Chapter 139
A strange male voice made Isabella flinch as if she'd been burned, and she quickly pressed the end call button.
What's going on?
Where was Vitale?
Why did someone else answer his phone?
He said that whenever she needed him, he'd be there right away. Did something happen?
Or... has he grown tired of her?
No, that can't be.
Isabella shook her head hard, trying to push away these ridiculous, terrifying thoughts.
The look in Vitale's eyes, the strength of his embrace, the low, comforting tone of his voice—they were all real.
But why isn't he answering his phone?
And why is the castle so quiet?
Isabella looked around. In the huge bedroom, she was all alone.
The heavy curtains were drawn, letting in just a sliver of light, making the room feel even emptier and lonelier.
She needed to find Vitale.
Only by seeing him with her own eyes and staying by his side could she truly feel at ease.
Her body still felt weak and sore, but panic gave her strength.
Isabella struggled to sit up, ignoring the discomfort, and grabbed the neatly folded clothes by the bedside.
They were prepared for her by Vitale—a soft beige sweater and matching pants.
She clumsily put them on and pushed open the heavy, carved wooden door of the master bedroom. Outside was a long, dim stone corridor.
The corridor was empty, and only the sound of her own footsteps echoed off the stone walls, sounding eerily clear and lonely.
Isabella tried to figure out where she was.
She was too unfamiliar with this old castle.
Apart from the master bedroom, every other part of it felt like a maze to her.
She vaguely remembered that Vitale's study was in one direction, while the main hall and entrance were in another, but which way exactly?
Relying on her fuzzy memory, she headed toward what she thought was the direction of the main hall.
After passing through an arched hallway, she came to a fork in the path.
Isabella hesitated for a moment before choosing the wider-looking passage on the left.
The corridor seemed endless, lined with closed doors on both sides, decorated with ancient family crests and grim beast-head carvings that looked creepy in the dim light.
She walked for a long time, but it felt like she was just going in circles. The surroundings grew more and more unfamiliar.
She was lost.
Panic wrapped around her heart like vines, tightening bit by bit.
This enormous, cold, empty stone fortress felt like a silent beast, swallowing her whole.
She felt a suffocating sense of loneliness and helplessness.
Why was there no one around?
Where were Vitale's men?
Where were those guards who always appeared and disappeared like shadows? Not even a single servant was in sight.
Isabella stopped walking, leaning her back against the cold stone wall, breathing heavily.
Sweat soaked her forehead, and her body trembled slightly from fear and the effort of walking.
No, she couldn't keep wandering like this.
She needed help, or maybe she should leave this place and go somewhere familiar to wait for him.
There were speedboats at the dock. If she took one, she could leave this suffocating water-bound fortress and get back to the shore.
On the shore, there were cars. Maybe she could call a ride back to her apartment or head to the Tyson Group building. At least those were places she knew.
Forcing herself to calm down, she tried hard to recall the route to the lakeside.
Fifteen minutes later, she finally pushed open a large door and saw several yachts of different sizes quietly moored by a wooden dock extending into the water, gently swaying with the waves.
But the platform was still empty.
Isabella's heart sank.
Just then, movement on the lake caught her eye.
A medium-sized speedboat was cutting through the waves, heading quickly toward the dock. There were a few blurry figures on board.
Someone was coming.
Isabella's heart skipped a beat, and a surge of hope rose within her.
Was it Vitale returning?
Or his men?
The speedboat docked, and the engine shut off.
Several people jumped off the boat with agile movements and stepped onto the dock.
They wore matching dark casual clothes and looked well-trained.
Without thinking too much, Isabella acted on instinct and ran toward them.
At this moment, anyone who could help her find Vitale, or at least tell her where he was, was her hope.
"Hello!" She reached them, slightly out of breath from running and excitement, a hopeful smile on her face, "Can you take me to Vitale? I can't find him, and his phone..."
Her words stopped abruptly.
The men who had just gotten off the boat all paused as she ran over, their eyes locking onto her at the same time.
They exchanged a quick glance among themselves. It was so brief, but for some reason, it made Isabella feel a tiny bit uneasy.
However, the man who seemed to be in charge, looking to be in his thirties, stepped forward with a respectful smile and gave a slight bow.
"Hello, Ms. Lorraine."
"We're here on Mr. Luca's orders to pick you up."
Isabella froze for a moment, then a wave of immense joy washed away that faint unease from earlier.
"Really? That's great!"
"I knew it. I called his phone earlier, and a stranger answered. It scared me. Where is Vitale now?"
