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홈 / The Don's Pet Breaks Free / Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

작가: zentrolao
"Apologize."

Antonio dragged me into a VIP room at the private hospital and gave the order in an icy voice.

The old me would have teared up and demanded to know why he was treating me this way.

But when I met Isabella's taunting eyes, I put on my practiced smile.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Rossi." I bowed my head. "I should've known better than to upset you. You're the Don's right-hand woman, after all. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Antonio stiffened when I said exactly what he wanted to hear.

Seeing me so humble seemed to unsettle him.

"I've apologized, Don. May I leave now?"

By my count, it was time to leave for the port.

I didn't look at Antonio's face. I turned and walked out of the room.

"Stop right there."

Isabella was propped up in the hospital bed, looking me up and down.

"Antonio, there's something I should remind you." Isabella turned to him, her tone suddenly businesslike. "I've been reviewing the family accounts, and the amount you've spent on Ella is outrageous.

"The cashmere loungewear she's wearing alone costs $10,000, not to mention her jewelry and sports cars. Antonio, even if you're keeping an obedient pet, nobody throws money around like this.

"Do you know how much profit that money could earn the family if you invested it in this merger?"

Antonio seemed to understand what Isabella was getting at. He took out his phone and called Bruno.

"Cancel all of Ella's credit cards billed to the family accounts. And tell the luxury boutiques to stop sending her anything."

Bruno hesitated on the other end of the line. "Don, Ms. Ella already contacted all the luxury brands two days ago and told them not to send her anything else at your expense."

Antonio froze. A flicker of approval crossed his face as he looked at me.

"Ella, you really have learned how to behave."

"Is there anything else? If not, I really need to go."

Scotland. I can't wait to get there.

I had sold Antonio's gifts for a good price. I had even mortgaged the apartment he'd given me.

There was enough money in my account to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

"What's the rush?"

A cruel glint flashed in Isabella's eyes. "Since Ella is so determined to stand on her own two feet, why not go all the way?

"That loungewear was paid for with family money too, wasn't it? Which makes it family property. As the Moretti family's new financial manager, I have every right to reclaim anything purchased with improperly used family funds.

"Ella, take it off."

I turned to Antonio in disbelief, expecting him to stop her.

But when he met my eyes, he looked away.

Antonio's silence crushed the last shred of my dignity.

He cared about me. But not enough to defy Isabella when the family's interests were on the line.

Calmly, I started undoing the buttons of my loungewear.

The first button. The second.

The harsh light fell on my exposed skin.

The clothes slid to the floor, and suddenly a black coat wrapped around me.

It should have made me feel safe. Instead, it made me sick.

"Ella, be a good girl and wait for me at home," Antonio said as he pushed me into the waiting car.

I looked at the face I had traced in my mind on countless nights and put on a perfect smile.

"Okay. I'll wait for you."

Only when he was completely out of sight did I speak softly to the driver.

"To the port, please."

I'd once believed that if I was obedient enough, I'd have a place in his world of wealth and luxury.

But now I knew better. Affection you have to beg for is never yours to keep.

It's gone the moment the sun comes up.

The ferry cut through the water, roaring north.
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  • The Don's Pet Breaks Free   Chapter 10

    Antonio staggered two steps back and nearly fell in the snow.I watched him sway and tore away the last scrap of pretense between us."You're really pitiful. The great Don of the Moretti family, and whenever something goes wrong, all you can do is blame a woman."You never look at yourself. You never dare admit that your arrogance and incompetence brought us here."Antonio froze, a flicker of pain crossing his face.He finally understood. What he saw as redemption, I saw as nothing more than shifting the blame.I ignored Antonio as he fell apart and didn't spare Isabella a glance.I simply turned, went inside, and shut the door on the whole farce.Later, I heard Antonio had fallen seriously ill. His bodyguards carried him onto his private jet that same night.Isabella was taken away too.As for what happened to her, I couldn't have cared less.On the day they left, Bruno came to see me. He handed me an envelope. "Ms. Ella, this is the deed to the inn. The Don has already signed it over

