Sleeping beauty forced her eyes open as she stared into the blank space of her room. Elena hated to think of this place as her room or her home. The air choked her as usual although it feels a bit bearable this time around or maybe she was already getting used to living in the deserted building. 

Tears stung her eyes as her mind wandered aimlessly back home in NYC, she missed her weekly shopping, the solo dates that she would never skip for anything in the world. She wonders what would have become of her designer bags and shoes. 

Here in this god forsaken village, it is the same routine every day. She might eventually die from boredom, she would be grateful if death comes sooner. Life is already unbearable, why continue?

Sometimes she would feel like there are strange pair of eyes watching her from time to time.

The round walls of her room spin as she managed to moved from one end of the bed to the other end.

It was still dark and she was sweating profusely .

"Just let me die...." She whispered.

She let out a shaky sigh , she just had another disturbing dream about the faceless man from the court room . He would threaten to stab her with a knife if she testifies. 

The villa that had been her home for about a year was quiet in an unusual manner , there was no strange whispers from the woods not very far from her bedroom window.

She looked around suspiciously realizing how much she does not like it here. She is aware but at the passing of each day, her hatred for the villa and its environs increased. 

The extremely high ceiling made it look worse, she would stare into the ceiling patiently expecting the faceless man to fall off. Why would he appear only in her dreams.

"Such a coward" she hissed.

What she felt was not loneliness but something deeper , something stranger that she was yet to figure out. A will to die ? Yes! but it was something more. 

Memories of the previous year flooded her thoughts and she could almost see herself in the court room again. The court room where she had testified against her father without a second thought.

She could remember the shock written all over her parent's face.

"Why?" Her mother mouthed as she stared at her in disbelief.

Elena stared blankly into her mother's eyes not daring to blink.

"Why?" He mother asked again , this time louder.

Tears rolled down Elena's cheeks but her eyes held no emotions whatsoever.

People in the court room looked at her like she was a crazy person, she knew at that instance that she was going to be the talk of town. She was going to be labeled the betrayal daughter. She knew that her mother would never forgive her even though she had done the right thing.

Testifying against her criminal father was definitely not on her to do list. It was the hardest thing to do but she knew she did what she was meant to do , what someone else should have done earlier.

Life in New York was close to being perfect until things started falling apart between herself and her family. She wanted no part in their horrible lifestyle, she would not classify herself as a totally good person but her family criminal records was bad for her career. 

Being disowned did not come as a surprise to her as she was ready to face the consequences of her actions no matter what it was going to be.

She had woken up to a loud noise one fateful Saturday , shakily she ran down the stairs of the mansion she lived in with her parents and found her mother crying uncontrollably, glass cups shattered on the floor. She looked from her elder sister to her mother and the hatred in their eyes scared her so much that she hurried out of the house. It was a week after she testified against her father and it had been like hell living with her mother in the mansion. She tired not to think of the unspeakable crimes that her family had committed and she wondered why her mother was not behind bars as well.

She had driven to the police and instantly agreed to go into exile for protection. She did not feel safe around her family anymore. Several hours later she was driven to the Sicilian villa by the same police man that had arrested her father.

The bold ink on the extremely high wall had 'VILLA ROSA' inscribed on it.

It took her several hours to process everything that had happened, it felt like she was in a dream that might not end soon.

At 26 years old , younger Lilian would have thought she was married and had her own kids and a great career but instead she was on the run for her dear life, hiding away from her own family. Forced to leave behind what seemed like a promising life and future. Things decided to fall apart when her acting career started climbing to its peak. 

A hoarse cough jolted her out of her thoughts forcing her back to the round walls of the dark villa. It was dawn already and her neighbor seemed to be up and about as usual. A neighbor that she was yet to cross path with , she has only heard him make sounds. Sometimes she would take a stroll alongside the high fence of the villa, only to go back to her room disappointed because there was no sign of him.

She was beginning to think that she might be hallucinating. No sane person would live here, it was just her and the demons.

Rays of the morning light flickered through the tiny window and the early morning breeze managed to find its way in through the half opened window making her shiver.

She looked around her room and rolled her eyes dramatically as she dug her nails into the old piece of mattress that served as her bed tearing the bed open like she always does whenever she feels frustrated.

She wondered if anyone would bother to live in a deserted place such as this, she carries with her the curiosity of knowing the story behind the villa as it seemed cursed. She could not quite figure it out but she always feels strange.

"Some day I will find out" she whispered to no one in particular.

She tucked herself deeper in the thick blanket as she tried to get more sleep. She would go into the small town later in the day to shop for fruits and vegetables. Whenever she's in town, she always tried to gather information about the villa she lives in, the locals though very few are known for their spicy gossips and the rumors that they find pleasure in spreading. For over a year, she had somehow managed to stay out of drama.

