Chapter 94
"Alright," Isabella nodded. "I'll speed things up."
Vitale gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "Good. I've got some things to handle here. I'll have Henley drive you over and keep you safe."
Isabella nodded again. "Okay. Will you come pick me up later?"
Vitale gently tilted her chin up and kissed her.
"Of course, I'll come get you."
"Okay," she smiled. "I'll wait for you."
Henley's car moved smoothly along the country road, though he kept glancing at Isabella every now and then.
"What's up, Henley?" Isabella asked, closing her tablet.
"Well," Henley said cautiously, "I don't get why you agreed to have dinner with Ali tonight. Mr. Rossi mentioned it in the schedule he gave me."
Isabella froze. "Vitale agreed to this. I couldn't say no. I want to finalize the contract soon so he has less to worry about."
Henley's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "The contract's already signed, Ms. Martinez. Mr. Rossi and Mr. Blake both signed it. Ali signed as a witness too. The deposit terms weren't changed—it's still the version you pointed out as unfair."
Time seemed to stop.
Isabella felt the blood drain from her face, her fingertips turning cold.
She stared at the tablet on her lap, the screen still showing the contract draft she'd been working on.
The contract was signed.
This morning at ten.
Without her knowing, while she was still trying to revise the terms.
And Vitale, just moments ago...
Lies.
All lies.
"Turn the car around," Isabella said, her voice finally showing a flicker of emotion. "Back to the estate. Now."
Henley didn't argue.
He shifted into reverse, expertly turned the car on the narrow road, then hit the gas, speeding back the way they came.
---
By the time they returned to Blake's estate, the afternoon sun was already dipping low.
The courtyard lunch party had ended, the guests were gone, and only a few staff members remained, cleaning up the mess.
Isabella pushed the car door open. Without waiting for Henley, she marched straight toward the main building, her dress fluttering behind her.
Then she saw Vitale.
Vitale was standing on the steps of the main building, his back to her, talking to Marina.
Marina wore a backless red gown, laughing as she said something, her fingers lightly resting on his arm.
But Vitale didn't seem to be listening.
His body was slightly turned, as if he already knew Isabella would return, as if he knew she'd be here.
Isabella slowed her steps.
She stopped a few feet from the steps, her chest heaving, her blue eyes locked on Vitale's back.
Vitale finished his conversation with Marina and turned to face her.
The sunlight shone from behind him, casting his face in shadow, but Isabella could clearly see his expression.
Calm, expectant, not a trace of surprise.
He'd known she'd come back.
He'd been waiting for her here on purpose.
Isabella took a deep breath and stepped forward, stopping at the bottom of the steps, looking up at Vitale.
"Why are you playing games with me?" Her voice trembled with suppressed anger and hurt. "The contract was signed this morning, wasn't it? Why did you pretend it wasn't? Why did you make me go to this meeting?"
Vitale descended the steps, stopping on the last one, looking down at her.
His expression didn't change, his blue eyes holding a depth Isabella couldn't read.
"No," Vitale said, his voice steady. "I'm not playing games. This is punishment."
"Punishment?" Isabella echoed, a bitter, incredulous laugh rising in her throat. "Punishment for what? What did I do wrong?"
"I told you not to have dinner with him," Vitale said slowly, his voice still calm, but each word felt like it was coated in ice. "Yesterday in the courtyard, when that jerk invited you, I told you to refuse. With my eyes, with every part of me, I told you. But you didn't listen. You stood there, talked to him, smiled at him, even considered his invitation, even if just for a second."
Vitale took a step forward, coming down the last step, standing right in front of Isabella, so close she could feel his breath.
"So this is punishment," he repeated, his blue eyes locked on hers. "I agreed to let you go so you'd understand the consequences of defying me."
"I made you think the contract wasn't signed, made you waste your afternoon, then sent you to meet someone you didn't even want to see. This is punishment, Isabella, for not listening."
Isabella felt the blood rush to her head.
She stepped back, creating distance, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to shield herself and show her anger at the same time.
"No," Isabella gritted out. "You told me it was okay. You said you'd have Henley drive me. You didn't tell me not to go."
