saying.

He stopped her from speaking with a hand gesture. "Sofia, I know what I can. Neri was the last person that saw you before your disappearance, statistically, it was safe to assume he had something to do with it" he said in a serious, emotionless voice.

"But he didn't!" Sofia started off hotly. "He's my friend-"

"He took you out of the school premises with no phone" Alessandro replied flatly, not impressed with her stubbornness.

"I ditched it myself," Sofia admitted, now feeling ashamed.

"Yes, you did. But we weren't expecting you would behave in such an irresponsible way," he said, his voice made of steel.

Sofia had no response to that. She disappointed everyone including herself.

"I'm sorry," She said quietly.

"I think now it's the time for Bruno to come back home. Don't you agree?" Alessandro asked in a more gentle voice.

"Yes, I think it's a good idea," Sofia agreed easily. She knew Bruno didn't want to be here and she understood him. The sooner he leaves, the better.

Francesco, with a rather cold expression, asked Bruno to get up. They left the room in silence and now Sofia was alone with her eldest brother.

"Tell me, Sofia do you think I can afford to take chances when I know your life is in danger? When you're on your own on the streets as my youngest sibling? The rumours here spread like fire. People know they can use you to get to me through you" he said in a perfectly calm manner.

"I'm sorry" Sofia didn't know what else to say. Alessandro acknowledged her words with a nod. "I was just so overwhelmed after learning that the video has been released" Sofia couldn't bear his intense gaze.

"Look at me," he said firmly. Sofia did. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, it's the people who bullied you that should feel shame. The video has been wiped off the internet, Francesco personally took care of it. The person who published it also has been found, Greta I believe her name is and she's now in legal trouble. She will never bother you again that I can promise you"

"Do you know how she got access to the video?" Sofia asked, by now she finished eating her soup, she could see the bit of warmth entering Alessandro's cold eyes as she was placing an empty bowl on the table.

"Giada Ferraro, the girl who filmed everything published the video on a private group chat with Cynthia Denaro and Pollini brothers in it. Greta Alabnese was recently removed from that group, according to Cynthia's testimony she was kicked out right after the situation in the bathroom. Apparently, before that happened she decided t download the video on her phone"

Sofia nodded and said "Yes, that makes sense"

Greta was one of your bullies so why haven't you mentioned her name to me?" Alessandro asked.

"Because when the bathroom situation happened she told them to stop. I thought that maybe she was not like them" Sofia said, now embarrassed.

Alessandro nodded. "In the future, there's no need for such sentiments, do you agree?"

"Yes," Sofia replied.

Alessandro nodded, satisfied.

"Now, that we have it settled there are a few more questions I need to ask. You've been gone for several hours during that time I knew nothing about your activities and I need you to understand that it is unacceptable" he said in a serious voice, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I'm sorry" Sofia responded dutifully.

"Have you been drinking alcohol?" she froze. She was hoping Alessandro won't ask her about it. Oh, well. She didn't see any point to lie to him, he already knew.

"Yes," she said. She could tell that Alessandro wasn't one of those cool guardians who understood that teens drink when they're not under parental supervision. He didn't like what she said but he also wasn't yelling which she appreciated.

"Have you been smoking?" He continued his questioning in a calm, levelled voice.

"No" Sofia replied.

"Why can I smell cigarettes then?" He questioned without sounding accusatory.

"Because I was with someone who smokes" Sofia couldn't do anything other than telling the truth.

"And who that might be?" Alessandro wanted to know.

"Um... remember that boy who saved me from a pervert?" Sofia asked.

"Anastasio" he said casually and Sofia froze. How did he... what?

"Alessandro?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"Yes?" Her brother asked.

"I never told you his name," she said looking at him with widened eyes.

"You didn't. Raul did" he replied.

Wait. Anastasio said Alessandro was giving him piano lessons.

"He said he knows you," Sofia said trying to understand what is happening here.

"He does" Alessandro agreed.

"I don't understand. You know him, you know he ran away from home and you're not trying to help him?" Sofia was baffled.

"He's not my problem nor my responsibility. And the issues of his family are something I don't want to deal with, neither should you" Alessandro explained.

That was cruel, cold. But Sofia noted that Alessandro seemed to be genuinely interested only in things that directly impacted his family, nothing more. He didn't feel the shred of responsibility for Anastasio, so it seems.

"Have you been taking drugs?" Alessandro continued the questioning and Sofia felt offended now.

"No" she responded instantly.

Alessandro wasn't phased by anger in her eyes.

He started speaking dispassionately. "This time I will not be forcing you to take a drug test, but the more you behave irresponsibly the less trust I will have for you. Today I am taking your word as truth but if you ever lie to me or escape again, that will change. Do you understand?"

Sofia nodded. "I understand"

She was shocked at how serious Alessandro was about everything, she did not expect to experience interrogation of this sort.

"You're going to clean the attic on the weekend as a punishment for acting recklessly, and there's one more thing I want to give you"

He placed a small, white box on the table.

"You're giving me a gift now? Why?" Sofia stared at him dumbfounded.

"It's a smartwatch" Alessandro explained " It has a GPS so we will be able to track you at any time, it will be also monitoring your vitals. If you will try to turn it off or take it off I will be notified immediately. I no longer have the trust that you will keep your phone with you at all times so we won't be relying on your phone anymore"

As silence fell, she hoped she misheard her older brother.

Dear Readers,

How do you feel about Alessandro after this chapter? ;)