Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss-Chapter 14: Bella Hone

One and a Half Years Ago

"So, if we get the port under our territory, that would mean nothing but good things—money, free transfers, and the ability to tax others." Hector said, drawing a circle on the map.

James barely paid attention. His thoughts lingered on the consequences—if he took the port, people would die.

Before Hector could continue, Ferucci burst through the door.

"We found it." He sat down, his finger stabbing at a point on the map. "The hangar, just outside the city. It used to be an old factory. And it's exactly what you said."

"Fuck..." James leaned back, clutching his head. "How bad is it?" His gaze locked onto Ferucci's eyes, demanding the truth.

"Really bad." Ferucci exhaled. "There are at least 30 women." His voice lowered. "And they're selling them. But before that, they... 'break' them in."

James's blood boiled. His heart pounded in his chest, a deep, raw fury taking hold—far beyond anger. His fists clenched, his knuckles turning white, veins bulging.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

"Without mercy." He growled.

"Of course." Ferucci said, standing up.

But James stood too, gripping Ferucci's shoulder with a force that sent a chill down his spine.

"Without a drop of mercy. Do you understand?"

James's grip tightened, his fingers digging in like iron. Ferucci didn't even dare to speak. He just nodded.

"Call me when it's finished." James said, sitting back down, his leg shaking uncomfortably.

He had experience with this.

Because once, a dear high school friend of his had been kidnapped. What they did to that innocent 15-year-old was so horrific that her father took his own life, unable to bear the guilt of failing to protect her.

Her life was stolen. And not long after, she ended it herself.

That beautiful girl, someone so close to James, was gone.

After that, he made a promise to himself, if he ever had the power to protect someone, he would.

And after everything that had happened to him, the misunderstandings, the chaos he could protect people now.

"Should I get something to drink?" Hector asked as he observed James, sensing the rage boiling inside him.

"Something strong." James muttered.

Hector brought a bottle of whiskey, and they drank in silence until James' phone rang.

"We're done." Ferucci said on the other end of the line. "But there's a problem. If you could come here, that would be good."

Without hesitation, James stood up, grabbing his coat. Hector joined him, and they drove to the location with a few men accompanying them.

The sight before them was grim.

A rusted hangar stood in the middle of nowhere, its windows shattered.

As they stepped inside, the stench hit them immediately a mix of blood, sweat, and something far worse. The air was thick with it, suffocating.

Rows of cages lined the walls, each filled with women. Some were curled up in the corners, others stared blankly, their eyes hollow, as if their souls had already left them.

James' gaze drifted downward. The bodies of the men responsible for this horror lay scattered across the floor, lifeless and drenched in blood.

Ferucci stood among them, lighting a cigarette with shaky hands. "We left one alive... if you want him to talk."

James turned his head slowly, his expression unreadable. In the dim light, he saw a man tied to a chair, his face already swollen and bloodied.

Hector stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Your call, James."

He exhaled sharply, stepping closer. The man's eyes flickered with desperation as he recognized the one approaching him—the one who decided if he lived or died.

Kneeling down to meet his gaze, James spoke in a low, controlled voice.

"Start talking."

"Please, I have a family..." the man begged, his voice trembling with desperation.

James started laughing—a cold, empty laugh that made even his own men take a step back. The rage in his eyes was something they had seen before, but never quite like this.

"Family?" James repeated, his tone laced with pure contempt. His gaze shifted to the side, landing on one of the cages. Inside, a woman, maybe the same age as he, sat curled up, her body trembling.

His grip tightened. "Give me your knife," he said, extending his hand toward Ferucci. Without hesitation, Ferucci handed it over.

James swiftly cut the ropes binding the man.

"Th—thank—"

Before the bastard could finish, James grabbed him by the hair and dragged him toward the cage. The man screamed and struggled, but James was stronger. He slammed the man's face against the cold metal bars.

"Look!" James growled, his voice filled with fury.

The man whimpered, but James wasn't done. He yanked his head back and smashed it against the bars again.

"Look at her!" He shouted.

