Dante's Possessiveness Grows

Chapter 29: Dante's Possessiveness Grows

The world had turned against Isla Romano.

But Dante DeLuca had made one thing very clear—if anyone dared to lay a hand on her, he would end them.

And he was already making good on that promise.

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The First Warning

The first body dropped less than twenty-four hours after Elena's betrayal.

Riccardo , a low-level informant who had spread Isla's name to the wrong people, was found dead in an alleyway. His tongue had been cut out—a message from the DeLuca family.

Talk about Isla Romano, and you will pay the price.

The next day, another man—one of Matteo DeLuca's men—went missing.

And by the third day, whispers spread like wildfire:

Dante DeLuca wasn't just protecting Isla. He was eliminating anyone who saw her as a weakness.

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The Control Tightens

Isla had never felt more suffocated.

Dante's mansion had been her prison before, but now, it was worse.

Guards followed her every move. She couldn't step into the hallway without feeling eyes on her. Even her phone—what little connection she had left to the outside world—had been confiscated.

She stormed into Dante's office, slamming the door behind her. "This is insane."

Dante didn't even look up from his desk. "Is it?"

"I can't breathe, Dante. I can't leave the house, I can't make a phone call—"

"You're still alive, aren't you?"

She clenched her fists. "That's not living."

Finally, he lifted his gaze, his dark eyes unreadable. "You think I'm doing this to punish you?"

"I think you're doing this to control me."

Dante leaned back in his chair, studying her. "You're not safe out there, gattina."

She hated that word.

She hated how easily it made her stomach twist.

"I can handle myself."

His expression hardened. "Like you handled yourself when you stole from me? When you lied? When you painted a target on your back?"

She flinched, but she wouldn't back down. "You're killing people because of me."

Dante stood, rounding the desk until he was right in front of her. "No. I'm killing people because they threatened what's mine."

His hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer until she could feel the heat radiating off his body.

"You don't get it, do you?" he murmured, his voice dangerously soft. "You think I'm protecting you because I have to. Because I need to keep up appearances."

His fingers dug into her skin.

"But that's not it at all."

Her breath caught. "Then what is it?"

Dante's lips brushed against her ear. "If I can't have you, Isla, then no one can."

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The Elimination Begins

Dante wasn't just keeping Isla under lock and key.

He was making sure no one even thought about touching her.

Every man who had whispered about her, who had entertained the idea of using her against Dante, was being taken care of—one by one.

Matteo DeLuca's allies? Gone.

Anyone who had even entertained the idea of making a move against her? Silenced.

It wasn't just about protecting her anymore.

It was about owning her.

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A Night of Tension

The tension between them had reached a breaking point.

That night, as Isla sat on the edge of the massive bed she now shared with Dante, she could feel the storm brewing.

Dante was in the room, but he hadn't spoken a word to her since their argument earlier.

The air between them was thick—charged with something dark and dangerous.

She should hate him.

She should fight him.

But when he finally turned to her, his jaw tight, his eyes filled with something unhinged—

She didn't move.

Dante reached out, gripping her chin between his fingers. "You still don't understand, do you?"

Her breath hitched. "Understand what?"

His thumb traced her lower lip, his touch almost gentle.

"I would burn this entire city to the ground for you, gattina."

And then, he kissed her.

But this wasn't like before.

This wasn't a kiss of possession.

It was a kiss of war.

Of punishment.

Of a man who had already decided that if the world came for her, he would slaughter everyone before he let them take her away.

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Elena's Next Move

But Elena wasn't finished.

She had expected Dante to cast Isla aside, to throw her to the wolves.

Instead, he was tightening his grip.

If Dante was willing to kill for Isla…

Then Elena had only one choice.

She needed to destroy Isla herself.

Because if she didn't—

There was no stopping what Dante DeLuca would do next.