Chapter 95
The whole world seemed to have been put on mute.
Isabella's eyes widened, finding all of this unbelievable.
Vitale was still confessing to her.
"I think about you every night, Isabella."
"I miss the smell of your hair, the sound of your breathing when you sleep, the way your nose wrinkles when you're angry, and that little habit of biting your pen when you're focused on work."
"Please, don't go on a date with him. Don't give that man a chance to get close to you again."
"Just thinking about that scene makes me want to smash everything, Isabella."
"I'll be in pain, I'll suffer, and I'll do things that even scare myself."
Vitale's voice grew lower, eventually turning into a broken whisper, like the whimper of a wounded beast.
Isabella held his head, her fingers running through his thick red hair.
Her lips parted, wanting to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat, turning into silent gasps.
Isabella hadn't expected this.
She really hadn't.
She knew Vitale cared about her.
Isabella knew he was possessive, sometimes almost obsessively protective, and that the fire in his eyes when he looked at her wasn't just desire.
But she never thought he would say "I love you."
This mafia boss, this red-haired bastard who made her feel both love and fear, was deeply in love with her.
So deep that he was willing to show his vulnerability, to admit his madness.
Isabella's heartbeat was abnormally fast.
Even when she was intimate with Vitale, her heart had never raced like this.
She was about to speak, to say "I love you too," but at that moment, another voice cut in.
"Boss."
Henley spoke respectfully. "I think we should leave this place."
"A confession like this will soon attract those people. You know, they'll just laugh, not bless you."
Vitale's body stiffened.
He took a deep breath, slowly letting go of Isabella, though his hand lingered on her waist, as if making sure she was still there.
"Yeah, we need to go."
"But before we leave, I have to settle some things with Blake and Ali. There are matters to resolve."
Isabella's heart tightened.
She grabbed his arm and questioned, "Will it be dangerous? Vitale, you just said you'd do things that scare even yourself. I don't want that. I don't want you to—"
"No, it won't be," Henley answered for Vitale, his voice firm. "They need Mr. Rossi. Everyone knows the consequences of angering him. They won't take the risk."
Vitale's thumb gently wiped the moisture from Isabella's eye.
"Wait for me at the hotel."
"I promise I won't get hurt, or at least not too badly."
"Of course, I'd prefer if you took a shower and waited for me in bed," Vitale's voice dropped lower, his lips almost brushing her ear, "wearing that black lace nightgown I bought for you last month in Silverlight City—or nothing at all."
Isabella's face instantly burned red.
Vitale kissed her forehead one last time before turning to leave with Henley, heading toward the main building of the vineyard estate.
On the way back to the hotel, Isabella sat in the backseat, cupping her face, feeling her cheeks hot as if she had a fever.
She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm down, but her mind kept replaying one scene over and over.
Vitale in the vineyard, holding her, shouting, "I love you."
Isabella felt like her heart couldn't keep beating this fast.
Really.
She might faint from her racing heart or experience something medically unexplainable.
"Henley, please get me back to the hotel as fast as you can."
Henley glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Sure, Ms. Martinez."
Back in her hotel room, the first thing Isabella did was rush into the bathroom, turn on the faucet, and let the warm water wash over her body.
She needed to calm down, to recover from that overwhelming excitement.
After drying off, Isabella walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and put on the lingerie Vitale had bought her.
Black lace, almost see-through, with a design so bold that the first time she saw it, she blushed and shoved it to the deepest corner of the closet.
Isabella picked up the black lace, her fingers brushing over the cool fabric, then slowly put it on.
The woman in the mirror was almost unrecognizable to Isabella.
Her blonde hair hung wet over her shoulders, her blue eyes shone brightly from the earlier emotions and steam, her skin was slightly flushed from the hot water, and that black lace...
God, it barely covered anything, just delicately outlining her curves with the finest lace, highlighting every bit of her allure.
Isabella's cheeks were burning, but this time it wasn't from embarrassment—it was a strange mix of excitement and anticipation.
She stepped out of the bathroom, walked to the bed, and sat down.
The sheets were crisp white, making the black lace on her body stand out even more.
She checked the time. It had been an hour since Vitale left.
Lying on the bed, Isabella kept imagining the moment Vitale would return.
How would he react?
What would he say?
Would he look at her with those burning blue eyes, and then...
Just then, her phone rang.
It was Ali.
Isabella hesitated for a few seconds before answering.
"Isabella, hey, I just wanted to confirm about dinner tonight."
"Sorry, Ali," Isabella cut him off. "I can't meet up."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"Is it because of the contract? Or is there an issue with Vitale?"
"No," Isabella said, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "It's because I'm waiting for someone more important right now."
The silence stretched longer this time.
Isabella could hear faint breathing on the other end, along with muffled music in the background.
"I get it," Ali said before hanging up.
Isabella lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Vitale still wasn't back.
Anxiety started to creep in.
She knew Henley said there wouldn't be any danger, and she knew Vitale promised not to get hurt, but every minute of waiting amplified her worry.
Finally, Isabella got out of bed.
She couldn't just sit there and wait.
She needed to do something, to make sure Vitale was okay.
She grabbed a robe from the wardrobe.
It was silk, ankle-length, completely covering the black lace underneath.
She put it on, tied the belt, walked to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it.
Henley was standing right outside.
He was leaning against the opposite wall, holding his phone, the screen displaying a picture of a woman in a bikini.
Hearing the door open, he looked up, his expression showing no surprise, as if he'd expected Isabella to come out.
"If I were you," Henley said lazily, his finger swiping the screen to the next bikini photo, "I'd be smart and go back inside. I wouldn't try to look for Mr. Rossi."
Isabella froze for a moment. "Why? He's not back yet, and I'm worried—"
"You know," Henley interrupted, a half-smile on his face, "he had a feeling you'd be unable to resist looking for him, worrying about him, so he asked me to stand guard at the door."
Isabella's face turned red instantly.
"So you heard me singing in the shower just now?"
Henley nodded, his expression innocent. "Yeah, I tried covering my ears, but your voice was pretty loud. I couldn't help it. Of course, I won't tell anyone."
"Because Mr. Rossi's possessiveness is intense, and I don't want to lose this bodyguard gig."
Isabella felt her cheeks burn as if they were on fire.
She shot Henley a glare, then stepped back and shut the door.
Leaning against the door, she covered her face and groaned.
God, this was so embarrassing.
But beyond the embarrassment, there was a sweet feeling.
Vitale knew she'd worry, knew she'd want to look for him, so he specifically had Henley guard the door to keep her safe and stop her from walking into a potentially dangerous situation.
Isabella walked back to the bed, took off the robe, and lay down again.
The black lace felt cool and sexy against her skin.
She thought of Vitale's possessiveness, of the almost crazy love in his eyes.
She remembered how Chris had once told her, "I love you."
Back then, Isabella felt calm.
Even a bit awkward, with no change in her heartbeat.
But when Vitale said it, Isabella felt her heart start dancing.
Even now, it was still pounding, each beat repeating those words.
I love him, I love him, I love him.
That's why, after her shower tonight, she put on the black lace Vitale had picked out for her.
Isabella thought, he's definitely going to like it.
She checked the time again. Almost two hours had passed.
Exhaustion started to creep in.
The tension, excitement, and waiting had drained her energy.
Isabella closed her eyes, trying to take a short nap, hoping to stay awake for when Vitale returned.
But sleep came like a warm tide, slowly pulling her under.
In the last moment before drifting off, her only thought was hoping Vitale wouldn't come back while she was asleep.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have the energy to match his passion or tell him that his confession had completely won her heart.