The girl inside flinched, her wide, broken eyes filled with silent terror.

"Isn't she beautiful?!" James hissed, his grip never loosening. "Isn't she an innocent woman?!"

Another brutal slam. Blood smeared against the cage.

"Answer me!"

"Y-yes," the man choked out, his breath shaky. "She... she is..."

James slammed his head against the bars again, harder this time.

Blood smeared across the rusted metal.

"Then tell me, where was her family when you did this to her? Where was her father? Her mother?" He yanked the man's head back, forcing him to look directly at the girl. "You took everything from her, and now you beg for your family?"

The man sobbed, his body writhing under James' grip. "P-please... I-I had no choice... they made me do it... I—"

James' grip tightened, his jaw clenching. His body was shaking—not from anger alone, but from something deeper, something that had been buried inside him for too long.

"No choice?" He let out a bitter laugh. "You had a choice every single time you locked those cages, every time you watched them suffer. And now, you get to suffer too."

He pressed the knife against the man's throat. The room was silent except for the soft gasps of the survivors and the shuffling of Hector and Ferucci, who stood back, watching.

But before he could answer, a low, broken voice spoke.

"Am I beautiful?"

James looked up at the woman in the cage. Her face was swollen and bruised, but her eyes were wide open, tears streaming down her cheeks as she slowly crawled toward the bars.

"Is that true...?"

James let go of the man, stepping closer to the cage. Carefully, he reached his hand through the bars, gently touching the girl's face.

"You are truly beautiful..." He said softly.

At his words, the woman let out a heart-wrenching scream, crying at the top of her lungs, her voice filled with pain and despair.

Her cries echoed through the empty hangar, a sound so raw and broken that it sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

And then James said to the man, "Run."

The man looked up, his head bleeding, his face twisted in fear and confusion.

"I said run." James repeated, his voice eerily calm.

The man struggled to his feet, his legs shaking beneath him, but he obeyed. He turned and started running, stumbling over the bodies of his fallen comrades as he made his way toward the hangar doors.

As he ran, James spoke again.

"Ferucci."

Ferucci said nothing in response.

The man barely made it a few steps before the gunfire tore through him.

His body jerked violently as the bullets ripped into his flesh, sending him crashing face-first into the dirt. The shots kept coming until there was nothing left but a lifeless, mangled corpse.

Ferucci lowered his gun, blowing out a sharp breath. "No mercy," he muttered, echoing James' words from earlier.

The hangar was silent again, except for the quiet sobbing of the women still trapped in the cages. James turned back to them, his eyes dark, unreadable. "Get them out," he repeated. "Now."

Hector stepped forward, his face unreadable as he signaled to the men. They moved quickly, unlocking the cages, helping the women out one by one. Some collapsed the moment they were free, their legs too weak to hold them up. Others clung to their rescuers, shaking uncontrollably.

James stood there, watching. His body felt like it was burning from the inside out. He wanted to scream, to tear the whole damn place apart with his bare hands. But he didn't. Instead, he turned and walked out, stepping over the dead without a second glance.

"Hector," James stated, "I will pay for all of their medical expenses, and after that, make sure to buy them houses and give them enough money to start their lives."

"No problem." Hector replied.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," James said. But as he started walking, someone pinched him from behind. When he turned around, he saw the women standing there.

"You are safe now and will be safe for the rest of your life." He said, gently patting her head before turning away. But the woman's grip remained firm.

"Your name..." She said in a low voice.

"James Bellini. And yours, beautiful?"

The girl's eyes widened, suddenly filled with life despite the horrors she had endured.

"Bella, Bella Hone."

As the girl said her name, James saw blood pouring from her side—a lot of blood. Without a second thought, he grabbed her and kissed her, transferring the medicine hidden in his fake tooth.

And that day, that kiss meant something greater to Bella Hone than James could ever imagine.

That girl became someone who would make a name for herself in less than a year and rise as a powerful figure.

And then she was there on James' side.

If you reading this on Novelnext or Chereads get your ass overhere (Webnovel) and support me here!!