Novel-novel oleh Jay Daphoenix

Luca looked around anxiously. It had been over thirty minutes since Isabella wandered off, and she was yet to be back. He knew how women loved to take their time when it came to shopping, but he was never comfortable whenever she was out of his sight.Unable to bear the suspense anymore, he headed off towards the direction she had followed, asking for directions from attendants he came across. A few minutes later, he saw a small crowd of customers gathered in the distance, with attendants also present. He wanted to ignore them and focus on searching for Isabella, but curiosity got the better of him.As he got closer, the crowd parted a little and he saw a sight that immediately sparked rage inside him. Isabella was being scolded by the supervisor, and the surrounding attendants and a few customers were throwing rude remarks at her as she calmly tried to explain herself."What the fuck is going on here?" He asked calmly, not wanting to react before finding out the cause of the commotio

Luca held the car door open as Isabella came out of the hospital after her checkup. She moved slowly with one hand resting on her growing belly, enjoying his supportiveness and his doting habits. The doctor had confirmed everything was fine, that the baby was healthy and growing well. Still, Luca kept watching her closely, making her smile at how good a father he would be."You okay?" he asked."I am fine," Isabella replied. "Stop worrying so much."Luca closed the door and walked around to the driver's side. He started the engine but did not pull out of the parking lot immediately. Instead, he turned to her with a small smile."I have a surprise for you."Isabella raised an eyebrow. "What kind of surprise?""You will see."He drove away from the hospital and merged into traffic. Isabella leaned back in her seat and watched the city pass by, expecting him to head toward the mansion where her surprise was probably waiting, but after twenty minutes she noticed they were going in a diffe

The woman kept the gun pressed firmly against Riccardo’s forehead. Her finger rested on the trigger as she turned and dismissed the guards that had brought Riccardo with a quick nod of her head. They stepped back immediately, exchanged curious glances, before turning and heading back to their post at the gate.When they were gone and completely out of earshot, she looked Riccardo straight in the eye without blinking.“Give me one good reason why I should not put a bullet in your skull right now for daring to come here.”Riccardo kept his hands visible and forced a calm smile.“Because killing me would be stupid,” he said. “And Vazquez does not strike me as a stupid man.”The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she regarded him carefully again. “You talk quite big for someone with a gun to his head.”“I’m simply telling the truth,” Riccardo replied with a shrug. “Your boss lost two men because he pushed Luca Moretti, and I know he's probably still itching for revenge. But then again, he's smart

A few days later…Isabella was in front of the mirror, delicately adjusting her bracelet and admiring her maternity gown. She rubbed her now very visible baby bump more often than necessary, making sure that Luca who was standing behind her got a good glimpse.He was dressing up also, just finishing rolling up his sleeves and making sure his watch was well placed. He had not bothered to ask any questions since the incident, and she was thankful for the doctor's advice to bring her in today for further checkup which was probably all he had been thinking about ever since.“Are you done?” he asked, acting as if he hadn't been sneaking looks at her the whole time.Isabella took her time before replying. “Isn't that obvious, mister?”He chuckled and moved closer to her. “I don't understand why you're so tense about going for this checkup. The doctor already said you were fine, but that some tests were necessary.”“I’m not tense,” she mumbled.“You are,” he said with an amused smile tugging

Both of them turned at once to stare at Luca.He stood just a few steps behind them, shirt sleeves rolled, eyes sharp despite the fatigue that still lingered in his posture. He had clearly just arrived, but the moment he took in the scene, the atmosphere changed completely.His eyes moved suspiciously from Riccardo to Isabella.“What’s going on here?” he asked.Isabella didn’t hesitate.“Nothing,” she said hurriedly. “It’s nothing, Luca.”Riccardo chuckled and shrugged dismissively.“Nothing?” he murmured, as if he was trying to understand her audacity. “That’s quite a lame response in this situation, don't you think?”Luca frowned as he stared angrily at Riccardo. “I just asked a question and you're ignoring me.”“Oh, I’m just trying to understand too,” Riccardo said, his voice filled with fake curiosity. “Because from what I just heard…”“Or what you assumed you heard,” Isabella snapped, not even giving him a chance to finish.Deep down however, her mind was already racing wildly. S

Long after night had fallen around the estate with an ominous silence, Isabella stood alone at the far end of the east corridor, just outside the small sitting room that overlooked the gardens. There was very little light here, and she had chosen this spot carefully because it was far from Luca's study and the prying eyes of his guards.Her phone rang again for the millionth time, and she swore horribly within her as she stared at Dante's name on the screen. She let it ring out once more, then lifted the phone to her ear.“Are you insane?” she snapped the moment she answered, struggling to keep her voice down even though she was alone. “What part of don’t call me repeatedly did you not understand?”Dante on the other hand didn’t even bother pretending to be calm.“I’ve been calling you all day,” he snapped back at her. “Do you have any idea what that looks like?”“What does it look like?” she shot back. “What it only looks like from my end is you trying to get me killed.”Dante seemed