Chapter 169 Tied Up

Chapter 169 Tied Up
Later that day, Isabella’s heart pounded the moment Matteo slowed the car in front of a secluded house.

“This is it,” he said quietly, killing the engine.

Isabella frowned, unease crawling up her spine. “This place?” She asked suspiciously. “Why here?”

Matteo didn’t answer. He stepped out of the car, already moving toward the heavy steel door.

After a second of hesitation, Isabella followed.

Inside, the air was cold and damp. Isabella wrapped her arms around herself, her instincts screaming that something was very wrong.

Then she saw her. “Liora…” The name slipped from Isabella’s lips like a prayer and a curse all at once.

Liora was tied to a chair in the far corner of the warehouse, a faint bruise bloomed along her cheekbone.

For a second, Isabella couldn’t breathe.
She rushed forward instinctively, stopping only when Matteo caught her arm. “Careful,” he warned her.

Isabella shook him off. “What is this?” she demanded, voice trembling. “Matteo, what did you do?”

Liora lifted her head slowly. When her gaze met Isabella’s, shock flashed across her face.

“Isabella…” Liora whispered hoarsely. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Isabella turned on Matteo, tears burning her eyes. “You said you’d help me. I didn’t say she was a prisoner.”

Matteo’s jaw tightened. “She’s not some innocent victim, Isabella. You know that.”

“I don’t care!” Isabella snapped. She knelt in front of Liora, hands hovering helplessly over the rope. “Look at her. She’s hurt. Untie her. Please.”

Matteo stayed silent, conflict etched into every line of his face.

Liora swallowed hard. “lsabella… don’t,” she said softly. “You don’t understand what you’re walking into.”

Isabella’s voice cracked. “Then explain it to me. Explain why you lied to me? Why did Valentina know things she shouldn’t?”

Liora closed her eyes.

“Matteo,” Isabella whispered, standing and turning back to him. “Whatever she’s done, this isn’t right but tying her up like an animal won’t give you the truth. Please… free her.”

“What if I say no?” he replied quietly.

“If you don’t… I’ll never forgive myself for leaving her like this.”

Matteo looked away, running a hand through his hair. He exhaled sharply. “One condition.”

Isabella nodded frantically. “Anything.”

“She doesn’t leave this warehouse. And if she tries anything, I will put a chain on her this time. No arguments.”

Isabella rushed back to Liora. “Do you hear that? Just tell us the truth. Please.”

Matteo stepped forward, pulling off the rope.

Liora gasped the moment she was set loose, biting back a cry of pain.

Isabella supported her immediately, holding her upright. “Easy. I’ve got you.”

Then Liora laughed softly, a broken, humorless sound. “So this is how it ends,” she murmured. “You finding me like this.”

Isabella pulled back just enough to look at her. “It doesn’t have to end like anything,” she said firmly. “But I need the truth. No more half-lies. No more protecting people who don’t deserve it.”

Liora’s eyes flicked to Matteo, then back to Isabella. “You shouldn’t have trusted me,” she said quietly. “And you definitely shouldn’t trust Valentina.”

Isabella’s chest tightened. “So it was her.”

Liora nodded slowly. “She’s not just playing a game, Bella. She’s been in it far longer than you think. And Dante…” Her voice faltered. “Dante is standing in the middle of a war he doesn’t even see coming.”

Matteo stiffened. “Start from the beginning,” he ordered. “Everything.”

Liora leaned back against the cold metal chair, exhaustion weighing her down. Her gaze returned to Isabella, filled with regret so deep it hurt to look at.

“I never meant for you to get hurt,” Liora confessed. “But once De Luca pulled the strings… once Valentina chose her side… there was no turning back.”

Isabella’s heart sank.

“It wasn’t supposed to go this far,” Liora then whispered.

Isabella leaned closer, her heart pounding. “Liora… What did Valentina do?”

Liora’s lips trembled. She lifted her gaze slowly, and when Isabella saw her eyes, she froze.

“She threatened me,” Liora said. Her voice was barely audible. “She didn’t shout.

Matteo folded his arms. “Be specific.”

Liora flinched at his tone but continued. “She came to my apartment one night. She already knew everything about me… where I lived, who I spoke to, the debts I thought no one knew about.” She let out a shaky breath. “She told me how easy it would be for me to disappear.”

Isabella’s chest tightened. “Disappear?”

Liora nodded. “No body, no trace. Just another unfortunate accident.” Her fingers curled into her palms. “Then she told me what she wanted.”

Silence pressed down on the room.

“She said Isabella trusted me,” Liora continued, “And that trust was a weapon. She wanted me to feed you doubts. Stories that would grow into hatred.”

Isabella’s throat burned. “Hatred… for Dante?”

“Yes,” Liora said, finally looking directly at her. “She wanted you to believe Dante was using you, manipulating you. That he never loved you, that you were just a convenient tool, a weakness he planned to discard.”

Isabella shook her head slowly, tears spilling. “You told me he was dangerous… that he was watching me… that he’d kill me if he found out.”

“I know,” Liora sobbed. “God, Isabella, I know but Valentina made it clear. If I didn’t do it, she would kill me.”

Matteo’s eyes darkened. “So you lied to save yourself.”

“I lied to stay alive,” Liora shot back weakly. “You think I wanted this? I cared about Isabella. I still do.”

Isabella covered her mouth, her whole body shaking. “You made me doubt him. You made me walk away.”

“I was hoping…” Liora whispered. “I was hoping you’d confront him. That you’d talk to Dante and everything would fall apart before it went too far. But Valentina kept pushing, watching.”

Matteo straightened. “How?”

“She had people everywhere,” Liora said bitterly. “She knew when Isabella was planning to go to Interpol before Isabella even finished making up her mind.”

Isabella’s breath hitched. “So when she accused me… when she said I stole the file—”

“She already knew,” Liora said. “Because I told her what she wanted to hear. Because I was terrified.”

Matteo paced a few steps away, anger rolling off him. “You let an innocent woman walk into hell.”

Liora bowed her head. “Yes.”

Isabella wiped her tears with trembling hands. “Why hate me so much?” she whispered. “What did I ever do to Valentina?”

Liora hesitated, then spoke softly. “You existed.”

Isabella looked up sharply.

“She loves Dante,” Liora continued. “Obsessively. And in her mind, you were the only thing she couldn’t control. You were real, he loved you. That made you dangerous.”

Matteo stopped pacing. “And Luca?”

Liora’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Valentina is closer to Luca than anyone knows.”

Isabella felt her knees weaken. She sank onto a nearby crate“So everything… my father, Dante’s anger… Interpol—”

“Was carefully guided,” Liora finished for her.

Isabella let out a broken sob. “I destroyed him.”

“No,” Liora said quickly. “Valentina did and I helped her.”

Matteo turned back to them. “If this is true, you’re going to help us bring her down.”

Liora nodded immediately. “I will. I swear. I’m done being afraid.”