DANTE'S POV

I have always loved little metals, cold metals especially, the one that kills people in seconds, but this makes me more dead than living every second that passes by.

The wedding band sat in my palm. White gold just like she wanted, Simple. The band I'd slid onto her finger six years ago while promising things I meant, I told her I would protect her with my life, and kill anyone who tries to hurt a single strand of hair on her head.

She'd stopped believing those things.

I found the ring in the trash outside our building.

Discarded like it meant nothing.

Like we meant nothing.

My fist closed around it until the metal bit into my palm. The pain can't be compared with the one I feel inside currently. It's better than the hollow ache that lived in my chest now.

It's been a fucking month.

Thirty-one days since she'd pointed a gun at my head and walked out. Not caring of how I'd cope without her.

Thirty-one nights of sleeping in my office because our bed smelled like her and I couldn't fucking breathe in there.

"Boss." Marco's voice came from the doorway. Everyone has been careful around me lately, except Marco.

"The investigator called," he continued. "Still nothing. No credit cards. No phone activity. No..."

"Tell him to look harder." I replied impatiently, not bothering to look up.

"Dante, it's been a month. If she doesn't want to be found...."

"She's my wife!" The word came out rough, exactly how I feel inside.

Mine. She is mine.

"You signed the divorce papers," Marco said quietly. "Legally, she's not...."

I threw the glass on my desk. It shattered against the wall, raining crystal across marble, I got up shooting him a deadly glare.

Marco stared back without breaking eye contact. He'd seen worse from me these past weeks.

"Get out!." I could barely stand his running mouth,

He hesitated. "Dante...."

"Vaffanculo." I didn't bother to look up. "Get the fuck out, Marco."

The door closed with a soft thud. I slumped back into the couch, signing heavily.

How long will this take?

Silence pressed in, that loud emptiness that makes it hard to breathe. The kind that made you hear your own heartbeat. Your own thoughts.

I used to fill that silence with her, she would always find excuses to come into my office, humming sweetly, or dancing while I watched her. Her laughter. The soft sound of her breathing when she slept curled against my chest or on the couch where I sat currently.

Now there was nothing, nothing but silence echoing in my head.

I pulled up the security footage. Again. The same clip I'd watched a hundred times like some fucked-up masochist. Maybe I am.

Bella walking to the elevator. That stupid gun was hidden in her bag, I will fucking kill the person that give her that gun, I personally kept her away from that life, I taught her how to shoot just for self defense, not knowing she would use it against me

Those divorce papers in her jacket, the lawyer that drafted it will also lose his career and a leg, they should all wait till I find her.

Still watching the footage, her Back straight, Head high, just like a gorgeous model, my fucking model.

She didn't look back. Not once. That hurts more than a bullet wound.

She Left like leaving me was that easy

I paused on her face. Zoomed in.

Those eyes. Christ, those honey-brown eyes that used to look at me like I was something worth loving.

Now they'd looked at me like I was a monster.

"You murdered my family."

Her words still echoed. The accusation.

She was certain.

She actually believed I'd....

My jaw clenched, I shut my eyes tightly.

I didn't know what she'd found. Which of my secrets she found out, but I did it for her own good.

And I'd make her understand that, I would kill anyone who threatened to take her again.

Right after I found her, right after I got my hands on her again, I will explain it will she understands.

My eyes ran through her body, her perfect body flashed through my mind,

My body reacted to the thought. Heat and need rushing through my veins.

The kind I'd been drowning in alcohol to forget.

A month without touching her, without tasting her. Without feeling her come apart beneath me while she said my name like a prayer.

Fuck

A month of my hand and cold showers and memories that weren't enough, can never be enough.

I wanted her. I needed her. In ways that weren't healthy or sane, it physically hurts, my chest beating rapidly at the thoughts, sweat starting to form on my forehead.

I know I would burn the world down if it means I will get her back.

My phone buzzed. Nina Torres.

Finally! That gimmick.

I answered before the second ring. "Where is she?" I said immediately,

"Fuck you, Dante." Her voice shook with rage. "I hope you never find her." I rolled my eyes at the sound of her voice, I will find her.... It just hasn't happened yet.

