Chapter 103
Isabella couldn't take her eyes off Marina's face.
The red mark from a slap looked like a shameful brand, ruining Marina's usually flawless face.
She gave off a cold, wounded anger.
Isabella felt a wave of complicated unease.
Should she even care?
After all, Marina had threatened her before, tried to drive a wedge between her and Vitale, and might still hold a grudge against her.
But that slap mark looked too violent, too humiliating, for her to completely ignore it.
Isabella turned her head to look at Judy on the other side.
The efficient female assistant was organizing documents, neatly packing them into a briefcase, her face back to that professional, serious expression, showing no trace of last night's party behavior.
"Judy," Isabella walked over and lowered her voice, "did someone hit Marina? That mark on her face..."
Judy paused for a moment.
She looked up, glanced at Isabella through her glasses, then instinctively looked toward Vitale.
"I think," Judy said carefully, "you should ask Mr. Luca. He's the one who can tell you."
This answer made Isabella frown.
The hint in Judy's eyes was too obvious.
This had something to do with Vitale.
Isabella turned around and quickly walked back to Vitale's side.
He was looking down at his phone, checking messages, his red hair glowing like dark flames in the morning light.
"Vitale," Isabella grabbed his arm, "did you slap Marina? Why?"
Vitale looked up and reached out, lightly tapping her nose with his index finger.
"Curiosity looks so cute on you, baby. But since you asked, yes, I slapped her."
Isabella's eyes widened, and she gasped. "Why? Oh my God, Vitale, she's a woman, and she's the daughter of the Lawson family. How could you?"
Just then, Vitale's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, his expression turning serious.
"The details," he said to Isabella, gently patting her head as if soothing a startled kitten, "you can ask Henley. I have to take this call right now."
Without waiting for her response, he turned away to answer the phone, lowering his voice and speaking quickly in Eldorian.
Isabella stood there, watching his straight back, feeling a mess of emotions.
Vitale hit Marina?
Why?
What had happened that she didn't know about?
Her gaze shifted to Henley, who was organizing luggage, pulling a few boxes out of a storage compartment with practiced, silent movements.
Isabella jogged over and whispered, "Henley, what's going on with Marina? Why did Vitale hit her? What happened?"
Henley stopped what he was doing and instinctively glanced toward Vitale.
Vitale was still on the phone, his back to them, but he seemed to sense something, slightly turning his head and nodding at Henley.
Only then did Henley turn to Isabella, his expression cautious and serious.
"Here's the thing, Ms. Lorraine. Last night, you and Mr. Luca got a bit carried away at the hotel. This morning, when Mr. Luca carried you downstairs, Marina saw it."
Isabella's face instantly turned red.
She had been exhausted, falling asleep in Vitale's arms, and had no memory of how she left the hotel that morning.
"And then?" she asked softly, her voice trembling a little.
"Then Marina lost it," Henley said, a hint of sympathy in his expression. "She started making a scene, saying Mr. Luca humiliated her, that the Lawson family wouldn't tolerate this kind of public betrayal, and that her father would reconsider all their partnerships."
Henley paused, his gaze drifting to Marina, who was still standing by the window in the distance. "The worst part? She said she'd kill you."
Isabella felt a chill run down her spine.
"So Vitale hit her?"
Henley nodded. "Yes, Mr. Luca slapped her hard, right in front of everyone. Then he said if she dared to threaten you again, he'd personally send her back to Eldoria—in a coffin. He also said if the Lawson family had any issues, they could come to him directly. But if they touched a single hair on your head, he'd make the entire Lawson family disappear from the face of the earth."
Isabella's heart pounded hard.
"So," she said slowly, her voice a bit dry, "Marina and I are officially enemies now."
"I'm afraid so," Henley replied honestly. "But Ms. Lorraine, this isn't your fault. Marina's obsession with Mr. Luca is almost unhealthy. Even if it wasn't you, some other woman would have set her off. She just can't accept that Mr. Luca has truly fallen for someone—and that someone isn't her."
Isabella hesitated for a moment before asking the question on her mind. "Does Marina really like Vitale? Not just for a family alliance?"
"Let me put it this way, Ms. Lorraine," Henley said quietly, his gaze distant. "If she were the last woman on earth, she'd still only choose Vitale. Even if the world ended and humanity was wiped out, she'd search through the ruins to find him and try to make him hers. Do you get how intense that is?"
Isabella stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then she nodded, her voice soft. "I get it. That kind of obsession, in data terms, we call it obsessive-compulsive disorder. It often comes with a high risk of violent tendencies."
