Isabella’s POV
I let out a deep sigh as I stepped into my bedroom, exhaustion clinging to me like a second skin. It had been one of those day, exhausting research work, useless phone calls, and problems that no one but me seemed capable of solving. My head throbbed from the stress, my body ached from sitting at my desk all day, and I hadn’t eaten since noon.
All I wanted was a hot bath. Just a few minutes to myself, to let the steam wrap around me and wash away the tension. I unbuttoned my blouse as I made my way to the bathroom, already picturing the warmth of the water.
Then my phone vibrated on the nightstand.
At first, I thought about ignoring it. I was done for the night. But something about the way it buzzed, the insistent way it rattled against the wood, made me pause.
I grabbed it and glanced at the screen.
Dante.
A strange feeling settled in my gut. I answered immediately.
“Dante?”
His breathing was ragged, uneven. “Isa, I need you to listen carefully,” he said, his voice low and strained. “I don’t have much time.”
I straightened, my heart slamming against my ribs. “What? What’s going on?”
“All the information you need, it’s at storage locker thirty–seven,” he continued, barely acknowledging my question. “The key… it’s at the place we first
met.”
My mind raced. “Dante, what the fuck is happening? Are you okay?”
He sucked in a sharp breath. For the first time since I’d known him, I heard fear in his voice.
“Just do as I said, Isabella. I don’t want you getting roped into this mess.”
“Mess? Dante, what mess? Who”
A loud crack split through the phone, the sickening sound of something heavy colliding with bone.
Dante cried out.
Then, silence.
“Dante?” My voice was sharp, panic rising. “Dante!”
Nothing.
The call had dropped.
I stood frozen, my pulse roaring in my ears. Every instinct screamed at me to do what he had warned me against, stay out of it. But there was no chance in hell I was going to sit back and do nothing.
I grabbed my laptop, my fingers flying over the keyboard as I traced his phone signal. It took longer than I wanted, my hands were shaking, but finally, a red pin dropped onto the map.
I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed my jacket and keys, shoved my phone into my pocket, and bolted out the door.
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13:48 Mon, 7 Jul
Chapter 135
The alley was dark, the smell of filth and decay thick in the air.
My stomach churned as I took cautious steps forward, my heels clicking against the pavement. Then I saw him.
Dante lay crumpled against the brick wall, blood pooling beneath him. His face was barely recognizable, swollen, bruised, battered.
“Dante!” I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands hovering, unsure where to touch without hurting him more. “Dante, can you hear me?”
His eyelids fluttered, his breathing shallow.
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“Shit,” I whispered, fumbling for my phone. My fingers barely worked as I dialed 911. “I need an ambulance,” I said sharply, giving them the location. “Hurry.”
Dante’s fingers twitched. His lips moved, barely a whisper.
“Isa…”
“Don’t talk,” I said urgently, pressing my hand against one of his wounds as if that would somehow stop the inevitable. “Help is coming, just hold on.”
His eyes met mine for a fleeting second. Then they slid shut.
The hospital smelled like antiseptic and quiet grief. I paced the waiting area, arms crossed tightly over my chest, my nails digging into my skin.
I barely noticed when the doctor approached until he spoke.
“Are you a relative of Mr. Dante?”
“No, but” I stopped. It didn’t matter. “Is he okay?”
The doctor’s expression gave me the answer before he even said the words.
“I’m sorry. He didn’t make it.”
The air seemed to vanish from my lungs.
My fingers curled into fists, my nails biting into my palm as a wave of emotion crashed over me.
Dante was dead.
For a long moment, I just stood there, frozen in place. Then something cold settled in my chest, burning hotter than the grief.
Rage.
I pulled out my phone, dialed, and pressed it to my ear.
It rang once. Twice.
Then,
“Asher.”
I barely recognized my own voice, it was so tight with fury.
“Asher, I have the information on the person responsible for framing you.”
There was a pause on the other end.
“You okay?” he asked, voice calm, but edged with something close to concern.
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Chapter 135
“No.”
Another pause.
“Where are you?”
“Let’s meet at Café Verona.”
“Give me twenty minutes.”
When I walked into Café Verona, Asher was already there, sitting in a corner booth, fingers tapping idly against his coffee cup.
His eyes flicked up as I approached, scanning my face, sharp and assessing.
“You got here fast,” I muttered, sliding into the seat across from him.
He shrugged. “Didn’t like how you sounded on the phone.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I reached into my bag, pulled out the file Dante had died for, and slid it across the table.
“Everything you need is in there.”
Asher flipped it open, his eyes skimming the contents. He didn’t get far before looking back at me.
“What happened?”
“Dante’s dead,” I said, my voice flat.
Asher’s brows furrowed. “Who’s Dante?”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my emotions in check. “The man I hired to find out who framed you. He gathered all the information in that file.”
His jaw tensed. “And now he’s dead?”
“Yeah.”
A heavy silence settled between us. I could see the realization dawn on him–this wasn’t just some unfortunate accident. We both knew exactly who was
behind this.
Asher exhaled sharply. “The mafia.”
“Of course it was,” I muttered. “They wanted him silenced before he could tell me too much.”
“He managed to give me the location of the file, but I don’t know if they know that. Maybe they think they killed the trail along with him.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, guilt flickering in his eyes. He looked away, exhaling slowly. “This is on me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What?”
“You wouldn’t have been involved in this if it weren’t for me,” he said, his voice low. “If I hadn’t”
“Don’t,” I cut him off. “I made my own choices, Asher. No one forced me into this.”
He shook his head, but I didn’t let him wallow in guilt. Dante was dead. That was the reality. And the people responsible for it weren’t going to get away
with it.
“I’m not letting this go,” I said, my voice cold and final.
My fingers tightened around my coffee cup. “I’m going to make them pay.”
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15.43
Chapter 135
Asher stilled. “Isabella.”
69%
+15)
I met his gaze, my blood boiling. “They took him from me.” My voice was low, deadly. “I’m not just going to sit back and do nothing.”
“You need to think this through,” Asher said carefully. “Rushing in blind won’t”
“I don’t care,” I snapped. “They think they can do this, like he was nothing? I won’t let them get away with it.”
Asher studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, to my surprise, he leaned back in his chair.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“No.”
He exhaled, shaking his head. “Then I’m in.”
I blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
“If you’re going to do this, you need someone who knows what they’re doing.” His voice was steady, sure. “I’ll help you get your revenge. But first, I need to handle my own mess.”
I stared at him, searching for hesitation. There was none.
Finally, I nodded.
But as I sipped my coffee, my mind was already miles ahead.
I would make the mafia pay.
No matter what it took.
4/4
AD
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