CH 109

**MATEO'S POV**

I floated on my back in the infinity pool, arms spread wide, letting the warm water cradle my body while the afternoon light poured through the glass ceiling of the penthouse. Meetings could wait. The world could wait. Today I needed this - a few quiet hours to rest, to think, to stop pretending I wasn't counting every second until Isabella was back where she belonged.

My phone sat on the edge of the deck, dry and waiting. I reached for it, water dripping down my arm, and dialed the number I'd saved but never bothered using before today.

Lukas answered instantly.

"You're calling me for the first time," he said, tone already dripping with suspicion. "Did Isabella run crying to you already?"

I smirked, staring up at the clear sky visible through the glass. "You have my number saved. That's impressive."

A short, bitter laugh crackled through the speaker. "You have mine. I'd call that impressive too."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, the sound heavier than I meant it to be. The water lapped gently against my chest as I treaded slowly. "Man, just let her go."

Silence. Thick, dangerous silence. I could picture him perfectly - those cold blue eyes narrowing to slits, jaw locked tight, one hand already reaching for something to break or pulling on his hair.

I couldn't help but chuckled.

"It's funny to you?" Lukas finally spat, irritation boiling into raw anger.

I burst out laughing again- deep, genuine, until actual tears stung the corners of my eyes. I wiped them away with the back of my wet hand, still chuckling. "Sorry... Aren't we a little too old for this shit?"

"You called me," he growled. "Say what you have to say or-"

"Okay, okay." I cut him off, letting the amusement fade from my voice. "I want you to give Isabella time off. She mentioned something about an Aufhebungsvertrag... Just sign the damn thing. Or terminate the contract cleanly. Whatever gets it done fast."

Lukas went quiet again. My irritation started to rise, the warm water suddenly feeling too still around me.

"One mistake you can make is trying to force her to do what she doesn't want," I said, voice low and firm, the kind that usually made people shut up and listen. "Believe me, I tried. She ran. Don't make the same mistake."

I heard movement on his end - fabric rustling, footsteps. Then Lukas speaking quickly in German to someone nearby. A child's bright voice answered, "Danke, Papa."

A small smile tugged at my lips despite everything. "Is that your baby? Say hi to her for me."

"If you called just to talk rubbish and order me around, I'm ending this call now," Lukas snapped, ice-cold. "Be civilized."

I stayed silent for a beat, shaking my head as I swam to the edge and rested my forearms on the smooth stone. "She can process it," he added, hate thick in every syllable. "I don't hold her from coming to jump your bones."

"It will be past Christmas," I replied, bored, like we were discussing traffic.

Lukas slapped something hard - a desk, probably. The sharp crack echoed through the phone. "I don't care. That means she doesn't spend Christmas with you. I'm fine with that."

I sighed, wishing more than anything I could reach through the line and drive my fist into his nose. "You made me end things with her... you made me-"

"Hey man, don't blame me for not being clean," I interrupted calmly. "I didn't do nothing."

"You fucking liar!" Lukas exploded, voice cracking with fury. "You said break her heart or I will give this to the press. I remember, you Stück Scheiße! She hates me because of your stupid obsession!!!"

I smiled slowly, satisfied. Yeah... that part was true. But I kept my tone steady.

 "Man, we're both adults. And you know if you try to make a woman do something she doesn't want, it's hell. Believe me. She would hate you more than this if you keep pushing. She would break. And you know her. Her poor heart. You can just sign the shit today and she can be in London tomorrow... or keep her. Let her hate you and miss Christmas..."

"You just want her back!" he accused.

"I can come spend Christmas with her, or she can fly back after," I continued smoothly, refusing to rise to his bait. "She just wants it done legally. You want her to hate you? Let's say she misses Christmas... you think I won't still have her again? Or that she can't stop working if she wants?"

Lukas went completely silent. All I could hear was his breathing - heavy, controlled rage.

"Trust me when I say Isabella's love is hard to get," I added quietly. "And if she hates you, or leaves you... just think about it. I can bring her myself for the DNA. You know we'll need your sample... or I can just use mine. You'll see it matches and - viola! All done."

The line stayed quiet. I pulled the phone away to check if we were still connected. We were. I brought it back to my ear just in time to hear a violent crash - glass or plastic shattering - and then the call cut off.

He'd smashed his phone. That's asshole .

I set mine down beside the pool, watching the screen go dark. Isabella was stressed about the visa and work situation. I could fix it the easy way - have Otto plant something and get her "fired" so she wouldn't have to worry. But I knew her. She wanted her record clean. She was proud like that. Besides, she wouldn't need to work again with everything I had planned for her. She'd be comfortable. More than comfortable. She'd be mine, properly.

I picked the phone back up, checked the time - she should still be on shift but might have it nearby. She answered.

"Hello, love," I said, pausing to keep my voice light and steady. "So I called Lukas and-"

"You what?!" Isabella's voice came through sharp, hushed, and already on edge.

I leaned back against the pool edge, water dripping down my chest. "We talked. It wasn't pretty, but I explained the situation. I think he's considering the Aufhebungsvertrag stuff... or at least giving you proper time off. I kept it mostly civilized on my end."

She paused. I could picture her freezing somewhere in the hospital, eyes narrowing the way they did when she caught me in half-truths. "You are lying."

I laughed softly, the sound warm but tired. "Okay... fine. I did nothing. He did all the yelling, the name-calling, the usual bullshit. But believe me, I was on my best behavior. Good boy Mateo the entire time."

I listened to her breathing, hoping she wasn't spiraling, hoping the stress wasn't eating her alive. I slapped a wet hand against the water in frustration with myself - maybe I should've stayed calmer with him. Maybe I'd just made everything worse.

"Babe. Are you okay?" I asked gently.

Her voice dropped even lower, almost a whisper now. "I'm being called to HR. I don't know... maybe-" She hesitated, the worry clear. "Please let me call you back."

The line went dead before I could say anything more.

I dropped the phone back with a soft thud and stared at it for a long moment, jaw tight, water still dripping from my hair.

"Bloody hell," I whispered to the empty pool deck, the words echoing faintly off the surface of the water.