Henley blinked, clearly a bit thrown off by her technical term, but he nodded anyway.
Just then, Vitale finished his call and looked over at them, waving Isabella over.
Isabella took a deep breath and jogged back to his side.
As she passed Marina, she could feel a gaze so cold, sharp, and full of hatred that it prickled her skin like needles, almost making her shiver.
Vitale obviously noticed it too.
The moment Isabella reached him, he did something unexpected.
He took off his suit jacket and draped it over Isabella's head, completely covering her face and upper body.
"Don't look at her. Her glare is toxic."
Then Vitale went back to his phone call.
It was clearly just a brief interruption.
His voice returned to calm as he spoke in Eldorian with the person on the other end, though Isabella could hear the tension in it.
She stood obediently by his side, her head covered by the jacket, her vision dark, only able to smell Vitale's scent on the fabric.
A mix of danger and safety.
Isabella carefully pulled the jacket down a bit, just enough to uncover her eyes, but avoided looking in Marina's direction.
From this angle, she could see Vitale's profile.
His waist was tight, his trousers sharp, his whole figure tall and powerful.
Isabella noticed a clear hickey on the side of his neck, just above his shirt collar.
A dark red mark, striking against his skin.
She had left it there last night.
A strange mix of satisfaction and possessiveness washed over her, blended with a complicated guilt toward Marina.
Vitale ended the call, slipped his phone back into his pocket, and casually took the jacket from Isabella's arm, putting it back on.
"Let's go," he said, taking her hand.
Vitale's car was already waiting at the edge of the tarmac.
The familiar black Mercedes, with custom bulletproof windows, glinted coldly in the morning light.
After they got in, Vitale didn't start the car right away.
He pulled out his phone again and dialed a number.
This time, Isabella could clearly hear the voice on the other end.
It was Blake, the host of the party, his tone nervous and eager to please.
"I had no idea she'd get in, Vitale, I swear. The guest list was old. The security might not have updated it."
"I don't care if you knew or not," Vitale's voice was ice-cold, leaving no room for argument. "You scared her. She thought I was in there, thought I was with another woman. Do you know how much that hurt her?"
Isabella, sitting in the passenger seat, felt her heart skip a beat.
Was Vitale standing up for her?
Confronting Blake directly over last night's misunderstanding and her pain?
Blake's hurried explanations came through the phone, but Vitale cut him off again. "I don't want this to happen again. Any event tied to me, any situation that could make her misunderstand or get hurt—keep her away from it. Otherwise, Blake, I'll shut down those parties. Permanently. And you know exactly what the profits from those parties mean to you."
The threat was clear and direct.
Isabella felt a warm wave rush through her heart.
Vitale said a few more words, then hung up.
Isabella turned to look at him.
"Were you just sticking up for me? Calling Blake out over last night?"
Vitale turned to her, pulling Isabella into his arms.
His chin rested on her head, his voice rumbling low and real from his chest.
"I'm sorry you had to see the dark side of me, Isabella. I don't want to scare you or upset you, but since this happened, since that party hurt you, made you misunderstand, made you walk away from me, it has to be dealt with. My way."
Vitale paused, his arms tightening. "Blake needs to understand that you're my untouchable line. Anyone or anything that hurts you will pay the price."
Isabella closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Thank you."
Vitale chuckled, the sound soft and content. "No need to thank me. Protecting you is my instinct."
Then he let go, looking down at her with a mischievous grin. "But if you really want to thank me, I'd like you to do it in bed, with the same passion you showed last night."
Isabella's face turned red instantly.
She swatted his chest, not hard, more like a playful gesture. "Vitale, you're impossible. We were just talking about something so serious, and you—"
"I like fucking you. What's so impossible about that?" Vitale's expression was innocent, like a misunderstood kid. "It's the most natural thing, Isabella. I love you, I want you, I want to spend as much time as possible with you in bed. What's the problem?"
His bluntness left Isabella speechless.
She glared at him, but there was no real anger in her eyes, just shyness and a sweet kind of helplessness.
Then she laughed, her smile relaxed and genuine.
"Yes," Isabella said, her fingers lightly brushing over the fresh stubble on Vitale's chin. "You're a very patient man when it comes to waiting for me to fall for you. But in other ways, you're like a kid who can't get his candy."
Vitale raised an eyebrow. "Other ways?"
"Like right now," Isabella yawned. "I'm still so tired, my whole body aches, and I just want to sleep. Can you take me straight back to my apartment?"