26: Threads from the Past

The rain hammered harder against the windows, a steady percussion that made Isabella’s voice seem even sharper in the quiet café.

“Your father’s company,” she began, setting her leather bag on the nearest table, “is drowning in debt. Investors are pulling out. There’s talk of a hostile takeover.”

Luca didn’t flinch, but Arianna could see the faint twitch in his jaw. “That’s not news to me,” he said evenly. “We’re working on it.”

Isabella’s eyes sparkled with something between pity and challenge. “Working on it won’t be enough. I have contacts. People who could step in. People who still owe me favors.” She leaned forward, her perfume mingling with the aroma of coffee and fresh pastries. “But my help comes with conditions.”

Arianna didn’t like the sound of that. “Conditions?” she asked before she could stop herself.

Isabella glanced at her, as if sizing her up. “Let’s just say… I’d want Luca’s full attention on this. No distractions.” Her gaze lingered on Arianna just long enough for the implication to land like a blade.

Luca’s voice was steel. “If this is about us  whatever we were that’s over. You’re here for business, fine. Keep it that way.”

Isabella tilted her head, feigning innocence. “Of course, Luca. But you know how business and pleasure tend to overlap.”

Arianna’s pulse quickened. She wanted to speak, to tell this woman she wasn’t going anywhere, but she stayed silent, her hand curling around the edge of the counter.

“Send me the details,” Luca said finally. “I’ll consider it.”

Isabella smiled like a cat that had been fed cream. “I knew you’d listen to reason.” She stood, adjusting her coat, and with one last pointed glance at Arianna, she swept out into the rain.

The door closed. Silence.

Arianna turned to Luca. “Who exactly is she?”

He let out a slow breath. “Someone I thought I’d left in the past.”

But judging by the shadow in his eyes, Arianna knew the past had no intention of letting go.

A Debt in Disguise 

Two days later, Arianna found herself standing in the lobby of a towering glass building, the kind where the walls seemed to whisper secrets. She wasn’t here for herself she was here because Luca had asked her to drop off some documents.

Or so she thought.

The receptionist, a sleek woman with perfect eyeliner, smiled a little too knowingly when she saw Arianna’s name. “Ah, yes. Ms. Isabella is expecting you.”

Arianna frowned. “Isabella?”

Before she could protest, a tall man in a dark suit appeared and gestured for her to follow He led her into a private elevator that whisked them up so fast her ears popped. When the doors opened, Isabella was waiting in a penthouse office, a view of the city sprawling behind her like a painted backdrop.

“Lovely to see you, Arianna,” Isabella said, her smile the definition of cordial cruelty. “Please, sit.”

Arianna stayed standing. “I’m just here to deliver papers for Luca.”

“Of course,” Isabella purred, taking the envelope from her hand without looking inside. “But while you’re here, we should talk. You see, I’m about to do something… generous for Luca’s family. Something that could save them. But generosity always comes with a price.”

Arianna crossed her arms. “And you want me to be the price?”

“Not exactly,” Isabella said, stepping closer, her heels clicking against the marble floor. “But I do want you to understand your place. Luca can’t afford distractions. If he wants my help, he’ll need to… refocus.” Her gaze slid over Arianna with calculated disdain. “Which means you step aside.”

Arianna’s heart pounded, but she kept her voice steady. “If you think you can buy Luca’s loyalty, you don’t know him as well as you think.”

For a moment, Isabella’s smile faltered. Then it returned, sharper than ever. “We’ll see.”

As Arianna left the office, clutching the empty envelope, she realized this wasn’t just about business. Isabella wasn’t trying to save Luca’s family. She was trying to erase Arianna from his life entirely.