The man kept his smile, his tone casual, "Mr. Luca is handling some urgent matters. It's about cleaning up the mess from last night with those who dared to hurt you. He specifically asked us to come pick you up, saying he's worried about you being alone in the castle."
This explanation sounded reasonable.
Vitale might indeed be dealing with something like that, and last night he had shown extreme concern and protectiveness toward her.
The doubts in Isabella's mind completely vanished.
"So that's why there's no one in the castle." She relaxed fully and even started walking toward the speedboat on her own, "Let's hurry then. Don't keep him waiting."
"Yes, Ms. Lorraine, this way, please." The man in charge stepped aside, gesturing for her to go ahead, while giving a subtle look to his companions behind him.
Isabella, completely unaware, walked toward the speedboat.
Just as one of her feet stepped onto the deck and her body leaned forward slightly, a tall, silent man behind her suddenly raised his hand without warning and struck the back of her neck with a swift, hard chop.
Isabella's vision went black, and her body collapsed forward limply.
Another man nearby quickly caught her as she fell, skillfully scooping her up into his arms and swiftly boarding the speedboat.
Coming back to consciousness felt like slowly floating up from the cold, dark depths of the sea.
The first thing Isabella sensed was a dull pain at the back of her neck, like the aftermath of being hit with something blunt.
Then came the oppressive feeling of her body being tightly bound, her hands and feet unable to move freely.
Her eyes were covered by something rough, plunging her into impenetrable darkness.
Her mouth was sealed with something like tape, allowing only faint, whimpering breaths through her nose.
After the initial confusion, Isabella's mind was quickly overwhelmed by intense fear and despair.
She remembered.
These people weren't Vitale's men. They were liars!
And she, unbelievably, had walked right into their trap just because a phone call didn't go through, because the castle was empty, because she was scared of being alone. She had so easily believed the lies of a few strangers!
God, how could she be so stupid? Vitale had warned her countless times to be careful, to not trust anyone, especially when he wasn't around.
She had forgotten it all, her mind clouded by fear.
Regret, shame, and hatred for her own foolishness gnawed at Isabella's heart like a venomous snake, hurting her more than the physical restraints.
She knew that if Vitale found out about this—and he definitely would—what would he think of her?
A gullible idiot who only causes him trouble?
But now wasn't the time for regret.
She had to figure out where she was and find a way to escape.
Isabella forced herself to stay calm, even though her body trembled uncontrollably from fear.
She focused, using her remaining senses to assess her surroundings.
There was the sound of wind in her ears.
Not the open, breezy kind of wind by the lake, but a sharper, howling wind, as if it were passing through narrow gaps or coming from a high place.
The air carried the smell of dust.
Beneath her was a hard, rough surface, maybe concrete, pressing painfully against her body.
This was definitely not the castle, nor any place she recognized.
It was somewhere unfamiliar, possibly remote, with harsh conditions.
Isabella tried to struggle, but the ropes binding her wrists and ankles were tight, cutting into her skin painfully without budging an inch.
She attempted to call for help, but her sealed mouth could only produce faint, kitten-like whimpers.
Panic surged again.
Isabella felt like a bug trapped in a dark box, unable to break free no matter how much she struggled against this hopeless confinement.
Tears streamed out uncontrollably, soaking the cloth over her eyes, leaving her face wet and sticky with a mix of tears and dust, itchy and uncomfortable.
Her throat tightened with fear and the urge to vomit, but the tape held firm, forcing out only strange, choking sounds.
In her despair, Isabella began to use all her strength to twist her body, trying to kick at anything nearby to make a louder noise.
Once, twice...
She didn't know what she hit, but it felt like an empty metal barrel or something similar.
A sound—not too loud, but clear enough in the silence—rang out from the impact!
Isabella's heart leapt to her throat. She held her breath, straining her ears, hoping to hear any response.
Footsteps, voices, even a shout—anything.
But there was nothing.
Only that cursed, relentless howling wind, mocking her futile efforts.
Time stretched endlessly in the darkness and despair.
Every second felt like a century.
The cold, the fear, the physical pain and discomfort, and the lingering hatred for her own stupidity tormented her.
She didn't know how long it had been when, just as Isabella's spirit was on the verge of breaking, a heavy, grating sound of an iron door being pushed open pierced through the wind.
Immediately after, chaotic footsteps approached, growing closer.
More than one person was heading straight toward her.
Isabella's heart clenched tightly, her blood seeming to freeze in an instant.
Because she smelled a familiar, vile stench.