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Author: Nooriva
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-03 14:59:21

Isabella Leonardo:

Something hung between us. Something unspoken but painfully loud. The tension wasn’t new—it had always lingered, just beneath the surface. But now it felt heavier. More dangerous. Like if either of us said the wrong thing, everything we’d buried would come rushing back.

And I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run from it or dive straight in.

“Want to join or what?” Christopher asked, water glistening on his skin as he tilted his head toward the pool.

I exhaled slowly, shook my head. “Nah. I’m good. I… I think I’ll take a walk around. Be back in maybe forty minutes.”

He hummed in response. “Mm.”

I lingered for a moment, glanced back at him once more. His gaze hadn’t left me.

Then I turned and walked out of the villa.

Leaving the house wasn’t as easy as stepping outside. I had to get through a gate. One of the guards asked where I was going, then gave me a once-over before waving me off. I didn’t blame him—it wasn’t the kind of place you could just stroll out of unnoticed.

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  • DANGEROUSLY YOURS: INTO THE ARMS OF MY STEP_BROTHER   36

    Isabella Leonardo ;I was halfway through my coffee when the screen changed, the usual hum of morning chatter replaced by the sharp voice of a reporter. My hand stilled midair, mug hovering. The camera zoomed in on a -perfect hair, flawless makeup, a carefully chosen white blouse meant to radiate innocence.KateAnd then her voice: trembling, yet steady enough to cut through millions of homes."I only ask for one thing," Kate said, her eyes glistening, "to be reunited with my daughter, Amara. I had no choice when I left her. I was young, frightened. Circumstances were beyond my control. But a mother never stops loving her child."The mug slipped from my fingers onto the table with a dull thud, spilling coffee across the wood. My chest tightened. Every word she said was a lie, yet she wrapped it in just enough sorrow to sound convincing.Conniving bitchBy the time the broadcast ended, I'd already dialed my supervisor, my voice shaking as I asked for the week off. I didn't even give a

  • DANGEROUSLY YOURS: INTO THE ARMS OF MY STEP_BROTHER   35

    Christoper Gravemoor;I slipped out of bed quietly, took on a shirt. For a man like me, mornings usually meant checking shipment reports, counting losses, and reading coded letters. But today, I found myself padding down the stairs into the kitchen. I wanted to do something human for her.For IzzyI poured a glass of juice, sliced up fruit, and arranged a light breakfast onto a tray. It felt strange-me, the mafia lord, preparing food like some ordinary man in love. But it grounded me in a way nothing else could.When I came back upstairs, Isabella was stirring. She blinked against the light, stretching slightly beneath the sheets."You're awake," I murmured, setting the tray beside her.Her lips curved faintly. "And you made me breakfast?""Don't sound so surprised," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm capable of more than breaking bones and making enemies."She laughed softly at that, then reached for the juice. I watched her sip, the line of her throat moving delicately, an

  • DANGEROUSLY YOURS: INTO THE ARMS OF MY STEP_BROTHER   34

    Isabella LeonardoThe vibration of my phone shattered the quiet of my day off. I frowned at the screen. Darius."Hello?""Good," his voice was crisp, businesslike. "You're not busy. I've arranged where we're going today."I blinked, caught off guard. "Today? Darius, you didn't even ask-""You'll enjoy it. Trust me."I pressed my forehead against the dresser. "You sound awfully sure of yourself. How do you know I'm not working?""Because I know what I'm doing," he replied, almost amused. "Wear something comfortable. You have an hour.""An hour?" I muttered, but he'd already hung up.I tossed my phone on the bed, irritation buzzing in my chest. Still, curiosity tugged harder than annoyance. After a long shower, I dusted light makeup on, then stood at the closet, rifling through dresses until I found one that was simple but not plain. Neutral ground. My reflection in the mirror looked half uncertain, half curious.As I slipped into my shoes, the phone buzzed again. A pinned location appe

  • DANGEROUSLY YOURS: INTO THE ARMS OF MY STEP_BROTHER   33

    Isabella Leonardo;The notifications on my phone had been relentless since morning. Pings, vibrations, flashes of headlines-everywhere I turned, the name Kate Harrington was trending. Only, she wasn't "Kate Harrington" yet. Not officially.I sat on the edge of my bed, fingers trembling around the phone as I scrolled through headline after headline. Young CEO Dean Harrington sweeps mature beauty widow Kate off her feet.Another one read, Age is just a number: Love blooms between Dean Harrington and his bride-to-be.Bride-to-be.My stomach turned. She was old enough to be his mother. Correction-she was my mother, and she was choosing to make herself a joke in front of the entire world.I hit call before I could think twice. The phone rang once. Twice. She picked up on the third."Isabella," her voice came silky, almost cheerful, as though she wasn't the center of a nationwide scandal."Don't you dare say my name like that," I snapped, my throat tight with rage. "Do you even realize what

  • DANGEROUSLY YOURS: INTO THE ARMS OF MY STEP_BROTHER   32

    Christopher Gravemoor:The sharp scent of cigars still clung to my office when Collins, my cousin and most trusted lieutenant, pushed the door open without knocking. I didn't need to look up from the stack of documents I was signing; the tension rolling off him hit me first."Chris," Collin's tone was clipped, urgent. "We've got a problem. A big one."I raised my eyes slowly, pen still between my fingers. "Go on." I said without any expression.He shut the door and dropped into the chair across from me. "One of our biggest shipments-the container we had stashed in Sector Eleven-was tampered with. Broken into."My jaw flexed, though my face remained calm. "Sector Eleven? That's under Roy's unit.""Exactly," Collin nodded grimly. "At first I thought it was some outside crew. But I pulled the surveillance footage myself." He slid a drive across the desk. "You need to see this. Boss"I took it, connected it into my system, and the large screen behind my desk flickered to life. Grainy bla

  • DANGEROUSLY YOURS: INTO THE ARMS OF MY STEP_BROTHER   31

    Isabella Leonardo:I couldn't stop smiling the entire ride back. It was funny , really, how something as simple as an afternoon in the park had me humming like a child with a secret. The teddy bear sat on my lap the whole way, its stitched button eyes staring up at me as though it understood every word I had shared with Darius.When I stepped into my room at the Gravemoor estate, I closed the door behind me quickly, leaning back against it with a long breath. My cheeks ached from smiling, but I didn't care. For the first time in weeks, maybe months, I felt... light. I felt like I finally made the right move.I carried the little bear to my shelf, adjusting a few books aside to make space. Carefully, almost ceremoniously, I placed it there, still humming, turning its round head so that it faced the room. Its dark eyes gleamed in the lamplight, a silent companion to my giddiness."Perfect," I whispered, my cheeks hurt from all the smiling and laughing today.The knock came before I cou

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