Chapter 108: Like Drugging My brother?

Enzo’s phone buzzed. A text from Isabella.

Did you forget about our noon meeting? I’m waiting in the conference room.

Right. The territory meeting. The Belmont contracts.

The partnership that was already dead but neither of them had officially buried yet.

Enzo grabbed his jacket, headed for the door.

He’d go to the meeting. He’d act normal. He’d pretend he didn’t know about the reactivated drug order.

He’d play his role.

Because if Isabella knew that he knew, she might change the plan. Go rogue. Do something even more dangerous.

At least this way, he could monitor her. Stay close. Be ready when everything went to hell. ℯℯ𝑙.

Which it would.

Because this was Isabella Russo and Dimitri Valentino.

And nothing between them had ever been anything but catastrophic.

***

POV: ENZO(Conference Room - 30 minutes later)

Isabella sat at the conference table, contracts spread out in front of her, looking perfectly composed.

Like she hadn’t spent the morning reactivating an order for illegal pharmaceuticals.

Like she wasn’t planning to drug Enzo’s brother in three days.

Like she wasn’t destroying herself and everyone around her in pursuit of a fantasy.

"You’re late," she said without looking up.

"Traffic." Enzo sat across from her, forced his voice to stay neutral. "What am I looking at?"

"The Belmont territory contracts. Final revisions before we sign with the local operators." She slid a folder across the table. "Everything’s in order. We just need both signatures."

Enzo flipped through the documents, barely seeing the words.

All he could think about was the surveillance alert on his phone.

The drug order. The gala. The disaster that was coming.

"Looks good," he said finally.

Isabella glanced up at him, her eyes searching his face. "Are you okay? You seem distracted."

"Just tired. Didn’t sleep well."

"Neither did I." She looked back down at the contracts. "Too much on my mind."

Like drugging my brother? Enzo thought bitterly.

But he said: "The organization is growing faster than we expected. It’s a lot to manage."

"We can handle it." Isabella signed the first contract, slid it toward him. "We make a good team."

The words should have warmed him.

Instead, they felt like ash.

Because they weren’t a team.

Not really.

She was using him. Using their partnership as cover while she pursued Dimitri.

And he was enabling her because he loved her too much to let her die.

Enzo signed the contracts mechanically, his mind elsewhere.

"Enzo?" Isabella’s voice was soft now. Concerned. "Are you sure you’re okay?"

He looked up, met her eyes.

She looked tired. Stressed. But also determined.

Like a woman who’d made a decision and was committed to seeing it through, consequences be damned.

"I’m fine," he lied. "Just a lot on my plate."

"If you need to talk..."

"I don’t." He stood, gathered the signed contracts. "I’ll file these with the Volkovs. Anything else you need from me?"

Isabella hesitated, like she wanted to say something.

Then shook her head. "No. That’s everything."

"Good." Enzo moved toward the door. "I’ll see you later."

"Enzo?"

He stopped, didn’t turn around.

"Thank you," Isabella said quietly. "For being patient with me. For not giving up on our partnership even when I’ve been... difficult."

Enzo closed his eyes, his hand on the door handle.

She had no idea.

No idea that he knew about the drug. About her plan. About the disaster she was walking into.

No idea that he’d already decided to save her, even though it meant watching her throw herself at Dimitri one more time.

No idea how much it was killing him.

"Don’t thank me yet," he said, his voice rough. "Just....be careful, Isabella. Whatever you’re planning. Be careful."

He left before she could respond.

***

POV: ISABELLA

Isabella sat alone in the conference room after Enzo left, staring at the closed door.

Something was off.

Enzo had been distant. Distracted. Almost... sad.

Like he knew something she didn’t.

Or like he knew something she thought she’d hidden.

Isabella pulled out her phone, checked her messages with Catarina.

Nothing suspicious. Everything encrypted. Professional.

There was no way Enzo could know she’d reactivated the drug order.

Was there?

She shook off the paranoia, gathered her things.

Three days.

Three days until the gala.

Three days until she either won everything or lost it all.

And Enzo....sweet, loyal, heartbroken Enzo would just have to understand.

She was doing this for her family. For the alliance. For the future she’d been promised.

Not for herself.

At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

***

POV: ENZO

Enzo sat in his car outside the hotel, phone in hand, staring at Dimitri’s contact.

One call.

That’s all it would take.

Dimitri, Isabella is planning to drug you at the Castellano Gala. She has a pharmaceutical that creates sexual need. She’s going to slip it in your drink and hope you turn to her.

One call, and the whole plan would be over.

Isabella would be arrested. Or killed. Probably killed.

And Enzo would be free.

Free of the partnership. Free of the obligation. Free of watching the woman he loved destroy herself over someone else.

His finger hovered over the call button.

Then he remembered Antonio’s words.

If Isabella Russo dies on your watch, Lorenzo will hold you personally responsible.

And he remembered his own confession to Isabella.

I’m in love with you. I can’t stop caring about you. I can’t stop wanting you to be happy.

And he remembered the look in her eyes when she’d asked him to be patient with her.

Enzo deleted Dimitri’s contact from the screen, pocketed his phone.

He wasn’t going to warn him.

He was going to let Isabella execute her plan.

And he was going to be there to pull her out when it all went to hell.

Because loving someone meant protecting them.

Even when they were wrong.

Even when they were destroying themselves.

Even when it destroyed you too.

Saturday night.

The Castellano Gala.

Enzo would be there.

Watching.

Waiting.

Ready to save Isabella from herself.

One last time.