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THE HEAT OF BETRAYAL
Last Updated:
2025-02-23 16:00:35
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Isabella's POV Like the air before a storm, our quiet is dense. Arms crossed, Enzo stands opposite from me in his penthouse office and watches me with a look that cuts into every defense I have tried to create around myself. Though his eyes stay dark as darkness, the city lights flutter past the glass walls behind him and create shadows on his face.I inhale slowly and try to seem cool, collected even though everything inside me feels as if it is disintegrating. "You told me this marriage was about power," I continued, voice low but consistent. "An alliance is one approach to keep our family secure. Nothing about this, Enzo, seems safe, though.He doesn't move, but his countenance changes to something delicate, menacing. "That's because Isabella, you still have to learn the norms of this planet."And who's meant to be teaching me? You too? I laughed silently, devoid of comedy. "You're off doing who knows what, confined me like some prisoner, guarded like some prisoner. You believe I
Last Updated : 2025-02-24SOLD TO THE MAFIA HEIR THE MOMENT OF BREAKING POINT
Isabella's POV There is an intolerable quiet in the room. Enzo is here, his face shadowed from the low light coming in through the big windows. Outside, the city sparkles, not knowing the storm building between us. One I can hardly control, my heart rushes and I am stuck between wrath and a maddening tug toward him. But tonight there needs to be a give. I cannot keep running this game.So, what was it? At last I inquire, voice no more than a whisper. "Another night out 'handling business' while I'm here, locked away like some prisoner?"He exhales gently, as though he were accumulating patience he does not really possess. Isabella, you told me before; this planet is deadly. I can only guarantee your safety by keeping you here."Safe?," I shook my head and laughed angrily. " Safe from what? Right now, I seem to be caught in this... Enzo, you have created this cage. Just a pawn, pushed around to fulfill whatever need you need me for; I am not even sure who I am anymore.His black stare
Last Updated : 2025-02-24SOLD TO THE MAFIA HEIR RISING INTO THE FIRE
Isabella's POV The air between us seems like it could blow out. Enzo's jaw is firm, his eye fixed on mine with a force that causes my pulse to surge. I find myself unable to turn away. Not backing down. not right now."Tell me the truth, Enzo," I say, my voice cutting more precisely than I anticipated. "Everything."He pauses and for a moment I perceive doubt—something I hadn't seen before. maybe even regret. But it disappears fast as well, replaced by the icy, unreadable mask he has mastered."Careful, Isabella," he adds in a low, cautious voice. Some facts are not meant for you.I get closer, against his advice. "Maybe you ought to have considered that before you pulled me into your world, married me off like I'm some pawn in your game."He closes his mouth and tightens his hands at his sides. "This is exactly the reason I wanted you not to get engaged. You are not clear on the stakes involved.Then help me to comprehend, Enzo! I yell, the wrath pouring out before I can control it.
Last Updated : 2025-02-26SOLD TO THE MAFIA HEIR COST OF SECRETS
Isabella's POV I confront Enzo in the dimly lit confines of his office and my pulse hammers. Thick, electric, like the charged quiet before a thunderstorm, the air is Every muscle in my body is stiff, coiled as I wait, ravenous for answers yet afraid of what they could expose. Enzo leans against the desk, his eyes hard on me, unyielding as stone, but something raw, buried makes me hold my breath in response.Tell me what you're concealing, Enzo; my voice is steadier than I would want.He turns aside, his face quivering from a tightened jaw. "You feel you can manage the truth?" His voice is low, nearly a growl. Once you know, you cannot go back.Part of me wants to back off, to give up this road and hang to whatever remains of routine. I am past that stage, too far in his world to think there is any way out right now.Try me, I reply, not making eye contact.He pauses sharply, then looks back at me. "Fine," he replies, approaching with a dark gaze. Though you believe this marriage was
