Chains of Fate

Alessia Rizzo's POV

I used to have a good life. My father, Giovanni Rizzo, was everything to me. He worked hard and loved me more than anything. After my mother passed away when I was eight, he promised to keep me safe. For a while, he did. But everything changed when Francesca came into our lives.

Francesca became my stepmother when I was twelve. She was beautiful and elegant, but something about her felt wrong. She never showed me affection, not even fake smiles. For my father's sake, I tried to like her, but she made it clear I was not part of her plans.

Her son, Leonardo, was even worse. He was fifteen when they moved in, and from the first moment, he made me feel like I didn't belong in my own house.

"This isn't your house anymore," he said one day, standing in my bedroom doorway. His voice was cold and sharp. "It's ours now."

My father never saw the worst of them. Francesca acted kind when he was around. She played the role of the perfect wife, cooking his favorite meals and smiling sweetly at me as if she cared. But as soon as he left the room, her mask would slip.

"Your father spoils you too much," she said one day, watching me open a gift he bought for my birthday. "You don't deserve half of what you get."

Leonardo joined in her games. He would steal my things and blame me for losing them. He'd ruin my school projects or leave messes for me to clean up.

When I told my father, he would sigh and say, "Alessia, families fight. Try to get along with them. For me."

I stopped complaining after that.

Everything got worse two years ago when my father and Francesca died in a car accident. It happened on a rainy night. They were on their way home from an event, and their car slid off the road. I remember how empty the house felt the day the police came to tell us.

I thought I had lost everything that day, but I didn't realize how much more I could lose.

Leonardo, now twenty-three, became the head of the family. He didn't waste any time showing me what that meant.

"You're not a Rizzo," he said to me on the day of the funeral. His dark eyes glared at me as he stood in my father's office, where I found him sitting in my father's chair. "You're just a leftover. A burden."

His words cut deep. I was sixteen, still grieving, but he didn't care. From that day on, my life became a nightmare.

He stripped me of everything I had. My father's study, where I used to spend hours reading, was locked. My room was moved to a small one near the servants' quarters. My clothes were replaced with plain, cheap dresses. And my place in the family? That was gone too.

"You'll earn your keep," he said one day, throwing a mop at my feet. "Start cleaning." I became the maid of the house.

The days blurred into weeks, then months. I woke up early every morning to scrub floors, wash dishes, and do whatever Leonardo demanded. The staff, who once treated me kindly as the master's daughter, now looked at me with pity. No one dared to challenge Leonardo.

I held onto one hope: my grandfather's inheritance. My grandfather, Giovanni's father, had left a will stating that I would inherit money when I turned eighteen. It wasn't enough to make me rich, but it would be enough to start a new life somewhere far away. A year from now, I will be free.

But Leonardo knew about the inheritance, and I could tell it bothered him. He hated that I still had something he couldn't control.

I remember the day everything changed. It started like any other day. I was in the kitchen, scrubbing the counters, when I heard Leonardo's voice echoing through the house. He was yelling at someone, the sharp tone making me flinch.

I paused to listen. "I told you I'd handle it!" he shouted. "You'll get your money, but you'll take her as payment." I froze. Who was he talking to? And who was "her"?

I moved closer to the door, keeping my footsteps light. I peeked through the crack and saw Leonardo pacing in the living room, a phone pressed to his ear.

"I don't care what she thinks," he said. "She's mine to deal with. You'll get her by the end of the month."

My stomach turned. It couldn't be me. Could it? I backed away from the door, my heart pounding in my chest. The mop fell from my hands, the clatter echoing in the empty kitchen.

Leonardo's voice stopped.

"Alessia!" he called.

I panicked and ran.

I locked myself in my room, my chest heaving as I tried to calm down. My thoughts raced, piecing together the little I had overheard.

Leonardo owed someone money. And he planned to give me to them.

I didn't want to believe it. No one would sell their own stepsister. Not even Leonardo.

But deep down, I knew he would. He hated me enough to do it.

That night, I couldn't sleep. My mind replayed his words over and over. She's mine to deal with. You'll get her by the end of the month.

I stayed awake until the early hours, staring at the ceiling and trying to figure out what to do.

The next morning, I went to Maria, one of the housemaids who had worked for my father. She was one of the few people who still showed me kindness.

"Maria," I whispered, pulling her aside. "I think Leonardo is planning something. I need your help." She frowned. "What are you talking about, child?"

I hesitated, afraid to say it out loud. "I think he's... selling me. To settle a debt."

Her eyes widened, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, Alessia," she whispered. "I was afraid of this."

My stomach dropped. "You knew?"

She nodded, her face pale. "I overheard him speaking with a man. Donatello De Santos. He's dangerous, Alessia. A man you don't want to cross."

I didn't recognize the name, but the fear in her voice told me enough.

"What do I do?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Maria looked around nervously. "You have to leave. Tonight. There's a service door in the basement. It leads to the alley. I'll give you the key."

Her words terrified me. Run? Where would I go?

But as I thought about Leonardo's plans, I knew I didn't have a choice.

That night, I waited until the house was quiet. I slipped the key Maria gave me into my pocket and crept down the hall. Every creak of the floorboards felt like an alarm, and my heart pounded so hard I thought it would give me away.

When I reached the basement, I found the door Maria had mentioned. My hands shook as I unlocked it, pushing it open to reveal the cool night air.

Freedom was right in front of me.

But before I could take a step outside, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Going somewhere, Alessia?" I froze.

It was Leonardo.

Leonardo's shadow loomed in the doorway, blocking her escape. He smirked, his voice dripping with triumph as he stepped closer. "Did you really think you could run from me?"