She considered her life in the villa miserable, no jobs , no hobbies , just demons, nightmares and a 'ghost' neighbor.

Although she never lacked anything essential , she feels unfulfilled.

Elena strolled gracefully from stall to stall with a basket in her hand , picking fruits and exchanging pleasantries with the market women. She made sure that her scarf was covering half of her face for fear of being discovered by someone she knows. 

"No one will come to this tiny village" She assured herself. 

She had taken the long route to the market instead of going through the lonely short cut behind Villa Rosa. She didn't feel good about that particular road since it's mostly made up of bushes and big trees. It reminded her of the faceless man from her dreams.

She tried to eavesdrop on the discussions of the locals as usual. It was something that she enjoyed doing since she was not bold enough to ask them questions directly. Acting too curious would give her away as desperate for information and in no time she would become their topic of discussion.

Life in the small town always feels better than the one she lived in the villa. She looked from the clear skies to the colorful birds and the cheerful locals. Once again she wished she could live amongst them instead of being locked up in that ugly villa. 

"Life's worth living again" she thought.

She felt like a palace maiden in her long dress , head scarf and raffia sandals.

"Good day miss" an almost toothless old man smiled at her.

"Eric" she smiled back as she sat on the empty chair in his vegetable stall.

She watched him pick out her favorite veggies, he did it with so much passion and concentration.

"Do you really live in the Villa down the hill?" Eric asked out of the blues.

She remembered his reaction the first time she had told him that she lived in Villa Rosa.

He looked at her eagerly like he was about to spill the bean.

"Yes Eric , I live there" she forced a smile.

"Oh.." his eyes flashed as he went back to picking veggies.

"Do you want to tell me something Eric?" Elena whispered, hoping she would get some useful information out of him.

He laughed softly "No miss, it's just that I did not know anyone else lived there other than that cold blooded bastard".

Their gaze met and she knew that he regretted saying that or maybe not because there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. 

"Well I'm sorry miss.....you see..." he stuttered.

He must be talking about her neighbor . The one that makes funny sounds almost every morning.

She felt suddenly relieved that she had not been hallucinating but at the same time cold shivers ran down her spine. Could he be a psychopath? Maybe she should talk to the police about it.

"Miss?" Eric nudged her out of her thoughts. "I should not have said that."

"It's fine Eric" she waved him off "I do not even know who this person you're talking about is."

He looked like he had so many questions to ask her but he just smiled revealing brown , broken and incomplete set of teeth.

She thanked him and picked up her basket after folding extra dollar notes in his palm. She considered that as tip for taking out time to pick out the best fruits and vegetables for her.

She walked back to the Villa quietly as Eric words replayed in her head.

Who is he ? The cold blooded bastard ? She decided that she would not involve the police but deal with him on her own.

She came to a halt as she heard rapid footsteps behind her. It felt like her ears were playing tricks on her but she jumped when she realized the foot steps were getting closer.

She turned in time to see a tall muscular man following her.

The houses that were on each sides of the road that leads to the villa were almost deserted, it didn't seem like if she screamed she would get help.

Her heart beat against her chest as she doubled her steps.

He didn't stop following her even as she hurriedly entered the "safe" fence of the villa.

She stopped in her track to face the intruder "what do you want?"

He stared at her with blood shot eyes "don't get me angry."

"Why are you following me?" She demanded angrily.

"I should be asking why you are trespassing" he eyed her wearily.

Trespassing? She almost burst out laughing.

"I've lived here for almost a year and no one has ever accused me of trespassing" she let out a small laugh.

"I still put it to you that you have trespassed, this land belongs to my family" he fired.

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out . It dawned on her that she was meeting her neighbor for the first time and in the most unpleasant way.

He is the cold blooded bastard ? She thought. How could that be ? Cold blooded bastards do not have blue eyes and black shiny hair.

"Well I've been living here for quite a while, under protection as well, with permission." She scoffed "you better not hurt me."

He moved closer to her "let me warn you as well , ask about Dante, don't cross my path, run when you see me , run from this place, run princess". This place eats pretty things like you up".

Cold shivers ran down her spine as she made a dash towards her room and shut the door.

She suddenly felt grateful for the small gate that separated her from her crazy neighbor.

"Eric was right after all" she whispered shakily "he's a monster."

His eyes were warm when he looked at her , it held something that was not rage or hatred. She could swear that what she caught in the eyes were admiration and that sacred her the most.