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Isabella's POV I used to think of myself as sturdy. Under the weight of my father's business, I had learnt how to keep my head down and avoid difficulty. Nothing could have, nevertheless, suited me for this. FOR he is.Looking at the woman I scarcely knew from the front to rear mirror, The white silk dress hugged me, beautiful lace hanging down my arms. For a Mafia man, the perfect woman is I could not let this lose its irony. No love story like this exists. In a business deal, I was the commodity.My father, Don Carlo Rossi, had seen that I comprehended it.He had stated, just a few days before, "Isabella, you're doing this for the family." His comments had been subdued, as though he were suggesting that I set the table instead than wed a man I had never even met.And now here I was, staring at my reflection trying to calm the panic wriggling at my chest. I drew deeply and pushed myself to be cool and endure tonight. There was no escape path. Not from my end. Not as much now.There
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Isabella's POV Not one night since the wedding. Luca Vitale's warning kept repeating in my head, his haughty attitude as he all but assured me that I was next on his kill list. Every time I considered what he said, my heart accelerated. I was caught in a marriage I felt like a perilous game for which I lacked the skills.Still, here I was.I fixed my gaze on my image in the large mirror mounted on the Enzo penthouse room wall. My skin pallid against the silky cloth of my nightgown, dark circles ringed my eyelids. I seemed delicate, as if I may break with one touch. I afford to be delicate, though. not here. Not at the moment.Days had gone since Luca's threat, and the air's tension had only gotten more intense. Enzo and his guys had been busy; the penthouse became an improvised war room, tactics murmured over maps and records I was not allowed to view.Not yet, but I did not live in that world. Deep down, though, I knew it was just a matter of time until it sucked me in totally.My
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Isabella's POV The automobile jolted me into the door with a strong swerve, and the tires screamed under us. As I grabbed the seatbelt across my torso and braced myself, my heart beat in my chest and adrenaline surged through me. The headlights behind us burned more brilliantly, following us over the little, dark alleyways like animals closing in on their prey."Enzo, what's going on?" Though I battled to keep the terror from seeping into my voice, it came out wobbly and terrified.Enzo responded slowly, his attention fixed on the road front. I feared his tightly closed mouth may break. He swirled fiercely around another turn, the vehicle straying under the weight of the speed. The weight of all that had been left unsaid between us was palpably filling the automobile."They have located us," he murmured at last, his voice low and tinged with controlled fury. Vitale's men.I pushed hard, my pulse pounding. From the phone, Luca's voice mocking and arrogant reverberated in my brain remi
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Isabella's POV I confront Enzo in the dimly lit confines of his office and my pulse hammers. Thick, electric, like the charged quiet before a thunderstorm, the air is Every muscle in my body is stiff, coiled as I wait, ravenous for answers yet afraid of what they could expose. Enzo leans against the desk, his eyes hard on me, unyielding as stone, but something raw, buried makes me hold my breath in response.Tell me what you're concealing, Enzo; my voice is steadier than I would want.He turns aside, his face quivering from a tightened jaw. "You feel you can manage the truth?" His voice is low, nearly a growl. Once you know, you cannot go back.Part of me wants to back off, to give up this road and hang to whatever remains of routine. I am past that stage, too far in his world to think there is any way out right now.Try me, I reply, not making eye contact.He pauses sharply, then looks back at me. "Fine," he replies, approaching with a dark gaze. Though you believe this marriage was
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Isabella's POV The air between us seems like it could blow out. Enzo's jaw is firm, his eye fixed on mine with a force that causes my pulse to surge. I find myself unable to turn away. Not backing down. not right now."Tell me the truth, Enzo," I say, my voice cutting more precisely than I anticipated. "Everything."He pauses and for a moment I perceive doubt—something I hadn't seen before. maybe even regret. But it disappears fast as well, replaced by the icy, unreadable mask he has mastered."Careful, Isabella," he adds in a low, cautious voice. Some facts are not meant for you.I get closer, against his advice. "Maybe you ought to have considered that before you pulled me into your world, married me off like I'm some pawn in your game."He closes his mouth and tightens his hands at his sides. "This is exactly the reason I wanted you not to get engaged. You are not clear on the stakes involved.Then help me to comprehend, Enzo! I yell, the wrath pouring out before I can control it.
