Isabella's pov.

“What are you hiding from me, Isabella?”

His voice was low, sharp, and too close.

I looked up from the couch, startled. Adrian was standing in my apartment doorway, his tall frame filling the space. His eyes were fixed on me, hard but searching.

“I’m not hiding anything,” I said quickly, trying to sound calm, though my heart was racing.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Don’t lie to me.”

I swallowed, shifting in my seat. “Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he replied. “Why are you in this city, Isabella? Why did you agree to work for my father?”

My fingers itched to touch the bruise on my wrist, but I forced them still. If he noticed it, questions would follow—questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

That bruise was from earlier today, when one of Vincenzo’s men cornered me in the hallway. He’d grabbed my wrist so hard it made me gasp.

“Tell me what you’re hiding,” he hissed, his eyes cold. “You’re not as clean as you pretend to be.”

I’d yanked my hand away and walked off without a word, but his suspicion was clear.

Gabriel had warned me that this would happen. “They’re watching you more closely now,” he had said over the phone this morning. “Don’t slip up.”

Adrian took a step closer, pulling me back to the present. “You’ve been lying to me, Isabella. I can see it. I’m not a fool.”

I wanted to believe Adrian was different from his father, but I couldn’t take that risk. I’d seen how Vincenzo controlled everyone around him—business partners employees, even his son.

So I lied. “You’re imagining things.”

He leaned forward, his voice lowering. “Then tell me what this is about. All of it. Right now.”

Before I could answer, my phone rang. I saw Gabriel’s name on the screen. My heart thudded.

“Don’t answer it,” Adrian said.

I ignored him and picked up. “Gabriel?”

“Isabella,” his voice was sharp, urgent. “You need to get out of there. Now.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, glancing at Adrian, who was watching me like a hawk.

“I found something,” Gabriel said quickly. “The offshore accounts. Vincenzo’s name is all over them. If we can link them to the illegal shipments, we can take him down. But—”

“But what?”

“Someone knows, Isabella. They know you’ve been working with me.”

My throat tightened. “How?”

“I don’t know,” Gabriel said. “But they’re coming for you. Leave. Right now.”

I stood up, my hands shaking. Adrian’s gaze followed me. “Where are you going?” he demanded.

“I have to go,” I said, moving toward the door.

He stepped in front of me, blocking the exit. “Not until you tell me the truth.”

“Adrian, please—”

“No,” he said, his voice firm. “You’re not leaving until I know what’s going on. Why are you talking to Gabriel? What is he to you?”

My pulse pounded in my ears. If Adrian were on his father’s side, telling him the truth would destroy everything. But if he wasn’t… if he was different… Maybe I could trust him.

My phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn’t a call—it was a message.

I glanced down.

From Gabriel: He knows everything. Run.

The words blurred in front of my eyes.

I slowly looked up at Adrian. His expression was unreadable.

“Who knows everything?” I asked, my voice trembling.

Adrian didn’t answer.

I took a small step back, clutching my phone. “Gabriel… Did you mean Vincenzo… or Adrian?”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Isabella,” he said, taking a step toward me, “you need to trust me—”

“Trust you?” I interrupted, my voice sharper than I intended. “How can I trust you when I don’t even know whose side you’re on?”

He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes darkening. “I’m on your side.”

“Then let me go,” I whispered.

Something flickered in his gaze, but he didn’t move.

My chest tightened. “Adrian, please. I don’t have time for this.”

His voice softened. “If you walk out that door without telling me what’s going on, Isabella, I can’t protect you.”

I froze. “Protect me from what?”

“From my father,” he said quietly. “From the people who work for him. From what’s about to happen.”

The room seemed to shrink around us. “What do you mean?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I can’t explain. Not yet.”

“You expect me to stay here and wait?”

“I expect you to trust me,” he said, his tone almost pleading now.

I thought of Gabriel’s voice, sharp with urgency. Run. I thought of Vincenzo’s cold smile the last time I’d seen him. And I thought of Adrian, standing in front of me, blocking my only way out, saying he could protect me.

But then—if Gabriel’s message was true—Adrian might be the very reason I was in danger.

My phone buzzed again, another message from Gabriel: He’s lying to you.

I glanced at Adrian. “If you’re really on my side… prove it.”

His lips parted, but before he could speak, there was a loud knock at the door.

We both froze.

Adrian looked toward the sound, then back at me. “Stay behind me,” he said.

I shook my head. “I’m leaving.”

The knocking grew louder. My heart was racing now.

“Isabella,” Adrian said urgently, “don’t open that door.”

But it was too late—the handle turned.

I stepped back, my breath catching as the door slowly creaked open.

And standing there… was someone I never expected to see.

My lips parted in shock. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled faintly. “We need to talk.”

I glanced at Adrian, whose face had gone pale.

The air in the room was heavy, tense.

Who had betrayed me?

And… whose side was Adrian truly on?

Adrian stepped forward, blocking me from the newcomer. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said coldly.

The stranger’s eyes flicked to me. “Isabella, you have no idea what’s coming.”

My pulse quickened. “What do you mean?”

He glanced at Adrian, then back at me. “He’s not who you think he is.”

Adrian’s jaw clenched. “Don’t listen to him.”

“Isabella,” the stranger said urgently, “if you stay here, you won’t survive the night.”

I froze, torn between them.

Who was lying… and what exactly was going to happen tonight?