Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Elara’s POV.

Dante stood in the doorway of the dining room at 6:00 AM, his coat already on.

“Get in the car, Elara,” he said.

I put down my fork, looking at the half-eaten breakfast I’d been forcing myself to swallow.

“I have a virtual lecture at 9:00. I can’t miss it.”

“You have a private appointment at 8:00. Dr. Aris is waiting,” he replied, checking his watch with a flick of his wrist.

“I already saw the house doctor yesterday,” I said, my voice steady despite the hammer of my heart.

“The house doctor works for me. Dr. Aris works for the board. Move”.

The drive to the private clinic in downtown New York was silent. Dante didn’t look at me once, staring out the window at the passing skyscrapers of the city. Inside the executive suite, Isabella was already waiting.

“Dante, darling,” Isabella purred, stepping forward to touch his arm. “I told you she looked pale at dinner. A secondary screening is only responsible given the… investment”.

“Why is she here?” I asked, looking directly at Dante.

“Isabella’s family manages the clinic’s endowment,” Dante said shortly, pulling his arm away from Isabella’s touch. “Go inside.”

I was led into a white exam room. A nurse with a blank expression drew four vials of blood. Dante and Isabella stayed in the consultation room, visible through the glass partition.

Isabella was talking animatedly, gesturing toward the room where I sat, while Dante maintained a mask of indifference. Ten minutes later, a man in a lab coat, Dr. Aris entered. He held a tablet, his expression pinched and nervous.

He looked at Dante through the open door. “We have a problem with the tox screen”.

Dante stepped into the room immediately. “What problem?”

“Her hormone levels are inconsistent with a natural cycle,” Aris said, tapping the screen. “We found high traces of synthetic progestogen. High-dosage contraceptives”.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees. Dante’s stormy grey eyes fixed on me with a look of pure, cold fury.

“Explain that,” Dante commanded, his voice a low, dangerous vibration.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” I replied, my hand instinctively moving to protect my stomach where the heir he so desperately wanted was meant to be.

“You signed a contract for an heir, Elara,” Dante hissed, stepping into my personal space until I was backed against the exam table. “You’ve been taking pills behind my back? You’re sabotaging the one thing you were brought here for?”

“I haven’t taken anything! I’m a medical student, I know how these tests work, someone is tampering with them!” I shouted.

Isabella stepped into the doorway, a look of faux-horror on her face. “Oh, Elara. How could you? After everything Dante has given you? The debt, the clothes... You’re just a thief”.

“I’m a thief?” I turned to her.

Dante grabbed my arm, his grip strong and firm. “Was this the plan? Take the ten million dollars and the tuition money and make sure your womb stays empty?”

“Dante, let go. You’re hurting me,” I whispered.

“Answer me! Are you trying to steal from the Moretti family?”

My eyes darted to Isabella, who was wearing a tiny, triumphant smirk.

She was winning, and I knew I had to change the narrative.

I let my shoulders slump and let a single tear roll down my cheek.

“She made me do it,” I sobbed, pointing a shaking finger at Isabella.

Dante froze. His grip on my arm loosened.

He looked at Isabella, then back to me.

“What?”

“Isabella,” I choked out. “She came to the house and told me she’d kill me if I actually produced a child. She said the baby would never survive anyway because you’d hate it for coming from a nobody orphan like me”.

“That’s a lie! A total fabrication!” Isabella shouted, her face reddening. “Dante, she’s delusional! She’s showing the instability the doctors warned you about!”.

“She brought the pills to the nursery in a Rossi Pharmaceutical bottle,” I continued, my voice rising. “She said if I didn't take them, she’d make sure I ended up in that psychiatric ward in Switzerland. She told me you already had the papers signed, Dante! She said she was protecting me from you!”.

Dante turned his head slowly toward Isabella. The look in his eyes was no longer just angry, it was lethal.

“Did you go to my house when I wasn't there, Isabella?” Dante asked, his voice a low growl.

“I…..I went to check on the staff, to ensure the transition was going smoothly….”.

“Did you speak to my wife about her medical status or our legal contracts?”.

“Dante, she’s a commoner! She’s trying to trap you into keeping her!” Isabella shrieked, her composure finally breaking.

Dante walked toward Isabella. He didn't touch her, but his presence forced her back against the clinic wall. “If I find out you touched the Moretti heir, or interfered with the bloodline clause of my father's will, the Rossi merger is the last thing your family will worry about”.

“Dante, listen to reason! Look at the lab results!” Isabella stammered.

“Get out,” he said. “Now.”

Isabella glared at me over Dante’s shoulder. Her eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated hatred. Without another word, she turned on her designer heels and stormed out of the clinic.

Dante stood in silence for a long moment, his back turned to me.

“Is it true?” he asked without turning around.

“Go check the security tapes, Dante,” I said, my voice turning cold as I wiped my eyes. “Ask your brother Lorenzo. He saw her car in the driveway”.

Dante didn't respond. He walked out of the room, shouting for Marco to bring the car around.

I sat on the exam table, my hands no longer shaking. I looked at Dr. Aris, who was staring at his tablet in confusion, realizing he had been caught in the crossfire of a domestic war.

“Isabella reported to you, right, Doctor?” I asked quietly.

Aris paled and looked away, unable to meet my gaze.

“Don't worry,” I whispered. “I’m going to be your boss one day. I’ll remember exactly whose side you were on today”.