Isabella An hour later, my hair was mostly dried and had resumed its curly nature. It had dried to a slightly darker color than before. Instead of the slightly orange shade my hair had previously, it was now a fully dark red with undertones of black. 'I don't think it's too bad,' I said as I played with the still-damp hair. Damon was the subject of my protest and complaints. He sat on the bed, watching me as I toyed around with my hair. 'Come here,' he said as he patted the bed beside him. My heart rate picked up at the tone he used. It was silent but commanding. His eyes suddenly grew darker as he peeked at me through his eyelashes. I sat on the bed slowly beside him, and his face broke out into a smile. 'Why do you look like that?' he asked with a slight laugh. 'Because you look like you want to eat me,' I replied. 'I do, but not now,' Damon said as he leaned his elbows on his knees. 'I will make a few calls, and I'll need to go back to the opposite end of the room, possibly to
Isabella"I have quite a large number of files on some of the families. Sadly, they're not here. During the hotel incident, I'm sure they might have been taken by Cassandra by now.But anyway, I'll tell you what I remember. Some of them have places they operate in the lower City. Places that bring them money, even though it's illegal," Julio said as he twiddled his thumbs before taking a sip of the coffee that was offered to him.Joseph had effectively taken on the role of a housekeeper for us, but I felt as though his talents were not being put to good use."For instance?" I asked."The Spice factory. You would have missed it, but it's not so far from the Cardone District.""District?" I said, suddenly feeling confused."The lower city has districts to make it more manageable. The Masked King did it like that. Of course, it makes sense this way. The Spice factory doesn't exactly manufacture spices. It's more like drugs and opium.They ship the finished drugs into the rest of Europe a
IsabellaHe said he'd meet us at the aerodrome. Miguel sighed as he put his phone down. "Where is that?" I asked."It's a relatively new establishment," Julio explained. "It's nothing in particular, but it can be a very discreet area.”“Why are we meeting there? There's almost nothing out there." He turned his face towards Miguel, who smirked and looked away. I had come to accept that silence was a good thing in instances like this."What's next?" I asked Julio, who had a sour expression on his face."We wait. We wait and get ready for the next two days. Hopefully, we won't have any funny business from now till then. Let's just try to keep things quiet until we're ready to go." His words would resonate in my mind for the next two days.I had no clothes to pack, so leaving was relatively easy. Paula and I gorged ourselves on Joseph's impeccable cooking. He seemed rather sad to watch Julio leave but didn't express much feelings when it was obvious that Paula was with Michael. We said ou
DamonNecessity is said to be the mother of invention. My necessity required me to call in all my scattered men. Leaving to search for Isabella had caused me to spread my resources too thin, leading to multiple attacks because of her—not that I was blaming her.The speedboat took me straight to the harbor and then to a private dock of the house of a friend of mine, Dante."Dante," I greeted with a smile as I got out of the speedboat, accompanied by Alessandro."It's good to see you, My King," Dante said with a slight bow."I've heard of your exploits. Is it true you have found her?" Dante asked, still bowing. I stopped in front of him, clicking my tongue and waiting for him to stop the act."How long are you going to keep this up?" I asked, feigning impatience, which he bought into all too quickly. He got up and smiled at me, his dark blue eyes crinkling at the edges."I'm sorry. It's just too good sometimes," he said, leading me into his house with Alessandro trailing behind."I've h
DamonWaiting for me was the house staff, whom I directed to have things ready for Isabella's arrival in the next couple of days.“Cross check and give me a status report when you're done. Have Marie attend to her personally. She's coming in today, i dont want anything out of place.” I told the white-haired man that was my butler.“Immediately, Sir.” He said in a clear voice. “Will they be all sir? he asked.“No.” The butler gave me a deep bow before retreating through the double doors of the front entrance. "Get me my mask and a black suit," I directed to the nearest staff member, who ran as fast as his feet could take him. Moments later, he returned with a suit holder and a black box under his arm. I opened the black box and found a replica of my mask as well as a bundle of black gloves."It will have to do for now." In the bag was my signature black suit that I chose to wear for occasions such as the meeting that was coming up soon. I gave the boy a nod and tossed him a bill befor
Damon“Was there no problem on the way?" I asked as I rubbed her thigh in the car. She shook her head, her complexion slightly better in the air-conditioned environment."I'm just sad that I didn't get to see the city. But at least, in a way, I'm grateful that I didn't get to see it, you know? No problems and all that." I rubbed her thigh some more, feeling my heart rate return to normal."Can you take that off?" she asked, most likely referring to the mask."You don't like it?" I asked, and she gave me a sheepish look."It muffles your voice, and I can't see your eyes. I like seeing your eyes," she whispered the last part."Where are we going?" she asked, immediately trying to change the subject, but her little confession had raised my heart rate again. This woman would be the death of me."My residence. It's secure, isolated. There's nowhere else you would be safer," I said as I took off my mask and turned my face towards her so she could see my eyes.Isabella blushed and quickly tu
