Isabella A phone call woke me up. I groaned as I fumbled out of my bed, over Damon's warm body, and then to my dresser table. "Hello?" I said, groggy, half-asleep, and not bothering to check who it was. "It's me," a familiar voice said. "Frederick?" "Though lovely to hear from you this early morning. I thought I told you not to make a habit of waking me up." "It's urgent. Sorry, but this is the only time I can call. Cassandra goes on her morning workout by this time. It's the only time I had to call. Look, she's crazy. She's actually batshit crazy, and I know that it's wrong of me to do this, but if I started, I might as well just finish it. So, what do you want to finish?" He was silent for a moment, and then I heard movement. "If you want to find the Ravella, I need assurance of my safety when Cassandra goes down. I need you to keep me safe. I need the Mafia King... He's the only one that can keep me safe from her. I know he has an army, and I know his men are strong and well-
Isabella My mind was almost shot off as my hand reached for my phone to send Frederick a message. "Curfew," I heard Frank say, but I wasn't able to question him further as my fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard, forming words. "How soon can you leave?" I asked, instantly hearing a reply. "Just give me a time, and I will be where you need me to be." "Where?" I asked Frank. "I will send the message when we reach the lower town. Who knows who's around him. Tell him to prepare; he will get words soon enough." I texted the words as fast as possible, and Frederick's reply was fine. I got up from my seat and stretched my hand towards Paula. "Let's go." As we ascended the stairs, she began to ask questions. "How long do you think this is going to take? Definitely, I'll take casual clothes, but should I pack an overnight bag, right?" "Yes to the overnight bag, yes to the casual clothes, but I don't know how long it will take—maybe a day or two." We reached my room, and I briskly walk
Isabella "You want the extra security. Why? Do you want to betray me or the mafia King? If you do, you're not going to live to see another day." "I know that," he said with his hands up. "But trust me, I haven't thought of betraying anyone. Like I said, Cassandra is mad. Ever since that day... when you came, she's been screaming, shouting at everyone and everything, sometimes shouting at herself when she's alone. I'm scared for my life. I'm scared for a lot of things, but the worst... the worst of everything is that she's begun to get violent. She started smashing glasses at the staff and the maids, to the point where she even cut a girl's jugular. I've never seen so much blood in my life. Of course, the girl is dead, but I think that's just the beginning. She's scared that somehow, at the next meeting, she's not going to be able to hold her seat. She's also scared that you'll confront her again and demand she vacate the manor. So you're here to make sure that I don't meet her ag
Isabella "We are not going to the warehouse," he said. "Where we're going is behind the warehouse. I'll show you," he added as Miguel opened the door from the outside. Once all of us had alighted, Damon directed three men to stay behind. "Watch over the vans," Damon instructed as we turned. "Ted," I called the man over to me as we walked, with Frederick leading the group. "And I want you to check something for me," I told him quietly. "Anything for the princess," he responded in an equally quiet voice. "Once we get inside, I want a clear x-ray vision of the building blueprints or whatever you call it. Damon is going to need it soon. Also, do the same thing for the house Frederick stays in. It belongs to my father, and you'll find it under the archives in his name. I remember the city has a digital archive, so you'll find it. Once you do, give it to Damon. He'll need it." "Right away, princess. But wait," he said, clutching my arm just as he was about to turn around. "Do it aft
Damon "Clear the road!" I yelled at Miguel, who promptly pushed two cars aside as if they were toys. Once the dust settled, I opened the van door and climbed in. Isabella looked at me with bright eyes and a small smile. "It's the mask, isn't it?" she asked, touching its cold surface, quieting the whispers of rage and destruction. Her hand moved to untie the mask before pulling it off my face. I knew my eyes were probably blazing with golden fire, but she didn't seem to mind. "Where are we going?" she asked as I took a seat beside her and pulled her onto my lap. Breathing in her scent, I felt the rage inside me begin to dissipate. "We're going to the ship," I said in a gravelly voice. "Are we going to see Joseph? I've missed his bread." "I don't think he'll have bread on the ship," I responded, growing frustrated not with her question but because my body didn't want to move anymore. I tapped Ted beside me, signaling him to help. "The ship is like a mobile base of operations, a sa
Damon It was night by the time Frederick came up on deck, his face green. "Can we get off?" he asked, choosing his words carefully. "Do you have someone to take us?" Alessandro asked, leaning back against the railings. "We were supposed to go somewhere else," Frederick said. "I recognize it. It's on the coastline, so maybe we could just stop for a moment to get off." "Show him when you're done talking to the captain," I told Alessandro. I turned back to the sea, watching the steady small waves the Mediterranean made against the ship. "Boss," Miguel called out. "You need to look at this." He led me down into the belly of the ship. Ted sat cross-legged in the middle of broken drones, with Joseph on the other end of the room wiping his eyes. Ted's fingers moved quickly, disassembling the little metal objects until they lay destroyed in front of him. He put his hand on his face, rubbing his lips with his index finger and thumb, then looked at everything with his eyes turning black a
Damon Bodies hung upside down, bearing a striking resemblance to a butchery. Beside each body was a tag and a picture. From where I stood, I could see each picture perfectly. Each one showed Cassandra standing over the bodies with a crazed smile. Underneath each picture was an inscription: "It was a mistake," written in a shaky handwriting. "What the fuck is this?" Miguel finally managed to ask. "An overindulgence of a madwoman," Alessandro answered as he entered the room. There were a total of seven bodies, signaling seven murders. "Take the pictures. When you're done, we burn it to the ground," I said as I exited the room. Barely an hour later, I stood outside the building with Stefano beside me. He conjured a ball of fire in his hand, grinning as it grew the size of his head. He leaned back suddenly and threw the ball like a baseball pitch, with perfect form. The fireball hit the door hanging off its hinges and went straight into the building, engulfing it in flames and sendin
Damon "That literally makes no sense," Alessandro said behind me. "This man clothed you. He gave you purpose. He gave you a family. And all you can think about is your own?" Ted, whom I expected to speak, said nothing. He just looked at the man he called brother and turned his eyes away. "I'm tired of this," I said as I stood up. "I will give you one day—two days—to get your shit and get out of my city. If I catch you anywhere near my shores, I will hack you to pieces until there's nothing left. Let's go," I said to my men. Armed with the new evidence we had, we decided to take the sea route back to the city. I bid Joseph and the captain goodbye as the vans pulled away from the ship with us inside. The ride back to the upper city was silent. I replayed the sight of Michael over and over again in my mind until my heart began to ache at his betrayal and potential loss. Perhaps no one had ever recorded a withdrawal from the mask like that, but I began to feel as though a door was cl
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