"You never clearly said I couldn't go, and even if you had, on what grounds? You're my boss, but does a boss get to control an employee's personal time?"
"Sure, you can stop me from signing a contract, you can threaten me with work, but those are different things!"
Vitale stared at her, the calm mask on his face finally cracking.
His jaw tightened, and a dangerous fire flashed in his blue eyes.
Suddenly, he reached out, quick as lightning, grabbing the back of Isabella's neck and pulling her close.
Isabella gasped, catching the familiar scent of cigar and whiskey on him, mixed with the simmering anger radiating from him now.
"Call me your boss one more time," Vitale hissed. "Try reducing what we have to a mere employer-employee relationship again."
Isabella felt a real threat.
Not physical, but emotional.
She could sense Vitale's loss of control, the dark desire to consume her, possess her, and completely dominate her.
But she didn't back down.
"You can't restrict my freedom, Vitale," Isabella met his gaze, her voice shaky but clear. "I have feelings for you—God knows what I feel for you."
"But if you clip my wings, I won't be able to fly. And if I can't fly, if I'm trapped, I'll leave, even if it means tearing my own heart apart."
Vitale's fingers tightened on the back of her neck for a moment before he forced himself to loosen his grip.
"Are you threatening me, Isabella?" His voice was hoarse, filled with pain and anger she'd never heard before. "Are you testing my possessiveness, my jealousy? Or do you think I wouldn't actually lock you up? That I wouldn't use every resource, every bit of power I have, to keep you by my side, even if it means you hate me?"
Isabella felt her heart being squeezed by an invisible hand.
She shook her head, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes.
Not out of fear, but out of heartache, because she saw the vulnerability and madness in this powerful man at this moment.
"No," Isabella choked out. "That's not what I meant. I don't even know what you're talking about. I just... I just want an explanation, Vitale."
"From Ali, about that night, that's all. It's not a date. It means nothing."
"I could never forgive someone who hurt me, or feel any desire for him. You know that!"
Vitale closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, the fire in them had dimmed slightly, replaced by a desperate exhaustion.
"I don't care about your intentions, Isabella," he said quietly, his forehead gently pressing against hers, the intimate gesture a strange contrast to his earlier rage. "I don't care if it's for work, for an explanation, or for anything else. I care about the result."
"You'd be alone with him, in a restaurant, at night, in a setting where he can smile at you, talk to you, try to charm you with whatever he's got."
Vitale paused, his fingers lightly brushing the back of Isabella's neck, his voice dropping lower. "And just the thought of that scene makes me want to kill someone. So you can't go. I won't allow it."
Isabella felt tears slide down her cheeks.
She raised her hands, gripping the fabric of his shirt on his chest, her fingers tightening.
"This is ridiculous, Vitale," Isabella said through tears, though there was no surrender in her voice. "You played me, with the contract, with lies. The contract was already signed, wasn't it? Was it fun to mess with me, to make me look like a fool, revising a document that's already in effect, just to punish me?"
Vitale didn't answer.
He just looked at Isabella's tear-streaked face, at the hurt and anger swirling in her blue eyes, at his own reflection in them.
Then Isabella shoved him away hard and turned to run.
Not toward the car, but deeper into the estate, toward the vineyard.
Her high heels slipped on the gravel path, so Isabella kicked them off, running barefoot, ignoring the pain, just running to escape—escape this man who broke her heart, escape this situation full of lies and manipulation.
"Isabella!"
Vitale's voice came from behind, not a command, not a threat, but a call filled with something close to panic.
Isabella didn't look back, kept running, her blonde hair flying behind her, the cream-colored dress billowing like a flag in the wind.
She could hear Vitale's footsteps, heavy and urgent, catching up to her.
She ran faster, darting into the vineyard, the vines catching at her feet.
Isabella stumbled but didn't stop.
Then an arm wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her hard into a solid chest.
Vitale had caught up, his breathing ragged, holding her tightly so she couldn't escape again.
"Let me go!" Isabella struggled, her fists pounding on his arm. "Vitale, let go—"
"Because I love you!"