Chapter 118
The corridor inside the club was long and dim, with walls painted in matte black and a deep red carpet on the floor that muffled footsteps.
Every few steps, there was a wall lamp, its light deliberately dimmed, barely bright enough to see the ground beneath.
The air carried a mix of smells, cigars, whiskey, and expensive perfume.
There was also something faint, something Isabella couldn't quite put her finger on, but it made her instinctively uneasy.
With every step, she asked a question.
"What is this place, exactly?"
Sonia walked half a step ahead of her. Without turning back, she answered simply and directly, "A private bar for the mafia, or you could call it a club. People from the main families of Thalassia come here to talk business, relax, or settle disputes."
Isabella's heart tightened, "Why are you here? Who are you meeting?"
"Someone who can help Colt with his problem. He's gotten into some trouble lately, owed money he shouldn't have, and crossed people he shouldn't have. I need to talk to the creditor and renegotiate the terms."
"Why do I have to be here? Can't you handle it yourself?"
Sonia finally turned to look at her.
"Because I can't get in on my own. Colt's name doesn't carry enough weight here, especially after he messed up his last deal."
"But your face, or rather, the name Vitale behind you, is very useful."
Isabella stopped walking, and Sonia stopped too.
They faced each other in the dim corridor.
"So you're using me, using my connection to Vitale, to fix your husband's mess."
Sonia didn't deny it, "Think what you want, but remember, if you don't help, Dad will find out everything. This is a deal, Isabella. You help me this time, and I'll keep quiet for now."
They kept walking.
At the end of the corridor was a heavy oak door, guarded by two men on either side.
"Stop," one of them said, "Name, invitation, or referral."
Sonia stepped forward, standing tall.
The move made her curves even more noticeable in the dim light.
She flashed a practiced smile, a mix of confidence and charm.
"Sonia, Colt's wife. Colt is a peripheral member of the Luca family, handling a few nightclubs in the East District. We're here to see Mr. Owen Massimo. We have an appointment."
The two men exchanged a glance and then laughed at the same time.
It wasn't a friendly laugh, but the kind of mocking chuckle you give to a bad joke.
"Never heard of him. East District nightclubs? Sonia, this isn't that kind of place. Mr. Massimo doesn't meet with small-time wives. Go back."
Sonia's face darkened, but she didn't back down.
She rolled her eyes and turned to Isabella, raising her voice on purpose, "Looks like these people know nothing about your world either."
This shift made the two men turn their attention to Isabella.
They might have thought she was just Sonia's friend or sidekick before, but now they looked at her closely.
Isabella wore a wine-red sheer gown under a black wool coat, which was left open, showing off the dress's dramatic high slit and her long legs.
Her blonde hair shone brightly even in the dim light, and her skin was smooth like fine porcelain.
One of the men whistled, his tone flirty and blunt, "Blonde beauty, got plans tonight? Once we're off shift, we can take you for a drink."
"I know a good spot nearby. Great whiskey, and the bed's pretty soft too."
Isabella froze.
She hadn't expected to be openly hit on like this, in a place like this, by people like them.
Her cheeks burned, not from shyness, but from anger and embarrassment.
Sonia, however, burst into laughter.
Her laugh echoed sharply in the quiet corridor.
She stepped close to the man with the cigar, her body almost pressed against him, her hips and chest nearly in his face.
"Do you even know who you're flirting with?"
The man looked down at her, a flicker of interest in his eyes, but mostly a condescending smirk.
"I don't care to know," he said, his fingers almost brushing Sonia's chin, "But I can tell you're jealous. How about this? A few of us here can take you both for drinks. Just wait a couple of hours until we're off shift. We can take turns..."
He didn't finish, but the implication was clear enough.
The other man laughed too, his eyes darting between Isabella and Sonia.
Sonia pointed a finger at the man's chest, pressing hard, "You're dumber than I thought. She's Isabella. The Isabella that Vitale cares about. Do you get what that means?"
"She's the only woman who's been with that terrifying mafia boss. Do you know that name? Do you know how much he cares about Isabella?"
With every sentence she spoke, she jabbed her finger at him.