"You know where she is." I wasn't asking a question,

"Even if I did, I'd die before telling you." Nina laughed mockingly "You destroyed her. The Bella I knew trusted and loved you" she paused "you killed that girl." She was obviously boiling in anger, "I don't know what you did but I'm glad she isn't yours anymore"

"She's still my wife." I said between my teeth.

"No. She's finally free." She pauses, sniffing, is she crying?. "And you have no idea what's coming for you."

The line went dead.

I stared at the phone for like two minutes, mind was blank.

What's coming for me?

Threat or warning?

At the point I'm not bothered, if what's coming involves Bella coming back I'm ready.

I pulled up the video again. Rewind to the week before she left.

I watched her move through our home like a ghost.

Making dinner. Painting.

Everything was perfect, what changed.

All of it a lie.

How long had she been planning this? How many times had I fucked her while she was plotting her escape?

The thought made something violent twist in my gut.

She'd let me fucked her while hating me?.

Suddenly, I felt the headache coming, I actually noticed she became more gentle. A few years ago, I thought she was just getting more mature. Was she plotting then?

Jesus Christ.

I'd been married to a stranger.

My office door opened again. Marco entered, face grim.

"What!" I snapped.

He handed me his phone without a word.

A photo. Grainy, taken from distance.

A picture of a strange woman, she was dressed...

But those eyes. I'd know those eyes in the dark.

Bella!. Tesoro.

I sat up immediately.

My hand tightened on the phone, my heart skipped a beat, beating rapidly. She is safe,she is around and she is alive.

She'd cut her hair. Why?

Focus!. I need to focus.

"Where?" My voice came out rough.

"Sicily. Three days ago." Marco's tone was careful. "She stays around there now."

I stared at the photo.

My soft, sweet wife who'd cried during sad movies was standing in Sicily with a gun and meeting with people I don't know.

What the fuck had she become?

"Get me on a flight," I said. "Now."

"Dante, if you go there without a plan..."

"The plan is simple." I looked up. "Find her. Bring her home. Remind her who the fuck she belongs to."

"And if she fights?"

I smiled slowly. Fight? That's not even a possibility.

"Then I'll enjoy breaking her in again." I shrugged dropping the phone on the desk

Marco's expression darkened. "There's something else. Lorenzo Vitale is back, he might declare war soon."

I grabbed my jacket. Not bothering to look at him, I have got something more important to going on.

"Where are you going?"

"Sicily." I checked my gun. "To get my wife back."

"Dante......"

"Handle Lorenzo" I ordered.

I headed for the door. She's mine. She'll always be mine.

I don't care if anyone wants to take my empire, Marco will handle it.

But Bella is coming home soon.

Even if I had to drag her home by that pretty throat.

Even if I had to fuck the fight out of her until she remembered.

She is mine. And I'm done wa......

Suddenly an explosion broke out. I instinctively reached for my gun, Marco drew out his gun also, rushing forward.

"What was that?" I asked, turning to Marco

" Lorenzo.... He is here."

BELLA'S POV

"Did you send the picture?" I asked eyes glued on the map spread across the table. The maps are pretty colourful but old, territories marked out with colors.

Lucia paused mid-pour. "Which picture, principessa?" She asks with her thick Italian-russian accent. I glanced up briefly

"The one of me in Sicily." Realization crossed her face, she smiled, chuckling quietly.

"Sì. It reached him yesterday. His men have been scrambling since." She nodded satisfied

Good, I nodded repeatedly, returning my attention to the map.

I traced the territorial lines with my pen. Red for Caruso. Blue for what used to be Sovereign. So much red, all meant for Dante currently. Most are mine.

"He'll come looking for me in Sicily," I said, still focused on the paper.

"And find nothing." Lucia sat across from me, laughing wholeheartedly, she is in her element- deceiving people.

Of course, I'm no longer in Sicily. The safehouse was two hours north, now isolated.

It's been three weeks here already, learning and training, something Dante would never be prepared for. Before I enter the real world, I have to learn how the real world works.

"Tell me about the five families," I said.

Lucia leaned back, she was always ready to answer me like a robot. "Caruso, Vitale, Romano, DeLuca, Moretti. Your father's Sovereigns made six. After the massacre, Dante absorbed your territories. Made Caruso the strongest."

"Until now." I said tapping on all of Dante's territories.

"Until now," she agreed.

Pathetic.

