Isabella POV
My heels echoed in the vast, empty corridor as I stormed toward the study, anger burning through my veins. Alessandro was testing me again-pulling strings, manipulating circumstances, controlling every damn detail of my life like I was his marionette.
“You’re late,” his deep, gravelly voice hit me before I even reached the door. He was always watching, always waiting to pounce.
I pushed the door open, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. “Traffic,” I said flatly, meeting his intense gaze head-on.
His office was a reflection of him-dark, cold, and meticulously ordered. He leaned against his desk, the top button of his shirt undone, sleeves rolled up, exposing forearms that held as many secrets as his sharp eyes.
“Sit.” One word. A command, not a request.
I stayed rooted, my pulse pounding in my ears. “You don’t own me, Alex.”
His smirk was infuriatingly calm. “Oh, but I do, Isabella. I own every inch of you-mind, body, and that rebellious little soul you keep trying to protect.”
I took a step closer, my fists clenching at my sides. “This isn’t control; it’s obsession.”
“And yet,” he said, prowling toward me like a predator, “you keep coming back. Tell me, why is that?”
“Because you don’t give me a damn choice!” My voice cracked, betraying the storm inside me.
Alessandro stopped inches away, his presence suffocating, his scent-a mix of cedarwood and danger-clouding my thoughts. “Oh, you have choices, Bella. You’ve just never been brave enough to make the right one.”
I laughed bitterly. “And what’s the ‘right’ choice, Alex? Kneeling at your feet like some broken doll? Wearing your collar like a leash?”
His fingers brushed a strand of hair from my face, slow, deliberate. “You’re not broken,” he whispered, his tone softer but no less dangerous. “You’re just afraid of what you could be with me.”
His words cut deep, slicing through the walls I’d spent years building. But I wouldn’t let him win. Not tonight. “You’re a control freak with a God complex, Alessandro. That’s not love-it’s madness.”
He chuckled, the sound low and rough, sending a shiver down my spine. “And yet, you’re still here, fighting me. Why?”
I hated him for asking that question-hated myself for not having an answer that didn’t involve the way my body betrayed me every time he was near.
“I need those documents back,” I said, changing the subject, my voice steadier now.
His eyes darkened, the shift almost imperceptible. “The ones you stole from my safe?”
My stomach dropped. Of course, he knew. He always knew.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, stepping back, my heart racing.
His smirk returned, but this time it was colder, sharper. “Lying doesn’t suit you, Bella.”
Before I could react, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer until there was nothing but heat and tension between us. “Do you think I wouldn’t find out? That you could outsmart me?”
“You don’t scare me,” I whispered, though my trembling voice said otherwise.
“Good,” he murmured, his lips brushing my ear. “Because scared little girls bore me.”
He released me suddenly, his absence as jarring as his touch. “You’ll bring those papers back to me. Tonight.”
“And if I don’t?” I challenged, though the defiance in my tone felt hollow.
His smile was all teeth, predatory and cruel. “Then I’ll take something else you value. And trust me, Bella, I know exactly what that is.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of his threat sinking in. He wasn’t bluffing. Alessandro never bluffed.
As I turned to leave, my mind racing for a plan, his voice stopped me cold. “And Bella,” he called out, his tone almost playful, “next time, don’t bother locking the safe. I’ve already changed the combination.”
Will Isabella find a way to outmaneuver Alessandro, or will his control tighten further, dragging her deeper into his dark, seductive world?
Alex POV
The rain hit the windows like tiny bullets, a rhythmic assault that matched the chaos in my head. I stood at the edge of my penthouse balcony, the city’s neon glow bleeding into the darkness. Isabella was late. Again.
My patience was thinner than a razor’s edge. She wasn’t just avoiding me-she was testing me, pushing the boundaries of her rebellion. And tonight, I wasn’t in the mood to play her games. Not when my enemies were circling like vultures, waiting for a crack in my armor.
I lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply. The smoke burned my throat, but it was nothing compared to the fire she lit in me every damn time she opened that smart mouth of hers. “Keep running, Bella,” I muttered to myself. “But you’re running straight to me.”
The elevator dinged. My pulse quickened.
She stepped in, dripping rainwater on the marble floor. Her blouse clung to her skin, her skirt riding high from the storm. A drowned goddess, all sharp edges and wild eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing.
“You’re late.”
“Traffic,” she said casually, brushing her hair out of her face.
“Liar.” My tone cut through the air like a whip.
She shrugged, unbothered. “What’s a few minutes between us?”
I grabbed her wrist, pulling her close. Her scent-rain and rebellion-drove me insane. “You think you can keep playing with fire and not get burned?”
Her lips curled into a sly smile. “Maybe I like the heat.”
I dragged her to the leather chaise by the window. “Sit,” I ordered.
She hesitated, her defiance flaring, but eventually obeyed. That collar around her neck-a symbol of my control-seemed to mock me tonight. She hadn’t taken it off, but she wore it like a challenge, not submission.
“I told you to check in,” I said, pacing in front of her.
“I’m not your lapdog, Alex.”
“No,” I shot back, leaning down until our faces were inches apart. “You’re mine. But you keep forgetting that.”
Her jaw tightened, but I caught the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “You don’t own me.”
“Don’t I?” My hand traced the edge of the collar, my thumb pressing against the clasp. “This says otherwise.”
Her breath hitched. She hated how much control I had over her, but she craved it just as much. That was her poison-her need for me, even when she fought it.
“Take it off, then,” she challenged, her voice a whisper.
I laughed, low and dangerous. “Not yet, Bella. You haven’t earned your freedom.”
Her eyes burned into mine, and for a moment, it felt like the world had stopped spinning. The storm outside was nothing compared to the one brewing between us.
Before I could say more, my phone buzzed on the table.
I ignored it.
“Maybe you should get that,” she said, her tone sharp.
“It can wait.”
The buzzing didn’t stop. Irritated, I snatched the phone, glancing at the screen. The message was brief but enough to make my blood run cold:
They know where she is. Move now.
I locked eyes with Isabella, my heart pounding. This wasn’t just about her defiance anymore. This was life or death.
“We’re leaving,” I said, grabbing her arm.
“Excuse me?” She tried to pull away, but my grip was iron.
“Get up, Isabella. Now.”
“Alex, what the hell-”
“Don’t argue with me!” I barked, the edge in my voice silencing her.
Her eyes widened, but she followed, sensing the shift in my demeanor.
As the elevator doors closed behind us, I whispered under my breath, “You’re not slipping away from me. Not tonight. Not ever.”