The man's expression shifted from amusement to confusion, and then to shock.
"Do you still want us to get lost?"
"Do you believe me if I say I'll have her call Vitale right now to deal with you? What do you think will happen if Vitale finds out you've been hitting on his woman?"
The faces of both men changed instantly.
They exchanged a quick glance, their eyes communicating something unspoken.
Vitale's name echoed like thunder in this world.
Not just because he was the head of the Luca family, but also because of the cold, ruthless efficiency and almost obsessive protectiveness he'd shown in recent years.
Rumors said Vitale had a weakness—a woman, a blonde, blue-eyed accountant.
Some called it a myth, others swore it was true.
But no one dared to take the chance.
The man stepped back, cleared his throat, and his demeanor turned respectful and nervous.
"Ms. Martinez, please forgive us. We didn't recognize you earlier."
"Mr. Luca has never brought you here before, so we..."
"Now you know," Sonia cut him off, crossing her arms with a smug look on her face, "So, can the door be opened now? Or do you need to see Vitale show up in person to figure out what to do?"
The man with the ring quickly opened the door, revealing an even darker space inside, with music so loud it was deafening.
"Please, ladies," the cigar man said, bowing his head, his voice carrying a faint tremble, "Mr. Massimo is in a private room on the second floor. The stairs are on the left. Someone will take you there."
Sonia walked in with her head held high, while Isabella followed behind, her steps hesitant.
The moment she crossed the threshold, she felt countless eyes on her.
The inside of the club was much larger than it looked from outside. It was a wide, open space with a dance floor in the center, surrounded by booths and bars.
The lighting was dim and suggestive, the music a deep electronic beat with heavy bass that vibrated through the floor and into her chest.
As Sonia and Isabella entered, eyes turned toward them from every direction.
Curious, assessing, surprised, and a few hostile.
Isabella felt like an exhibit, placed under a spotlight for everyone to stare at, discuss, and judge.
The discomfort prickled her skin like countless tiny needles.
She regretted it.
She shouldn't have felt sorry for Sonia, shouldn't have let herself be threatened, shouldn't have stepped into this world.
A world that clearly belonged to Vitale, one she had always tried to keep her distance from.
Suddenly, Isabella turned around and pushed Sonia against the wall.
Sonia's back hit the wall with a dull thud.
"You know what," Isabella's voice was low, filled with pent-up anger, "I've had enough. I've really had enough."
Her face was close to Sonia's, so close she could see the surprise and a flicker of fear in her eyes.
"How can you control me like this? Use me? Bring me to a place like this, expose me to everyone's stares, and make me use Vitale's name as a free pass?" Isabella's voice trembled, not from fear, but from rage.
"Even if Vitale is a mafia boss, he respects me. He's never forced me to do anything. Even when it came to being intimate, it was my choice, my decision. He would never do this to me, never put me in danger, never make me feel like some cheap display!"
Sonia opened her mouth to argue, but Isabella didn't give her the chance.
"Sonia, I know you've got a lot of misunderstandings about me. I know you've always hated me, been jealous of me, or I don't even know what's wrong with you."
"But I still have to say it again—Colt got drunk and tried to force himself on me. You saw me pinned under him because I was fighting back! I was pushing him off! I was screaming for help!"
"He was never a good guy, and yet you somehow thought I was seducing him. You even bet my first time at your bachelorette party!"
Isabella's voice choked with emotion, but she forced herself to keep going.
"Don't you remember? When we were kids, you had a fever that wouldn't go down. The doctor said there might be lasting damage."
"Mom was already sick then, Dad was working two jobs to make ends meet. Who took care of you? It was me, at ten years old, staying up all night, wiping you down with wet towels, giving you water, checking your temperature, crying and begging you not to die."
Tears finally welled up, blurring her vision, but Isabella didn't wipe them away.
"I had to take care of you, take care of Mom, do my homework, cook, clean. Little me held the whole family together. Sonia, you could say I saved your life, more than once."
"And now, now how dare you do this to me? How dare you hurt me, use me, bring me to a place like this, and make me feel so dirty, so cheap?"