Chapter 167 Where's she?
Dante’s POV
It was everything and nothing at once.
Everything I thought it could be, and nothing I thought it couldn't.
I couldn't tell where she was or how close we had gotten, all I could tell was her heavy breathing coming from beside me, and mine to match.
We laid like that for who knows how long, till I felt the pull of exhaustion drawing me in.
Till I felt my eyes grow heavy, till I couldn't keep them open any longer.
Till I felt the morning lights burning into my eyes and forcing them open.
I tried to move but noticed a weight resting on me, only to look down and find Issabella cuddled up on me.
For a moment, I didn't know how to feel, I didn't know what to think.
It felt strange, unnatural to be laying in bed with a woman that isn't Serena. But why?
I guess I'd stayed so much with her that I'd begun to feel attached to her. Attached to her in a way I should never have.
I took a deep breath, pulling Issabella slightly in.
That was not me, I'm not the guy that falls for the lady he saves from death. I'm the guy that does as he wants, when he wants, and how he wants.
I watched Issabella sleep, not moving to make a sound. My mind went back to our night last night, her perfect curves and tight walls.
I wouldn't believe it if I was told that she could have kept her body so well from five years ago till now.
But she didn't just keep it, she worked on it. Got it to be everything and more of what a man would want.
“Weird much,” she muttered and I snapped my head to her to find her smirking at me.
“What?” I asked.
“If I was told I'd get to enjoy the body of the great Don another time, I wouldn't believe. And if I was told I'll catch him staring at me as I slept in his arms the next morning? I'd ask to be shot at once,” she joked and I chuckled.
“I wasn't staring,” I countered but my lips betrayed me.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever keeps those shoulders up,” she replied and we laughed it off.
We laughed in silence, even as the quiet warmth of her body beside mine spread through me and the faint sunlight slipped past the curtains.
Issabella shifted against me with her fingers lazily tracing a line across my chest like she had nowhere else to be.
For a moment, neither of us spoke again.
Then she let out a soft breath, almost like a laugh. “Damn…” she murmured, her voice still heavy from sleep. “That was… something else.”
I huffed under my breath, staring up at the ceiling. “Yeah,” I said simply. “Wasn’t bad.”
She lifted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes at me. “Not bad?” She repeated in an amused tone. “That’s what you’re going with?”
A small smirk tugged at my lips. “You want a full review?”
“I think I deserve one,” she shot back, poking my chest lightly.
I turned my head to look at her properly this time, to look at her messy hair and swollen lips that hadn't gone down, at her little lazy eyes.
“You did alright,” I said, and she blinked.
Then scoffed, pushing my shoulder. “You’re actually annoying.”
A low chuckle slipped out of me, and for a second, it felt… normal.
Too normal.
I reached over to the bedside drawer, pulling it open and grabbing a small pack before tossing it lightly towards her.
“Take that,” she instructed.
She caught it, sitting up slightly and glancing down before raising a brow at me. “Wow,” she said slowly. “Prepared.”
“Always,” I replied as I rested my back on the bed.
She turned it over in her fingers, then looked back at me with a teasing glint.
“So this is your version of aftercare?”
“It’s practical.”
“It’s unromantic,” she shot back.
“You’ll live,” I said with a shrug and she laughed softly, shaking her head before sitting up and popping a pill out.
“I'm to take it dry?” She asked, looking around.
I rolled my eyes, got up and went round, returning with a glass of water.
But as I pushed it out to her, I noticed she didn't reach for it at once, she was rather staring at me.
I followed her eyes and like I should have known, she had her eyes all over my dick.
“Take the water,” I said to snap her back.
“I could take more,” she smirked and sat up fast, reaching for me but I stepped back and put the glass in her hand.
“There's no time for that,” I replied and she chuckled before taking the glass of water.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered, taking what she needed. “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”
“Not my job,” I replied while pulling on my shorts.
“You didn't have to,” she said with a smirk and I shook my head.
“Unbelievable,” I replied, taking her line.
She glanced back at me, studying my face for a second like she wanted to say something else… but didn’t.
Instead, she slipped out of the bed, stretching lazily before reaching for her clothes too.
She dressed without rushing, glancing back at me once or twice, like she was being slow on purpose.
I just sat there, pretending not to be looking at her.
“You’re not going to ask me to stay?” She asked casually.
“No,” I replied and a small smile curved her lips.
“Didn’t think so,” she chimed and walked over, leaning down just enough to press a light kiss to my cheek.
“See you around, Dante,” she said after pulling back and I didn't resist.
“Yeah.”
And just like that, she was gone, the door clicked shut behind her, leaving the room just the way it was before everything.
I sat there for a while, staring at nothing in particular.
