Chapter 9: The Unraveling

The weight of Adrian Wolfe's words hung between them like an unspoken challenge.

Isabella's grip on her glass remained steady, her expression unreadable, but deep inside, something shifted.

She wasn't sure what irked her more—the way Adrian saw right through her or the fact that he dared to voice it aloud.

"You always assume too much," she said coolly, her voice barely rising over the soft hum of conversation around them.

Adrian chuckled, leaning back into his seat, his green eyes sharp with amusement.

"Do I? Because from where I'm sitting, you've got a look in your eyes that says you're either planning Dante's downfall or you're already halfway in love with him."

Isabella didn't flinch, but her pulse quickened.

She could brush off the insinuation if it had come from anyone else, but Adrian Wolfe was perceptive—dangerously so.

He had a way of peeling back layers with nothing but a few well-placed words, and she despised that about him.

Adrian smirked at her silence and took a slow sip of his drink.

"Relax, Blackwood. Your secrets are safe with me."

Her brows lifted slightly.

"And what makes you think I have any?"

Adrian leaned in, his voice lowering just enough to make her tense.

"Because I know your sister."

The statement landed like a blow Isabella wasn't expecting.

She had spent years perfecting the art of keeping her world separate—Lily was her twin, but their lives were vastly different.

Lily was warm, trusting, and open. Isabella was… none of those things.

And yet, Adrian, Dante's best friend, had known Lily all along.

"You look surprised," Adrian mused, tilting his head slightly.

"Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? You and Lily aren't exactly carbon copies, but the resemblance is there. Same eyes, same fire. She just hides hers better."

Isabella forced herself to stay composed, but inwardly, her mind raced.

"Since when?" she asked, keeping her tone indifferent.

"Since before I knew Dante," Adrian admitted, swirling the whiskey in his glass.

"Lily and I met years ago. She's always been a good friend."

He gave Isabella a pointed look.

"A friend who somehow never mentioned she had a twin. I wonder why that is."

Isabella exhaled slowly, setting her drink down.

"Because it's irrelevant."

Adrian arched an eyebrow.

"Is it? Because it sure as hell doesn't seem irrelevant now."

A tense silence stretched between them.

Adrian was right—this changed things.

She had walked into Dante Russo's world, believing she held all the power.

She had spent years mastering the ability to control situations, people.

But now, the game board had shifted.

If Adrian knew Lily, that meant Dante would find out soon enough—if he didn't already suspect.

She didn't like it.

"Tell me, Adrian," she said, tilting her head.

"What exactly do you plan to do with this newfound information?"

Adrian smiled, but there was something unreadable in his expression.

"That depends on you."

Before she could respond, a presence loomed beside them.

Dante Russo.

His arrival was wordless, but the shift in the atmosphere was immediate.

His dark gaze flickered between them, assessing, calculating.

"Something I should know?" he asked, voice dangerously smooth.

Adrian merely smirked and leaned back.

"Not at all. Just getting to know your… business rival."

Dante's gaze locked onto Isabella's, the tension between them crackling like a live wire.

"That so?"

Isabella met his stare with unwavering calm.

"Are you worried I'll steal your best friend, Russo?"

Dante's lips twitched, though there was nothing humorous in his expression.

"Adrian makes his own choices. And so do I."

Adrian, sensing the unspoken challenge between them, exhaled in amusement.

"And with that, I'll leave you two to your business."

He rose from his seat, his smirk lingering as he clapped Dante on the shoulder.

"Try not to kill each other."

With that, Adrian strode away, leaving Isabella alone with Dante.

She should have welcomed the moment. Should have used it to her advantage.

Instead, she felt exposed in a way she hadn't before.

Dante studied her with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine.

"You've been busy," he said finally.

"Have I?"

Dante's jaw tightened.

"Adrian's a good judge of character. He doesn't let just anyone into his circle."

"Maybe I'm just that charming," she mused.

Dante didn't smile.

"Or maybe you're playing a game you don't fully understand."

Isabella leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.

"And what makes you think I don't?"

Dante's fingers curled around his glass, but he didn't drink.

"Because you don't know what it means to lose."

The words struck something inside her, something she wasn't ready to acknowledge.

She had lost before.

She had lost so much that she had trained herself never to feel the sting of it again.

But Dante Russo was looking at her as though he saw past all of it—as though he saw something raw beneath the surface, something she had worked tirelessly to bury.

Isabella exhaled slowly, keeping her expression unreadable.

"Then maybe it's time I learn."

Dante's gaze darkened.

"Be careful what you wish for, Isabella."

She should have left it at that.

Should have let the warning settle.

But instead, she leaned in, her lips dangerously close to his ear.

"And maybe you should stop pretending you don't want me to win."

His breath hitched—just slightly—but it was enough.

Isabella smiled, then pulled away, walking past him without looking back.

Let him chase her.

Because she wasn't done yet.

*************************************************

Elsewhere in the City…

Adrian Wolfe sat across from Lily Blackwood at an upscale lounge, his usual smirk in place as he sipped his whiskey.

"You're awfully quiet tonight," he noted, watching Lily stir her drink absentmindedly.

She sighed, glancing at him with a tired smile. "Just thinking."

Adrian's gaze sharpened.

"About Isabella?"

Lily hesitated, then nodded.

"I saw her tonight."

Adrian didn't look surprised.

"And?"

"She's getting too close to Dante."

Adrian chuckled, shaking his head.

"Isn't that her specialty? Getting close to things she shouldn't?"

Lily frowned.

"She doesn't realize what she's doing."

Adrian studied her carefully.

"Or maybe she does."

Lily exhaled, rubbing her temples.

"She's different, Adrian. She acts like she's in control, but I know my sister. She's always been good at hiding things, but I can see it now. She's not just playing with Dante—she's letting him in."

Adrian leaned back, contemplating her words.

Lily wasn't wrong.

And that was the real danger.

Because Dante Russo wasn't the kind of man you let in without consequences.

And Isabella Blackwood?

She wasn't the kind of woman who walked away unscathed.

Adrian swirled his glass, his smirk fading just slightly.

"Then I guess we'll just have to see who breaks first."

Lily's grip tightened on her glass.

She had a terrible feeling she already knew the answer.