The Morning After

 

Isabella POV

I woke up staring at a ceiling I didn't recognize.

For a few seconds, I lay completely still, confused about where I was. Then I turned my head.

My heart stopped.

Leonardo was sleeping beside me.

Memories came rushing back.

Julian's proposal to Chloe.

The alcohol.

Leonardo taking the glass from my hand.

Our argument.

His piercing grey eyes.

The kiss.

His touch.

Then darkness.

I immediately sat up and pressed a hand against my forehead.

Oh God.

What had I done?

For months, I had been rebuilding the walls around my heart after Julian and Chloe destroyed everything I believed about love. I had promised myself that no man would ever get close enough to hurt me again.

Yet last night, after seeing their engagement video, I had completely broken down.

And somehow, Leonardo had been the person standing beside me.

My boss.

Fiamma's brother.

The man I had secretly crushed on years ago.

I glanced at him again.

Without his usual cold expression, he looked almost peaceful.

I quickly looked away.

What would he think of me?

Would he assume I had slept with him because of his money?

Would he think I was just another gold digger?

The thought made my stomach twist.

No.

I couldn't stay here.

I quietly pushed the covers aside and gathered my clothes from the floor. I dressed as quickly as possible, picked up my purse and shoes, and headed toward the door.

I was almost there when I felt someone watching me.

I froze.

Slowly, I turned around.

Leonardo was awake.

His grey eyes were fixed intensely on me.

Neither of us spoke.

Then his expression hardened.

Leonardo POV

I hadn't slept that deeply in years.

When I opened my eyes, the memories of the previous night came rushing back.

Isabella.

The kiss.

The emotions I had tried to ignore.

Then I noticed her standing near the door, already dressed.

She was trying to leave quietly.

I watched her carefully.

I expected her to ask for something.

Money.

A gift.

Some kind of compensation.

That was what women wanted.

Money and security.

Bianca had taught me that lesson six years ago.

Yet Isabella simply stood there.

"Running away without getting paid?" I asked coldly.

Her eyes widened.

For a moment, she looked genuinely hurt.

Then she lifted her chin.

"Last night was a mistake, Mr. Moretti. And I don't need your money or anything else from you."

I stared at her.

I didn't believe her.

"If you don't want the money, fine," I said. "What happened last night stays here."

She said nothing.

"When we return to the office, you are my secretary. Nothing more."

Her expression hardened.

"You don't have to worry about that."

She turned toward the door.

"Whatever happened last night was a mistake," she said quietly. "Nothing more."

Then she walked out and slammed the door behind her.

My jaw tightened.

A mistake.

Fine.

If that was what she wanted, so be it.

I got dressed and left the room.

Outside, I ran into Fiamma.

She looked surprised.

"Good morning, brother. I thought you had already gone home."

I ignored the question and walked past her.

As I reached my car, my phone rang.

I glanced at the screen.

Matthew.

My father's attorney.

I declined the call.

It rang again.

I answered impatiently.

"What?"

"Leonardo, you need to come to my office. There is something concerning your father's will that you need to know."

"I already know about the marriage clause."

"No," Matthew said seriously. "You don't know everything."

My expression darkened.

"What are you talking about?"

"You need to see the original document."

"Tell me."

There was a brief silence.

"Your father didn't simply require you to marry before your thirtieth birthday."

I frowned.

"Then what did he require?"

"The marriage must be genuine," Matthew said. "And there must be a child born from that marriage before your thirtieth birthday."

I froze.

"What?"

"That is the condition."

My father's will suddenly felt like a ticking clock.

A genuine marriage.

A child.

And my thirtieth birthday was approaching fast.

"What happens if I don't?"

Matthew's answer was chilling.

"Your controlling interest in Moretti Industries passes to Marcelo."

My jaw clenched.

"I'll be there."

I ended the call.

My uncle wasn't bluffing.

He could actually take my company.

Everything my father had built.

Everything I had spent years protecting.

Everything I had sacrificed for.

I couldn't let that happen.

Isabella POV

By the time I reached Nonna Sophia's house, I felt completely exhausted.

The moment I walked inside, I saw my grandmother waiting for me.

"Isa, where were you? I called you several times last night."

I forced a smile.

"I'm sorry, Nonna. The party became hectic, and I ended up staying there."

She studied my face.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes."

Another lie.

I hurried upstairs before she could ask more questions.

The moment I entered my room, my strength disappeared.

I walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and finally let myself cry.

I hated Julian.

I hated Chloe.

But most of all, I hated how vulnerable I felt after last night.

Leonardo's words kept replaying in my mind.

Running away without getting paid?

How dare he?

I had never wanted his money.

I dried myself, dressed, and sat on my bed.

My phone rang.

Fiamma.

I stared at the screen before answering.

"Good morning, baby girl."

"Isabella! Where have you been? I've been calling you all morning. I was worried."

I swallowed.

"I had some emergency stuff to take care of."

"What emergency?"

"Nothing serious. I'm fine."

She was silent.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

We spoke for a few more minutes before ending the call.

I stared at my phone.

I couldn't tell her.

Not about Leonardo.

Not about last night.

And I couldn't continue working for him.

I opened my laptop.

My hands trembled as I typed my resignation letter.

When I finished, I stared at it for several seconds.

This job had been my fresh start.

But I couldn't sit across from Leonardo every day pretending nothing had happened.

I clicked Send.

The email disappeared into his inbox.

I exhaled slowly.

"It is better this way."

I closed my laptop.

I didn't know that, only minutes later, Leonardo would open the same email.

Leonardo POV

I stared at the resignation letter on my screen.

Isabella Vance.

She was resigning.

Just like that.

My first instinct was anger.

How dare she walk away without discussing it with me?

Then I remembered her words.

I don't need your money.

I leaned back in my chair.

Interesting.

Most women would have seen an opportunity in my position.

She had seen an escape.

My phone rang.

Matthew.

I answered.

"Did you find anything else?"

"Yes."

My expression hardened.

"What?"

"There is one more important detail in your father's will."

I waited.

"The child must be born within the marriage. Your father wanted an heir."

Silence filled the room.

"And if I fail?"

"Marcelo gets control."

I ended the call.

My eyes drifted back to Isabella's resignation email.

She was leaving.

The one woman who had walked away without asking for money.

And now, because of my father's will, I couldn't simply let her go.

My jaw tightened.

"You're not walking away that easily, Isabella."

I opened her resignation letter again.

Then another thought entered my mind.

If the marriage had to be genuine, a stranger wouldn't be enough.

I needed someone who could make the world believe I was truly in love.

Someone who already knew me.

Someone I could trust to play the role convincingly.

My eyes narrowed.

And for the first time, I looked at Isabella's name differently.

Not as my secretary.

But as the possible solution to the biggest problem of my life.

And she had just resigned.