 A part of her wanted to call for help so bad but the rebellious part of her wants to watch how things unfold. Maybe this was her opportunity to know more about this deserted villa. She has never questioned why the police man brought her here but from the moment she encountered Dante , she could no longer get the question out of her head.

"Why was she brought here of all places?"

After her unpleasant encounter with her neighbor , Elena tried as much as possible to avoid Dante's side of the Villa.

As much as she wanted to know more about him , she was also skeptical about getting close to him. He had clearly warned her to run away from him. What a terrible thing to say to a woman like her, now she is hungry for more escapade. 

She lay in her bed staring blankly at the ceiling as usual , a habit that she had gotten accustomed to. It allowed her think freely .

Apparently the day after her clash with Dante she had gone back to the market to seek Eric.

The old man did not seem surprised to see her and that triggered her curiosity even more.

She could vividly remember how he had looked at her calmly and almost with pity when she asked him about Villa Rosa. She had thrown the question at him directly, if she wanted answers , then she had to ask questions directly. She would no longer care what the people will say about her, it's not going to be her first time being the topic of discussion. In fact she loves it. 

Eric gave her a reassuring stare that made her relax a little bit.

"I do not know much about the Villa" he shrugged. She knew that he just lied to her and for some reason she did not push further.

"I met him" she told him . "For the first time since I came to live in the villa"

"Dante?" Eric let out a soft sigh. His eyes held different emotions at the same time and it was hard to figure out what he was really feeling.

Elena nodded gently "yes , the one you said is a cold blooded bastard".

Eric almost laughed "I should not have said that miss."

"It's fine Eric" She forced a smile , she would have asked him to call her Elena but she had to keep her identity a secret.

He returned her smile shyly.

"who is he?" She asked finally.

Eric looked at her with disbelief in his eyes "you live in the Villa down the hill and you do not know who that man is? If you claim not to be family, then how did you end up there?"

He looked like he was going to ask her to leave but instead he gave her shoulder a soft pat.

She wanted to assure him that she was telling the truth.

"It's a long story Eric...." She said instead.

Sensing that she was not ready to talk about it, he gave her shoulder another gentle squeeze.

"Whatever the situation is miss, I think you had better stay away from him"

Their gaze met and it stayed that way for minutes.

"Why Eric?" Elena broke the silence that was beginning to make her feel awkward.

"Well there had been rumors that he killed his own brother" Eric shrugged trying to act as casual possible.

Elena's mouth opened in surprise. Had she been cursed to be around criminals all her life? First it was her family , now Dante?

"It is just a rumor miss, it could be the truth and it could be a lie" Eric added quickly.

She looked at him , not sure whether to believe him or not "who is he ? Who are his family?"

Eric sighed , he looked like her questions were throwing him into exhaustion but the only thing she cared about was getting useful information out of him. 

"How selfish of me" She whispered under her breath. 

"Dante is a Moretti, II Vipera..." he coughed gently.

"Moretti are known for their dark powers and crime. They are mafias, they bargain with the powerful and influential. I wonder why you are in that Villa miss but that's not really a place for a princess like you".

Her mind shifted drastically to her father who was also a mafia lord, an extremely brutal one. 

She knew deep down that there was more to the story Eric had told her.

She felt like she was being stared at by wild pair of eyes but she did not see anyone when she turned around. Even in town, these pair of eyes followed her around.

Eric not paying much attention to her uncomfortable body language sliced through vegetables like he always does.

Elena rubbed her palms anxiously "thank you for trusting me with such information Eric"

He smiled revealing his incomplete set of teeth again "everyone knows this miss, except you. The locals know the Moretti and how dangerous they can be."

"I guess I had better just pretend like I haven't even heard of them" she joked .

"The less you knew , the safer you seemed to be" Eric said as a matter of fact.

"The locals might take you to be a Moretti if they know you come from that villa."

Elena laughed "I do not want people misunderstanding me , because I am not and will never be a Moretti."

Since she got back from meeting with Eric, she avoided Dante so much that she hardly stepped out of her room . He had been unusually quiet as well since their first encounter , he no longer made sounds in the morning or spoke to himself every minute.

She suddenly felt pity for him , she felt sorry for invading his privacy.

If he truly killed his brother , she was going to find out why.

"I'm sorry Eric, I don't think I can stay away from this man for long .... Dante , I do not think I would be obeying your instructions" she muttered under her breathe.

She was finally getting answers to her questions and it occurred to her that she could not hide in this room forever if she wants to know more.

Her sudden interest in Dante surprised her because she was meant to be minding her business , at least that's what the police man told her. But that would be too boring , she was tired of being bored.

Talking of the police man that brought her to live in the villa. She wondered when he would visit her next, she has series of questions she needs urgent answers to.