  • The Don's Pet Breaks Free   Chapter 9

    When that didn't work, Antonio changed tactics.Old Mary called me while I was searing a steak.Her voice sounded old, but she still spoke with authority. "Ella, have you lost your mind? Countless women would kill to catch the Don's eye."I tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder and flipped the steak. "Mary, that's the first survival rule you ever taught me.""That was strategy, playing hard to get. It didn't mean you should actually run!""But you said it yourself. The moment another woman shows up at his side, I have to leave right away."Hearing me talk back, Old Mary was even more exasperated."That was so you'd have the upper hand. You're supposed to go back now and make him make it up to you. Make him feel guilty. Make him give you more. And what do you do? Run off to Scotland. Did your brain freeze up there?"So that's it.No wonder those women managed to secure their places so quickly.I had never understood what Old Mary really meant.But that was just me. Slow, simple E

  • The Don's Pet Breaks Free   Chapter 8

    Antonio's idea of giving me time to think was to buy up everything I needed to survive in this little town.He thought that if he cut off every escape route, I would have no choice but to return to my cage.First, the town's food supplier returned my deposit.Then the firewood deliveries stopped coming.By the weekend, my landlord arrived with a check. He hemmed and hawed before telling me why.A Mr. Moretti from Italy had paid a premium for the inn, and I had three days to move out.None of it surprised me.After all, Antonio came by every day and sat there with his laptop.All he did was stare at me with that wistful look.So I closed the inn, borrowed tools from next door, and managed on my own.Antonio watched in shock as the woman who once couldn't twist open a bottle cap swung a heavy ax.Once. Twice.I split the logs and threw them into the fireplace.When the three days were up, I handed over the keys to the inn.My neighbors kindly took me in and cleared out their storage room

  • The Don's Pet Breaks Free   Chapter 7

    Isle of Skye, Scotland.A bitter wind whipped up the snow and flung it against the windows.I sat by the window with a steaming cup of coffee, balancing the books.Here, I didn't have to put on perfect makeup every day or squeeze into gowns so tight I couldn't breathe. I didn't have to starve myself to suit my master's tastes, either.In the six months since I'd come to Scotland, I had put on 11 pounds.My cheeks had color again, and my once-sharp chin had filled out.I felt like a ripe berry, bursting with life.With the money from the jewelry I had sold, I took over a small family-run inn in this remote corner of the world.The ground floor was a pub, and the upstairs had guest rooms.Every morning, I went out through the snow to buy fresh ingredients, then cleaned the rooms until they were spotless for travelers from all over the world.When guests got snowed in, I cooked a big pot of hot Scottish stew and listened to their stories.If the women in the family saw how unkempt I looke

  • The Don's Pet Breaks Free   Chapter 6

    "Don, you can't!" Bruno was sweating bullets. "The merger deal is scheduled to be finalized at three this afternoon. If you leave now, six months of hard work will go down the drain. How are you going to explain that to the elders?"Antonio froze where he stood.The family or a runaway pet. The choice was right in front of him.Everyone seemed to know which he would choose.That afternoon, the asset merger was signed.At the celebration banquet, Antonio knocked back glass after glass like a man who was already dead inside.He ended up in the hospital having his stomach pumped. When he woke, he saw a familiar silhouette."Ella, Ella, you came back..."Antonio clutched the woman's hand and wouldn't let go. Then he heard Isabella's voice and came to his senses."Antonio, it's me."Isabella sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his forehead. "You pushed yourself too hard. But at least we closed the deal. From now on, I'll help you keep things under control. The Moretti family will definit

  • The Don's Pet Breaks Free   Chapter 5

    By the time Antonio pushed open the estate doors again, it was the next day.Isabella had kept complaining that she was dizzy.But the doctors had examined her again and again and found nothing wrong.He had meant to leave, but she kept him there to go over the merger details.All night, he couldn't get the image of Ella calmly unbuttoning her clothes in the hospital room out of his head.Her calm pierced him like a needle.When Isabella finally fell asleep, he rushed back to the estate.First he bought Ella's favorite cream rolls, then picked up a limited-edition handbag the brand had just shipped in.Ella could be stubborn, Antonio thought, but she had a soft heart.All he had to do was set the handbag in front of her and say a few soothing words.Then she would throw herself into his arms like she always had.She was his caged pet. She might bare her claws now and then, but she'd never escape his grasp."Ella, I'm home."Antonio changed into his slippers and set the shopping bags in

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