Chapter 58 You belong to me.
Dante’s POV.
I had promised not to force my feelings on her, no matter what.
She surprises me every day.
My hands pulled my chair, as I sank into it gently, like my life depended on it.
I took a deep breath, clutching my hands on the handle of the chair.
I wasn’t supposed to say what I had said to her today.
But my mouth moved, before I could even control it.
My eyes winked across the window where she sat during work hours.
She wasn’t there… Did I mess things up again?
I whispered to myself as my lungs heated.
Will she distance herself again?
My brain kept cracking, deep down, there was something unspeakable going on.
It was already dark, the company was empty. It was just me and my computer, buried in my silly thoughts.
I quietly stood up and walked toward her desk.
I opened the door, and stretched my neck out.
She wasn’t there.
My heart thudded. Was she mad at me again?
I dragged my feet back to my desk, picked up my phone and called my assistant.
“Sir.”
“Did you see her leave?” My voice was smooth and soft.
“Sir? She… oh Isla? Yes she has already left.”
“Did she say anything to you, or behave strangely?”
He hesitated for a moment. “She didn’t. We talked for quite some time before she left.”
My pulse stopped, my eyes sharpened. “What did she say to you?”
“She said she wasn’t feeling good. She talked about needing some time and space… did you fight?”
“Just that? Nothing else?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Okay.”
I ended the call before he could say anything.
My hand reached for my coat as my lips twitched.
She needed some time and space. Is she planning on leaving me?
My head boiled with questions. What did she mean “she needed time and space”
She should have talked to me, not my assistant.
I headed toward the car park. It felt so frustrating.
My phone vibrated but I didn’t look at it.
Whoever was calling me should wait, her thoughts filled my mind.
It buzzed again, so fiercely, forcing my attention.
I finally lifted it and tapped on the screen. It was Josie.
What was Mr. Benetti up to again? I pressed the answer button.
“Hey, Jo. How are you?”
“Hello, Damian, is my sister there with you?” Her voice stuttered with fear.
I didn’t need anyone to tell me that everything wasn’t okay.
“No. She left a few minutes ago. Have you tried reaching her?”
She let out a deep sigh, I could sense the desperation in her.
“I’ve tried. I can’t reach her. She wasn’t picking her call. That’s unlike her.”
“I’ll try to call her, just stay out don’t panic. Is Iris there with you?”
She paused. “Yes. Iris is here, but my fathers he…”
“What happened to him?”
“He’s been acting weird since morning. I guess it has something to do with the news. Just look for Isla. I’ll handle the situation over here.”
I heard footsteps over the phone, faint noises of Iris whimpering.
A voice came sharply. “Who are you calling?”
“I wasn’t calling anyone, I was just…”
The call ended.
I tried reaching for Isla.
It kept ringing but no answer. I reached for my assistant.
“Pull out the camera footage for me now! Get the guards ready. We’re going out.”
The footage did show Isla leaving the building alone.
My body vibrated in a way only I noticed.
“Did you check the street cameras?” My tone was sharper than it had ever been.
I only talked like this when I was giving an order, or when I was really pissed off.
“I’m on it.”
“Pull out every footage in the city! I don’t care how you do it. If you don’t give me anything meaningful, you’re a dead meat.”
I turned to my assistant. “I asked you to check what was going on in the Bennetti’s today.”
“Mr. Benetti was furious when he saw the news. Our informant said he tried to persuade Isla so many times for help, but she didn’t respond. He…”
“He what? Say it.”
“He took out his anger on her siblings.”
I looked at him, really looked at him. “And you said nothing about it?”
“I got the information a few minutes ago, I was about to call you…”
“You’ve been too comfortable with your job lately right?”
“No, sir. I…”
“This should be the last time I see this nonsense from you. You know I don’t give chances…”
“Sir! I found her!”
“Where?” I asked, grabbing the tablet off his hands.
She was taken by some strange thugs. They headed toward a remote building outside the city.
“Who dared to play tricks right under my nose?” I murmured.
“Get the car ready! We leave now!”
When we got to the location, it looked quiet, no sign of Isla.
But there was a van parked at the entrance. The same car that had taken her.
“Don’t alert the enemy. Move quietly.”
I pulled out a gun, and we headed inside.
As we walked deeper, I heard a faint whisper.
It was Isla’s.
I heard a man’s voice. “It’s not surprising that a father would kill his own daughter for his selfish reasons.”
“You’re so pretty. Unlucky for you to have met me.”
“You go tell my father, he should pray I don’t come back alive. Because if I do? I’ll make his life a living hell.”
“Quit dreaming honey, you’re going nowhere.”
“Says, who?” I cut him off, firing my gun at him.
She gasped, eyes glittered with warmth, filled with tears.
He tried to move toward her so he could use her as leverage, but I shot at his leg.
“Mr Romano?” He breathed in fear, moving backward.
“How dare you touch my woman? Are you tired of living?”
“Sir! I… I didn’t know she was your woman, He never said…”
“Who’s he? Mr Bennetti? Did he tell you she belonged to me?”
I closed the distance between us, untying the ropes on her body.
She wrapped her hands around me, shivering.
“It’s okay, honey. I got you. I’m here now, you’re alright.”
I lifted her like she weighed nothing.
“Make sure you break every single bone in his body.”
“When you’re done, look for his family. You know what to do.”
“You don’t have to go that far, she pleaded. His family got nothing to do with this…” she said, as her voice faded.
“Isla, Isla!”
“Call the ambulance now! I rushed toward the car.
“Break his bones and send him to the police.”