Isabella I never reached her room. I was jerked back by my arm towards a familiar chest. "Did you know?" I whispered as his arms went into my hair and around my waist. "The old man sent me a cryptic message. He said someone needed to meet you. I didn't know it was…" I shook my head and buried my face further into him, taking in his calming scent. "Should I tell him to leave?" He asked as his chest vibrated. The truth was, I didn't know what I wanted. While I didn't feel as panicky as I felt the last time I saw my uncle, I didn't know if I wanted to see him. I looked up at Damon's face. "I don't know," I said. "Maybe you should tell him to leave, but what if it's important?" "Then let's go back," Damon said as he gently took my arm, leading me back in the direction we just came. When my heart started beating faster again, I stopped abruptly. "Give me a minute," I said, and he stood beside me, rubbing circles with his knuckles on my back. "When you're ready," he said. I took a d
Isabella Damon found me nearly an hour later, curled up on my bed and clutching my pillow. He joined me in bed, pulling me into a hug and running his hand soothingly over my back, lulling me into a sleepy state. "We will hear from Ted soon," he said softly. "What do you mean? Why are we hearing from Ted?" I asked, confused. "Because Ted is going to send in some scouts. But I can't just charge blindly. We don't know what's waiting for us. Bearing in mind that there's a chance our allies might be with her, we don't want to risk anything. Besides, you're staying with me. You're not doing anything," I said, snuggling further into his chest. He said something, but his voice sounded far away. By the time I opened my eyes, I was alone. I yawned and stretched before climbing out of the comfortable bed. I looked around and instantly went in search of Damon, who had effectively ditched me while I was asleep. He was in the lounge on the ground floor, surrounded by his core circle, talking
DamonFrederick was seated in the bar that I had forgotten the name of. He waved but seemed considerably less enthusiastic. "You look different," I said to him as he patted my shoulder. "You saw me, didn't you? By the way, what the fuck happened in the lower City? In a way, I'm still a little shaken up by this whole Cassandra thing, but I'm fine, right? I think I am fine."He was sweating, and his usual margarita was replaced with a glass of water. "You don't have money, do you? You can tell?""I don't. I don't have anybody. Nobody, absolutely nada, zip. The current family head... must you say that I don't have a family right now, but in fact, I'm freeloading off Isabella. She said I should talk to the butler about money, but..." he trailed off, and my mind was beginning to bore me, and I was almost forgetting my objective for seeing him."Cassandra. Do you know anything about her?"Frederick's face changed from its light to a darker look. His eyebrows came down towards his nose, an
DamonEverywhere suddenly felt silent. The men who were snickering behind me said nothing. It felt as though my heart, too, fell silent. "It's going to be dangerous, Mia Bella," I said.Isabella shook her head in an otherwise adorable fashion. I shook my head. I didn't need to think about things like that. I thought to myself. I looked back at her. "Mia Bella, please go back," I urged.The woman shook her head defiantly and stared at me, meeting my eyes through the mask."I'm coming with you. I told you I will keep Frederick safe.”“ It's not about Frederick," Isabella said with a shaky voice."It's about the fact that I am too scared to watch you go. I need to make sure that everything will be fine for myself. I mean to determine that by myself."The resolve in her eyes was so strong that I couldn't help but concede. I stepped aside and created a path for her to go through. She said nothing to me even as she entered the van. In no time, we were on our way."Sir," Ted said to me from
IsabellaI saw nothing and everything. Dust, blood, and the sound of pain filled the air through the glass of the van, along with the occasional boom here and there.My heart thundered in my chest, matching the booms that were becoming more frequent. "Princess!" The sound of my title, coupled with that of the door sliding open harshly, caused me to jump.My heart was in my chest as I watched Alessandro look at me with wide eyes. He stepped aside to reveal Frederick, panting and looking scared.He climbed into the van as he was pushed inside by Alessandro. "Stay here!" He yelled at the scared man before slamming the door.Frederick panted heavily as he pulled off his dusty jacket to reveal an equally dusty shirt underneath. He clawed at the top two buttons of the shirt, freeing his throat so he could suck in more air.He looked disheveled yet oddly attractive. He looked at me with eyes so wide I thought they would pop out of his head."Do you know about them?" He asked between breaths.
IsabellaMomentarily, I stood in shock, watching the scene unfold in front of me. It was just one screen, with Cassandra suddenly getting shot in the back. I shook my head, trying to calm my mind amidst the dusty storm around me.Once I opened my eyes, the screen had disappeared. I moved, returning to my run, except this time I was running faster, with the resolve to save that idiot's life.Finally, I reached the house. The front porch was effectively destroyed, but I managed to climb onto the veranda and then past the front door. "Frederick!" I yelled once and then twice. I heard the sound of wood clashing in the distance, but when I got there, it was a man bleeding to death.My heart ached as I suddenly remembered the other man who had died in front of me. I hated being around so much death—the smell of blood was pungent in the room as the man reached towards me with his eyes full of desperation. I walked towards him and held his hand, but just as I touched him, his hand fell."Why
IsabellaBeside Roman, who was dressed in all black, was Valentino. Behind Valentino, running away into the distance, was my cousin who still didn't look back."This is quite touching," Roman said with a small smile."It is quite bad," Valentino said in response. I felt my lips stop trembling as I bit it between my teeth. Anger bubbled up within me as I looked at the two murderous men in front of me. "Neither of you have any idea what you're doing," I said as I slowly stood up."Trust me, we know exactly what we're doing. I will kill you, and then the city will be mine. But if you surrender, I promise I will spare your life, princess," Roman spat the word "princess."I looked down towards the body of Frederick and felt deep regret coursing through my veins. But the last thing I would let take over me was the fear of surrender."Mia Bella," I heard Damon from behind me as he slowly approached. The faces of the men in front of me changed to be a bit more guarded."Don't move, Mafia King
IsabellaPlease tell me that's not true," I said with disbelief as I shook my head and turned back to Alessandro. Alessandro's shoulders were shaking, and suddenly he burst into laughter as he crouched to the floor. "It's been three days now. Same as you, princess," Damon said as his shoulders were also shaking. I hit his shoulder. "That's not fair," I said as I wiped my eyes and glared at the two men.I whipped my head quickly to him. "Three days?" I voiced out. "I thought it was longer... it felt longer," I said."It was definitely longer," I looked up to Alessandro. "Damon was awake, but he was..." I pointed to the window. "It looked like I was asleep for a long time... this makes no sense," I said as I felt a headache bloom behind my eyebrow along with a wave of exhaustion."But he was fine," I thought to myself as I lay on the bed and closed my eyes."If you could go back in time, what would you change?" I heard Damon ask in a soft voice. "I don't think I want to change anythin
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