Chapter 49: Oldhood City
The morning came too quickly.
Soft light spilled through the curtains, pale and cold against the edges of the bed. Isla sat up slowly, still wrapped in the haze of what had happened last night, the quiet closeness, the unspoken pull, the way Lorenzo’s voice had softened when he said her name.
But now, the warmth of that memory was gone.
Lorenzo stood by the wardrobe, already dressed in black, pressed shirt, coat, gloves on his uninjured hand. The faint scent of cedar and cologne filled the air as he adjusted his cufflinks, face unreadable.
“Get ready,” he said, not looking at her. “We’re leaving for the airport.”
She blinked, half expecting she’d misheard. “The airport?”
He turned, meeting her gaze briefly. “You heard me.”
Isla frowned, swinging her legs off the bed. “What? Why?”
He didn’t answer right away… just reached for his watch and clasped it with practiced precision. “You’re my assigned nurse. You go where I go.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not going anywhere. I didn’t agree to…”
“Yes, you did.” His tone was quiet, final. “It’s protocol. Wherever the patient travels, their medical supervisor follows.”
She stared at him. “Are you using that against me now?”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face, gone almost as soon as it appeared. “No,” he said evenly. “It’s just a normal thing.”
“Normal,” she repeated, voice tight. “Nothing about this is normal.”
He stepped closer, stopping just in front of her. The morning light caught the faint shadows under his eyes. “You’ll need your passport,” he said softly, brushing past her to grab her bag.
She wanted to argue, to tell him he couldn’t just decide her day, her life, like this. But the way he moved, calm, assured, a storm just beneath the surface, made her heart stumble. So she said nothing.
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The drive to the airport was quiet. Snow fell in lazy spirals outside, coating the city in white. Isla sat beside Lorenzo in the back seat, her hands clenched in her lap. The hum of the car and the steady rhythm of his breathing were the only sounds between them.
When they arrived, the sleek black SUV rolled to a stop near the private terminal.
Lorenzo stepped out first, his coat catching the wind, his presence commanding even in silence. Isla followed reluctantly, the cold air biting at her cheeks.
And then she saw them.
Nico and Ken stood near the steps of the waiting jet. Nico, with that same calm smirk that never quite reached his eyes. Ken, watchful, unreadable.
The tension hit immediately, sharp as the wind.
Lorenzo didn’t acknowledge them. Not a glance. He just took Isla’s hand, firm, unshakable, and started walking toward the plane.
She stumbled a little to keep up. “Lorenzo, how long are we staying? And you still haven’t told me where we’re even going.”
He didn’t slow down. “Don’t worry, bella. Everything’s taken care of.”
“Don’t worry?” she repeated, breathless. “That’s not an answer.”
From behind, Nico’s voice carried, smooth and cutting through the chill.
“Oldhood City.”
Isla turned, startled. “What?”
Nico’s grin widened. “That’s where we’re headed. Didn’t he tell you?”
Lorenzo stopped mid-step, turning his head just enough to meet Nico’s gaze. The look he gave could’ve frozen fire.
“If you’re going to be on my airplane,” he said quietly, dangerously calm, “you should be quiet.”
The wind hissed between them, cold and sharp.
“I don’t mind losing a family member,” Lorenzo added.
The words landed like a gunshot, flat, certain, deadly.
Nico’s smirk faded, though his posture didn’t falter. He raised his hands slightly, mock surrender. “Relax, fratello. I was only helping her catch up.”
Lorenzo didn’t reply. He turned back to Isla, the steel in his expression softening only slightly. “Let’s go.”
She hesitated, her pulse still racing. Behind them, Ken and Nico exchanged a look, something unspoken, dangerous, waiting.
And as Lorenzo led her up the steps to the jet, Isla felt it again, the weight of his world pressing in. Secrets behind calm voices. Family bound by blood and betrayal.
Whatever waited in Oldhood City, she knew this much…
It wasn't just a trip.
It was another fracture line waiting to split open.
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