The sound of the waves was the first thing I heard as consciousness slowly returned to me. Their crash sounded rhythmic, striking something out there in an oddly soothing cadence. Yet that calm only made me more confused. I tried to move my body, but every limb felt heavy, as if I had just come through a long sleepless night.
My head throbbed.
I groaned softly before slowly opening my eyes.
The gentle light of a crystal lamp immediately met my gaze. I blinked several times, trying to adjust my vision. A white ceiling stretched above me. Beautiful carvings adorned the walls, while long dark curtains hung beside the large window.
I frowned.
Where was I?
I tried to sit up.
My body immediately swayed.
I gripped the sheets tightly to keep from falling. My head spun, and my vision blurred for a moment.
“What happened...?”
My voice sounded so small.
I closed my eyes, trying to remember what had happened before I ended up in this place.
But my mind found nothing but emptiness.
I remembered being on the road.
I remembered the glare of vehicle headlights.
I remembered the deafening sound of brakes.
After that...
Nothing.
I opened my eyes again.
My heart began to beat faster.
Slowly, I lowered my feet from the bed. The soles of my feet touched the cold floor. I stood, holding on to the side of the bed.
I had taken only two steps when I lost my balance again.
It wasn't my head.
The floor was moving.
I froze.
No.
Not the floor.
The entire room was moving.
Slowly.
Rising and falling.
I held my breath.
“Don't tell me...”
I ran toward the window.
My trembling hand grabbed the curtain and yanked it open.
The view beyond the glass made my entire body freeze.
The sea.
There was nothing but sea.
The sea stretched so far that I couldn't find its edge. Its surface was deep blue, reflecting the pale moonlight. Waves rolled along the side of the yacht, while the night wind made the water look like a sheet of black glass in constant motion.
I slowly backed away.
“No...”
My eyes swept across the horizon.
There was no land.
No buildings.
No city lights.
Nothing at all.
I was in the middle of the sea.
“How could I possibly be here?”
Panic began spreading through my entire body.
I turned and searched for my phone.
The table beside the bed was empty.
I opened the drawer.
Nothing.
I checked the vanity.
Empty.
My bag.
My wallet.
My keys.
Not a single one of my belongings was there.
“Alena, calm down...”
I tried talking to myself.
“Calm down. There has to be an explanation.”
But the more I searched, the clearer one horrifying truth became.
I hadn't come to this place of my own free will.
I didn't even know how I had gotten here.
I ran toward the door.
My hand immediately closed around the doorknob.
I pulled.
It didn't open.
I tried again.
Harder.
It still didn't move.
“Help!”
I knocked on the door.
“Is anyone out there?”
There was no answer.
I knocked harder.
“Please open the door!”
Silence.
I pressed my ear to the door.
There wasn't a sound.
My throat began to tighten.
Then—
Knock.
I fell silent.
The sound came from a distance.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Footsteps.
Someone was walking toward my room.
My heart beat faster and faster.
I backed away.
The footsteps drew closer.
I didn't know who was behind the door.
I only knew one thing.
I didn't want to meet them.
My hands searched for something I could use as a weapon. My eyes found a small vase on the table. I grabbed it with both hands.
The door suddenly made a sound.
Click.
The lock turned.
I held my breath.
The door opened slowly.
Two men entered first.
They wore black suits and had large, muscular builds. Their gazes were cold. One of their hands rested near his waist, where a weapon was clearly tucked.
I tightened my grip on the vase.
I didn't dare move.
The two men then stepped aside.
Making way for someone.
A man walked in.
His steps were calm.
Unhurried.
Yet somehow, his presence made the air in the room feel different.
He was tall, perhaps much taller than me. His erect frame was wrapped in an impeccably tailored black suit. His black hair was neatly styled, while his face had a sharp jawline and an unreadable expression.
But his eyes...
His eyes were what frightened me most.
Dark.
Sharp.
Calm.
His gaze went straight to me.
I felt as if I were being watched by someone who already knew all my secrets.
The man stopped several feet in front of me.
His eyes moved slowly from my face to the hand still clutching the vase.
Then a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“A lot of people dream of being on this yacht.”
His voice was low.
Calm.
Far too calm for someone who had just entered the room of a clearly terrified woman.
I raised the vase a little higher.
“Don't come any closer.”
