Isabella Hiding my emotions was something I was good at. Hiding them in public was even better. But with Damon, it was so hard. I felt it before he touched me. I could see the way Alessandro looked over my head, his eyes flashing with recognition. He turned to whisper to Miguel, who played it smart and didn't turn to look. My heart skipped a couple of beats when I felt his arms circle my waist, pulling me closer until my back hit his muscular chest. I fought the urge to purr when his lips touched mine, his hand around my neck. Waves after waves of hot liquid pooled in my underwear. Only Damon. It was only him that could bring out such a response from me. Paula was saying something to him, but I couldn't hear her, neither could I participate in the conversation. Instead, I was enjoying the way his chest vibrated behind me with each word he spoke. Before I knew it, he led me to another store. Unfortunately, we got separated, and Paula was yet having one of her antics. A few dres
Isabella Damon looked angry as he walked into the room followed by a doctor and a nurse, then Alessandro. The doctor checked my eyes and vitals, whispering something to the nurse. He turned to Damon and spoke in a practiced voice. "She's fine. There's no reason for her to be here anymore. You're free to go," he said, turning to me with a smile. Damon picked up a bag and walked over to me, helping me to stand up from the bed. As soon as my feet touched the cold floor, I flinched and let out a sneeze. Damon looked at me with scrunched eyebrows and picked me up, setting me back on the bed. He pulled out clothes that I didn't recognize and handed them to me. "Put these on. When you're done, we'll go back," he said, turning away from me before stopping at the window. I took off the hospital gown and tried to make sense of the clothes. It was a simple armless dress that looked long enough to sweep the floor but tight enough to hug my curves. It was in black, a color I figured Damon
IsabellaMy heart fell when I heard about the Paganis. I remembered that all their children were older than me, but the older couple was nice to me. I looked for them when the manhunt started, and their butler, Jones, hid me and then smuggled me into the lower city.I reached up to my face when I felt tears flowing down my eyes to my chin."Should I stop?" Damon asked me with concern on his face. I shook my head. "No. I need to hear this," I said as I wiped my eyes furiously."When Rodrigo took power, he purged Marcel's sympathizers until the point when hearing Marcel's name was enough to purge an entire family. That time was called The Bloody Triad. In some way, because of the fear that some of the opposing houses would die, thru kept quiet bringing a strange period of peace.Eventually, the peace he created didn't last long. He started to do things without the ruling council being brought in. He opened pleasure houses around the upper city where he started seeking his own personal d
IsabellaI must have stood there staring at the letter for a while because Alessandro suddenly took a step towards me and snapped his fingers in front of my eyes, drawing me back to reality."Is everything alright, princess?" Alessandro asked when my eyes finally focused on him. I forced a smile and stretched out my hand, not wanting to speak. He placed the letter in my hand and turned to leave. I shut the door and leaned against it. Damon was still on his phone call. I wanted to call him and tell him that I had a letter and that I was scared of opening it. But he didn't look like he was going to be done anytime soon, so I pushed myself back to my seat.After taking a couple of calming breaths, I opened the envelope to reveal a folded paper. With another deep breath, I opened the letter to read words I wasn't familiar with:"Dear Isabella,Do you love him? The man who raised you. Do you love him? Do you see Pablo as a father? Because if you do, I'm sure you would like to save his lif
Damon I didn't want to find him. I didn't think he was necessary. The man's attitude was pathetic, and he only cared about money. In my mind, there was a high chance this was a lie, a charade created by him to get money from Isabella. "We're going back to Avalia," I told her. Her eyes widened, and her hands came up to cover her mouth. She shook her head and reached out to me. I got up from the chair and walked towards the window, not wanting contact. Contact would make her convince me. She would win this time, just as she won the last time. I turned back to her to find the mask of betrayal on her face as tears welled up once more. "It's more worth risking anything to find that man," I told her. "It's best you forget about him, and we prepare to go back to Avalia. All the bullshit would stop once we get there. Cassandra wouldn't have to send people to abduct people, you know. He would fight you bare-fisted openly. Doing that would—" "I don't care," Isabella said, her voice stro
Damon As I planned to go back upstairs, Miguel walked in. I turned to Alessandro. "Brief him," I said as I turned to walk up the stairs. Isabella had moved from the couch to the window I had been standing at earlier. Her back was to me, and I couldn't help but glance at her shapely figure in the dress she wore. It did wonders in showcasing her delectable curves, and my arousal stirred inside my pants. Now was not the time for such distractions. I knew we would likely argue, but we needed to address the issue of Pablo. "We're going back to Avalia," I repeated. Her head whipped around, making her ponytail sway before cascading down her back. "Pablo?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes. I shook my head. "We're not going to save him. He doesn't deserve to be saved." Isabella bit her lip and turned her head away, as if she couldn't bear to look at me. "Why?" she asked in a breathy voice. I walked over to her bed and took a seat. I explained the time I went to Sicilia to look fo
IsabellaHer ghost had disappeared. She was in the mirror as Damon was talking about Elena. Her lifeless eyes stared back at me. Her face was gray, and her mouth leaked muddy water.Finally, after I was calm, I looked back at the mirror and didn't find her there. Damon led me to my bed just as rubbed my back until I pulled away from him."Please Damon. You can't just leave him. Please, you have to save him from Cassandra, he doesn't even need to know I'm involved. You can't just leave him. This is all my fault. Damon, please."Damon didn't look moved by my pleas. He frowned as he didn't meet my eyes. He soon got up and walked out, leaving me in tears.I felt a pang in my chest as my heart shattered into a million tiny pieces while watching the door close. I pulled up my legs, curling into a ball on my bed, and cried. Perhaps I was mourning for Pablo or the real Elena; I wasn't sure. Nonetheless, Damon's refusal to help was at the forefront of my mind. Why was he being like that? Why
Damon I felt exhausted. Watching Isabella have a panic attack had taken too much from me mentally. The question, however, was whether or not I would find Pablo for her. I wasn't interested in wasting resources, neither did I want to have her devastated, but I wouldn't tell her. It looked like I had come to a decision. Isabella had swayed me yet again in a direction I didn't want to go. That woman was dangerous. She didn't know it, but the power she held over me was strong. "Alessandro," I called him from the top of the stairs. "Yes, sir," he said once he came into view. "Put a hit on Pablo. Looks like we're going to have to find him after all." Alessandro looked confused. I didn't blame him, after all, I had told him not so long earlier that we wouldn't be finding Pablo. Besides, it was late. Nighttime was the time the mafia in Rome wanted to play. It wasn't a time that I was fond of working. I knew there would be too many restrictions on movement. "We will move in 10 minutes