IsabellaThe lady had called it a manor, but I called it a castle. After all, it was a castle. I hadn't remember seeing it when I was younger, but I remember my father speaking of it once or twice. "Who was the previous owner?" I asked the lady, whose name was Marie. She was a middle-aged woman with salt and pepper blonde hair that was pulled back from her face into a professional-looking bun.She was dressed in a black skirt suit that stopped at her knees, as well as a pair of black pumps that made clicking sounds as she walked the marbled hallways of the castle."It belonged to the previous mafia king, Marcel Montenegro," she said. "Of course, this means that it was mostly lost and auctioned after your uncle came into power, but the current mafia king bought it."Suddenly, my eyes caught a portrait. It was of a meadow that reminded me of the one that my father used to take me to when I was much younger. It was dusted with lavender flowers mixed with others that I didn't remember wh
IsabellaHe led me through the expansive grounds until we settled in what was the most interesting garden spot I had ever seen as he spoke some more.There were rocks upon rocks with slabs on top of them serving as tables and chairs. Paula already sat on one of them, staring at a cup of tea. I took a seat beside her, wondering how the rocks were suddenly so comfortable."Thank you. Let's continue some other time," I told Briggs, who smiled, tipped his glasses, and walked off."This place is amazing, right?" Paula asked, light twinkling in her eyes."Pretty much," I said as I picked up a cup of tea and began to stir. "Worried about him again?" she asked, hitting the nail on the head."I'm scared, worried, tired. I'm all of them. But in some way, I feel like I can finally breathe and relax. All the running we did the past few weeks, all the injuries the past few months... It's been so hectic, and I feel like I need to spend the next few days sleeping."Paula nodded in response and took
IsabellaPerhaps it was Donatella's face that was the most surprising, but the days following my declaration and official ascension to the throne were followed by endless visits to my family's estate.I had to temporarily move there because I was worried about the constant movement and how my son would take it. However, according to Julio, it also applied pressure to bring Cassandra back to the city.She had disappeared a few days ago, and I believed she went to have her child."I must say, he's a very handsome boy," Nicholas said as he carried my son and began to walk around the new nursery. The baby cooed in his arms and raised his little fists towards his face. I smiled but began to miss the little bundle of warmth that he provided. I had once complained to Damon, and his reply was,"You'll just have to get used to it. Or are you going to take my son away from me?" Damon said with a smile.***To my surprise, Cassandra didn't show up over the next few weeks. I began to genuinely w
IsabellaGeorge knelt in front of me in the gazebo. I had given Alessandro the go-ahead to let him come to the mansion. He came accompanied by three more people that I didn't recognize."There was a mistake, Princess. If I had known…”“I know you think that I am a benevolent figure of never-ending kindness that might accept you. But you must understand that given my position, I simply cannot forgive you right off the bat. You have to prove yourself to me. You have to prove yourself to the city. You have to prove your loyalty, and it will cost you more than it did the last time," I found myself saying.Shortly after that, I left the men alone and made a beeline for the nursery where I felt my son squirming and crying in his cot. The maid I had instructed to stay with him was trying to keep him calm, but she was failing miserably, making me laugh.I stretched out my hands, and just as she placed him in it, the infant settled down. Shortly after passing him and singing to him, I felt ar
DamonAfter Isabella told me that I should handle Cassandra, Valentino, and her allies, I got to work instantly, telling Ted to pull out the old files he had on the trust of those she committed."So what do we do with them?" he asked. "We pick the weakest link. We pick the one most sympathetic to the lower City. Find me a couple of them and show them the pictures."A few days later, I received a call from Ted while I was out in town on a meeting with Nicholas."We have a number of them. What do you want us to do?" he asked. "Tell them to come to my place," Nicholas said with his arms raised. "I'm sure we'll do a good job convincing them." I smiled and told Ted to do the same. Six men, members of the lesser families, came through his gate.I recognized Antonio and George to be some of them and stopped myself from snickering behind my mask. The men bowed when they saw me, but it was clear that their initial fear of me was gone. I smirked behind the mask and looked at them.I loved se
