Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

Despair enveloped Isabella, making her feel that at this moment, the world had turned dark and cold.

Isabella found it quite amusing. She had been too naive, thinking that having been with him once would change their relationship. But now it was clear that the change had occurred only within her mindset. For Emanuele, nothing had changed.

She had dared to imagine being in love with Emanuele. The sad truth was now laid out before her, and she realized that in their game, she had become the loser.

Despite her constant claims of hating him, she couldn’t control her feelings of love for him. Emanuele’s handsome and icy face appeared in Isabella’s mind once again, along with his words.

He had said he never lacked for women. With a mere gesture, he could have many women flocking to him. Isabella knew that with Emanuele’s looks and charm, it was undoubtedly true. But it wasn’t the same for her.

“You’re a lousy slut, fat and ugly. No man would ever like you.”

“Your boyfriend is only with you to take your virginity. How could he possibly like a lowly bitch like you?”

“No one would like a big fat girl like you.”

Suddenly, Isabella remembered the hurtful words Chloe had said to her. Even though she had taken medication, she felt a suffocating sensation creeping over her.

She had to stop thinking about this. It was becoming unbearable. She might die from it.

But if Emanuele really wanted her to marry Clark, what could she do?

On the other side, Emanuele sat in the car, and Phillip watched him. After a moment of hesitation, Phillip spoke, “Boss, what you’re doing, you’ll regret it sooner or later.”

“I never regretted.” Emanuele appeared relaxed, but his actions revealed his true emotions. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, his brow furrowing. It was evident that he was in a terrible mood.

He intended to have Isabella marry Clark to ensure her safety. He was already in a crisis, and now that Isabella was being targeted, being with her would put her in greater danger. Marrying Clark, a leader of the Canadian mafia, would provide her with sufficient protection, and Canada was still relatively safe.

Phillip had no idea what to say to his boss, but he believed Emanuele was making a mistake by pushing Miss Gould away. He was certain that someday Emanuele would regret this decision.

Isabella returned home and locked herself in her room. She believed that a good night’s sleep would help. However, when she woke up the next day and recalled the events of the previous night, her heart still ached, making it hard to breathe.

She couldn’t understand why Emanuele was so cold and heartless. His body had indicated that he needed her, but he had still unhesitatingly pushed her away.

The thought of this made her heartache, and tears fell uncontrollably. She had never imagined she could become so fragile. Where had the strong, brave girl who had once stood up to Emanuele gone? The girl who could fight Emanuele courageously? She seemed to have vanished.

Isabella felt as fragile as glass, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

Outside her door, Lilly had prepared breakfast but hadn’t seen Isabella emerge. She knocked on the door and said, “Isabella, it’s time for breakfast.”

Isabella appreciated that Lilly addressed her by name.

Isabella had a strong affection for Lilly, almost like a niece. She often praised Lilly’s cooking, claiming it perfectly matched her taste. They would watch reality shows together, indulging in witty banter without any generation gap.

To prevent herself from oversleeping, Isabella would have Lilly wake her up every morning. But today, when Lilly went to Isabella’s room as usual to wake her up, she noticed a strange silence. She waited for half an hour, and there was still no response from inside the room.

“Oh, sweetheart, has something happened? Isabella, open the door,” Lilly said with a hint of concern. “If you don’t open up, I might have to get Tony to break down the door.”

She knew that Isabella was being targeted, and it was dangerous. While their security was tight, they couldn’t be sure that their enemies wouldn’t resort to more devious methods to infiltrate Isabella’s room.

After a while, the door was finally opened, and Isabella appeared before Lilly. Thankfully, she was unharmed. Lilly let out a sigh of relief, but Isabella’s condition was worse than she had feared. Isabella’s face was pale and lifeless, her eyes bloodshot and red, her expression fragile, her hair in disarray, and the corners of her mouth were downturned.

All of these signs pointed to a young girl filled with sadness.

“Isabella, are you okay?” Lilly asked with a worried look, gripping Isabella’s hand.

“I’m fine,” Isabella said.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Isabella was far from fine. She had only said she was fine to dismiss the questions.

“You don’t look okay at all, dear. What’s happened? You look really exhausted, and it’s breaking my heart,” Lilly said as she gently stroked Isabella’s hair to straighten it.

Faced with Lilly’s caring gaze, Isabella suddenly felt a lump in her throat, making her choke up. Tears welled up in her eyes. She could endure the cold looks and taunts from others, but she couldn’t bear to be cared for when she was feeling down, which only made her feel as fragile as a baby.

“Lilly, what should I do?” Isabella asked as she reached out and embraced Lilly, unable to hold back her tears.

Lilly pulled Isabella into her room where there were no bodyguards. It was just the two of them, and Lilly believed that Isabella needed a safe space to express her emotions.

After crying for a while, Isabella gradually calmed down.

“Isabella, have you encountered some problems? If you have, you can talk to me. Perhaps I can help,” Lilly offered.

“Lilly, do you know Emanuele? What kind of person do you think he is?” Isabella couldn’t help but ask. She thought that if Emanuele allowed Lilly to cook for her, he must trust Lilly very much.

“Of course, I’ve watched Emanuele grow up,” Lilly said with a smile. “I’ve been the chef at the Lombardi estate for twenty-five years. Back when Emanuele was just a little boy.”

“So, what kind of person is he?” Isabella asked, her curiosity piqued. “I mean, is he really as ruthless as they say?”

Isabella thought about how Emanuele had taken her body and then acted like a stranger to her. It felt like her heart was bleeding. She had fallen in love with him, and he had enjoyed her body, yet he wanted her to marry someone else. Did this man have no heart?

“No, Emanuele is good to all of us. Even though I’m just one of the household chefs, every time I make pastries, even if he can’t eat much, he’ll take a bite and praise me for doing a great job,” Lilly said. Her face lit up with joy as she spoke, and even her freckles seemed lively and cute.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.