Isabella My eyes found George as he continued to fumble. Suddenly, his demeanour fell calm as he took in a breath. "Forgive my nerves. I have never been in the presence of the masked King. I hadn't realized he would be such an impressive man. I've heard many stories about you, my King," he bowed. The masked King cocked his head to one side; I could imagine Damon rolling his eyes beside me. "Let's get this over with," he said in a deeper voice, startling George slightly. "Of course," George replied. He reached beside his chair to pull out a folder. "This is what I can offer the princess. It's not much, but it is something." Inside were documents, or rather, promissory notes. "You mean to give me your properties?" the masked King asked. "Yes, there's no better test for loyalty than that. The one I have promised is valued at 4 million euros. It belongs to my family. Frankly, I shouldn't be giving away my inheritance, but the situation calls for it. I will never ask you for anythin
IsabellaI wanted to start fidgeting, but I knew it would help nobody, so I sat still. I was still as the limo pulled out from the underground parking lot and into the light of day. I remained still with each meter the car rolled, taking us closer to our destination. Suddenly, Alessandro swerved the car to the side and tapped the divider twice."Pull out your guns. Looks like they're here," Damon said as he pulled out his and removed his mask. He was eye to eye with me in a second. "Stay put," he whispered. "Stay down. If anyone besides us comes inside the car, you fucking shout, okay? I will never let anything happen to you."His gloved hand caressed my cheek, and he leaned in, planting a soft kiss on my lips. "I love you.""I love you," I whispered back and watched him exit the car. I looked behind to see the SUV that had followed us from the underground parking lot, containing more of Damon's men.Suddenly, the whole place erupted in gunfire, and I did exactly what Damon told me
DamonI trusted Frank to find the traitor while, as promised, I focused on the meeting happening the next day. I shot a quick text to Nicholas, reminding him of his obligation to be there. "Don't worry, you'll see me," Nicholas replied before hanging up.That morning, I walked into my bathroom after a restless night. Unfortunately, Isabella had chosen to pout and clutch onto Paula for some reason."Is this about the cookies?" I was truly baffled by her behavior. “Or was it something else? Maybe she has an idea about the mask.” I mused."You took three. You shortened my ration. If you wanted cookies, why didn't you ask Marie to get you some?" She hugged her friend, who giggled and patted her hand before they walked away from me. I shook my head at the memory as I squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush.Less than an hour later, I walked out of the house with seven of my men behind me, all garbed similarly. Dave stood outside the helicopter with a bruised eyebrow and a black eye. "I as
Damon “So what happens now?" Julio asked beside me. "Isn't it best to apprehend whomever it is that perpetrated this wrong? Who is it? Please tell us, my King." I looked at Donatella, who was already beginning to sweat. Perfect. I would have a bargaining chip to use against them. Somehow, it had happened that the triad had gained access to my city. I didn't know how, but it looked like they had. "Hm, looks like our port is not as safe as I thought. After all, the port has been wrenched from my grasp by you, Roman. I thought you genuinely, sincerely didn't like it when my life is threatened. How much more that you let enemies like the triad cross our borders? Isn't this, in itself, treason? Should I execute you as I did Martinez? At least in his case, he was merely disrespectful, but you…" By this point, Romanwas already on his feet with his hands raised in front of him as a sign of surrender. "I promise you, King, it never happened under my watch. Perhaps it wasn't me, as you k
IsabellaI felt very different. And so did my perception of things, especially Damon. But at the forefront of my mind was the attempt on my life. I sat on Paula's bed, staring at the wall and replaying the attempt on my life over and over again. The guns, the yells, the sound of the car screeching, and then the explosion. It was as though there was a light switch going off and on in my head."Are you okay?" Paula asked as she laid beside me."No," I told her the truth. "I don't think there's anything wrong with me, but I think... there's something terribly wrong here. I keep seeing pieces of what happened, but I find it hard to piece them together.""Is it the attempt?" Paula softly asked.I nodded yes and then continued to stare at the wall as though the hologram of what happened was playing on it and the world was a projector.Suddenly, it was as though I left my own body and started to see it from a bird's eye view. I could see the car moving forward, and then in the distance, I c
Isabella"I didn't think he was going to come with me. I was going to drop him off at his house," Damon said as I closed the door behind him and started to unbutton my shirt."Oh, I'm not angry. I was so excited I needed to tell you something," I realized as I forgot to wear my slippers.I pulled off the shirt and quickly walked over to the closet but was interrupted when Damon pulled me back, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest."After dinner," he said, then kissed me. "Put it on again," he continued, lifting my skirt. "This cute little thing," he fisted the skirt and raised it, exposing my ass before pressing himself against me.His hands moved up from the skirt to my exposed breasts, helping me remove my bra. A sudden chill ran over me as my nipples hardened. His tongue wrapped around my ear, sending shivers down my spine.I suddenly noticed Nicholas and Julio having a discussion downstairs with animated movements as they waited for us. "Damon," I
IsabellaAfter glasses of wine and sharing stories, Nicholas called it a night, and I saw him off to the helicopter that was ready for him to leave. "I'm once again very sorry for the intrusion," he said. I shook my head and waved him off."Your intrusion is welcome anytime. Trust me. You're welcome here," I said with a smile as I parted his hands."Once this is done, I'm sure you'll be able to bring your wife and son back home to you. I'm sure they miss you very much.""I miss them, and yes, I will be very glad to see that day happen. I was almost resigned that I would leave here within the next few years, but seeing you now somehow renews the hope within me. It was lovely to meet you, Princess. Truly. Thank you, Damon, for your help. I'm glad to meet you." Damon shook his head and slapped him on the shoulder."Get out," he said.Just as I started walking back, Damon grabbed my hand and pulled me along for a short walk. We enjoyed the evening breeze and the silence until my feet star
Isabella"It's good to have someone that knows her better than we all do," I heard Frank say behind me. I turned around to find the man smiling and slightly sweaty. He made it a personal mission to jog every morning.Just how old was the man? I asked myself.His complexion looked 100 times better, and the redness on his face had mostly faded to pink. The marks that he was given were still there, but the plasters were smaller. He has all but healed of his injuries in record time. Strange. I thought."Good morning, Frank," I said, unable to contain my smile."Good morning to you too, Princess," he said as he took a seat opposite Julio and requested a cup of coffee."Princess, I would like to take you to meet someone. An old friend, in a way. I think you would greatly appreciate the meeting.""That's lovely. I didn't think you had friends right now," I remarked. Frank flinched. "It has been a while since I've had friends, yes. In fact, I hardly remember a time... I am quite the loner,"
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