Chapter 3 3

Isabella POV

Damien's eyes darkened at my challenge, the deep blue turning into a turbulent, violent storm. The air in the penthouse grew impossibly heavy, suffocating in its intensity. He didn't back away; instead, he closed the final fraction of an inch between us. His large, rough hand slid from the back of my neck to my throat, his thumb pressing deliberately over the dark bruise he had left there hours ago.

"You want to play a dangerous game, *principessa*," he murmured, his voice a lethal caress that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "I will let him see exactly whose woman you are now."

Instead of shrinking back from the threat, I reached up and wrapped my fingers over his hand, pressing his palm firmer against my skin. I let a breathless, dark thrill lace my words. "Good. I want him to see. I want all of Chicago to see who I belong to now."

A flicker of profound confusion-and a darker, more primal hunger-crossed his face. He didn't trust me. His brilliant, paranoid mind was still searching for the trap, still convinced this was a desperate captive's *ploy*. But his pride as the ruler of Chicago's underworld wouldn't allow him to back down from a challenge, especially not one that fed his obsessive need to claim me.

He dropped his hand and turned his imposing frame toward the corner of the room where my maid stood trembling. "Clara," he barked.

Clara jumped, her eyes wide with terror as she looked at the *Underboss*.

"Dress her," Damien commanded, his tone leaving no room for hesitation. "The red silk."

Half an hour later, Clara's shaking hands zipped up the back of the dress. It was the color of fresh, arterial blood, the expensive silk clinging to every curve of my body like a second skin. It wasn't just a garment; it was a war banner. A brand. When I stepped out of the dressing room, Damien's gaze swept over me, a possessive fire burning away the cold calculation in his eyes. He offered his arm. I took it without a word.

The descent in his private elevator was silent, the tension thick enough to choke on. When the polished brass doors slid open, the opulent grandeur of The Castillo Grand's main lobby stretched out before us.

Crystal chandeliers cast a brilliant, unforgiving light over the gleaming marble floors. The scent of expensive cigars, roasted coffee, and old money hung in the air. In the shadows of the velvet sofas and marble pillars, Castillo *Soldiers* stood like silent statues, their hands resting casually near their holstered weapons, watching everything.

In the center of it all stood Julian Barron.

He was flanked by a handful of his New York men, wearing an impeccably tailored light suit that screamed Ivy League privilege. He was currently leaning over the concierge desk, his face twisted into a mask of righteous, desperate anger-the perfect picture of a heartbroken hero braving the lion's den to rescue his stolen bride.

Then, he heard the heavy, rhythmic click of Damien's leather shoes against the marble.

Julian spun around. The rehearsed look of agonizing concern was ready on his handsome face, his lips parting to call out my name. But the word died in his throat.

Damien walked with the terrifying, unhurried grace of an apex predator, his massive frame radiating absolute authority. And I was right beside him. His arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, his hand resting possessively on my hip, anchoring me to his side.

Julian's eyes locked onto me, and I watched his heroic facade shatter piece by piece. He expected to see a broken, weeping captive, desperate for his salvation. Instead, he was staring at a woman draped in the color of sin and slaughter, her makeup flawless, her posture rigid with aristocratic pride.

I didn't look at him with the tearful relief of a rescued maiden. I looked at him with the cold, detached amusement of a queen observing a jester. The memory of the speakeasy cellar-the poison, the betrayal, the agonizing death-burned in my veins, but I kept my face an impenetrable mask of faint mockery.

The lobby fell into a deathly silence. The tension between the two men crackled like live electricity, a *Vendetta* waiting for a single spark. Julian's fists clenched at his sides, his chest heaving as he struggled to comprehend the scene before him.