He didn't move.
“Who are you?”
The man only stared at me for several seconds.
Then he answered,
“Enzo Moretti.”
The name sounded unfamiliar to me.
Yet the two armed men behind him immediately lowered their heads.
I looked at them.
Then I turned my gaze back to the man in front of me.
Who was he?
Enzo took one step forward.
I immediately backed away.
“I asked who you are!”
“I already answered.”
“Why am I here?”
The smile disappeared from his face.
“I've been waiting for you to wake up.”
I fell silent.
“Waiting for me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Enzo didn't answer right away.
He walked toward the window and stood there, looking out at the sea.
“Because I brought you here.”
I felt as though I had just been slapped.
“You...”
I swallowed.
“You kidnapped me?”
Enzo turned toward me.
“That's right.”
His answer was so simple.
Without guilt.
Without regret.
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You're crazy.”
“Maybe.”
“Take me back.”
“No.”
That single word made my chest feel tight.
“I don't know who you are.”
“You don't need to know.”
“I want to go home.”
“I know.”
“Then let me go!”
Enzo looked at me with a calm expression.
“I can't.”
“Why?”
For the first time, his eyes changed.
There was something dark in them.
Something I couldn't understand.
“Because this place is safer for you.”
I almost laughed in disbelief.
“Safe?”
I pointed toward the two armed men behind him.
“You kidnapped me, locked me in a room, brought me to the middle of the sea, and now you're telling me I'm safe?”
Enzo didn't answer.
I grew even angrier.
“Who are you, really?”
Silence filled the room.
Then one of the men behind him said quietly,
“Watch your mouth in front of Don.”
I turned toward him.
“Don?”
I looked back at Enzo.
He only gave me a faint smile.
Only then did I understand that this man was no ordinary person.
There was something about the way he stood.
About how the people around him lowered their heads.
About how no one dared contradict him.
I had heard the Moretti family name before.
A family that rarely appeared in the news, but was often mentioned in whispers.
Dark businesses.
A criminal network.
People no one was allowed to touch.
The mafia.
My blood ran cold.
“Don't tell me...”
Enzo raised an eyebrow.
“You...”
I struggled to say the word.
“...you're mafia?”
His smile changed.
This time, it wasn't a friendly smile.
It was the smile of someone who didn't mind if other people feared him.
“At least you're starting to understand.”
The vase nearly slipped from my hands.
I backed away until my back touched the wall.
I had been kidnapped by the mafia.
And I was in the middle of the sea.
Alone.
Without my phone.
Without anyone knowing where I was.
I looked at Enzo with fear I could no longer hide.
“What do you want from me?”
Enzo walked closer.
I wanted to back away, but there was nowhere left to go.
He stopped just a few steps in front of me.
His gaze locked onto my eyes.
“I want only one thing.”
“What?”
“For you to stay here.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
Enzo smiled.
“You'll change your mind.”
“I never will—”
“Alena.”
I fell silent.
My heart seemed to stop for a second.
How did he know my name?
I had never told him.
Enzo looked at me calmly.
“Do you think I kidnapped you without knowing who you are?”
I couldn't answer.
A faint smile appeared on his face again.
“This is only the beginning.”
Then he turned and walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he stopped.
“Get some rest.”
I stared at his back.
“I'll bring you dinner.”
“I don't want anything from you!”
Enzo glanced back at me.
“Then you'll stay hungry.”
The door closed.
Click.
I stood there alone.
The vase was still in my hands.
I stared at the door, my breathing uneven.
Then I slowly turned toward the window.
The sea still stretched endlessly outside.
Dark.
Cold.
Without end.
I walked toward the glass and looked at my reflection.
My face was pale.
My hair was a mess.
My eyes were filled with fear.
“Alena...”
I whispered to myself.
“How am I going to get out of here?”
There was no answer.
Only the sound of the waves.
Their crash grew louder as the yacht moved through the night sea.
And when I saw the shadows of several guards standing outside the door, a horrifying realization slowly struck me.
I wasn't a guest.
I was a prisoner.
And the man named Enzo Moretti...
didn't bring me onto this yacht by accident.
He had planned everything.
Long before I opened my eyes.
And whatever it was he truly wanted from me...
I knew one thing.
I had to find a way to escape.
Before it was too late.