Queen Of The Underworld

chapter five

Whispers of Deception

Delphine's POV:

After approximately ten minutes of being seated, gazing out of the expansive window, a knock on the door interrupts my thoughts.

A familiar female voice calls out, "Are you ready?" I don't respond verbally, but I rise from my seat, open the door, and step out, closing it behind me. We proceed in silence until Amore breaks it, walking beside me and focusing straight ahead. "So, your real name is Delphine?" she inquires. I walk alongside her, adjusting my shirt, and reply simply, "Yes."

"You have a pretty name," she compliments as we descend a flight of stairs, with me following suit. "Thank you," I express my gratitude, and silence envelops us once more.

Upon reaching the second floor, we halt. Amore advances ahead of me and knocks on three doors.

The triplets open their doors, step out, and close them behind them. The boys are attired in black jeans and black button-down shirts, with a few buttons undone and sleeves rolled up.

Isabel dons black jeans and a black long-sleeved crop top.

Amore instructs us to follow her, and as we trail behind her, Antonio nudges my arm. I turn to face him, looking up, and he poses two simultaneous questions, "Are you okay? Did they harm you?" I reassure him, "I'm fine, they didn't harm me. No need to worry," and I offer him a comforting hug.
We proceed down the lengthy corridor and descend the stairs.

Passing through the foyer, we enter a living room. Amore pivots around and instructs us to remain in our current position, refraining from moving further.

We all stand there silently until I hear a voice I recognize. A man walks into the living room, engrossed in a heated phone conversation. Isabel and Antonio begin arguing about who knows what, while Matteo looks on, expressionless.

As I divert my attention away from them, my gaze fixates on the ground, and I gently close my eyes.

In a mere half-minute, a swift gust of wind brushes against my face, causing my eyes to swiftly flutter open, redirecting my focus upward. A sense of confusion washes over me as I survey my surroundings, only to suddenly feel the chilling touch of a metal gun barrel pressed against the back of my head.

A deep, masculine voice pierces the tense silence, "Why are you throwing knives in my house?" the masculine voice asks, "I have not thrown a knife, and even if I had, you would either be deceased or writhing in agony on the ground." I cautiously retreat, emphasizing the word "had."

In one swift motion, I swiftly raise my left leg, deftly dislodging his second firearm from its holster. With agility, I promptly descended to the ground, seizing the weapon he had discharged in my direction.

Evading the two shots with nimbleness, I promptly rise from the ground, brandishing the gun and disengaging its safety mechanism.

Sporting an innocent smile, I jest, "You'll need to be quicker if you intend to catch me off guard."

The sound of the gunshots jolts the triplets from their dispute, prompting them to rush over to my side. Through clenched teeth, Alessandro commands, "Drop the gun."

Meeting his gaze with determination, I retort, "You drop yours first," standing tall to diminish the noticeable height difference between us.

Though I may not be short for a woman, standing at 5 '7", this individual towers above me at an imposing 6' 6", akin to an impassable wall.

Before Antonio could utter a word, a group of fifteen guards encircled us, their guns aimed in my direction. A knowing smile graced my lips.

"Dee, what's going on?" Antonio inquired. "He claims I threw a knife at him," I responded, scrutinizing each guard with a watchful gaze. Antonio and Matteo assessed Alessandro, their eyes tracing his figure before shifting to the ground and then back to me. Antonio tilted his head slightly and asked, "Did the knife cause you harm?" Antonio directed his question to Alessandro, who remained silent.