All Chapters of The Mafia's Priced Possession: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

•ISABELLA• I turned toward Antonio after Tom had been escorted away by the security guards. Even though he was no longer someone I ever wanted to see again, he was still an inescapable part of my life, and that reality weighed heavily on me. “Did you want to kill him, Antonio?” I asked quietly. He closed the distance between us with slow, deliberate steps. “You didn’t really expect me to let him leave with you, did you?” “He had every right to come here and claim me, just like you did after you and my father drugged and auctioned me,” I shot back. His expression hardened. “Wasn’t I the one who defended you when that boy tried to humiliate you in front of his friends? I did you a favor by taking you from him, Bella, and you should be grateful.” Anger surged through me. “I will never be grateful that you bought me against my will. Because of you, I’m trapped here like a prisoner who needs your permission just to breathe.” His jaw tightened. “What is it that I haven’t allowed yo

•ANTONIO• “How far are we from finding those Conti cunts?” I asked August, my voice carrying a mix of irritation and impatience. It was around eleven at night when he came to see me at the club, and we were sitting in the VIP section with a bottle of bourbon between us. “We will find them,” he replied calmly, taking a slow sip from his glass. “It will just take a little time, Antonio. You have to remember, Dante is very smart and strategic.” “They need to be dealt with,” I said, leaning back in my chair and letting out a heavy sigh. “They could have killed Albero but didn’t. It feels like they were sending a message instead.” “You need to stop worrying so much,” August said, his tone even. “Dante knows better than to attack you unannounced. He knows the risks, and he’s smarter than that.” The only person I truly worried about, however, was Isabella. I didn’t know how to protect her when she constantly provoked me, whether by fighting me or deliberately trying to make me jealous.

•ISABELLA• Antonio and I did not say a word to each other during the drive back. I sat there pouting, staring out of the window, while he remained focused on his phone, tapping away as if he had not just dictated my entire life with the snap of his fingers. I was still furious that he had shown up at Sarah’s apartment and taken me without giving me a choice. After a while, I realized we were not heading toward his house. The route was different, unfamiliar, and my heart began to pound. I didn’t trust him anymore. If he had the nerve to shoot Peter in front of me as if he meant nothing, then there was no telling what he was capable of doing to me. “Antonio, where are we going?” I finally asked, turning to him with a mixture of fear and suspicion. He looked at me and smiled faintly. “I thought you planned to ignore me the whole ride, Bella. Relax. We will be there soon.” His calmness only made me more uneasy. I folded my arms and turned back toward the window. A few minutes

•ISABELLA• When I woke up the next morning, I found Antonio lying beside me. For a moment, I stared at him, confused, until I glanced beneath the sheets and realized I was completely naked. Shock rushed through me. I scrambled out of bed and hurried into the bathroom, wrapping a towel tightly around my body as if it could shield me from what had happened. After a few steadying breaths, I returned to the bedroom and threw a pillow at him. It hit his shoulder, and he groaned before blinking his eyes open. “Bella, are you okay?” he asked, pushing himself up and yawning. “Please get out,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. He gave a low chuckle. “Come on. We both had a good night, and you asked for it. Why am I being thrown out?” “Because you took advantage of me again. I was drunk,” I replied, refusing to meet his eyes. He sighed and slipped out of bed, coming to stand in front of me without bothering to cover himself. His confidence unsettled me more than his nakedness.

•ISABELLA• “You can’t make me want you when I don’t anymore, Tom. Just let me go and you and I won’t ever have to talk about this again. Trust me, you don’t want Antonio coming for you,” I scolded as he led me into the room with my hands tied behind my back. The door shut behind us with a heavy click that echoed through the space. The room was large, furnished, and disturbingly comfortable, as if that could make up for the fact that I had been dragged here against my will. Before I could move away, Tom pulled me by the waist and pressed me against his chest. “Don’t you remember how happy we were before your father took you to his club?” he murmured near my face. I inhaled slowly and looked down at his lips. For a brief second, a memory flashed in my mind of how they once felt against mine, how I used to melt when he kissed me. My heart reacted out of habit, skipping once, but the warmth that used to follow never came. “You can’t tell me that you ignored me for five months be