IsabellaDamon had carried me into the tub filled with cold water. As soon as my body came in contact with the water, I instantly sighed in relief. Marie came to me with a small figure half wrapped in a cloth and laid the pink infant on my naked chest.I leaned my back against the foam headrest and let my child lean against my skin. He squirmed and cried, but Marie said it was all part of the process, even though my heart was aching as I desperately searched my mind for what to do to ease his sorrows somehow."If he doesn't cry, his lungs wouldn't be strong. You have to let him cry, princess," she had told me before I struggled with her, and Damon carried me into the bathroom. Even now, he was still crying, but I felt a bit assured as Damon held my hand and began to rub soothing circles over my knuckles. "You are so strong," he whispered. "I'm so proud of you." He whispered again, and this time his hand reached up to caress the head of the infant that laid on my chest. I smiled, bu
IsabellaDamon laughed suddenly, his shoulders quaking, and the room filled up with the hearty sound of joy. He stopped after a while and turned his head towards Cassandra. "It looks as though this wannabe princess is uninformed about what's happening in the city. Someone please tell her."Andrew cleared his throat. "The King…" Damon took off his mask, revealing his face, causing Cassandra to gasp and cover her mouth, as did Donatella. "The King has been married to the princess for quite a while now. I happen to be one of those privileged to witness the ceremony and the signing of their marriage certificate.This, of course, meant that as one without a surname, he would take his wife's own, making him Damon Montenegro Therefore, your challenge… your stake on the throne is very much mitigated by him.""That's not possible!" Cassandra screeched. "You wouldn't do that," she said as she turned her head towards me and stared daggers at me through the screen. "I did. Would you like to h
Isabella"Do I need to remind you that you are a fugitive?" Damon's voice cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter."Do I need to remind you that your crimes are so great you deserve to be put to death?" Damon stood up from his seat and walked towards the pregnant woman."Get out, or I will pull my gun and shoot you between your eyes, not caring about the child within your belly." Instantly, Donatella gasped and covered her mouth with surprise.She got up and walked towards both of them and set herself in their midst as though to protect Cassandra. "Ouch," I thought to myself. "So much for loyalty forever," I said out loud. Donatella turned to me."You must understand, princess, it's not as though I will not be loyal to you. It's just with the recent developments, we find ourselves needing an heir. Perhaps once she gives birth, she can leave." "I'm not going anywhere," Cassandra said, protesting as she pushed the older woman out of the way."I'm here to challenge her
Isabella“No, Isabella. We still need Cassandra to come out. We need her to show her cards. I'm sure it's not going to take long, but... you have to hang tight, Mia Bella," Damon said, shaking his head.He raised his hand and began to caress my belly before leaning in and pressing a kiss on my swollen abdomen. As if in response, the baby kicked where his hand was."He's saying hello to me," Damon said with a smile as he leaned forward and then pulled open the robe I wore to reveal my naked belly."So perfect," he said as he pressed another kiss on the pale skin. "So damn perfect," he said again as he met my eyes. I could see the expression there, his eyes flashing red before returning back to their normal hazel color. He spread open my legs and slowly removed the outer robe to reveal my naked pussy. Slowly, he kissed his way from my belly button down to my weeping pussy.***The extra wait was grueling, but I didn't mind it. I filled my days with walking, with Paula up and down the
Isabella"It was just a rumor," I told my husband as he paced the length of the room, hitting one wall and then going to the next to do the same."We both know rumors are next to truth. It wouldn't be said if it wasn't seen at some point. But you're the same person that said the city thrived on rumors. Why is this one only different?" I questioned him, but the man continued his insistent pacing. He had taken off his shirt, leaving him half naked and making my eyes wander to strange places."Please," I begged him as I stood up. I took off my coat."You're making me dizzy," I said.Damon stopped suddenly and looked at me. "And if the rumor's true?""Then we laid a trap. And I think traps are your thing… at least Julio's thing.""So let's call the ultimate trap master and have him whip up something for us," I said as I reached up towards my husband's head.***The day after, Julio sat opposite me in the gazebo. "How could you not tell me you were pregnant?" He asked, his eyes wide and f
DamonIsabella's face was pale when I saw her as she came out of the bathroom. She had a stunned look as though she was trying to remember something. I grabbed her hands and rubbed circles over her knuckles until she smiled at me."I am fine," she said with a shaking voice."Champagne?" I asked as I handed her a flute. She shook her head. "I can't keep it down," she said, forcing another smile at me."Isabella, what is wrong?" I asked with my mouth close to her ear. "I'll tell you when we get home," she said as she squeezed my fingers back.The rest of the evening couldn't come fast enough as I began to wish time could go faster. Finally, three hours after we arrived at the party, she tugged on my arm, telling me she wanted to go home. I bade goodbye to my friends and some others who were desperate to see me for some reason. We decided to take the chopper, being impatient and me wanting to find out what was wrong with my wife.I helped her out of her dress when we reached our room. S