"Lorenzo killed fifteen of my men, during the warehouse attack" I said to Lucia, concealing the rage that filled my heart as I remembered that day, that kind of mistake won't happen again.

I promise.

I stared at the map with a new found determination. "Lorenzo thinks I'm dead." That's the best for now... I need him distracted.

"For now. But word spreads." Lucian said, shrugging, gently sipping her coffee, watching me keenly with some kind of amusement. I'm used to it now but I can't help but wonder why she stares at me amused.

She slid a picture to my side, a photo of Dante in his office, looking like he hadn't slept in weeks.

My chest tightened. He looked unkept, why cant he just shave his beards, or get some sleep.

Shameless! isn't it?

I mean I'm shameless, I still feel for this pathetic man. My chest tightened even more, my hands tightened as I glared at the picture of the man who still has this much effect on me even one month post divorce.

I hope he dies suffering.

"When was this taken?" I managed to ask.

"This morning" Lucia narrated everything, how the picture got to him through Gianna – his sister.

"He's obsessed," Lucia concluded. "Won't sleep in your bedroom. Watch footage of you leaving. Over and over."

Good. Let him suffer.

A knock echoed in the hall, making us turn our attention towards the sound.

Tommaso entered, face grim, that expression...... isn't always good.

My heart skipped a bit, what again this time?.

"Principessa. We have confirmation."

My pulse quickened. "The attack?" I asked, ignoring what he said.

"Successful." He nodded firmly "Three explosions at the Caruso building. Twenty-seven casualties. Dante survived, but his empire felt it." He started walking to stand beside Lucia.

I sighed. Thank God.

I walked to the window, staring at the reflection in the mirror beside the window. My white suit and my burgundy hair makes me look like a completely different person. I have changed, maybe it's for the good or bad, I don't know. My younger self won't recognize me currently, but I know it's for the best.

I would play this game well,

Chess, not checkers.

"Casualties on our side?" I turned to face Tommaso.

"Two. Minor injuries. Already extracted."

Perfect. The plan worked.

I smiled suddenly, for a while though.

"Media?"

"Gas leak cover story. But the families saw Dante Caruso get hit in his own building."

Good.

Isabella Sovereign was coming for everything he stole.

"Double security," I ordered. "Eyes on all Vitale holdings. If Lorenzo moves, I want to know."

"Sì, principessa." Tommaso bowed slightly, walking towards me.

"We have an issue" he whispered, handing over a phone

Unknown number.

Nicely done with the explosions. But you're playing a dangerous game, little Sovereign. Dante's not the only one watching. – L.V.

My blood went cold. He knew I'm alive, and Lorenzo knew about the attack.

Oh no!

I showed Lucia, who walked up as she saw my pale face.

Her face paled. "Merda. If Lorenzo knows you're alive..."

"Then the timeline moves up." I grabbed my father's gun, hidden in my thigh. "Tommaso!"

He was instantly alert.

"Lorenzo knows I'm alive. We accelerate everything. My training, the reveal, everything."

"You're not ready..."

"I don't have time to be ready." I checked the chamber. "We have two enemies. They both want me dead."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want war," I said, thinking about how far I have come and what I need to achieve. "And I want them both to know exactly who they're fighting."

Tommaso smiled. "How?"

"By making an entrance they'll never forget." I looked at the map. "It's time for Isabella Sovereign to rise from the dead."

Give me a few months.

BELLA'S POV

Three months!

Three months since I'd walked out of Dante's penthouse with divorce papers and a gun.

I have changed a lot.

Ninety days of transforming from the girl who cried at sad movies into someone who could pull a trigger without flinching. Months of training is about to be tested.

I was about to find out if the transformation was complete.

"They're here," Tommaso said through the earpiece. I shifted uncomfortably in my squatting position. I have been like this for thirty minutes, laying ambush.

"Five vehicles. Twenty men, maybe more. Vitale colors."

I checked my gun for the hundredth time. Loaded. Safety off. Hand steady. I mentally ticker the boxes Enzo had taught me.

Good.

We'd been expecting this, waiting for them to walk into the trap we laid. Lorenzo had been quiet for weeks after his message. Too quiet. Now he was making his move, hitting our supply route outside Naples, far away from the warehouse.

Big mistake. We intentionally diverted their attention here to buy more time.

"Positions," I ordered into the comm. I need to get used to using a commanding tone. Everyone depends on my commands.

