Chapter 138
Vitale didn't answer directly, "This isn't something you need to worry about right now, Henley. Your job is to close your eyes, rest well, and let your body recover as fast as possible. Leave everything else to me."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it. When you wake up, I need you by my side, not lying here."
These words seemed to work.
Henley's barely open eyes finally shut completely, and his breathing grew longer and deeper, slipping into a true, restorative sleep.
Vitale watched him for a few more seconds, making sure his condition was stable for now, before turning to Efren and the doctor nearby with a cold tone, "Keep an eye on him. Use the best medicine and the best care. If anything happens to him again, both of you can go feed the fish in the lake yourselves."
The doctor nodded seriously, and Efren quickly promised to do his best.
Vitale didn't linger. He turned and left Henley's room.
But instead of heading straight back to the main bedroom, he changed direction and walked toward the medical room where Laura was.
Pushing the door open, he saw Amboni sitting by Laura's bed, holding one of her hands and speaking softly to her.
Laura seemed a bit more stable than before, but her eyes were still red and swollen, and the marks on her neck stood out harshly under the light.
When she saw Vitale enter, her body instinctively tensed up, and she shrank closer to Amboni.
Vitale stopped at the doorway, not stepping inside, "I didn't mean to do that earlier."
This was probably the closest thing to an apology he could say.
Amboni's tense expression softened slightly, but his gaze remained firm, "We need an explanation, Vitale, not just an apology. And a guarantee."
Vitale nodded, not angered by Amboni's attitude, "I understand. Marina's situation has been dealt with. She's the source, but there might be bigger things behind this. I need your cooperation."
"We can cooperate," Amboni replied immediately, his tone hard, "but only if you promise not to hurt Laura again, not to treat her like that ever again. And for the shock she went through tonight, the physical and emotional damage, these marks on her neck... you're responsible. You need to make up for it, in any way!"
Amboni rarely spoke to Vitale so directly, especially in a tone that sounded almost like a demand for compensation.
But for Laura, he clearly didn't care about holding back.
Vitale looked at him for a couple of seconds, then nodded, "No problem. Any reasonable request, I'll meet. The best therapist, medical checkups, compensation, or anything she wants to do—I'll arrange it."
His straightforward agreement surprised both Amboni and Laura.
Vitale continued, turning his gaze to Laura with a slightly softer tone, "But for now, Laura, please rest well and work with the doctors. Try to remember any details you might have missed, about Marina or anything that felt off recently. Tell Amboni or my people whenever something comes to mind."
He then looked at Amboni, "Amboni, stay here with her. If you need anything, just tell the staff."
After giving these instructions, Vitale prepared to leave.
Isabella was still in the main bedroom, and he didn't know if she was awake yet. He had to go back.
"Mr. Luca!" Efren chased after him, his tone cautious and flattering, "Can I leave now? I mean, Henley has professional doctors looking after him, and I should probably check on my little clinic. It got trashed by those jerks. About the damages, do you think...?"
He rubbed his hands together, his eyes full of greed for money and fear of Vitale's temper.
Vitale stopped in his tracks, slowly turned around, and looked at Efren, raising a very clear middle finger.
"You didn't protect them. They got attacked right under your nose. Henley got shot, and you didn't even notice. He almost ended up crippled, and you've got the nerve to ask me for compensation?"
Efren gave an awkward laugh, trying to explain, "I know I messed up, I admit it. I made a mistake. But boss, you can't just torture me like this, right? Look, at least I rushed over right away and helped Ms. Lorraine and Laura with that drug. If it wasn't for me, they might have..."
His words cut off abruptly.
Because Vitale grabbed him by the collar, nearly lifting him off the ground.
"What? Explain yourself!"
Efren struggled to breathe, his face turning red, realizing he might have said something he shouldn't have.
He stammered, trying to clarify, "It's just the drug those punks at the bar used, some cheap aphrodisiac spray! If you inhale it or get it on your skin, it... it makes you lose control, burns you up inside, messes with your head, and all you can think about is... is sex... Ms. Lorraine and Laura both got hit by it. Didn't you see the footage?"
Vitale had seen parts of the footage and knew drugs were involved, but the clips he watched focused on the external attack and chaos, as well as Isabella hiding in fear.
He wasn't clear on the specific effects of the drug or how Isabella reacted after being exposed to it.
He only remembered finding Isabella later—her face pale, body trembling, eyes unfocused...
Now that he thought about it, beneath that pale face, there seemed to be an unnatural flush. When he held her, her body felt hotter and softer than usual.
And last night in the bathtub, her unusual passion and initiative, almost setting him on fire with her desperate need and unprecedented abandon.
At the time, he thought it was just her instinct to seek comfort after being so scared. But now, could it be...
Vitale's glare seemed like it could tear Efren apart, "How did you deal with it?"
