LOGINIsabella’s POVSomeone had paid Gabriel five million dollars to take me. To hide me? Or to keep me in prison?I scrolled through the years. The payments were monthly. Maintenance fees."Who are you?" I hissed, typing furiously. "Who is behind Mariposa?"I tried to trace the routing number for Mariposa Holdings. It hit a wall. High-level bank encryption. But Gabriel was old-school. He kept copies of everything.I dug deeper into his "Correspondence" folder. I found a scanned PDF dated four months ago… right before I ran away. It was a legal letter. The letterhead was embossed with a silver crest: Vargas & Associates - Attorneys at Law, Panama City.I opened the document. Most of it was edited with heavy black lines so I couldn't read, but one paragraph was visible.> "Client X is displeased with the news of the death. The contract is void from now on."My blood ran cold. I felt a painful slap against my heart.Gabriel hadn't just lied to me… he had used me to keep his cash flow alive
Isabella’s POV"Go lay down." Romeo said as we stepped into the foyer of the penthouse. "Don’t faint.""I am fine, Romeo. I just want to change.""Fine." He sighed, hands on his hips. "I will need to go to the clinic. I will leave Irene with you. If I hear anything from her, I am coming in with a medical kit."I nodded absently and walked toward the master bedroom. I needed to get out of these clothes. I entered the bedroom and stopped. The bedsheet was changed into a new one, replacing the one we… I Dante and spent the night on. Good.I walked to the closet and pulled out the soft cashmere sweater Dante had given me earlier. My fingers lingered on the fabric.Tactical error."He is right.” I whispered to the empty room. "It is better this way."I went into the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face and forced myself to straighten my back. I couldn't afford to be distracted.I spent the next two hours in the living room, staring at a laptop Romeo had set up for me.He had told me
Isabella’s POVDante who was confused by my sudden response, raised a brow. "About the Panama lead? Michele is already running algorithms on…""No.” I cut him off. Frustration was building up inside me. "About last night."His jaw tightened. A muscle feathered in his cheek. He looked at me with blankness. “What’s there to talk about?”“I am sorry.” I looked down at the floor, unable to meet his dark eyes now. "I shouldn't have let that happen.”“Let what happened?” He waited.My heart was sinking as the words left my mouth. "Last night. You.. Me.. I was scared. I was vulnerable. I... I know we were just looking for an escape."I was lying. It felt like an escape. Instead, it felt like a homecoming. But I couldn't say that.I was a woman with a red target on her womb and a father who killed his last child. I didn't have room for a heart and I certainly didn't have room for a man like Dante Galante.Dante let go of my face. He stepped back, putting that cold distance between us that I h
Isabella’s POVRomeo drove the car into the loading bay of the warehouse."Stay here." He ordered after killing the engine. "I mean it. I am going to check first." He got out.I waited exactly ten seconds before I opened the door.The warehouse smelled of rust and oil. It was huge, dark, and silent.Except for a voice.My heart began to pound hearing Dante’s voice.It was coming from a glass-walled office above the main floor.I climbed the metal stairs. I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt I had found in my bag. I kept my hair pull back. I touched the necklace at my throat for courage.I reached the top of the stairs. The door to the office was cracked open.I looked inside. My eyes immediately widened spotting Bianca. She was tied to a chair. She looked terrified, mascara running down her face. She wasn't beaten, but she was clearly broken.Dante stood over her. He had his jacket off, sleeves rolled up. He was holding a phone in front of her face. "Who is the contact?" Dante asked. Hi
Isabella’s POVI woke up in the bedroom. It was morning. I could tell. The sunlight was seeping through the curtains. I glanced at the empty space beside me. I was alone.Below me, the sheets were wrinkled but they smelt of him. Dante. Whatever we did last night came rushing in front of my eyes. It made a flush creep up my neck.I shouldn't have done it. I was pregnant. My baby was coming into this world very soon. In this state, I wasn't supposed to get involved with another man. Specifically with a man as dangerous as Dante. We shouldn't have made it complicated. I was here to work for him. I was here to give birth to my child safely and leave without any attachments. SighingI sat up and clutched the sweater to my chest. My body ached in places I hadn't used in years. A good ache. But I wasn't supposed to feel that way again. I never wanted to.I looked around the room. My black velvet dress was folded neatly on a chair. My shoes were side by side. He was always like that. Controll
Dante Galante’s POVThe tablet screen glowed. I stared at the face on the screen.Bianca. Bianca Rossi.My oldest "friend” at least that’s what she claimed she was. She was also the daughter of one of my father's most loyal lieutenants. The woman who had stood beside me at my father's funeral and promised loyalty.She was standing in my mother’s kitchen, checking her watch at the exact timestamp the courier arrived at the gate."She wasn't on the guest list.” Michele said quietly, breaking the heavy silence. "But she has permanent clearance. She bypassed the logs.""She is the rat." I said. "She knew I would be there. She knew she would be there.”"Why?" Romeo asked as he ran a hand through his hair. "Dante, she is practically family. She grew up with us.""Because she thinks she owns me." I muttered before tossing the tablet onto the desk. I remembered the day I brought Alessia. She arrived that day. She met Alessia in server room moments later. She told her that she was a charity a







