Chapter 6 - The Dress She Refused to Hide In
Dominic hit the steel door with his shoulder.
Nothing.
Again.
Marco shouted, “Move.”
Security used a hydraulic spreader.
The frame buckled.
Dominic waited exactly three seconds.
It felt like three years.
The door opened.
He entered with his weapon raised.
A service corridor stretched toward the river.
Empty.
Then he saw blood.
One drop.
Two.
Three.
“Isabella!”
No answer.
He ran.
The corridor opened onto an old loading platform.
A vehicle was disappearing through the gate.
Dominic fired at a tire but missed.
Marco reached him.
“Tracker?”
“She isn't wearing one.”
Samuel appeared.
“Yes, she is.”
Dominic turned.
“What?”
Samuel held up the plum gown’s metallic disc.
“I modified the signal.”
Dominic stared.
“You put it on her?”
“She put it on herself.”
Of course she had.
Dominic almost smiled despite everything.
“Where?”
Samuel opened a receiver.
A blinking point moved south along the river road.
They followed.
Inside the vehicle, Isabella sat beside Anthony.
Blood ran down his forearm.
The gunshot Dominic had heard had not struck her.
When Anthony grabbed her, Isabella had driven the pointed edge of her phone into his wrist.
His gun discharged into the wall.
Unfortunately, he had recovered quickly.
“You're more troublesome than your father.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn't a compliment.”
“I decided to take it as one.”
Anthony glared.
“You think Dominic can save you?”
“I think you're terrified of him.”
Anthony laughed.
“I helped build his father's empire.”
“And now you're kidnapping his wife because a woman in a purple dress scared you.”
Anthony struck the seat beside her.
“Shut up.”
Isabella looked out the window.
Good.
Angry people made mistakes.
She had learned that from Dominic.
“Why the dresses?”
Anthony stared ahead.
“What?”
“You could have tracked my car. My phone. Why the gowns?”
He hesitated.
Isabella noticed.
“Because someone inside Dominic's house helped you.”
Anthony smiled.
“Smarter than you look.”
She did not react.
That disappointed him.
“Who?”
“You'll find out.”
The SUV turned into an underground parking structure.
Anthony pulled her out.
They entered an unfinished building.
On the fifth floor, he pushed her into a construction office.
She looked around.
One table.
Two chairs.
A laptop.
Several monitors.
And photographs.
Hundreds of photographs.
Dominic.
Victoria.
Celeste.
Isabella.
Even Bianca.
Anthony had been watching everyone.
“You aren't rebuilding an empire,” Isabella said.
“You're obsessed with the people who took yours away.”
Anthony ignored her.
He opened the laptop.
“Samuel will bring the real ledger.”
“No.”
“He will if Dominic asks him.”
“Dominic won't.”
Anthony smiled.
“He loves you.”
“That’s why he won't.”
“You misunderstand men like Dominic.”
Isabella almost laughed.
“No. You do.”
Anthony looked at her.
“You think love makes him weak.”
“It does.”
“No.”
She leaned back.
“It makes him careful.”
Anthony’s phone rang.
He answered.
Dominic’s voice filled the room.
“Put my wife on.”
Anthony smiled.
“You’re not in a position to give orders.”
Dominic replied calmly.
“You're standing in Building Seven of the old Marino development on West Thirty-Eighth. Fifth floor. Northeast corner.”
Anthony’s smile vanished.
Isabella smiled.
Dominic continued.
“You have eleven windows. Two stairwells. One elevator that hasn't worked since 2019.”
Anthony looked around.
“Your nearest exit is twenty-eight feet behind you.”
He turned.
“And I have people at all of them.”
Anthony grabbed Isabella.
His composure cracked.
“Bring Samuel.”
“No.”
“The ledger.”
“No.”
“I will kill her.”
Dominic’s voice did not change.
“No, you won't.”
“You seem confident.”
“You've spent six months trying to destroy how she sees herself because you understood something before my own family did.”
Anthony frowned.
“What?”
“She is the only leverage you have over me.”
Dominic paused.
“That makes her too valuable for you to kill.”
Isabella’s heart thudded.
Anthony ended the call.
“That arrogant—”
A fire alarm activated.
Sprinklers erupted.
Anthony cursed.
Smoke began filling the hallway.
Isabella knew immediately.
Dominic.
Anthony dragged her toward the stairwell.
They reached the fourth floor.
A security door slammed ahead of them.
Another behind.
Anthony spun.
Trapped.
Dominic stepped from the smoke.
His beige suit was gone.
Black shirt.
Sleeves rolled.
Expression empty.
“Let her go.”
Anthony raised his weapon.
Dominic stopped.
Isabella met her husband’s eyes.
He looked at her left hand.
She understood.
One.
His finger moved slightly.
Two.
Anthony shouted, “Don't move!”
Three.
Isabella dropped.
Dominic lunged.
The gun fired.
Marco’s men rushed from the stairwell.
Anthony hit the ground.
Dominic kicked the weapon away.
Then he was beside Isabella.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He checked anyway.
Hands.
Face.
Shoulders.
She grabbed his cheeks.
“Dominic.”
He finally looked at her.
“I’m okay.”
His forehead touched hers.
For several seconds, the world disappeared.
Then Samuel arrived.
Federal agents followed.
Anthony was arrested.
The recordings were seized before publication.
The surveillance network began unraveling.
It should have ended there.
But it didn't.
Two days later, back at the townhouse, Isabella stood before the seven gowns.
Dominic entered.
“You're staring again.”
“I’m thinking.”
“Dangerous.”
She gave him a look.
He smiled.
“What happens to Serafina?”
“She’s cooperating with investigators.”
“And your mother?”
“She apologized.”
“To you?”
“To you.”
Isabella blinked.
“She wants to talk.”
“Do I want to talk?”
“No idea.”
She turned toward the dresses.
Then she removed the emerald one.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying it on.”
Dominic leaned against the doorframe.
“I support this development.”
She disappeared into the dressing room.
Minutes later, she stepped out.
Dominic forgot English again.
Isabella laughed.
“That bad?”
“Terrible. You should probably never leave this room.”
“Dominic.”
“I’m joking.”
“Mostly?”
“Mostly.”
She looked at herself.
For once, she did not search immediately for flaws.
She simply looked.
Then the doorbell rang downstairs.
Dominic’s phone buzzed.
Security message.
A package had arrived.
No sender.
He immediately became serious.
“Stay here.”
Isabella followed anyway.
“Bella.”
“What?”
“I said stay.”
“And I've developed a recent allergy to mysterious packages.”
They went downstairs together.
The box sat on the foyer table.
Security had scanned it.
No explosives.
No electronics.
Dominic opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Their wedding day.
Isabella’s breath caught.
Someone had circled Victoria Serrano.
On the back was a handwritten sentence.
Anthony Bellini wasn't the one who chose Isabella.
Dominic looked at her.
She looked at him.
Under the photograph was a second item.
A copy of Samuel Hart's supposedly secret ledger.
And one final note.
Ask Victoria why your marriage was arranged before either of you met.
The front door opened.
Victoria stood there.
She saw the ledger.
May you like
Then she whispered:
“I was hoping you would never learn the rest.”
