Isabella POV
The silence following my lie didn't last. It shattered like glass under a boot.
Cristina's face twisted, her earlier gleeful anticipation morphing into something feral. "You lying New York puttana (whore)!" she shrieked, her voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling of the hallway. "You think spreading your legs for him makes you the mistress of this house?"
She lunged. Her fingers, tipped with manicured claws, aimed straight for my eyes. I braced myself, ready to catch her wrist, but the heavy oak door behind me flew open with a violence that vibrated through the floorboards.
Vincenzo stood there. He was shirtless, his chest heaving slightly, his skin marked with the faint, pink impressions of where I had slept against him. But his eyes held no warmth. They were two chips of arctic ice, promising death.
He didn't look at me. He moved faster than a man of his size should be able to, his hand snapping out to catch Cristina's wrist inches from my face.
"Vincenzo!" Cristina gasped, her anger instantly replaced by a trembling fear. "She—she insulted me! She said—"
"You forget your place, cugina (cousin)," Vincenzo said. His voice was terrifyingly quiet, a low rumble that scraped against my nerves. He twisted her arm slightly, forcing her to her knees. "Screaming like a fishwife outside my door? If it happens again, I will personally help you remember who rules this house."
He released her with a shove that sent her sprawling onto the carpet. Cristina scrambled back, pale and shaking, tears of humiliation welling in her eyes.
Only then did Vincenzo turn to me. I expected a nod, a flicker of acknowledgment for the truce we had unknowingly shared in sleep. Instead, his gaze swept over me with cold indifference, as if I were a piece of furniture he regretted buying.
Without a word, he stepped back into his suite and slammed the door. The lock clicked, loud and final.
He wasn't my protector. He was just the jailer who demanded quiet in his prison.
Breakfast was a battlefield disguised as a meal.
The dining room was vast, the long mahogany table polished to a mirror shine that reflected the heavy crystal chandelier above. When I entered, the conversation died instantly.
Vincenzo sat at the head of the table, dressed in a sharp black suit, reading a newspaper. He didn't look up. To his right sat an older woman who could only be his mother, Erica Moretti. She had the same dark eyes, but hers were filled with a petty cruelty.
"In our house," Erica began the moment I took my seat, her voice sharp as a knife, "women rise before the men. A qualified future mistress oversees the household, she does not sleep until noon like a common courtesan."
I unfolded my napkin, my movements deliberate and calm. I could feel Vincenzo's presence like a physical weight, but he continued to cut his steak, offering no defense.
"In the Falcone family, Signora Moretti," I replied, meeting her gaze evenly, "our women are the family's glory, not its servants. We earn respect, we do not trade early mornings and cooking for it."
Erica's fork clattered onto her plate. Her face flushed a mottled red. "You insolent little—"
Vincenzo stood up abruptly, tossing his napkin onto the table. The violence of the motion silenced his mother instantly. He walked out without a backward glance.
I finished my coffee, the bitter liquid burning my throat, and followed.
In the foyer, Erica intercepted me. She dug into her expensive clutch and pulled out a thick stack of cash, tossing it onto the antique side table between us. It landed with a heavy thud.
"Take it," she sneered. "Go into the city and buy some decent clothes. Stop wearing those rags from the New York slums. You represent the Don now; don't embarrass him."
I looked at the money. It was a lot—maybe five thousand dollars. To a girl who had been used as a pawn, it should have been a fortune. But to 'Leo', the secret designer whose custom gowns sold for ten times that amount, it was an insult.
I didn't touch the cash. I looked at her with a pity that I knew would infuriate her more than anger.
"Thank you for your generosity, Signora," I said softly. "But I prefer custom. A quality you clearly cannot comprehend."
I walked past her, leaving her sputtering in the foyer, and stepped out into the cool Chicago air.
An armored Cadillac was waiting. The driver held the door open, and I slid into the back seat. The door thudded shut, sealing me in a leather-scented box with the devil himself.
Vincenzo was busy on his phone, but the moment the car started moving, he pocketed it and turned his predatory gaze on me. The air in the car grew thin.
"What is your grandfather's real game?" he asked, his voice devoid of the sleep-roughness from earlier, now sharp and commanding. "A spy? A rat? Do not think that crawling into my bed buys you any favors."
The accusation stung, but I refused to show it. "Don't flatter yourself, Don Moretti," I snapped. "Our 'deal' was made by my grandfather and you. A three-month truce. After that, I leave this hellhole and never see your face again."
He moved suddenly, his hand shooting out to grip my jaw. His fingers were strong, calloused, forcing me to look into his dark, abyss-like eyes.
"Three months is a long time, principessa (princess)," he murmured, his thumb tracing my lower lip with a touch that was more threat than caress. "Long enough for many things to happen. Long enough to make you love the man you hate."
I jerked my face away from his grip, my heart hammering against my ribs—not from fear, but from a dangerous spike of adrenaline. I let out a harsh, humorless laugh.
"You really overestimate your charm."
He didn't smile, but his eyes darkened, a challenge burning in their depths. The car slowed, pulling up to a building that looked nothing like a bridal shop.
"We'll see," he said.
