Chapter 79
Isabella jumped at the sudden voice, nearly knocking over her coffee cup as she turned. "You scared me!"
Vitale stood at her office door, staring blankly at the steaming cup in her hand.
His gaze lingered on the coffee for a second before moving to her face. "Is the coffee good?"
Isabella froze.
The question came out of nowhere, but there was a tension in Vitale's tone she couldn't quite figure out.
"What?"
"Nothing." Vitale turned away, his voice flat. "Forget I said anything."
He strode back to his office, the sound of the door closing echoing heavily through the empty floor.
Isabella frowned, staring at the shut door, sensing something was off with Vitale today.
Laura appeared silently and patted her shoulder. "You know, I've always believed women have their monthly cycles, and men do too. One day they're all over you, the next they're cold as a stranger. Don't take it to heart."
Isabella nodded, half understanding. "Thanks."
"You know what?" Laura lowered her voice, glancing toward Vitale's office. "These past couple of days, Mr. Luca hasn't taken his eyes off you for more than ten minutes at a time. We're all holding our breath, afraid to interrupt his staring."
Isabella's eyes lit up. "It's not that dramatic, is it?"
"It's very dramatic," Laura said firmly. "Come on, I'll show you."
She pulled Isabella into the spare meeting room next door.
The window in this room faced a corner of Vitale's office, and through the gaps in the blinds, they could see inside.
Isabella peered through the slit, and her eyes widened in shock.
Vitale was standing in the middle of his office, his back to them.
But he wasn't working on files. He was mimicking her earlier actions.
Vitale raised a hand, dramatically rolling his eyes, then said to the air, "Do you think we're idiots?"
It was her voice.
Vitale was reenacting the moment she rolled her eyes at Blake, copying every tone and tiny expression perfectly.
Even more shocking, standing in front of him was Amboni.
The usually serious assistant was trying hard not to laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly.
"Boss, when you imitate her, your expressions are even more lively than hers," Amboni said.
Vitale's gaze suddenly locked onto the eyes behind the blinds.
Three seconds later, the door to Vitale's office swung open with force.
He stood in the doorway, his face back to its usual coldness, though his ears were suspiciously red. "Come in."
Laura gasped, mouthing to Isabella, "Good luck."
Isabella took a deep breath and walked into the office.
Amboni had tactfully retreated to a corner, pretending to organize files.
Vitale sat back behind his desk, not looking at her, staring at his computer screen as if it held the most fascinating thing in the world.
"Were you just..." Isabella started cautiously.
"Working," Vitale cut her off, his voice hard. "If you've got nothing to do, you can leave."
Isabella's heart sank.
But remembering Laura's words and the warm smile she'd seen through the blinds, she decided not to back down so easily.
There were a few papers scattered on the floor, clearly dropped during Vitale and Amboni's little act.
Isabella crouched down, picking them up one by one and neatly arranging them.
Then she walked to the desk and placed the papers beside him.
"I think I can help with something," she said, trying to keep her tone light and cheerful. "I'm not too busy today."
Vitale finally looked up at her.
His blue eyes were deep, like the sea before a storm, swirling with emotions Isabella couldn't read.
Desire, struggle, and something close to painful restraint.
"I can have Judy do it," he said, his voice a little hoarse.
Just then, the office door pushed open.
Judy stood there in a wine-red suit, her blonde hair tied up neatly in a bun.
Seeing Isabella, her red lips curled into a challenging smile.
"Mr. Luca," her voice was sickly sweet, "the date is all set. Mr. Rossi is waiting for us at Night of Heaven."
The word "date" stabbed into Isabella's heart like a needle.
She froze, looking at Judy, then at Vitale.
The woman who had once warned her to stay away from Vitale was now looking at her with the air of a winner.
Vitale didn't deny the date. He just took the folder Judy handed him and said coolly, "Got it. You can go."
As Judy left, she deliberately brushed past Isabella, whispering so only they could hear, "Don't even think about it, Isabella. For occasions like this, he needs a woman who knows the rules, not a little accountant who rolls her eyes."
After the door closed, silence filled the office.
Isabella felt something burning in her chest.
She stared at Vitale, waiting for an explanation.
Waiting for him to say it's not what you think.
Waiting for him to say it's just work.
But Vitale didn't.
He just opened the folder and started reading, as if Isabella wasn't even there.
Isabella turned and left, her movements quick, almost like she was running.
As she closed the door, she heard a heavy sigh from inside.
Vitale stared at the words on the file, not taking in a single one.
His mind was full of the anger in Isabella's eyes as she left.
So bright, so alive, like a flame that could burn through all pretense.
He wanted to chase after her, pin her against the wall, kiss away her anger, and prove with his body that she was the only one.
But tonight's gathering was a mafia meetup arranged by Blake.
Those family heads, those bloody deals, those dirty trades—they were all waiting for him at Night of Heaven.
Isabella couldn't go.
She shouldn't see that world.
Judy was just an excuse.
He'd have her wait outside the club while he handled things inside and came out after.
But he couldn't explain any of this to Isabella.
Because explaining meant admitting that a dangerous world existed.
"Amboni," he pressed the intercom, "keep an eye on Isabella. Don't let her do anything stupid."
"Understood, boss."
Vitale hung up and rubbed his temples.
He needed work, lots of work, to numb himself so he wouldn't think about what Isabella was doing, whether she misunderstood, or the hurt in her eyes.
When Isabella left the Tyson Group building, a light rain was falling.
She didn't call Henley.
She deliberately ignored the bodyguard who was always by her side.
She needed space, needed air, needed someone to tell her this wasn't all in her head.
"Aria?" She dialed the phone, her voice trembling without her realizing it. "Can you come out? I need to talk."
Half an hour later, they sat in a small café far from the company.
Rain streaked down the glass windows, while the warm indoor lights and the smell of coffee created a comforting shield.
"God!" Aria burst in, her light red short hair wet from the rain, sticking to her forehead. "We work in the same company, but it's like we're Romeo and Juliet, barely ever seeing each other! Those damn meetings, those endless reports..."
She stopped when she saw Isabella's expression, sitting down carefully across from her. "What's wrong?"
Isabella added three spoonfuls of sugar to her coffee, stirring quickly and mechanically. "Thanks for making me smile, my friend. I just can't figure out a lot of things."
"So I had to talk to someone. I need you, Aria. Amira didn't pick up, or I'd really want a hug from her right now."
Aria ordered a slice of chocolate cake and cut off a piece with her fork. "Is it about Mr. Luca?"
Isabella froze. "Damn, how did you guess?"
Aria smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. "Because I've only seen you like this when it comes to Mr. Luca."
She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Did you two fight? Or is it something else, like things not working out in bed?"