The clock struck eleven. Isabella hadn’t come home yet. The mansion, massive and silent, felt like a void swallowing me whole. My eyes traced the decanter on the bar, amber liquid catching the dim glow of the chandelier. One drink wouldn’t kill me, but tonight wasn’t the night to dull my edge.
She was testing me-again. Her games weren’t cute anymore. They were dangerous.
“Where the hell are you, Bella?” I muttered under my breath, pacing.
My phone buzzed. Finally. Her name lit up the screen. A text, short and to the point, just like her:
“Running late. Don’t wait up.”
Don’t wait up? My jaw clenched. Isabella knew damn well I always waited up. She belonged under this roof, under my eyes. Not out in the city where shadows had teeth.
I dialed her number. Straight to voicemail. Again. “You’re really pushing it tonight,” I growled.
There was no trust in this world, no safety, except the kind I built with my own hands. And she was out there, tearing holes in it, one reckless move at a time.
The door creaked open at midnight. I was already standing in the foyer, arms crossed, my glare sharp enough to slice through stone. She stepped inside, wearing that ridiculous little black dress-too tight, too short, too damn tempting.
“You look like trouble,” I said, voice low and razor-edged.
She froze, eyes locking on mine. For a second, I saw something flicker there-guilt? Fear? Satisfaction? She hid it quickly, but I knew better.
“You’re still awake?” she asked, her tone light, like I wasn’t about to explode.
“Don’t play innocent, Bella. Where the hell were you?”
“Out,” she said, brushing past me like I was a goddamn statue. “I told you, don’t wait up.”
“Out?” I grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. Her skin was cold against mine. “Try again.”
Her eyes narrowed, fire sparking. “Let go, Alex.”
“Not until you tell me the truth.”
“You can’t control everything,” she snapped. “Not me, not tonight.”
My laugh came, dark and humorless. “Control? You’re mine, Bella. Every move you make, every breath, belongs to me.”
She yanked her hand free, defiance blazing in her eyes. “I don’t belong to anyone.”
I followed her into the living room, tension thickening the air like storm clouds. She tossed her purse onto the couch and spun to face me.
“Why do you care where I go?” she challenged, voice sharp. “You’ve got your meetings, your deals, your… other girls. So why does it matter what I do?”
The jab landed, but I didn’t flinch. “Because I protect what’s mine. You think you can just waltz out there, dressed like that, with no consequences?”
“Dressed like this?” she repeated, spreading her arms, mocking. “Grow up, Alex. You’re not my father.”
I took a step closer, invading her space. “No. I’m worse. And you’d do well to remember that.”
Her breathing quickened, anger flushing her cheeks. But I saw it-the way her pulse beat hard at her throat, the way her lips parted just slightly. She was mad, sure, but not scared. Not yet.
“You can’t scare me,” she whispered, her voice daring me.
“You don’t know the half of it,” I said, stepping closer, my hand brushing her chin. She didn’t pull away. “But you’re about to.”
She tilted her head, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “What are you going to do, Alex? Lock me up? Put me on a leash? Oh wait-you already tried that.”
I grinned, slow and wicked. “Careful, Bella. You might just like it.”
Her eyes burned into mine, and for a moment, the tension shifted, electric and raw. She wanted to fight me, push me, make me lose control. But I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Not yet.
“I’m not your prisoner,” she said, her voice shaking, though she tried to sound strong.
“No,” I agreed, leaning down so our faces were inches apart. “You’re my obsession. And obsessions, Bella… they’re dangerous.”
Before she could answer, my phone buzzed again. I ignored it, but it buzzed again. And again.
“What the hell?” I muttered, pulling it from my pocket. A text, from an unknown number.
“She’s not safe. Neither are you. Watch your back.”
My blood went cold. Bella noticed the shift, her eyes narrowing.
“What is it?” she asked.
I didn’t answer. My eyes were on the window, scanning the shadows outside.
“Alex,” she pressed, stepping closer. “What’s going on?”
I turned to her, my voice grim. “We’ve got a problem.”
Her eyes widened, fear creeping in. “What kind of problem?”
The lights flickered, and the mansion plunged into darkness.
