Chapter 34: The Impossible Deal

Isabella's POV

Isabella lies in bed beside Damián and feels the weight of the deal she's made crushing her from the inside.

Ghost's words echo in her mind: "Keep him distracted. That's all I need."

She doesn't know exactly what Ghost is planning. Doesn't know which operations he's moving against or which territories he's claiming. Doesn't know if he's actually going to merge with Victoria Lucci or if he's preparing something worse.

But she knows she needs to tell Damián. Knows she should warn him that his second-in-command is planning betrayal. Knows that keeping this secret makes her complicit in whatever Ghost is about to do.

She also knows Ghost has leverage. He knows she's not Sofia. He has videos. He has evidence. He can expose her with one message.

So she's made a deal with the devil, and now she's lying beside Damián, playing the role of girlfriend while secretly helping his enemy plan his destruction.

The irony is so bitter that Isabella can taste it.

Damián stirs. His arm tightens around her waist. He pulls her closer in sleep like he's checking that she's still there.

She should tell him. Should wake him up right now and confess everything. Should give him the information he needs to protect himself from Ghost.

But if she does, he'll ask how she knows. He'll want to understand why Ghost would tell her anything. He'll start putting pieces together. He'll realize that she's been lying about something. He'll begin to suspect the truth about who she really is.

Everyone is lying to everyone, and no one can afford the truth.

The next morning, Ghost approaches her in the estate's hallway.

"We have a deal?" he asks. It's not really a question.

Isabella nods. She can't speak. Can't say the words out loud that confirm her betrayal.

"Good," Ghost says. He hands her a piece of paper with a single sentence written on it: "Keep him away from the shipment routes for the next week."

That's it. That's all he's asking. Just one week of distraction. One week of keeping Damián occupied while Ghost moves against him.

Isabella crumples the paper and burns it in the bathroom sink.

Over the next few days, she becomes the perfect girlfriend. She plans dates with Damián. She convinces him to spend time away from business. She pulls his attention completely toward her.

It's not hard. Damián wants this. Wants to spend time with her. Wants to pretend, just for a little while, that he's not running a cartel. That he's just a man in love with a woman.

She takes him horseback riding. She teaches him about the music she's been learning on his piano. She makes him laugh by doing terrible impressions of his serious lieutenants.

And the whole time, she's terrified.

Because Ghost is moving. She can feel it. She can see the subtle changes in the estate. New men appearing. Old men disappearing. Messages being sent and received in encrypted code.

Ghost is preparing for something. And she's helping him by keeping Damián distracted.

On the third day, Teo finds her alone in the library.

"You're acting strange," he says. His brown eyes miss nothing.

"I'm fine," Isabella lies.

"No, you're not," Teo says. He sits across from her. "You're nervous. You're distracted. You're helping someone do something you don't want to do."

Isabella's hands shake.

"Tell me," Teo says. "Tell me what's happening."

Isabella considers it. She could tell Teo about Ghost's plan. Could ask for his help. Could use his knowledge of the organization to protect Damián.

But Teo is loyal to Damián, and if she tells him about her deal with Ghost, Teo will tell Damián. And Damián will ask questions she can't answer without exposing herself.

"I can't," Isabella whispers.

Teo's expression hardens.

"Ghost is moving against Damián," Teo says. It's not a question. He already knows. "And you know about it. You're helping him."

"No," Isabella says. "I'm not helping him. But I can't stop him either. And if I tell Damián, he'll know I'm lying about something fundamental."

Teo stands and walks to the window.

"You're caught between two worlds," he says quietly. "Between love and duty. Between truth and lies. And eventually, you're going to have to choose one."

"I know," Isabella says.

"Do you?" Teo asks. "Because I don't think you understand what's about to happen. I don't think you're ready for the moment when everything collapses."

He leaves her alone in the library.

By day five, Isabella can barely breathe.

Damián keeps asking why she's so tense. Why she's so jumpy. Why she won't let him check on his shipments. She makes excuses. Says she needs him. Says she's scared of losing him.

All of it is true, but it's also a lie.

Ghost's deadline is approaching. In two more days, the week will be over. In two more days, Ghost will make his move. And when he does, Damián will know that Isabella helped him. Will understand that she kept him distracted for a reason.

On the sixth night, Damián pulls her close in bed.

"I love you," he says. "I want you to know that. No matter what happens. No matter what comes next. I love you."

Isabella's heart breaks into pieces.

"I love you too," she whispers.

"I know something is wrong," Damián continues. "I know you're keeping something from me. But I'm trusting you anyway. I'm trusting that you have a reason. That you're not trying to hurt me."

Isabella's eyes burn with tears she won't let fall.

"I'm not trying to hurt you," she says. It's true. She's trying to survive. She's trying to protect herself. But the result is the same.

"Good," Damián says. He kisses her forehead. "Because if I ever find out you're betraying me, if I ever discover that you've been helping someone move against my organization, I'll have to kill you."

He says it so calmly. So matter-of-factly. Like it's just a statement of fact instead of a threat.

Isabella knows he means it.

The next morning, she receives a text from Ghost: "Today. Everything happens today. Keep him home."

Isabella's hands are shaking so badly she can barely type a response.

She goes to Damián and tells him she wants to spend the day together. Just them. No business. No meetings. Just time together.

Damián agrees. He cancels his appointments. He sends his men away. He gives her what she's asking for.

But as they sit on the terrace overlooking the city, Isabella's phone buzzes.

It's a message from Teo: "Ghost is moving now. Attack on the northern shipment routes. Three of Damián's men are already dead. You need to tell him."

Isabella's entire body goes cold.

She's out of time. The lies are about to collapse. And in a few minutes, Damián is going to know that she helped his enemy.

She looks at the man she loves, sitting beside her, completely unaware of the betrayal that's happening around him.

She opens her mouth to speak.

But before she can say anything, Damián's phone rings.

He answers and listens. His face goes blank. His hand tightens on her thigh.

"I understand," he says quietly. "I'm on my way."

He hangs up and turns to look at Isabella with dark eyes that have suddenly become very cold.

"Ghost just attacked my northern operations," Damián says. His voice is flat. "Three of my men are dead. And you knew about this."

It's not a question.