Chapter 155 A new revelation
Serena’s POV
I had already picked up the fork when Dante’s voice stopped me.
It wasn’t loud, neither did he sound so sure, but something in it made my fingers freeze mid-air.
I looked up at him and his eyes weren’t on me, they were on the food.
“What is it?” I asked in a low voice.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned forward slightly, inspecting the food with a calm expression.
Then, he finally looked at me. “Don’t eat it.”
My stomach tightened. “Why?” I asked quietly.
He exhaled slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully.
“One of the staff just reported something,” he said quietly. “The team that prepared this batch of food were found unconscious in an alley,” he replied.
My mouth flew open and a sound escaped before I could stop it. “What?” I finally asked.
“In one of the corridors,” he continued. “The waitresses that served us this food weren't meant to be here in the first place..”
A strange chill crept up my spine. “So… this food—”
“—might not be safe,” he finished off for me.
For a second, neither of us moved.
The plates in front of us suddenly looked… wrong, like they had changed look and color immediately.
Like they had no business being in this room.
“Are you serious right now?” I whispered.
Dante didn’t respond immediately. His jaw tightened slightly as his gaze flicked towards the entrance of the booth, then back to the table.
“I need to confirm it,” he said.
“And if it’s true?”
His eyes met mine again for a brief second before responding. “Then someone just tried to poison us.”
The words didn’t hit immediately, but when they did, it felt like the air inside the booth had just been heated up.
“Us?” I repeated.
He didn’t answer, that was enough of an answer.
Before I could say anything else, voices started rising outside.
The people around began to murmur and whisper among themselves.
The kind of poison that spreads fast venom.
“…poison…”
“…food…”
“…did you hear—”
I looked towards the booth entrance instinctively.
People were starting to turn with their heads leaning towards each other as they talked and murmured among themselves.
Dante noticed it too.
“Stay here,” he said as he was already standing to his feet.
“Dante—”
“I’ll handle it,” he cut me off, and before I could say anything else, he stepped out.
I watched him go with my chest tightening as the noise outside grew slightly louder.
It wasn’t chaos just yet, but it was closing things to one since the ball started.
I stood up slowly and moved towards the edge of the booth, just enough to watch what was happening without being seen too much.
Dante had stepped into the center of attention like he always did and a few people were already gathered near him, asking questions, and gesturing towards the food around..
I couldn’t hear much of anything he said to them, but I saw the way he lifted his hand slightly and gestured to them to calm down.
Then he raised his voice suddenly as he signaled to the florist to go low.
“There’s no issue!” I heard him say over the faint music in the space. “It was just a minor misunderstanding with the staff. Everything is under control!” He added.
The way he said it almost made me believe it.
The tension didn’t disappear completely, but the people looked to ease off a bit then Dante laughed before making a hand gesture out to them.
Soon, the people brought different dishes and he took a bite of all of them, laughing and saying things that looked like jokes as the people around him laughed.
I laughed too, not because I could hear anything, but because I had never seen a sight as such.
A particular warmth spread in me as I watched him taste all the meals they brought to him, not bothering what type it was and even made a gagging face at some.
That right there to me looked like a leader, a leader that was ready to go the extra mile to make his people happy.
And it worked. The people nodded all around and some laughed it off too, while others returned to their drinks.
Then Dante waved to the people with both hands, signaled the florist to resume and walked off as music blasted through the hall.
The ball resumed, like nothing had happened, like someone hadn’t just tried to poison us.
I watched as Dante walked towards a door behind with a few other men, probably going to handle the situation.
So I stepped back into the booth with my heart still beating faster than normal and sat still.
My eyes fell on the food again as it sat untouched, looking so perfect, so unlike anything poisoned.
I swallowed hard and waited as minutes passed and a few maids came and picked up the trays of food.
They muttered apologies as they left but I simply waved.
Dante didn’t return since then, and suddenly… there was nothing to do.
“Well, this is boring,” I muttered to myself as I stared at the empty seat across from me. Then at the walls, then at my hands.
This was ridiculous. I was sitting in a private booth at one of the most powerful gatherings in the world… and I was bored?
Not just that, bored and uneasy.