“Stay behind me,” I said, my voice cutting through the dark. But the silence outside wasn’t just silence-it was a warning.
The rain slammed against the window, the sound sharp and relentless, matching the chaos in my chest. Isabella stood in the corner of my penthouse, her arms crossed, her expression defiant as hell. She was wearing the emerald-green silk dress I’d picked out-a dress that clung to her curves like a second skin. It wasn’t the dress that pissed her off, though. It was the collar around her neck.
“You’re testing me,” I said, my voice low, barely masking the heat bubbling underneath.
She met my gaze without flinching. “No, Alex. You’re testing me. Every damn day.”
I smirked, leaning back against my desk. She had fire-God, did she have fire-but she wasn’t in control. Not tonight. Not ever. “That’s cute. But you know how this works, Bella.” I gestured at the contract sitting on the desk. “You signed. You agreed. And you’re mine.”
Her laugh was bitter, slicing through the tension in the room like a blade. “Yours? You don’t own me, Alessandro. No piece of paper changes that.”
I stalked toward her, slow and deliberate, watching the way her breathing quickened. “Don’t I?” I tilted her chin up with two fingers, forcing her to meet my eyes. “Who else do you kneel for? Who else knows the way your body trembles when I-”
“Stop,” she snapped, cutting me off. But her voice wavered.
I grinned, the predator in me enjoying the chase. “That’s what I thought.”
She shoved past me, storming toward the window. Her movements were quick, sharp, like a caged animal desperate for a way out. The rain outside mirrored the storm in her eyes.
“This isn’t what I signed up for,” she said, her voice quieter now, more vulnerable.
“You knew exactly what you were getting into,” I shot back. “Don’t act like a victim, Bella. You wanted this as much as I did.”
“Did I?” She spun to face me, anger flashing in her eyes. “Or did you manipulate me into it, just like you manipulate everyone else?”
The words hit harder than they should’ve. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to lash out. “Careful,” I warned, my voice a dangerous growl.
“Or what?” she challenged. “You’ll punish me? Spank me? Lock me in your gilded cage and throw away the key?”
I stepped closer, closing the distance between us. My jaw tightened as I fought for control. “You don’t get to play the victim, Bella. Not when you’ve enjoyed every second of this.”
Her cheeks flushed, her lips parting as she struggled to form a response. But I didn’t give her the chance. I backed her against the window, the cool glass pressing against her skin.
“You think you can walk away from this?” I murmured, my breath ghosting over her lips. “From me?”
Her silence was answer enough.
Before I could push her further, my phone buzzed on the desk. The vibration cut through the tension like a knife. I didn’t want to answer it-not when we were in the middle of this-but something about the timing felt off.
“Don’t,” she said softly, her voice trembling.
Ignoring her, I strode back to the desk and snatched up the phone. The screen lit up with a name I hadn’t seen in years. My heart stopped.
“Who is it?” Isabella asked, her voice wary.
I didn’t answer. My grip tightened on the phone as I debated whether to answer.
“Alex,” she pressed, her tone more urgent now. “What’s going on?”
I turned to face her, my expression unreadable. “It’s none of your concern.”
She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. “The hell it isn’t. Tell me.”
The phone buzzed again, the name flashing brighter, louder.
I finally answered, my voice cold and clipped. “What do you want?”
The voice on the other end was low, familiar, and laced with menace. “You didn’t think you could bury the past forever, did you?”
Isabella’s eyes widened, her gaze darting to mine as if she could hear the threat through the phone.
“Who is it?” she whispered, fear creeping into her voice.
I ended the call without a word, my jaw clenched. The past I’d worked so hard to bury was clawing its way back-and it wasn’t going to leave us unscathed.
Her hand touched my arm, hesitant but firm. “Alex, talk to me. What’s going on?”
I looked at her, my mind racing, my pulse pounding. “Pack a bag,” I said, my voice sharp.
“What?” she asked, confusion and panic mingling in her tone.
“Now, Isabella,” I snapped, turning away. “We’re leaving. Tonight.”
“Leaving? Where? Why?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. All I knew was that everything I’d built, everything I’d fought to protect, was about to come crashing down. And she was the only thing I couldn’t afford to lose.