CHAPTER 3

Isabella's pulse raced in her chest as she continued to gaze into Alex's eyes. The terrified child moved slowly by him and dashed down the stairs in pursuit of her mother. She rushed past a group of maids who glanced at her perplexedly as she approached Angelo's office door. She arrived moments later and knocked right away.

Angelo opened the door quickly and with a smile. "What's wrong?" He inquired, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. She wanted to weep out of fury and dread.

"I want to go home." She remarked as she backed away slightly, concerned. He chuckled as he opened his office door further. He moved back to his desk, and she took a timid step inside, then another.

"I don't bite." He informed her when he sensed her hesitancy. "Why must you want to leave so soon?"

Isabella nervously stood in the corner of the room. "I just don't feel comfortable here." To be honest, she was OK until she met Alex; something about him made her want to flee, and she could tell he was up to no good.

He chuckled, "You just got here." She wanted to shout at him, but dread overcame her voice. Angelo seemed nice, yet something about him didn't seem to fit it. He took a deep drag on a cigar he had grabbed from his desk.

"I-I know, but my friends and boyfriend will be really anxious. I literally have no reception in this area, and I really need to go home," she said.

He opened his lips to speak right as the door opened. Her eyes shifted to Alex, who exhibited no compassion. He looked across to his father with a harsh and icy glare.

"Alex, have you met Maria's daughter, Isabella?" he said. Alex smirked as he grabbed Isabella's hand and raised it to his lips. She could swear his tongue brushed across her flesh as he pecked it. She removed her hand from his clutches, which he scowled at.

"How rude, neonata?" he mocked.

"She just told me she needed to get home. Angelo whispered the strange words to his kid as he switched to his computer. Alex glanced at her as if he was arguing in his head.

She stood there awkwardly once again, trying to flee from his intense gaze. "She stayed. This is my sister, after all, right?"

That piqued Angelo's interest, causing him to glance up at his son as if he had just solved the most difficult problem in the world. Isabella hurriedly wiped the tear that had spilled from her eye. "Where's my mother?"

"Maria!" Angelo exclaimed.

Maria entered the room in seconds, her brows furrowed. She turned around and froze as her gaze met Alex's. The woman hurriedly looked down at the floor before approaching her spouse.

"Isabella asked for you," Angelo said softly against her ear. Her focus immediately shifted to her kid. When she noticed Isabella's sadness, she instantly walked over to her.

"Is everything okay?" Maria forced a grin on her face. Isabella's gaze shifted to Alex, who continued to stare at her intensely.

"I want to go home," she said. She observed how her mother paused for a moment before looking across at Alex, then Angelo. He nodded and offered her a wink.

"You don't really have a home anymore, Isabella," her mother explained. Isabella felt like crying at that point. She had entirely forgotten about her father's house, which she had lost. Her heart ached, and the continual state of terror did little to help.

Isabella rushed out of the office and walked towards the front door. A guard stood in front of it, and it appeared that she would not be able to pass through. She stormed up the stairs and back into her room, slamming the door.

She hurled herself against the door, and slid down it, palming her head. Tears began to fall from her eyes, and her sobbing resonated throughout the room. She hoped her father was here to console her like he usually did. She hoped her mother was not such a foolish piece of nothing.

A faint knock at the door could be heard. Isabella immediately dried her tears with her shirt before opening the door. Her mother was there, a sorrowful expression on her face. When Isabella spotted her, she started to lock the door, but her mother had already entered the room.

"Look at Isabella. I understand you're terrified and bewildered, but this was the only way I could persuade him to let you remain." Her mother yelled something out before running her fingers through her hair. She looked down and locked the doorknob.

"What is all of this? Why can't I leave? Who are they? "Why have you brought me here?" Isabella inquired, shedding tears once again. She despised her delicate heart, which constantly felt the need to make her cry over the simplest things.

"It will all make sense shortly. Just remember that Alex is a terrifying man. You are his step-sister; perhaps that would help him not be so nasty." Maria gazed around the room, uncomfortably.

"Be too cruel?" "What are you talking about?"

"Bella, please be polite to your stepbrother. Do what he says. I'm sure you despise me because I despise myself. This will all be for the best, okay?" Maria inquired before proceeding to the door, leaving Isabella perplexed.

"This isn't normal," Isabella mumbled to herself, but her mother overheard.

She offered her another mournful grin before opening the door. "Come on, I'll give you a tour of the place."