My mind kept replaying everything that had already happened. The masked stalker guy and now, I nearly got poisoned.
Apparently, something wasn't just wrong, someone was after me.
And here I was, just sitting here, waiting to probably be taken like a little helpless damsel.
Well, not anymore. I exhaled sharply and pushed myself up.
I couldn’t stay here, not like this.
If Dante wanted me hidden, fine. But I wasn’t going to sit and do nothing while everything around me kept moving.
I stepped out of the booth and looked over the ballroom that looked exactly the same as earlier.
Drinking, eating, talking in groups, laughing, dancing, and even some making out.
What would I give to have something like that with him? But no, he has to be working on a ball night.
I moved slowly across the room at first, blending in and careful not to stand out for any reason.
My eyes scanned the crowd for him. The masked man.
But there were too many people everywhere now, too many faces. Too many masks, like literally.
I still kept walking. If I couldn’t find him, at least I could find something.
Or someone.
“Serena.”
I stopped as a voice called me from behind as I reached a drink table.
I turned, and behind me was a lady in a green dress like mine with a mask on her face.
“Who are you?” I asked immediately. “And how did you recognize me?”
“Dante hasn't told you about me? Figures,” she muttered.
“What?”
“My name is Issabella, Dante's true love,” she said and I took a step back.
I remembered the name Issabella from Valentina's story, but the later part didn't sit well.
She was standing just a few steps away, looking exactly like I was the stranger here.
“What did you just say?” I asked carefully.
Then her lips curved into a small smile as she took another step closer.
“I was wondering when I’d get a moment with you,” she said, ignoring my question.
My body stiffened slightly, but I didn’t step back again.
“What do you want?”
She tilted her head with an amused look on her face.
“Straight to the point. I like that.”
“I’m not in the mood for games tonight, tell me what you want and beat it,” I said harshly and she chuckled.
“Oh, I’m not playing,” she said softly. “Not tonight.”
Something about the way she said it made my chest tighten.
She glanced around briefly before stepping a little closer, lowering her voice just enough to keep it between us.
“You look tense,” she added. “Did something happen?”
I held her gaze. “I don't see how that has anything to do with you,” I replied harshly.
She smiled again, softer this time.
“Well, I'm asking cause I know how this night feels,” she said. “The pressure, the expectations. Dante can be… overwhelming when he’s in that his control mode.”
I didn’t respond.
She studied my face for a moment, like she was reading something I didn’t even realize I was showing.
Then she spoke again. “You know, the first time I met him was at a ball like this,” she said casually.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides. “I know the story, save it,” I replied and wanted to turn but her voice stopped me.
“He didn’t even try to hide it,” she continued. “The way he kept looking at me, like I was the only person in the room.”
I gulped hard, but refused to say a word.
Why was she telling me this?
“We danced that night,” she went on. “We talked for hours. He was… different, softer, careful with his words.”
That didn’t sound like the Dante I knew, or maybe it did.
I stayed quiet.
“We kissed that same night,” she added, her voice almost thoughtful now. “He was the one who pulled me closer.”
Something twisted in my chest and I hated that I was listening, I hated that I couldn’t just walk away.
“And after that…” she smiled faintly. “It just happened. We became something real.”
My mind burned fast, Dante had never told me any of this.
“And he was good to me,” she said. “Very good, if you know what I mean,” she added with a smirk.
I clenched my jaw slightly.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
She looked at me again, this time more directly. “Cause you should know who you’re dealing with.”
“I know Dante.”
“Do you?” She asked gently.
And the question lingered. But I didn’t answer.
She took a small step closer. “There are things he doesn’t tell you,” she continued. “Things he probably never will.”
I felt my pulse quicken.
“But that’s not even the worst part,” she added, almost like an afterthought.
I frowned slightly. “What are you talking about?”
She smiled just enough to make something in my tummy drop.
“Oh, Serena…” she said softly. “If you think what I just told you matters…”
She then paused and leaned in just a little.
“…then you really don’t know Dante at all.”
My breath caught, cause the way she said it didn’t feel like a threat. It felt like an assurance.
“And trust me,” she whispered. “That’s not even the worst thing.”