My team scattered, taking cover behind shipping containers. Fifteen of us against twenty-plus of them.

The math wasn't great, but I'd learned something these past months.

I numeri non avevano importanza.

Numbers didn't matter when you fought like you had nothing to lose.

And I had nothing left to lose. Absolutely nothing, not even my life.

The vehicles screeched to a stop. It's show time.

Doors flew open. Armed men poured out, weapons raised.

"Cani sovrani!" one shouted in Italian. "Lorenzo sends his regards!"

They opened fire.

Bullets tore through metal. Glass shattered. The sound echoed through the peaceful night. The night exploded into chaos.

I ducked behind a container, adrenaline spiking through my veins. My heart hammered, but my hands stayed steady. Now is the time to show what I've been taught.

Enzo had taught me well.

I rose slightly from my protective barrier, aimed at one of the brightly dressed men, and fired.

The first shot went wide. I didn't feel familiar with the training ground. This was real.

Fuck.

The second shot found flesh. The man dropped, clutching his shoulder, cursing in Italian as he scurried away.

Not a kill. But close.

"MOVE UP!" Tommaso roared into the earpiece.

We pushed forward, moving as practice. Coordinated and precise.

We were certain they weren't expecting any actual resistance. Lorenzo probably thought we'd scatter like we did at the warehouse.

He was dead wrong.

I fired again. Each shot was more confident than the last. Yes!

A man rushed from the left. Too fast.

The training kicked in in a split second.

I pivoted, squeezed the trigger.

The bullet caught him in the chest.

He staggered, falling forward.

Didn't get back up.

Wow! Just like that?

I stood there, gun still raised, staring at the body.

My first kill.

A strange surge of cold satisfaction rose in my heart. My first kill!

I seem lost in my trance.

"ISABELLA!" Tommaso grabbed my arm. "Focus!" he yelled, snapping me back into reality.

Right. I need to fight.

The fight raged. Shots echoed into the night. So far none of my men were killed. We were winning, pushing them back. Lorenzo's men weren't prepared for the Sovereign daughter who'd learned to fight back. I'm certain he sent his weakest men.

I walked around a container. I found out Lucia was injured. A bullet wound on her shoulder. Looking around, I sighted a figure in the dark, a gun pointed towards Lucia.

I didn't think twice. Didn't even hesitate.

Three shots. Center mass.

He dropped. Great!

I felt nothing but ice in my veins. I guess I have built the resistance needed to handle a gun.

The remaining Vitale soldiers retreated, abandoning some bodies. Engines roared. They fled into the night.

Silence fell, broken only by ringing ears and heavy breathing. We made them run.

"Check for wounded," Tommaso ordered.

I lowered my gun slowly into its case in my waist. I looked at my hands.

No shaking. No trembling.

Just the steady hands of someone who'd crossed a line she could never uncross.

Lucia appeared beside me. "You okay, principessa?"

Of course!

"I should ask you." I rushed over. Your hand is bleeding. Lucia smiled sweetly. "Yes, piccolo." She raised her free hand to brush my hair.

"I killed them." My voice sounded distant, looking into her eyes. "Two men. I killed them."

"Sì." She studied my face. "And?"

"And nothing." I looked up. "I feel nothing."

"Good." Lucia smiled. "Feeling nothing keeps you alive." She tapped my hand lightly.

Maybe. Or maybe it just proved I was already dead inside.

The girl who married Dante believing in love and happy endings was gone.

In her place stood someone who could kill without hesitation.

Without regret.

I was becoming my father's daughter.

Il Diavolo's true heir. I have become my father's true daughter. Lucia tells me that often.

My phone buzzed. Unknown number.

My blood chilled.

"Principessa?" Tommaso approached carefully. "We need to move. Police will be here soon."

"Give me a minute."

He left.

I walked around the container, looking at the abandoned dead body.

It was this man. I saw him that day during the attack at the warehouse.

I knew I had seen him somewhere. I can't place it, but I know I did. Taking a few pictures, I left the scene. Tommaso and Lucia were in the car that was supposed to convey me back to the Chrysalis.

Lucia's wound was attended to as it wasn't that serious. After fifty minutes, we were back to the safe house.

I kept on staring at the pictures, then it clicked.

He works with Marco.

My heart jumped. Not again!

Not another evidence against Dante!