Semua Bab The king of Ashes : Bab 101 - Bab 110

(Isabella’s POV) The quiet, holy silence of the church wrapped around us like a protective blanket. Alessandro held me, his arms a band of iron, his body a solid, living wall against the horrors of the outside world. I could feel the frantic, relieved beating of his heart against my cheek, a beautiful, frantic rhythm that was the sweetest music I had ever heard. I was safe. He was here. We were alive. I looked up at him, at his beautiful, beloved face. The cut on his forehead was a stark, red line against his pale skin, a testament to the violence he had just endured. His golden eyes, which had been so full of a dead, empty darkness when I had last seen him in the war room, were now shining with a raw, unguarded love and a relief so profound it mirrored my own. I understood, in that quiet, sacred moment, the true depth of his love. He had been ready to burn the entire world down for me. His love was not a gentle, poetic thing. It was a fierce, all-consuming, elemental force, a

(Isabella’s POV) The car ride to the museum was a silent, tense journey. I was no longer Isabella Rossi, the art restorer who was engaged to the most powerful man in the city. I was Countess Alessa Petrova, a reclusive, wealthy, and slightly arrogant European noblewoman with a passion for rare art. I repeated the details of my new life in my mind, a quiet, steadying rhythm. I was born in Florence, educated in Switzerland, and my family’s money was old, vast, and discreet. Alessa was confident, poised, and unimpressed by the flashy displays of new money. She was everything these people were not. My heart was a frantic drum against my ribs, but my hands, resting in the lap of my emerald green gown, were perfectly still. I felt the cool, heavy weight of Elara’s necklace against my skin, a silent, powerful reminder of the man who was watching over me, and the love that was my true armor. The car pulled up to the grand entrance of the museum. The night exploded in a sea of flashing

(Isabella’s POV) The morning of the lunch arrived with a cold, electric tension that was a stark contrast to the beautiful, sunny day outside. This was not a social call. It was a battle, and I was the lone soldier walking behind enemy lines. I stood before the mirror in our bedroom, looking at my reflection, and took a deep, steadying breath. I was nervous, my heart a fluttery, anxious thing in my chest. But underneath the nerves, a cold, hard resolve was beginning to form. They wanted to see the Rossi girl, the king’s weakness. I would show them his queen instead. Alessandro came up behind me, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. He was already dressed in a dark, impeccably tailored suit that made him look like a beautiful, dangerous shadow. He looked at my reflection in the mirror, his golden eyes searching mine. I could see the storm of his own fear there, the primal, protective instinct that was at war with his trust in me. “They will try to make you feel small today

(Isabella’s POV) The moment I ended the call with Sofia, the war room, which had been holding its breath, let out a collective, quiet sigh of relief. I looked at the faces of Alessandro’s men, at Lucian and the others, and I saw a new look in their eyes. The last traces of doubt were gone, replaced by a grudging, hard-won respect. I was not just their king’s weakness. I was his queen. Alessandro was the first to move. He came to me, his long strides closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. He didn't speak. He just took my face in his hands, his golden eyes searching mine, full of a fierce, raw pride and a love so profound it felt like a physical force. He leaned down and kissed me, a deep, possessive kiss that was a silent, public declaration in front of all his men. It was a kiss that said, You are mine. You are magnificent. “You did it, mia regina,” he whispered against my lips, his voice thick with an emotion he rarely showed. “You walked into her trap and made it yo

(Alessandro’s POV) I held her in the silent, secure cocoon of the armored car, my entire world held safely in my arms. I had listened to every word of her lunch with Sofia Falcone, every polite lie, every veiled threat. I had felt my own heart hammering in my chest with a terrifying, helpless fury. Listening to the woman I loved walk willingly into a den of lions was the purest form of torture I had ever known. But she had not just survived. She had won. Her performance had been a masterpiece of quiet, lethal grace. She had played the part of the Countess so perfectly, luring Sofia in with a shared passion for art, making her feel like an equal, a confidante. And then, with the casual mention of a lost Botticelli, she had set the hook. She had confirmed, with a single, brilliant move, that the Falcones were not just rivals of Bianchi, but deep, long-term partners in his darkest secrets. She had found the crack in their perfect, polished world. When she walked out of that resta