Chapter 32
When Isabella heard this, she bit her lower lip so hard it almost drew blood.
"Damn it, he's getting back at me for leaving without saying goodbye that morning."
That Vitale was so petty.
Aria slowly shook her head, her light red hair swaying under the lights.
"No, it's not like that. He said he finds you sexy and charming, and..." she lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard, "the key thing is you took this mafia boss's first time. Listen, Isabella, do you understand what this means? We're in big trouble, so you have to stay."
Isabella stared at her friend and reached out to pull her into a hug.
"I'm sorry, I was too hasty just now." She whispered in Aria's ear, "But I still can't be his assistant. Aria, I hope you can understand."
"Why?" Aria frowned in confusion. "Why are you running from a man who's clearly into you?"
"Because I'm not sure if he's just interested in me on a whim, or if he really likes me." Isabella's voice was bitter. "You and I both know men like him never lack women around them."
"That's true," Aria nodded, "but Isabella, I feel like Mr. Luca is different. He's much gentler than the rumors say."
"You don't know his cruel side." Isabella's voice trembled. "Chris's leg was broken by people he sent."
Aria's eyes widened: "Oh my God, that can't be!"
She hurriedly lowered her voice: "Isabella, are you sure about this?"
"Sonia told me herself. She loves showing off these insider stories, so it must be true."
Aria's enthusiasm instantly cooled. She gripped Isabella's arm tightly: "Then we really should leave, but Amboni said they already have information on all of us, including Amira."
She tugged at her red hair in frustration: "God, have we already fallen into the fire pit?"
"We're probably not there yet, but..." Isabella suddenly became alert. "Why was Amboni so honest with you?"
Aria pulled out a folded paper from her pocket: "He said Vitale wanted to give you some time to think, so he sent me away first, then he gave me this."
Isabella unfolded the note. It detailed her daily schedule, bank account balance, even the details of her rental contract.
At the bottom was a prominent warning—if they refused this job, the landlord would immediately take back the house.
"Amboni wasn't planning to show me this," Aria explained, "but he said he enjoyed chatting with me, so he made an exception."
"How much do you believe him?" Isabella questioned. "What if this is just Vitale's way of threatening us? He'll use any trick to keep me by his side."
"I had my doubts too," Aria sighed, "so I called the landlord. She confirmed it, said she had to follow orders."
Aria desperately held her head: "If we don't take this job, even Amira will end up on the streets. God, this is terrible."
Isabella felt suffocated: "Aria, you should have told me earlier. I almost did something rash just now."
"I wanted to protect you too, friend." Aria held her hand. "I just hope we can all live well. Isabella, believe in yourself, okay? You can definitely handle Vitale."
Isabella clutched the paper tightly, her knuckles turning white.
She hadn't expected Vitale to go this far.
The mafia's power was like an invisible net, leaving her nowhere to escape.
Damn it, she was now completely in Vitale's palm.
Aria noticed her suddenly changed expression and asked carefully: "Earlier in the office, did Vitale do something to you?"
Isabella's cheeks instantly burned. Aria's question was like a key, suddenly opening the floodgates of memory.
That office locked by Vitale—every detail clearly surfaced before her eyes.
"You said I was a good person in the stairwell." Vitale approached step by step, his fingers methodically unbuttoning his suit. "Now let me see if you really think so in your heart."
Isabella instinctively backed away, her calves hitting the heavy solid wood desk.
He took the opportunity to close in, his hands braced on either side of her body, trapping her between the desk and himself.
"Mr. Luca..." She tried to stay calm, but her voice trembled involuntarily.
"Call me Vitale." Vitale's thumb brushed across Isabella's lower lip, his eyes dark. "When you slipped away that morning, did you think things between us were over?"
His knee gently pushed her legs apart, squeezing into the space between her skirt.
This possessive movement made her gasp.
"I looked for you for a whole week, Isabella." Vitale's lips almost touched her earlobe. "Every morning when I woke up, your scent still lingered on the pillow, but you had vanished without a trace."
His palm slowly moved up her thigh, feeling her tremble through the thin fabric.
"Know what I miss most?" His breath brushed hotly against her neck. "It's that morning you woke up in my arms. The sunlight was on your eyelashes, and you unconsciously burrowed into my embrace in your sleep."
Isabella's breathing became rapid. The scene Vitale described made her heart skip a beat, those memories she had deliberately suppressed came flooding back.
"Now," his fingers deftly unbuttoned the first button of her shirt, "I want you to make up for everything you owe me."
He lowered his head to kiss her collarbone, leaving a clear mark there.
Isabella couldn't help but tilt her head back, her fingers digging deep into the fabric of his suit.
"Sign it, Isabella." He whispered in her ear, his voice carrying irresistible temptation. "Be my assistant, be my woman. This time, I won't let you escape again."
Then her refusal led to even more excessive treatment. She gave him fellatio, his length making her uncomfortable yet excited.
Compared to the first time, she seemed more skilled now, able to use her tongue to trace circles at his tip.
Damn it, she couldn't think about it anymore, her body was going to break.
The memory stopped abruptly there.
Isabella snapped back to reality and found Aria looking at her with concern.
"It's nothing." She turned her face away, hiding her suddenly flushed cheeks. "He just showed me the work contract."
But they both knew that some things had already changed from the moment she stepped into that office.
Vitale didn't just want Isabella's work ability—he wanted all of her, from body to soul.
"Isabella, this doesn't look like nothing to me. Did he threaten you or bully you?" Aria patted her face—it was burning hot.
The image of being pressed against the desk and kissed by him immediately floated into Isabella's mind, his large hands roaming over her body, his hot breath spraying on her neck.
"It's nothing." Isabella turned her face away, hiding her suddenly flushed cheeks. "I just need some time to adjust."
But they both knew that in the net Vitale had laid, adjustment might be their only choice.