Chapter 6 No.6

Isabella POV

The heavy oak doors clicked shut behind Giovanni and Elena, sealing the silence back into the room. The air in Maria Herrera's study was thick with the scent of stale cigar smoke and old power. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage, but I forced my hands to remain still at my sides. I had won the skirmish, but the war was sitting right in front of me.

Maria Herrera studied me for a long moment, the shark-like deadness in her eyes softening into something that resembled a grandmother's warmth. It was a terrifying transformation because I knew it was a lie.

"You have spirit, bambina," she said, gesturing for me to sit. "And resources. A dangerous combination for a woman in our world, but a useful one for this family."

I sat on the edge of the leather chair, keeping my spine rigid. "I only wish to bring value to the family, Grandmother."

"Of course." She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But managing such a vast estate... it is a burden for a young bride, especially one adjusting to life as the Don's wife. Your uncle, Luca... he is a busy man. Perhaps it would be wiser to transfer the management of your trust to our family's financial advisor. For your own protection, naturally. We can consolidate the assets, ensure they grow under the Herrera banner."

The trap was elegant, wrapped in concern and logic. If I handed over the trust, I would lose the only leverage that kept me from being just another piece of furniture in this house.

I met her gaze, ensuring my expression remained respectful but unyielding. "Your concern honors me, Grandmother. However, my mother, Carina Sterling, was quite specific in her last will. She entrusted her legacy to her brother, Luca, not just as a financial decision, but as a matter of blood."

I paused, letting the weight of the word blood settle between us. In our world, blood was the only currency that mattered more than gold.

"To alter her dying wish," I continued softly, "would be a stain on her memory. It would suggest that a Sterling Advisor is incapable of fulfilling his duty to his own kin. I could not ask my uncle to bear such an insult to our family honor."

Maria's eyes narrowed, the warmth evaporating instantly. She saw exactly what I had done. I hadn't refused her; I had shielded myself with the unassailable armor of filial piety and family honor.

A dry, humorless chuckle escaped her lips. "You are as stubborn as your mother was. Perhaps more calculating." She waved a hand dismissively. "Keep your uncle involved. For now."

An hour later, I was escorted to the East Wing of the Ancestral Estate. The guest suite was larger than my entire apartment back in the city, draped in heavy blue velvet and silver silk. It was breathtakingly beautiful and utterly cold. The windows were reinforced glass, and two Herrera soldiers stood guard outside my door like statues carved from granite.

It was a gilded cage. And I was the new prize bird.

When the door opened again, I expected a maid. Instead, a woman with dark hair streaked with gray rushed in, her face pale and streaked with tears.

"Isabella!"

"Aunt Ariel." The breath left my lungs in a rush.

Ariel Sterling, the wife of Advisor Luca Sterling, was the only person in my mother's family who had ever looked at me with kindness. She crossed the room in three strides and pulled me into a desperate embrace. She smelled of lavender and fear.

"Oh, Dio mio," she sobbed into my hair. "I came as soon as I heard. Giovanni... that fool. And Elena... to try and steal from you..." She pulled back, cupping my face with trembling hands. "Are you hurt? Did they touch you?"

"I'm fine," I lied, though my nerves were frayed to the breaking point. "I handled it."

Ariel shook her head, her eyes wide with a terror I didn't understand. She pulled me toward the velvet sofa, lowering her voice to a frantic whisper. "You don't understand, tesoro. It's not just about the money. It's about where you are going."

She looked at the door to ensure the guards weren't listening. "Do you know why Leo Contreras left you? It wasn't just Sophia's beauty. For years, that viper has been whispering in every ear at the country club, telling them you were dull, frigid, unworthy of a high-ranking husband. She poisoned your name so she could steal your future."

A cold knot tightened in my stomach. I had suspected it, but hearing it confirmed was a different kind of pain.

"But that is nothing compared to this," Ariel continued, her grip on my hands tightening until it hurt. "Damien Russo... Isabella, the rumors aren't just stories to scare children. They call him a monster for a reason."

My blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

"The fire that killed his parents... it took half his humanity with it," she whispered, tears spilling over her lashes. "They say his face is a ruin. That he walks with a limp because the devil tried to drag him down to hell. But it's not his scars you should fear." She choked on a sob. "His last two fiancées... they didn't just die, Isabella. One 'fell' down the stairs. The other overdosed. No one asks questions when the Don is involved. But everyone knows."

She gripped my shoulders, her eyes pleading. "Let me call Luca. He has contacts in Zurich. We can get you out tonight. You can disappear. Please, Isabella. Don't let them feed you to the beast."

The offer hung in the air, sweet and tempting. To run. To be free.

But I looked at the heavy door, at the reality of the world we lived in.

"No," I said, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears.

"Isabella-"

"If I run, it's a violation of a Don's Command," I said, cutting her off. "Damien Russo would not just hunt me down. He would view it as an act of war by the Herrera family. He would kill Luca. He would kill you. He would burn everything we have."

I stood up, walking to the window to look out at the manicured, prison-like gardens of the Herrera estate.

"There is no escape," I whispered, watching my reflection in the glass-a girl who had walked into the lion's den wearing a silk dress. "The only way out is through."