Then I breathed out and pushed myself up. Took a shower, put on some clothes, got my watch on and added a few sprays here and there.
Back to my routine.
As I adjusted the cuff of my shirt, something dawned on me.
The kids.
I had to do something about them, this had gone on for too long. I grabbed my keys and stepped out.
I made the short walk to her room and knocked twice before she came opening the door.
I looked beyond her and spotted the kids on the floor, playing with something.
“Val,” I called.
“Yeah, what's up?"
“I’m taking them back today,” I muttered and she didn't say a word at first.
Her gaze slowly went behind to the kids before returning to me. “No,” she muttered, more to herself than me.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not up for discussion.”
Her brows pulled together. “Dante—”
“I said it’s not up for discussion, I'm sorry,” I said calmly. “We can't afford to keep them again.”
“Why? They are just kids,” she complained.
“We don't need Luca having anything against us,” I explained.
“Luca doesn't know—”
“Yet. Look, I'm sorry, but they need to go,” I added and she nodded weakly.
She stepped aside, letting me walk in before searching my face, like she was holding onto her last reserve.
“They don’t want to go,” she said quietly.
“They don’t get a choice.”
The girl had already gotten to her feet, moving towards Valentina and gripping her hand.
“Go? Where? I don’t want to go,” she whispered.
The boy stood behind her, quieter, but watching me closely.
Valentina swallowed with her grip tightening around the girl’s hand.
“You see that?” She said softly. “You see what you’re doing?”
I did, I just didn’t react to it.
After a long moment, she exhaled sharply with her shoulders dropping.
“Fine,” she said, voice tight. “But don’t expect them to make it easy for you.”
“They don’t have to,” I shrugged. “Come on,” I called as I reached for the girl.
She cried and ran back while the boy hit my hand, standing between me and his sister.
I shook my head, grabbing him with my other hand even as he struggled a little.
“Valentina, talk to her, I don't have time,” I said dryly.
Valentina then lowered herself to the girl's height and tucked a strand of hair behind the little girl's ear.
“I'm sorry, princess. But you have to go, you have to go home now,” she said and started crying.
“I don't want to leave you,” the little child cried and I held myself from cutting in.
“But I don't want to go,” the child cried and Valentina pulled her into a hug.
Then whispered to her, “you'll be fine, I'll see you soon.”
They pulled apart and Val led her to me, the boy grabbed his sister's hand and Valentina avoided my eyes.
“You've done the right thing,” I muttered and led them out…
The drive to the orphanage was silent as I kept sighting their reflections in the rearview mirror more than once.
The girl sat close to the boy with her hands clenched in her lap.
“Where are we going?” She finally asked.
And I kept my eyes on the road. “Your new home.”
“I like the old one,” she muttered.
A second passed but the boy didn’t say anything. He just kept watching.
“You can’t stay there,” I said flatly.
“Why?”
I didn’t answer that either, and the rest of the drive passed in silence.
A few minutes later, I pulled up at the orphanage, it was exactly how I remembered it.
I led them inside, made my intentions clear and got the paperwork done fast.
“Surname?” The woman asked and the pen hovered for a moment longer.
I paused for half a second.
“Morretti.”
She wrote it down without question, but gave me odd eyes.
When it was done, she gave a small nod. “They’ll be taken care of.”
I didn’t respond, but the girl clung to my arm when it was time to go.
“I don’t want to stay here,” she said with her voice breaking now.
I gently pulled her hand away. “You’ll be fine.”
“No—”
The boy stepped in then, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her back slightly.
He didn’t cry, didn't speak.
Just looked at me.
Straight. Steady.
I held his gaze for a second.
“Take care of her,” I said.
And he nodded once.
That was enough.
I turned and walked out.
Didn’t look back.
Serena’s POV
The air here felt different, heavier.
Every step I took was calculated, measured.
I could remember the unknown guy's directions and warnings, paths to avoid.
Left. Then straight. Don’t stop. Don’t hesitate.
I didn’t. The fence wasn’t as high as I expected, high enough to slow someone down.
But not me.
I climbed over, dropping silently to the other side and immediately pressing myself against the wall.
There was no one around me and no sound.
Good.
I moved, taking each step deeper into the compound with my pulse pounding harder, but I didn’t let it show. Didn’t let it slow me.
This was it, I was close. I could feel it.
The building loomed ahead, and I slipped inside carefully.
I checked every corner, listened for any sound.
My grip tightened over the gun I had as I moved down the corridor, heart hammering against my ribs.
This was where he said. This was where she was supposed to be.
I reached the door and paused, taking a deep breath as I was about to see my mother again.
Then pushed it open, but froze just as I did.