Efren was scared out of his wits under Vitale's glare and quickly waved his hands, "I gave them the antidote, of course! How could I dare to touch your woman? Boss, you've got to believe me. Even if I had the guts, I wouldn't dare!"
"I'm not even worthy of something like that!"
Vitale stared at him for a good ten seconds, as if trying to figure out if he was telling the truth.
Efren was so terrified he nearly wet himself, swearing up and down that he hadn't laid a finger on Isabella and that everything was done under Amboni's and Laura's watch, whether they were conscious or not.
Finally, the murderous intent in Vitale's eyes lessened a bit.
He let out a cold huff, released Efren's collar, and shoved him aside.
"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you don't have the guts."
"As for the damages to your clinic, I'll have someone assess it and send you the money. Now, get out of my sight. Right now."
Efren scrambled away, half crawling, half running, terrified that Vitale might change his mind.
After dealing with these annoying but necessary matters, Vitale finally managed to break free and hurried back to the main bedroom.
Isabella was still curled up in the same position on the bed as when he left, looking restless in her sleep, her brows slightly furrowed.
Vitale lightened his steps as he approached, took off his jacket, and carefully lay down beside her, pulling her back into his arms.
In her sleep, Isabella seemed to sense the familiar scent and warmth, unconsciously moving closer to him. Her furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
The next morning, Vitale woke up on time, driven by his internal clock.
He looked down at Isabella, still asleep in his arms, gently kissed her forehead, then slipped out of bed, tucking the blanket around her.
He needed to handle the aftermath of last night's events—the captives, the intel.
Victor was already waiting, looking alert with a hint of excitement in his eyes from the overnight interrogation.
"The punks in the basement spilled everything they know. They're just small-time players hired for the job. But what's interesting is the two I shot down last night trying to sneak into the clinic through the back window, and the one we caught alive during the backup. They're different."
"They've got tight lips and anti-interrogation training. We had to use some special methods to crack them open a little. They admitted they belong to a group called Thorn of Justice. They've got tattoos on the inside of their arms—black thorns wrapped around a blurred scale. Their target is our mafia."
"Thorn of Justice..." Vitale repeated the name under his breath, his gaze cold as steel.
As expected, this wasn't just simple revenge or business rivalry.
It lined up with the intel he'd previously received about Marco's anti-mafia investigation team.
"Marco's counterattack is faster than I thought," Vitale said, his voice laced with suppressed anger, "They've already infiltrated Thalassia and are trying to use dirty tricks, targeting the people around us to find a weak spot."
Victor nodded, his expression turning serious, "Yeah, and their members aren't afraid of pain or death. They're driven by their beliefs. Interrogating them is a real pain."
Vitale walked to the window, a cold smirk on his face, "I think I can handle it."
Victor didn't ask further, just confirmed, "I'll set it up then. One hour, in the basement?"
"Fine," Vitale nodded, but added, "One thing, Victor—don't let anyone disturb Isabella. Let her keep sleeping; she needs the rest. But if she wakes up and can't find me, if she's scared or needs me, notify me immediately. No matter what I'm doing, I'll come right away. Got it?"
Victor looked at him, secretly amazed.
It seemed last night's scare with Isabella had really made Vitale overly tense and protective.
But he wisely kept his thoughts to himself and nodded seriously, "Understood. I'll have someone guard near the main bedroom. If anything happens, I'll notify you right away."
Only then did Vitale relax, waving a hand to signal Victor to go prepare.
About three hours later.
Isabella finally opened her eyes slowly.
Her consciousness returned like a slow tide.
The first thing she felt was an aching soreness all over her body, as if she'd been taken apart and put back together, especially around her waist and between her legs. The sensation was both strange and familiar.
Then, fragmented but intense memories from last night flooded her mind.
Vitale's burning embrace, his urgent kisses, her uncontrollable responses, those embarrassing moans and cries, and finally, falling into a deep sleep from sheer exhaustion and satisfaction...
Isabella's cheeks flushed red in an instant.
God, what had she done?
Those shameless sounds...
She tried to move her body but found herself drained of all strength, even lifting an arm felt like a struggle.
The soreness and exhaustion made her give up on getting out of bed right away.
She shifted her eyes, taking in her surroundings.
Familiar dark curtains, heavy furniture, a cold yet luxurious decor style... this was Vitale's main bedroom in the castle.
She was in his territory, on his bed.
She was safe.
This realization eased Isabella's tense nerves a little.
She lay there for a while, gathering some strength, before reaching for her phone on the bedside table.
The screen lit up, showing a few missed calls and messages, mostly from Aria and Doria checking in on her.
Isabella didn't reply right away. Instead, she called Vitale.
She wanted to hear his voice. A few seconds later, the call connected.
But what came through the phone was an unfamiliar male voice.