Chapter 124: You Need To Let Isabella Go

POV: DIMITRI

Dimitri didn’t sleep.

He sat in his office at the penthouse, watching the sun rise over the city, his phone on the desk in front of him.

Isabella had been in the reservoir for eight hours now.

Cold water. Concrete walls. Her head above the waterline, her body submerged.

Marco had sent updates throughout the night.

11 PM: She’s crying, But still maintaining the same story.

2 AM: She’s shivering. But still denying involvement.

5 AM: She’s begging to be released. But no confession yet.

Dimitri had expected her to break by now.

Most people did.

The reservoir was designed to break people, the cold, the exhaustion, the fear of drowning if you fell asleep.

But Isabella was holding.

Which meant either she was innocent...

Or she’d been trained to withstand interrogation.

Dimitri suspected the latter.

His phone rang at 6:47 AM.

Antonio.

Dimitri stared at the screen for a moment before answering.

"What do you want?"

"Good morning to you too, son." Antonio’s voice was smooth, calm. "I hear you’ve been busy."

"If you’re calling to lecture me about Isabella..."

"I’m calling to tell you to release her."

Dimitri’s hand tightened on the phone. "No."

"Dimitri..."

"She drugged Eve. Or had someone drug Eve. I know she’s involved. And I’m not releasing her until she confesses."

"She can’t confess to something she didn’t do." Antonio’s voice turned serious. "You have the wrong person, Dimitri. Isabella didn’t drug Eve."

"Bullshit."

"It’s the truth. We found the person responsible. She confessed this morning. Turned herself in to the police."

Dimitri went very still.

"Who."

"Victoria Ashford."

The name hit Dimitri like a physical blow.

Victoria.

Five-foot-seven. Blonde. Stunning. A socialite who moved in the same circles as the Valentinos and Russos.

And a woman Dimitri had fucked regularly before his contract with Eve.

"You’re lying," Dimitri said, his voice flat.

"I’m not. Victoria confessed to everything. She was at the gala. She paid the waiter to dose your drink. She wanted you desperate, vulnerable. She thought if she could get you alone, if she could offer herself as relief..."

"Stop." Dimitri’s voice was ice. "I know what you’re doing."

"I’m telling you the truth."

"You’re protecting Isabella. You found a scapegoat and you’re trying to sell me a story."

"Check the news, Dimitri. Victoria posted a public apology an hour ago. She’s already at the police station. She’s confessing to everything." Antonio paused. "She’s even provided details that only the person responsible would know. The type of compound. The waiter’s name. The exact amount she paid him."

Dimitri pulled up his laptop, searched for Victoria’s name.

And there it was.

Trending on every major news site.

VICTORIA ASHFORD CONFESSES TO DRUGGING INCIDENT AT CASTELLANO GALA

Socialite Surrenders to Police, Issues Public Apology

Dimitri clicked on the video.

Victoria’s face filled the screen...tear-stained, devastated, genuinely remorseful.

"I want to apologize," she said, her voice shaking. "I did something terrible. I drugged a drink at the Castellano Gala. I meant it for Dimitri Valentino. I thought...I thought if I could make him need me, if I could remind him of what we had..." She broke down, sobbing. "But the wrong person drank it. Eve Thorne drank it. And she suffered because of my obsession. Because of my jealousy."

She looked directly at the camera.

"Eve, I’m so sorry. Dimitri, I’m sorry. I know I can never make this right. But I’m turning myself in. I’m confessing everything. And I hope...I hope you can someday forgive me."

The video ended.

Dimitri stared at the screen, his jaw clenched so tight it ached.

It was perfect.

Too perfect.

Victoria’s confession. The timing. The details.

All of it orchestrated.

"She’s lying," Dimitri said into the phone. "You paid her to confess. You found a willing scapegoat and you’re using her to protect Isabella."

"Victoria came forward on her own," Antonio said calmly. "No one paid her. No one forced her. She confessed because she’s guilty."

"Then why now? Why wait till now?"

"Because she was scared. Because she realized what she’d done. Because her guilt became unbearable." Antonio’s voice turned hard. "Does it matter why? She confessed. She’s at the police station right now giving a full statement. The authorities have what they need. You need to let Isabella go."

"What about the drug Isabella purchased?" Dimitri shot back. "The pharmaceutical Catarina was buying from Eastern Europe? Compound X-7? How do you explain that?"

"That wasn’t Compound X-7." Antonio’s response came immediately. Too immediately. "It was a completely different medication. One Isabella has been taking for years."

"What medication?"

"I’m sending you the details now."

Dimitri’s phone buzzed. An email from Antonio.

He opened it.

Medical records. Prescriptions. Doctor’s notes.

All showing Isabella Russo had been prescribed Alprazolam, a medication for panic attacks....since she was nineteen years old.

But the records showed something else too.

An addiction.

Years of use. Increasing dosages. Multiple failed attempts to taper off.

And a note from Dr. Armani in Rome: Patient exhibits drug-seeking behavior. Recommend intensive treatment for benzodiazepine dependence.

"Isabella has been struggling with anxiety for years," Antonio said. "She’s been self-medicating with prescription drugs. She’s ashamed of it. Didn’t want anyone to know. But that’s what Catarina was purchasing, a supply of medication Isabella couldn’t get legally anymore because her doctor cut her off."

Dimitri scrolled through the records.

They were detailed. Comprehensive. Dated back years.

Too perfect to be fake.

Except Dimitri knew they were fake.

Had to be fake.

Because the timing was too convenient. The evidence too complete.

"You fabricated these records," Dimitri said quietly.

"I did not. Call Dr. Armani yourself. He’ll confirm everything."

"I’m sure he will. After you paid him to."

"Dimitri." Antonio’s voice turned sharp. "You’re being paranoid. You want Isabella to be guilty so badly that you’re ignoring the evidence in front of you. Victoria confessed. She’s guilty. Isabella is innocent. And you need to release her before her father decides to retaliate."