206

Isabella 206.

The news hit me like a ton of bricks, shattering the fragile sense of security I had managed to cling to in the wake of Emilio's warning. Ava's voice trembled as she delivered the harrowing news, her words hanging heavy in the air as they sank into my racing mind.

"He's alive," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she reached out to grasp my hand in a silent gesture of support. "But it was close, Isabella. Too close."

My heart lurched at the thought, the image of Damien's face flashing before my eyes as I struggled to comprehend the gravity of what Ava was telling me. He had survived, thank the heavens, but the mere thought of losing him – of never seeing his smile or hearing his laughter again – was enough to send a chill down my spine.

We sat in silence, the weight of the news pressing down on us like a suffocating blanket as we watched the television screen, images of Damien and Emilio being escorted off the company premises flashing across the screen in a bl