Clara entered her house completely exhausted.

The situation with Giorgia was the craziest thing she has experienced in her lifetime.

She checked her phone hoping it's Lorenzo but no. It was Noah "Clara, we should meet" he sounded concerned.

"Like right now?"Clara asked tiredly. "I just got back home from a trip. What's going on?" Clara immediately started feeling uneasy.

What now? She needed to rest. Relax, no more craziness.

"Listen. I don't want you to panic but"

"-But what?" Clara asked feeling wary.

"I've been trying to push Desmond's case forward with some of the materials you have sent to me I thought we succeeded because Desmond was called to the court hearing but-"

"And?"

"I have been forced by the judge to reveal the identity of my informant"

"You're not being serious right now," Clara said, her voice deeply shocked and wounded.

"I'm so sorry Clara. I just wanted to solve my sister's case"

Clara hung up.

She didn't want to listen to him right now. If Desmond knew that she was gathering evidence on him he would soon try to... no. She needed to leave this city. Or the country.

Clara packed quickly. Necessities only. Nothing more. And then she stopped.

No. Why leave? She had Lorenzo. He would help her. She wanted to call him so much right now. But she knew he was now busy taking care of his family. She had a family too. The one that would be willing to help her.

Normally she would've just counted on herself only because relying on herself was the safest thing to do. But she didn't want to be like that anymore, she wanted to have someone she can count on. She has changed. That meant she was left with another option: Sante.

She had to get to her family's house as soon as possible.

She went out of her apartment and started advancing quickly towards her car. She dialed her brother's phone number.

"Sante?"

"Clara? What's going on?" Sante asked, already alarmed by the tone of her voice. She sounded scared.

"Can I come over?" She asked panicked.

"Always! Wait, you're not in Sicily?" He was confused.

"I came back a day early" Clara responded quickly.

"Is Lorenzo with you?" Sante asked sensing that something is wrong.

"No, why?" Clara asked.

Sante cursed under his breath and said "On the time of your trip to Palermo dad called off your security. They were supposed to be at your house tomorrow"

This is when Clara realized something. The bodyguard Lorenzo assigned to her has been still in Palermo. Her father's security hasn't been here as well.

In other words - she was completely alone. She stopped from advancing towards the car. It would be safest for her to stay at home and wait for her brother to come.

But it was too late to make that decision now. What she felt was something cold pressed to the back of her head.

She could still hear Sante's voice. He was asking if she's alright but she couldn't respond.

"Get inside the van," one voice said.

"Clara, what is going on? Don't-" but he couldn't finish the sentence. The man who forced her to stay still took her phone out of her hand.

"Help!" She yelled loudly sensing the only opportunity to let Sante know she's in trouble.

"Shut her up," one of the men said. There were two of them.

"Got it boss" the second one responded.

"Helmphfm" she still tried to speak. She could feel the man's hand is covered with a damp handkerchief. She had no choice but to inhale the chemicals it was coated with. It lulled her to sleep.

When Clara regained consciousness she was on the backseat of the car with hands tied behind her back. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

"What's happening? Where are you taking me?" She asked weakly.

She didn't know how long they were on the road but they weren't in the city anymore.

"Shut the fuck up or I will do it for you" one of the guys snarled at her. She winced at his unpleasant voice. She couldn't see anything because of the blindfold.

She was taken to a house that looked like an abandoned building. She didn't know where she was but she knew nothing good could happen in this horror-like cabin in the middle of woods.

"C'mon get up bitch we don't have all day," one of the men said opening the door for her.

The second didn't wait for her to get up he just grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her towards himself.

She tried to kick him but she didn't succeed so instead of trying again she bit his hand. Hard. He started screaming in pain, he tried to get the hands out but Clara had every intention to not let go. At some point his response was repeatedly banging his fist on her head to the point she felt like she got her skull is being cracked open. She has been hit multiple times in many places until the second guy came to the rescue and twisted her arm until it snapped loudly. This is when Clara couldn't stop herself from screaming and the man that was captured by her teeth was free again.

Right after this, both men dragged her to the cabin quickly. There in the empty room waited for her no one else but Desmond fucking Laffan.

"Clara. Welcome. We finally meet" the man was sitting on his chair waiting for her to be brought in front of him. The two men who brought her here now dropped her on the ground in front of Desmond's feet like a rag doll.

"You know" Desmond started swirling the glass of his whiskey "I can see I'm not the only person you've pissed off. Gentleman, did you have to make her look so battered and beaten? Not that it matters but I was hoping for civilized conversation. Look at her, a crying mess"

"She bit me, boss," one of the men said.

"Oh that she did. Be glad she didn't bite off your finger, it looks like it was close. Mario, get that checked after we're done here" after Desmond said that his attention shifted towards Clara "you know what, Clara? You've been like an annoying fly for all this time who would've thought it's Sabrina's best friend who's trying to make my life hard" He said. "I would deal with you in my club but it's the first place your boyfriend and daddy are going to check, isn't it? Speaking of them. Where do you want me to drop your dead body at Lorenzo's or Sirio's place?" Desmond asked casually and Clara felt like she's going to throw up.

"Where do you want your dead body Desmond? River or lake? No, why pollute the area with scum like you? I'm thinking a garbage dump would be most fitting?" A quiet, dark voice asked.

Clara blinked twice because she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Lorenzo. Lorenzo was here.

"How did you-" Desmond started speaking but Lorenzo interrupted him.

"How did I find you? My people are tracking your every move ever since Clara told me about Sabrina. My people are outside ready to take out you and your friends if needed. Now are you going to keep her here and risk pissing me off more or will you let her go so we can settle this once and for all?"

"She can go," Desmond agreed, knowing he didn't really have a say or control over what's going to happen.

"Sante, get her out of here" another voice in the room, it was Sirio. What was he doing here?

Her brother was instantly at her side. He grabbed her under her arm to help her stand but she wasn't feeling well. The moment she forced her body to stand up she fell on the floor fully unconscious.