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Isabella's POV There is an intolerable quiet in the room. Enzo is here, his face shadowed from the low light coming in through the big windows. Outside, the city sparkles, not knowing the storm building between us. One I can hardly control, my heart rushes and I am stuck between wrath and a maddening tug toward him. But tonight there needs to be a give. I cannot keep running this game.So, what was it? At last I inquire, voice no more than a whisper. "Another night out 'handling business' while I'm here, locked away like some prisoner?"He exhales gently, as though he were accumulating patience he does not really possess. Isabella, you told me before; this planet is deadly. I can only guarantee your safety by keeping you here."Safe?," I shook my head and laughed angrily. " Safe from what? Right now, I seem to be caught in this... Enzo, you have created this cage. Just a pawn, pushed around to fulfill whatever need you need me for; I am not even sure who I am anymore.His black stare
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Isabella's POV Like the air before a storm, our quiet is dense. Arms crossed, Enzo stands opposite from me in his penthouse office and watches me with a look that cuts into every defense I have tried to create around myself. Though his eyes stay dark as darkness, the city lights flutter past the glass walls behind him and create shadows on his face.I inhale slowly and try to seem cool, collected even though everything inside me feels as if it is disintegrating. "You told me this marriage was about power," I continued, voice low but consistent. "An alliance is one approach to keep our family secure. Nothing about this, Enzo, seems safe, though.He doesn't move, but his countenance changes to something delicate, menacing. "That's because Isabella, you still have to learn the norms of this planet."And who's meant to be teaching me? You too? I laughed silently, devoid of comedy. "You're off doing who knows what, confined me like some prisoner, guarded like some prisoner. You believe I
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Isabella's POV The evening seems sharper somehow, as though every shadow in the room had sharpened to a knife. Apart from that I need answers, I'm not sure why I'm in his office pacing like an imprisoned animal. Possibly even closing. But I am sure Enzo will not provide either.The door opens, and I swivel around, heart hammering between my ribs as Enzo walks inside. His eyes are stern, inscrutable, yet when he sees me he flashes surprise."Isabella," he adds in a quiet, under control voice. "I assumed you were—"."Where on earth you left me?" I cut him off, an explosion of wrath building in my chest. "Do you truly believe I am some puppet you could control? That I would just sit there while you engage in whatever game this is?Though it doesn't matter; I can feel the storm building between us, every word like a spark just ready to strike. He closes the door softly. Isabella, what are you doing here?I straighten my shoulders to squarely meet his stare. "I might ask you the same. You
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Isabella's POVWhen Enzo's eyes fix on me, burning with a fire that both terrifies and excites me, I hardly could breathe. Though none of us is ready to touch, a live wire neither of us is pulled to—to each other, here we are—drawn to each other, by some twisted, unbreakable force."You didn't have to follow me," I remark, voice low as I lean against the marble countertop, seeming calm even though my heart is pounding.Enzo's eyes close. "You shouldn't have come here Isabella alone." His words are sharp, menacing, yet I feel a flutter of something gentler under. Anxiety? Enzo De Luca is not worried. He orders and he governs.My arms cross to challenge him. "Perhaps I do not need a babysitter. Or is it difficult for you to swallow?He advances, his shadow covering me and narrowing the space between us. "Your continuous need to put yourself at risk is difficult to accept." His hand stretches out to catch the counter next to me, stranding me between his massive arms.I ought to shove him
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Isabella’s POVUnspoken anxiety permeated the dense, heavy morning air. As I walked over the great hallways of the estate, it was abnormally silent; nevertheless, the quietness did not help me to relax. Already rushing, preparing, and reevaluating my next action in my head Though I knew deep down I couldn't stand back and let Enzo—or anyone else—make decisions for me, Matteo's warnings kept coming back to me.I have to see Moretti.Though it was the only way I could take control of my destiny, there was a part of me knowing it was irresponsible, maybe even deadly. Enzo was caught in a fatal game with Moretti, and just now I was in the heart of it. I could only negotiate this life by facing it squarely.Matteo was sitting against one of the stone pillars in the rear yard. His black eyes flickered to me as I got closer, a silent tension enveloping the distance between us. I could see he disagreed with my choice.His voice low, he asked, "Are you sure about this?" You are directly headin
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Isabella’s POVEnzo's words weighed down on me, choking and frigid. Moretti, another ghost from the past, another man engaged in this lethal game. Enzo was standing there staring at me with those sharp blue eyes, and I could feel the strain emanating from him. His stillness exceeded all else in loudness.What then does that mean for me? Trying to keep my voice calm, I asked, but inwardly I was disintegrating. "Am I simply another piece on this chessboard?Leaning back in his chair, Enzo watched me with somewhat narrow eyes. "Isabella, I have mentioned this before. Right now, you occupy my universe. Though Moretti believes he may find me using you, I will not allow him."That's not an answer, Enzo," I fired back, irritation seething inside me. "You say you are shielding me from what? From a conflict I avoided asking to be involved in? From those I know nothing about?He showed no flinch. Whether or whether you requested it makes no difference. Being here now puts you at risk.I shook m
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Isabella’s POVThe house made one feel like a prison. Every stride I made reflected back to me, a reminder that I was imprisoned and that I could not flee the storm building around me. After my meeting with my father and Enzo, I had left the warehouse, but the weight of their words still tormented me.It was all too much: Marco's cryptic warnings, Enzo's icy determination, and the sense that something far more was at work. I became aware for the first time of exactly how little I could influence my life. My father had sold me like a commodity, and Enzo still considered me as part of this complex game of power even if he had an unusual feeling of guardianship over me. I found myself in the midst with no obvious exit.Perched at my room's big window, I saw the city lights flutter far away. From here, the world seemed to be so calm, but I knew otherwise. Underneath the gleaming surface lurked darkness, peril hiding in every shadow.Though I didn't live on this planet, I was somehow being
