Chapter 95: He’ll Never Agree

POV: ISABELLA

Isabella stood alone in her hotel suite, tears still wet on her cheeks, hands shaking as she stared at her phone.

Two hours.

Dimitri had given her two hours to leave the city. Forever.

And if she didn’t....

I will kill you myself.

His voice had been so calm. So absolute. Like he was stating a fact rather than making a threat.

That’s what terrified her most.

Not the anger. Not the fury.

The certainty.

Her phone buzzed in her hand. A text from Marco.

Car will be downstairs in 90 minutes. Pack light. You won’t be coming back.

Isabella’s fingers tightened on the phone until her knuckles went white.

She’d lost everything.

Her plans. Her organization with Enzo. Her presence in this city.

All because Viktor Kozlov had gotten caught.

All because Dimitri had eyes everywhere.

All because she’d underestimated just how far he’d go to protect Eve Thorne.

Another text. This time from Enzo.

What the hell happened? Marco just told me you’re leaving? Tonight?

Isabella didn’t respond. Couldn’t find the words.

She moved to the window, looked out at the city that was supposed to have been hers. The empire she was supposed to rule beside Dimitri.

Gone.

Her phone rang.

Lorenzo. Her father.

Isabella almost didn’t answer. Almost let it ring through to voicemail because she couldn’t bear to tell him she’d failed.

But Lorenzo Russo didn’t accept being ignored.

She answered on the fourth ring.

"Padre."

"Isabella." His voice was ice. "I just received a very disturbing call from one of our contacts. They say Dimitri Valentino stormed into your hotel at 4 AM. That he’s banishing you from the city. Is this true?"

"Yes." Her voice came out broken.

"Explain. Now."

So she did. All of it. Viktor getting caught. The bugs being found. Dimitri’s fury. The ultimatum.

When she finished, silence stretched across the line.

Then Lorenzo spoke, and his voice was soft. Disappointed.

"You showed your hand too early."

"I was careful..."

"You were sloppy." Each word was a lash. "You hired an investigator who got caught. You planted bugs that were discovered. You left traces that led directly back to us. And now Dimitri knows everything."

"He tortured Viktor..."

"Of course he did. That’s what men like Dimitri do when someone threatens what’s theirs. You should have anticipated that. Planned for it. Had contingencies." Lorenzo’s disappointment was worse than his anger. "Instead, you panicked. And now you’re running."

"I’m not running!" Isabella’s voice cracked. "He told me to leave! He threatened to kill me if I stay! The man you arranged for me to marry, grabbed me by the throat and told me I mean nothing to him!"

"Then you didn’t fight hard enough."

The words landed like a slap.

"I did everything you asked..."

"You did half of what I asked. You gathered information, yes. But you failed to execute. You failed to make Eve Thorne disappear. You failed to remind Dimitri why you’re the better choice. And now you’re being banished like a disobedient child." Lorenzo’s voice turned cold. "Do you understand what this means, Isabella? For you? For our family?"

"I know..."

"You don’t. Let me explain. The Russo-Valentino alliance is worth billions. Territories. Influence. Power that spans continents. And you...my carefully trained, perfectly groomed daughter, have allowed it to crumble because you couldn’t handle one ordinary woman."

"She’s not ordinary! She’s..." Isabella stopped, realized she didn’t even know how to describe Eve. "She’s changed him. Made him soft. Made him choose sentiment over strategy."

"Then you should have used that softness against him. Should have made Eve the liability he couldn’t afford to keep." Lorenzo sighed. "But you didn’t. You got caught. And now Dimitri’s sending you home in disgrace."

"So what do I do?" Isabella hated how small her voice sounded.

"You do exactly what he told you to do. You leave. You go to Rome. You lay low."

"But..."

"Because right now, if you stay, he will kill you. And I cannot protect you from that." Lorenzo’s voice was absolute. "Dimitri Valentino is not a man who makes idle threats, Isabella. If he says he’ll kill you, he means it. And if you push him, if you give him any excuse....even I won’t be able to save you."

Isabella felt tears burning again. "So I just give up? Let her win?"

"No. You retreat. Strategically. You live to fight another day." A pause. "And you let me handle this. Your way failed. Now we try mine."

"What are you going to do?"

"What I should have done from the beginning. Remind him that there are consequences to his choices. That breaking sacred alliances has a price. That love..." Lorenzo said the word like it was profanity, "....is a weakness that can be exploited."

"He won’t listen to you."

"Perhaps. But he’ll listen to threats. Especially threats that involve Eve Thorne’s safety."

Isabella’s breath caught. "You’re going to hurt her?"

"I’m going to make it clear that if Dimitri wants to keep her alive, he needs to respect the arrangements that were made. The contracts that were signed. The promises that bind our families." Lorenzo’s voice turned contemplative. "And I’m going to offer him a compromise. Let you stay in the city under his father’s supervision, who will keep you in check. Or banish you, and deal with the consequences of a Russo family that feels disrespected."

"He’ll never agree..."

"We’ll see. Now pack your things. But don’t go to the airport yet. Stay in your hotel. I’m going to call his father. If I can negotiate your reprieve, you’ll need to be ready to grovel appropriately."

"I won’t grovel...."

"You will. Or you’ll spend the rest of your life watching from Rome while Eve Thorne lives the life that should have been yours." Lorenzo’s voice softened infinitesimally. "I know you love him, Isabella. In your own way. But love in our world is currency. And right now, you need to decide if your pride is worth more than your proximity to him."

The line went dead.

Isabella stood there, phone in hand, feeling hollowed out.

Her father was right.

She’d shown her hand too early. Been too obvious. Too desperate.

And now she was paying for it.

But if Lorenzo could negotiate, if he could buy her time...

Maybe she still had a chance.

A small one.

But a chance nonetheless.