~ISABELLA~ “You are playing with fire, Bella. Antonio will -” “I am the one who was auctioned, Sarah. So, if there is anything that I can do to get away from this man, then I will do it. Regardless of the consequences,” I interjected her. “I am just saying that you should be careful. Both of these men are dangerous. I would understand if Tom was the one coming to help you,” she answered. I honestly understood her concerns, but Tom was not going to help me. Not when this place had a heavy security system, and there was Melo around the house to make sure that I would never be able to escape. As much as I hated this, Dante was the only way out of Antonio’s life. He was the only one capable of getting me out. “Tom could never be able to get me out of here. Dante can. As soon as he helps me out of here, I will run somewhere else, I promise.” Sarah sighed, “Alright, fine. So, what’s the plan?” “I will go to my cousin in Ansley Park. She’s very kind and won’t mind accommodating me i

~ISABELLA~ "I bought clothes for you." "You bought clothes for me? Do you think that clothes, handbags, and shoes will compensate for kidnapping me?" I asked him as one of his domestics carried in the shopping bags. Dante merely offered a sly grin as he advanced towards me, prompting me to gulp. He was tall and had a presence that made me weak in my knees. His eyes were green and whenever I locked with them, I felt my throat getting dry. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I had daydreamed about him the night before we met for our first date. I couldn't take my eyes off him for hours and when he confirmed our date, I was over the moon and couldn't wait for him to be the one to sweep me off Antonio's snares.And he did. "I assumed you liked clothes." "I value my freedom above all, Dante! For how long do you intend to keep me here?" I snapped while approaching the table to look inside the shopping bags. "I believed we had reached an understanding that I would grant you your

~ISABELLA~"Where are you taking me, Dante?" I asked as he drove out of the gate. He was driving fast, which made me anxious. I couldn't read his thoughts or intentions. For all I knew, he was probably driving me to a place where he was going to kill me. His older brother despised me, leaving me to wonder about their plans for me. As events unfolded, Gabriele's words echoed in my mind, affirming that I was precisely what they needed to take over Atlanta. They had no intention of releasing me until Antonio arrived to rescue me. He was my only hope. "Don't worry, princess, I'm not going to hurt you. Relax and enjoy the ride," he smirked as he increased the speed, passing by the lonely road in the middle of the forest.I was desperate to slip out my cell phone and turn it on so that Antonio would be able to find me more easily.But since I was his wife, I knew that he was not going to stop searching for me.Especially since he knew who took me."Can you slow down a bit?" My heart w

~ANTONIO~"You're not allowed to go anywhere, Bella. You wanted this, and now you got it.""You can't do that, Antonio! You can't keep me locked up in here after I have just returned from another prison! What is this? Is this why you bought me at auction?" She asked.I sighed and turned around to face her. "I didn't buy you, Bella. If you can't realize how I feel about you by now, I don't think you ever will.""If you feel anything for me, you will let me go. You would ask me on dates instead of treating me as your prisoner.""If you were responsible and kept your distance from Dante as I warned you to, we wouldn't be having this conversation!" I snapped."Forgive me, Antonio, that I won't fall head over heels for you after you bought me for millions of dollars and ruined all the plans that I had for my life!" She shot back."Name whatever that you want, and it will be yours!" I hissed as I closed the gap between us.I felt disappointed that she couldn't realize that I'd do anything fo

~ISABELLA~I was startled when I felt a hand on my shoulder in the hospital. I was sitting beside my father in his wardroom. The doctors had performed an emergency surgery on him when he was admitted. Luckily, when the Conti struck him with a knife, none of his organs were badly injured. "Hey, Isa. I'm sorry about your father," Sarah said to me as I got up and wrapped my arms around her. I couldn't hold it in anymore as I wept on her shoulder. If I hadn't arrived on time, my father would have bled to death in the hands of the Conti. I was so angry that Dante and his brothers could do something like this after they killed my mother without any mercy while she was pregnant. I was angry that they had to involve him in their war with Antonio when my father had nothing to do with what was happening between them. "Thank you for coming, babe. This means a lot to me," I sobbed. "Let's go and grab a cup of coffee for you," Sarah suggested when I pulled away from her and wiped my face.