Chapter 139 A CAUTIOUS MAN

Chapter 139 A CAUTIOUS MAN
NARRATOR
Isabella moved through mountains of junk that threw shadows into every corner and bend.
Today she’d gone from that scare to pure happiness, and now she was sliding right back into that tight, jittery tension.
She sensed Leonardo the moment she stepped into this isolated place, and there he was, waiting for her in a cleared-off area.
“Professor, I don’t have much time before the prince comes looking for me. Why did you call me here?” Isabella got straight to the point.
“Savann... well, now your name is Isabella, right?” he asked, one brow lifting. She nodded.
“All of a sudden I feel a little played. Now that I’m really looking at you, I’m guessing you were that smart girl from the beginning who was going to help out in the lab..."
Isabella pretended to follow his friendly little small talk, but Leonardo could see the impatience on her face.
The idiot was even looking down her nose at him now because Kaden had named her his official whore.
“Anyway, I’m only here to give you this,” he said, opening his coat and pulling a small vial from the inside pocket, holding it out to her.
“You once asked me for help boosting your Seraphina power, and here it is. I managed to refine a formula for you, and it wasn’t easy.”
Isabella really hadn’t expected that move.
Good thing she hadn’t shown off her magic in public.
“You really still remembered that?” she asked, faking emotion.
“Of course. And I’m sure it works. Take it now because I have to recite a spell at the same time.” He nudged it toward her, and Isabella could see the urgency behind the dark mask he was wearing.
She lifted her hand, playing hesitant, until she pinched it between her fingers.
“Are you sure this is going to help me? I mean... it would help a lot, but I’m scared...”
“Isabella. Savannah. Whoever you are, look at me.” Leonardo stepped a little closer, speaking low.
Of course he’d noticed the admiration in this girl’s eyes.
That was why he’d always kept her around, thinking he could use her someday, since she stayed so close to Kaden.
“Do you really think I’d hurt you? Why would I waste my time and valuable resources helping you if it wasn’t out of sympathy?” he told her in a tone that could’ve convinced even the most distrustful person.
“I’m also doing it for Kaden. We’re family. It hurts me that he keeps suffering without a good Seraphina to control him. But if you don’t want it...”
He took a step forward like he was about to take the vial back.
“No, no. I’ll take it. I’ll do it now. Say the spell,” Isabella said. She’d come ready for everything, and drinking something strange had always been a possibility.
She popped the cork and gave the brew a careful sniff.
“Drink it fast or the spirit will fade,” Leonardo said, almost like he was about to pour it down her throat himself.
“This scent... I know it...” Thera wrinkled her nose as the cold glass touched Isabella’s lips.
“Of course you do... just like we suspected. He’s the one who gave me that potion that controlled my movements and my will during the festival dance. It can’t be the same thing they gave the other girls." Isabella connected the dots.
"So he experimented on me, too, and he was definitely behind that attack in the woods.”
"That was why he’d been playing the “good professor,” cooperating with the festival when all he’d really been doing was plotting like the crawling rat he was.
The Omega almost smiled, a cynical little curl at the corner of her mouth, while the liquid slid down her throat.
Leonardo, full of fake excitement, even pretended he was reciting something, like his good deed was already “done.”
Only he didn’t know Isabella had already activated a powerful magic inside herself, strong enough to neutralize this simple potion.
It was the first thing Agata had taught her. Nothing would reach her stomach and poison her system if she didn’t want it to.
Still, she lowered her head and touched her forehead like she was getting a little dizzy.
The vial hit the floor, clattering with a sharp tinkle.
A shadow fell over her, and a whisper slid into her ear with a venomous hiss.
“You’re going to take Prince Kaden into the forest. You’re going to seduce him and drive this into his heart.”
Something cold slid into her hand.
With her gaze lowered, Isabella watched him pass her a dagger. She closed her fist around it, keeping her teeth clenched to hide the rage.
“Don’t stop until he’s dead. Don’t stop until you destroy Kaden Blackridge. Is the order clear?” he asked, gripping her chin hard and forcing her to face him.
That was the hardest moment for her, not driving that same dagger straight into the throat of that viper.
But she couldn’t afford to mess up the plan.
“Yes. Understood,” she answered, sounding steady, meeting the scrutiny of those dark eyes.
It worked! Leonardo could hardly believe it, but he’d found the right mix for this girl.
Everything he’d dug up on her at the start had paid off.
It wasn’t the same thing, following the steps of a choreography, as it was going straight in to kill someone without hesitating.
“Good. You have half an hour. Don’t stall. Go. And don’t mention what we talked about...”
He dismissed her, releasing his grip and watching her leave.
Even so, Leonardo was a cautious man. He hadn’t survived this long for nothing.
So he also went back to that stupid party where the screeching music made the old walls tremble and neon lights shot into the sky like multicolored beams.
He was going to watch his prey, and if that idiot failed, the same spell he’d made her drink would finish her off.
Nothing could go wrong when you had plan A, B, and even C...