Chapter 117: How Do I Lie To Him?

Isabella raised her tear-stained face. "Marco is going to investigate. He’s going to interrogate all the bartenders, all the waiters. Someone’s going to..."

"I’ll take care of it." Enzo’s voice was hard. "The waiter will be dealt with. The security footage will be handled. But you need to maintain the story I just gave you."

"How did I get out of the building?" Isabella’s voice was shaking. "Marco locked it down. His men were at every exit. How do I explain...."

"You were already outside when everything happened. You left early. Felt unwell. Catarina can confirm." Enzo looked at the other woman. "Can’t you?"

Catarina nodded slowly. "Yes. We left before the incident. Went straight to the hotel."

"But Marco will know that’s not true," Isabella said desperately. "He had eyes on me all night. He’ll know I was inside when Eve collapsed."

"Let me worry about Marco." Enzo crouched in front of Isabella’s chair, forced her to meet his eyes. "Listen to me very carefully. Dimitri is going to interrogate you. Probably tomorrow. Possibly tonight. And when he does, you need to hold yourself together. You need to look him in the eye and lie. Convincingly. Do you understand?"

Isabella shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "He’s going to find out. He’s Dimitri....he always finds out. He’s going to know I did this and he’s going to..."

"Stop." Enzo gripped her shoulders, shook her once. "Look at me. Look at me."

Isabella’s terrified eyes met his.

"If you so much as shake or make a mistake when Dimitri interrogates you, you are dead," Enzo said, his voice absolutely clear. "So you have two choices. You get yourself together right now and prepare for that interrogation....practice your story, control your reactions, prepare to lie to the Devil himself. Or you keep up with this crying, panicking act and prepare to die. Those are your only options. Choose."

Isabella stared at him, her face white, her whole body trembling.

Then, slowly, she nodded.

"I’ll hold it together," she whispered. "I’ll lie. I’ll do whatever I have to do."

"Good." Enzo stood, looked at Catarina. "Take care of her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. And if anyone comes looking for her, if Marco shows up, if anyone from Dimitri’s organization shows up, you stall them. Call me immediately. Understand?"

"Understood," Catarina said calmly.

Enzo moved toward the door, paused with his hand on the handle.

He looked back at Isabella....broken, terrified, destroyed by her own obsession.

Part of him wanted to stay. To comfort her. To tell her it would be okay.

But it wouldn’t be okay.

Nothing about this was okay.

"I’ll handle the rest," he said quietly. "But Isabella....this is the last time. The absolute last time I clean up your mess. After this, you’re on your own."

He left before she could respond.

***

POV: ISABELLA

The door closed behind Enzo with a soft click that sounded impossibly loud in the silence.

Isabella sat in her chair, surrounded by broken glass and scattered roses, her face in her hands.

She’d drugged Eve Thorne.

Put her in a hospital.

Potentially killed her.

And now Enzo...sweet, loyal, heartbroken Enzo...was risking everything to cover it up.

To save her.

Even though she didn’t deserve it.

Even though she’d betrayed their partnership, lied to him, chosen her obsession over his love.

He was still trying to save her.

"Isabella." Catarina’s voice was gentle. "You should clean up. Change. Rest. Tomorrow is going to be difficult."

"I can’t rest." Isabella’s voice came out muffled against her palms. "Every time I close my eyes, I see her falling. I see Dimitri’s face. I see...."

"Then don’t close your eyes. But you need to prepare." Catarina moved around the room, cleaning up the broken vase with efficient movements. "Enzo is right. Dimitri will come for you. And when he does, you need to be ready."

Isabella lowered her hands, looked at the other woman.

"How do I lie to him? How do I look Dimitri Valentino in the eye and tell him I didn’t do this when we both know I did?"

"The same way you’ve lied to everyone else in your life." Catarina’s voice was matter-of-fact. "You believe your own story. You commit to it so completely that even you start to think it’s true. That’s the only way to lie to someone like Dimitri."

"And if he doesn’t believe me?"

Catarina met her eyes. "Then you die. So you’d better be convincing."

Isabella stood on shaking legs, moved to the window.

Somewhere out there, Eve was in a hospital or a safe house, suffering through the effects of the compound Isabella had meant for Dimitri.

Somewhere out there, Dimitri was planning his revenge.

Somewhere out there, Marco was investigating, interrogating, hunting for the person responsible.

And here Isabella stood....guilty, terrified, trapped.

Waiting for the Devil to come for her.

***

POV: MARCO

Marco stood in the center of the Grand Belmont ballroom, now emptied of guests except for staff being held for questioning.

Twenty-three waiters. Fourteen bartenders. Sixteen security personnel who’d been working the event.

All lined up. All nervous.

All potential suspects.

"Let me make this very simple," Marco said, his voice carrying across the room. "Someone drugged Ms. Thorne’s drink tonight. That person either works here or bribed someone who works here. And I’m going to find out who."

The staff exchanged nervous glances.

"We’re going to do this the easy way or the hard way," Marco continued. "The easy way: whoever’s responsible comes forward now, tells me everything, and faces consequences that are... manageable. The hard way: I investigate every single one of you, check your bank accounts, review security footage frame by frame, and when I find the guilty party....and I will find them....the consequences will be much, much worse."

Silence.

Marco pulled out his phone, made a call. "Lucas. Bring me the evidence bag."

Thirty seconds later, one of his men approached with a sealed plastic bag.

Inside was the small perfume atomizer Isabella had given the waiter.

Marco held it up for everyone to see.

"This was found near the bar," he said calmly. "It contained the compound that was used to drug Ms. Thorne. Traces are still inside. Which means whoever used this left fingerprints. DNA. Evidence."