Chapter 35: Against my Will

Enzo’s POV

I watched her leave.

Didn’t try to stop her again.

Didn’t call her name.

Because I knew Isabella well enough already to understand one thing. The more you pushed, the harder she resisted.

And right now, she was already on edge.

Scared.

Even if she wouldn’t admit it.

My jaw tightened slightly as I stepped out of the club, the noise fading behind me. The cool night air hit my face, but it did nothing to settle the tension building inside me.

Something was wrong.

Not just with her mother.

With everything.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone just as it started ringing.

The name on the screen made my expression darken.

Giovanni.

Of course.

I answered without hesitation.

“What?”

There was no greeting.

No patience.

“You’re with her.”

It wasn’t a question.

I leaned against the car, my eyes scanning the street instinctively.

“I was.”

A pause.

Then—

“And now?”

“She just left for the hospital.”

Another pause.

Longer this time.

“He moved faster than I expected,” Giovanni said.

My grip on the phone tightened.

“Who?”

“You already know who.”

I did.

I just didn’t want to hear it out loud.

“Isabella’s mother?” I asked, my voice low.

“Yes.”

A cold feeling settled in my chest.

“What did he do?”

“Nothing permanent,” Giovanni replied. “Not yet.”

That didn’t make it better.

It made it worse.

Because it meant this was planned.

Controlled.

A message.

I pushed off the car, already moving.

“I’m going after her.”

“No.”

The word came sharp.

Final.

I stopped.

“What?”

“You’re not going.”

I let out a quiet, disbelieving breath.

“She’s walking into something she doesn’t understand,” I said. “I’m not staying out of it.”

“You will,” Giovanni replied calmly. “Because this is not your move to make.”

“My move?” I repeated. “She’s not a game piece.”

“Everything is a game piece.”

I clenched my jaw.

“I don’t care about the game.”

“That’s your problem.”

Silence stretched between us.

Tense.

Heavy.

Then I spoke again.

“I’m going.”

“No, you’re not.”

My patience snapped.

“She’s alone.”

“She’s not alone,” Giovanni said. “She’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.”

That made my blood run cold.

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” he continued, his tone steady, “you stay out of this.”

I laughed quietly, but there was no humor in it.

“That’s not happening.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“I always have a choice.”

“Not this time.”

The air felt heavier now.

Thicker.

Because I knew that tone.

I had heard it before.

When decisions had already been made.

When lines had already been drawn.

“You knew this was going to happen,” I said slowly.

“Yes.”

The confirmation didn’t shock me.

It just made everything worse.

“And you didn’t stop it.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because it needed to happen.”

I closed my eyes briefly, forcing myself to stay calm.

To think.

To not react.

Even though every instinct in my body was telling me to move.

Now.

“She’s not part of this,” I said.

“She is now.”

The words hit hard.

Final.

“Listen carefully,” Giovanni continued. “If you go after her, you interfere. And if you interfere, you expose yourself.”

“I don’t care.”

“You will.”

“No,” I said, my voice low and controlled. “I won’t.”

Another pause.

Then—

“You’re getting attached.”

It wasn’t a question.

And that annoyed me more than anything else.

“This has nothing to do with that.”

“Everything has to do with that.”

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply.

“You’re asking me to let her walk into something dangerous.”

“I’m telling you to trust me.”

That almost made me laugh again.

Trust him.

That was ironic.

“What happens to her?” I asked.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On how this plays out.”

Not good enough.

Not even close.

“She’s not collateral,” I said.

“She’s leverage.”

The word echoed in my head.

Cold.

Precise.

Ugly.

“No,” I said firmly.

“Yes.”

I stepped away from the car, pacing slightly now.

Because standing still wasn’t an option anymore.

Not with this conversation.

Not with what I knew.

“I’m going,” I said again.

“And I’m telling you not to.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Clashing.

Then Giovanni spoke again, quieter this time.

“If you go… you don’t come back.”

I stopped.

The words settled slowly.

Dangerously.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

My chest tightened.

“That’s your ultimatum?”

“That’s reality.”

I let out a slow breath.

Because now…

This wasn’t just about Isabella.

This was about everything.

My position.

My loyalty.

My place.

All of it.

“You’re choosing this over me,” I said.

“I’m choosing what needs to be done.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting.”

Silence again.

Longer this time.

Heavier.

Because I knew what he was doing.

Drawing a line.

Forcing a choice.

And he knew…

I wasn’t the kind of man who walked away easily.

“Think carefully,” Giovanni added. “Because once you move, you can’t undo it.”

I looked down the street.

In the direction she had gone.

My jaw tightened.

My mind was already made up.

“I don’t need time to think,” I said quietly.

“Then you’re making a mistake.”

“Maybe.”

I pulled the phone away slightly.

“Enzo—”

“I’ll deal with the consequences.”

And with that…

I ended the call.

The silence that followed was different.

Sharp.

Final.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket, my eyes still fixed ahead.

On the road she had taken.

On the choice I had already made.

Because whatever this was…

Whatever game they thought they were playing…

They had made one mistake.

They involved her.

And that was something I wasn’t going to ignore.

Not now.

Not ever.

I moved toward my car, my expression hardening.

Because one way or another…

I was going to find out exactly what was waiting for her at that hospital.

And if anyone thought I would stand back and do nothing…

They didn’t know me at all.