Chapter 5

After Enzo left, Isabella dialed a number she hadn't called in a long time—Luca Morelli's.

In less than ten seconds, the call connected.

Luca's voice was as lazy and unhurried as ever, laced with a teasing smile.

"Principessa Isabella, how rare for you to call me of your own accord."

Isabella felt a brief moment of disorientation when she heard the voice.

The Rossi and Morelli families had always been old allies, and they were also the two oldest families in Millbrook's mafia circles to ever sit at the same table.

When they were kids, the two families had even arranged an engagement between Isabella and Luca. It was only later, when Isabella insisted on marrying Enzo, that the engagement naturally fell through.

Luca had never said anything to Isabella's face. However, over the years of Enzo rising through the Rossi family's shipping routes, pharmaceutical lines, and connections, Luca never missed a chance to make things difficult for him behind the scenes.

And Enzo had also always been deeply bothered by Luca's former status as Isabella's fiance.

Isabella knew very well that the two men despised each other and had been at odds for many years.

The Morelli family was also an old-line clan, and Luca in particular was known for being both ruthless and brilliant.

All these years, he had always held back against Enzo—not because he couldn't do more, but because he hadn't wanted to go all the way for the Rossi family's sake.

In Isabella's previous life, Luca had spent a long time abroad. It was only on the verge of her death that she vaguely heard he was preparing to return to Millbrook.

This time, it seemed, he would come in handy a little earlier.

Isabella pulled her thoughts back and got straight to the point. "Would you be interested in the businesses my family holds shares in?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for three seconds.

When he spoke again, Luca's tone had grown considerably more serious.

"Did you and Enzo have a falling out? Did he hurt you?"

Isabella tightened her grip on the phone and replied flatly, "I've taken back all the businesses my family held shares in. Among them is the Cape of Fortune shipping route. I can give it to you at 30% below market price.

"If you're willing to help grind Enzo into the dirt while you're at it, I can lower my price even further."

As soon as she finished speaking, a low laugh came from the other end of the line. There was a distinct sharpness and bloodthirstiness in that laughter.

"It would be my pleasure to do it for you."

…

Isabella stayed in the hospital for another three days, and Enzo never once came to see her.

Sofia, however, sent another text.

"Isabella, since you still refuse to get lost, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Thinking of Sofia's paranoid and crazed demeanor, Isabella felt her heart give a little lurch.

Something was seriously wrong with Sofia.

Isabella contacted her lawyer, Vincenzo Tarantino, and began liquidating everything she could under her name as quickly as possible. Then, she drew up a new will.

In the event of her accidental death, every asset, equity holding, and trust share in her name would go straight back to the Rossi family. In other words, Enzo wouldn't get a single cent.

After a moment of hesitation, she also sent her itinerary for the next two days to Luca's assistant, Niccolo Vitali.

All she wrote was, "If I go missing, look into Sofia first."

Only after doing all of this did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She had just two days left before leaving Millbrook to go see her parents.

After being discharged, Isabella went to the mall and bought gifts for Riccardo and Elvira before heading back to what had been her marital home.

In the time she had left, she still had to pack her things and finalize the property transfer.

Her car had barely rolled to a stop at the gate when a black sedan parked nearby suddenly switched on its high beams. The harsh glare cut straight through the windshield, forcing her to turn her face away.

In the next second, the engine roared violently, and the black sedan came rushing at her like a thing possessed.

All the color drained out of Isabella's face, and she dodged aside almost on pure instinct.

"No!"

A deafening crash split through the air.

Isabella was still sent flying by the impact nonetheless.

The moment she slammed heavily onto the ground, it felt as if every bone in her body had shattered. A coppery sweetness rose in her throat, then blood came pouring from her mouth.

But the most agonizing pain was in her lower abdomen. That cramping, spasming pain nearly made her black out on the spot.

Warm blood flowed from between her legs, gushing out in wave after wave.

The black sedan finally came to a stop.

The door opened, and Sofia stepped out, her high heels clicking against the ground.

She walked over to Isabella and loomed over her, taking in the miserable scene before her with a smile on her face.

Isabella glared fixedly at her. "A-Aren't you afraid of going to prison?"

Sofia covered her mouth, her laugh both coquettish and vicious.

"Why should I be afraid? I have Enzo protecting me. Once you're dead, he'll sign an Affidavit of Non-Prosecution as your husband, and with the Caro family's influence in Millbrook, you think anything's going to happen to me?

"Isabella, I didn't want to keep coming after you like this. But you just won't step aside, will you? It's about time I took my turn as Donna."

More and more blood spilled out. Isabella's eyes darkened, flooding with a red tide of pure hatred. Resentment, despair, and churning malice nearly tore her apart from the inside.

This was her hard-won second chance in life. She still hadn't seen her parents yet or watched Enzo and Sofia get dragged to hell.

Was she really going to die at their hands all over again in this life too?

Isabella closed her eyes. Just before consciousness slipped away completely, she caught a blurred glimpse of a familiar figure rushing toward her.