In His Grasp: A Mafia Romance novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Protecting Her

Isabella couldn't help but widen her eyes, looking at the man in front of her. "What did you just say?"

Oh my God, was she dreaming? How could she hear such words coming out of Emanuele's mouth? She hadn't even graduated yet, and she didn't have much money. Her monthly salary barely covered her living expenses, and she had to ask her mom for rent money for her apartment.

But now, her mom had apparently handed this responsibility over to Emanuele. She doubted her mom would have willingly sought him out for this. It must have been Emanuele's idea!

This devil truly wanted to control every aspect of her life! Isabella felt Emanuele was being incredibly cruel. He knew she was innocent, so why did he keep interfering with her?

"For your own good, Isabella, you shouldn't live in such a run-down apartment anymore. You should move to a top-tier building where the security system is top-notch, ensuring your safety," Emanuele said as he gestured towards a nearby building.

It was nothing like where Isabella lived now. This building had eighty floors, a modern design, and from a distance, it looked magnificent. Living there meant being either wealthy or influential.

But she didn't want to go!

While Emanuele's words sounded like concern, Isabella felt he was gradually encroaching on her freedom, turning her into some sort of mafia princess, distancing her further from her previous life. She was already feeling restricted, with two bodyguards following her around, and now he wanted her to move as well. Would he eventually force her to quit her job?

Isabella was growing increasingly frustrated. "Enough, Emanuele. I've had enough! I'm not a mafia princess, I'm just an ordinary person. I'm still a doctor, not one of you bloodstained devils. I like where I live right now, so please stop interfering in my life, okay?" she practically yelled. She had suppressed her feelings for too long.

Everything was supposed to stay the same, so why was Emanuele refusing to leave her alone and constantly tormenting her?

After shouting at Emanuele, Isabella hurriedly went home, fearing that if she were a second too slow, he would come after her.

She might be angry, but she had no intention of risking her life over it.

Emanuele watched Isabella's retreating figure, her silhouette gradually disappearing into the night. He didn't get angry; he just thought that Isabella was still a little girl with naive thoughts that were almost cute. How could she still believe she was just an ordinary person?

He looked at the two bodyguards following Isabella: Harry Black and Tony Meyer, both assigned by his father to protect her.

"Protect her well, and if anything happens, contact me immediately," Emanuele instructed.

"Yes, boss." They obeyed any arrangement made by Emanuele and immediately followed in Isabella's footsteps.

Emanuele stood still, his brows furrowed, his face dark and somewhat menacing. The current situation was not as straightforward as it had been in the past. Dealing with the Sicilian mob, who bred like pests, had become a daunting task.

Even now, he hadn't figured out who their leader was or what they looked like. Dealing with other enemies had never been this difficult for him.

However, they didn't pose a significant threat to him. He was immensely powerful, capable of taking down ten enemies in a single breath. Moreover, he had bodyguards for both travel and residence, guarding him tirelessly. He didn't need to worry about the possibility of assassination.

But the man he had killed today was a minor Sicilian mob leader. He had tortured him to death in such a brutal manner that the Sicilians would surely despise him.

The days ahead would not be as peaceful and calm.

Emanuele found it challenging to ensure that when the Sicilians sought revenge on him, they wouldn't notice Isabella. She was too fragile, like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. Thinking about how his casual words had triggered her to the point of vomiting made him shake his head.

While his sister, Grazia, had been well protected by their family and didn't engage in violence, she had witnessed the brutal and bloody scenes. In the face of such situations, she remained calm and fearless. That was the true mark of a mafia princess. Once those thugs set their sights on Isabella, it would be as easy as squashing an ant to kill her.

"Isabella, you better hope luck is on your side and you don't die too soon. Otherwise, I'll lose an interesting toy," Emanuele whispered to himself.

The next day, Isabella got up to go to work. Her rented apartment was not far from the hospital, and usually, she chose to walk the ten-minute distance to work. Today was no different.

However, just as she left her apartment building and was about to cross the road, a car suddenly sped towards her.

If it weren't for Harry, who rushed out and pulled her aside just in time, she might have been hit and thrown several meters away by the speeding car.

Isabella was still in shock. "What just happened?"

If her bodyguards hadn't been there, she might have already been a lifeless body. As a doctor, she knew very well what the consequences would have been if that speeding car had hit her.

Tony went to examine the wrecked car that had crashed into a nearby lamppost. "The driver is dead, and he smells strongly of alcohol." Everything indicated that the driver had been drunk, which was why he had been speeding and crashed into Isabella. It seemed like an unfortunate coincidence.

Drunk driving? Isabella looked at the mangled car, shaking her head. She had never experienced anything like this in her first 22 years.

She felt like her life was becoming increasingly turbulent.

Due to the incident, Isabella felt dazed and unfocused at work all day. She couldn't help but think about the accident and how close she had come to death.

She was genuinely afraid of dying. After working hard to graduate from college, she hadn't even started to experience the colorful aspects of life. She didn't want it to end like this.

Evelyn heard about what had happened to Isabella and looked worried. "Isabella, if it's too much, you should take a leave and rest at home. Your boss will understand."

Isabella shook her head. She didn't want Evelyn to worry. She replied, "I'm fine; it's just a minor thing."

She couldn't help but think about Emanuele. If he were here, he would probably mock her, wouldn't he? Yes, she did have a small heart.

But why, of all times, did she have to think of Emanuele now?

As Pippo walked past Isabella, he brought her a cup of coffee. "You seem a bit out of sorts today. Have some coffee; it might help."

Isabella accepted the coffee and thanked Pippo. "Thank you so much."

Pippo smiled. "Isabella, have you run into any trouble recently? You seem different from before, and not in a good way."

Evelyn immediately interjected, "What kind of trouble could she possibly have? Her only worry is being pursued by rich men. I wish I had that problem."

"Evelyn, stop it," Isabella said.

"Alright, I'll shut up. I'm going back to work now," Evelyn said before leaving.

Pippo looked at Isabella. "Isabella, if you ever have any problems, you can talk to me. Maybe I can help."

Isabella's emotions calmed down a bit as she looked into Pippo's kind eyes. But she didn't want to involve anyone in her own problems; she was already a mess. How could she drag others into it?

"I'm fine," she said. "No problems."

"Alright then. I'm going back to work. If you need anything, feel free to reach out," Pippo said.

Just then, Isabella received a message reminding her that her rent was due in a couple of days.