Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

When Emanuele descended the stairs, he heard Isabella’s laughter, along with Grazia’s and Lilly’s. In that moment, he felt a sense of contentment wash over him. His efforts were all for securing a carefree life for his family. He was willing to bear the darkness, so his family could enjoy a peaceful life.

“Emanuele, are you awake?” Lilly greeted him as soon as she saw him coming downstairs. She also glanced at the wound on his arm. “Isabella said you were injured. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Emanuele replied.

“That’s good. Emanuele, please don’t get into trouble,” Grazia said from the side, her expression carrying a touch of sadness. “Andrew got into trouble, and I can’t bear to lose you too.”

Grazia appeared calm, but she hadn’t really moved on. Isabella could understand that feeling. She might despise Emanuele, but she couldn’t fathom what she would do if he were gone one day, especially Grazia. It was clear she must be devastated, possibly crying in secret every night. Isabella didn’t know how to comfort her, but perhaps time would be the ultimate healer, and Grazia would have to rely on its power to move on.

“I’m okay, don’t worry. I’m lucky,” Emanuele reassured. “I’ve been through war before. Although this time, the enemy is more formidable, believe me, Grazia.”

Grazia embraced Emanuele. During the meal, Isabella received a video call from Sophia and saw her and Leo lying on the beach, enjoying the sun.

“Isabella, when you have time, consider traveling abroad. The scenery is beautiful here, and the beach is lovely.”

“Sure, Mom. I’m glad you’re having fun,” Isabella said, relieved to see her mother enjoying herself.

At the same time, she felt a sense of envy. If only they could travel abroad and escape the constant danger they faced in Chicago, where they couldn’t even leave their home.

Since the last time she went out and Emanuele made her carry a gun, Isabella didn’t want to go out anymore. It felt terrible that she couldn’t be a regular person even when she was outside.

If that was the case, she’d rather stay in.

“You and Emanuele got married without even going on a honeymoon. When things settle down, you should take your honeymoon,” Sophia suggested. She felt that Isabella’s marriage to Emanuele had been strange enough, with a peculiar wedding and no honeymoon. Now that Isabella’s life was still under threat, she sighed, unsure whether it was good or bad.

Let’s hope Emanuele keeps his promise to her.

Sophia chatted with Isabella for a while before ending the call. By this time, they had finished breakfast.

Emanuele headed for the elevator after breakfast; he had to leave again today. He felt restless as long as Frederick remained missing.

Isabella wanted to see him off but remembered the last time she tried, Emanuele said she was the loser in their game. She decided not to bother.

However, Grazia noticed and gently pushed Isabella to go and see Emanuele off. “When a husband is going out for work, how can a wife not even see him off?”

Isabella had no choice but to approach Emanuele.

She had told Emanuele that in front of others, she would make it look like they were a proper married couple. Although Grazia wasn’t exactly an outsider, she understood the true nature of Isabella’s relationship with Emanuele.

Isabella walked up to Emanuele and adjusted his tie, not meeting his eyes, focusing solely on his tie.

“Stay safe and come back early,” Isabella said.

Emanuele, hearing her matter-of-fact tone, couldn’t help but smile and lowered his head to place a kiss on Isabella’s cheek.

“What’s wrong? You seem a bit reluctant,” he asked.

“I won’t lose in this game,” Isabella replied, raising her head to look at Emanuele. In her gaze, a burning anger flickered.

Emanuele was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly recalled the last time Isabella had tried to see him off, and he’d said those things. He had been afraid that Isabella would become too emotionally involved, fearing that their enemies might exploit her to threaten him. That’s why he had acted indifferent towards Isabella, as he was afraid those people would go to great lengths to harm her. So now, when faced with Isabella’s determined stance, Emanuele simply smiled and didn’t offer any explanations.

“All right, Isabella. Want to make a bet to see who will be the ultimate winner between us?”

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Isabella looked at Emanuele’s smile, though he was smiling, his eyes didn’t share the same warmth. In his light brown eyes, there was a glint of calculation, as if she had become his prey.

At this moment, Isabella began to doubt whether their previous intimate moments were real or just an act. She recalled a saying she had heard before, that a man’s desire could be separated from his love; he could possess you, but he wouldn’t love you. He would treat you merely as a tool to satisfy his desires.

Thinking of Emanuele’s dirty words and his fascination with her body in bed, Isabella’s heart turned ice-cold. Was she just a tool to Emanuele? What separated her from a prostitute?

“Emanuele, don’t make me hate you,” Isabella couldn’t control her emotions, and her body started to tremble. It had been a while since she felt like this, and whenever these moments arrived, that suffocating feeling would engulf her like a haunting specter, making it hard to breathe.

Isabella gave herself a stern internal warning, she couldn’t continue these dark thoughts. She needed to escape from this place.

Emanuele looked at Isabella and naturally noticed the pain on her face, despite her efforts to conceal it. He sighed inwardly. He didn’t want to see Isabella suffering, even though he knew he was being selfish and distant for her own protection.

After Emanuele left, Isabella quickly regained her composure, doing her best not to dwell on the negative emotions. Her past experiences with Chloe’s torment had given her a quick emotional recovery ability. Isabella moved to sit with Grazia to watch TV.

“Isabella, did you have a fight with Emanuele?” Grazia asked.

“No, we didn’t fight. Our relationship is just like this,” Isabella replied.

“I think Emanuele likes you a lot. It’s just that for some reason, he can’t show it,” Grazia hinted at Isabella.

“I can’t feel any affection from him at all,” Isabella sighed. “Let’s leave it at that. At least the days aren’t too painful right now. I get whatever I want, and that’s enough.”

Isabella was good at consoling herself. Even if she couldn’t win Emanuele’s heart, she had gained wealth from him, and that restored her determination.