Chapter 2: I’m not!

"You guys can continue, sorry to disturb you though," Isabelle uttered as she closed the door behind her. 

"WAIT!!!" Emily shouted and ran to her and locked the door leaving me wondering until they opened the door with Isabelle's apologetic face. 

"I did not know you guys had a history. I'll make sure Marcus will never know you are here."

I looked at Em who was currently making an understanding look and continuously agreeing in every word Isabelle said. 

"Also, you survive all this and outlive your illness—"

"Oh, god. What did you tell her?" I looked at Emily who was currently giggling at her side, "Look, I'm not sure what she told you but I assure you it was all lies."

Em drew close to her ears and whispered, "I told you he's really depressed." 

"I mean he was attacked last night, he almost died and all the worse things happened to him, I'm pretty sure he's putting up a strong front," Emily added. 

Isa patted my head, wait, did I just become a pathetic loser in her eyes?!

"Excuse us Ms. Harper, but I need to speak to Emily Carter in private." I managed to control my anger and immediately Isabelle left the two of us in the room. 

"I know you are mad but it's the only way to explain things with her without overthinking things. Plus, my identity is a secret and your identity is everywhere."

"It's not everywhere, you little prick, fix this now!"

"It won't cause your balls to shrink until I get hold of Richie just play along." She dialed Richie's number in a second and went outside for a conversation, 

"Look, I have your boyfriend—"

"EMILY!!!" 

- - -

Richard arrived at Isabelle's house in the evening without of course the knowledge of the owner, he was an expert at getting inside the house without being seen or felt.

"You brought the files that I need?"

"Yes, boss." 

He handed me a brown envelope with pictures of some executives of Bella Anima (one of the prominent hotels I owned) and a police enforcer. 

"Who is that?"

"That's Lieutenant Vargas of the second crime division."

No. 2, I smirked looking at the picture, grabbed a pen, and scribbled at the back of the photo, 

A little parting gift, now we're even.

-Shadow

"Send this to Lt. Rodriguez, he'll love this parting gift."

"Are you coming back, sir?" I shook my head, well, if I went back to the mansion Antonio would just set traps and would cause more problems for everyone. 

"What's the update with our treacherous friends?"

"Bella Anima senior executives who colluded with him are being punished and vanished without a trace. Antonio has no knowledge we have started removing the people who double-crossed you, sir."

"Nice work, Richard. Anything else to report?"

"Antonio has notified your father about your disappearance and in no time they'll show him a fake body."

"If he'll pin this accident with the police department there will be more casualties. We need to avoid that, The Rossi family can't afford to be on the bad side of the law right now. Just make sure to send a copy of this photo to my father and he'll know what to do next."

"Understood, sir. We will continue to act according to your plan. I'll arrange a safer house for you, sir. I'll be back tonight."

"No." 

Richard was shocked by my reaction and honestly, I was too. "No need, I have a capable nurse here and Em's here from time to time. I'll notify you with my watch if I need anything. Also, set up some people in the area, I don't want the girls to get involved." 

When Richard left there was an awkward silence between Isabelle's walls and me, it seemingly became too spacious, and the ambiance was suffocating, later I realized I was having a panic attack. 'I'm fucked…"

"Dom, wake up! Dominic, wake up!" a hard slap brought me back to reality. "You okay?"

"No—" I gasped for some air and tried to stabilize my breathing and unconsciously held my gunshot wound and felt the bandages, I checked my hand for the crimson-red color but there was nothing. 

"You were having a nightmare, I had to slap you."

"Thanks."

"Here I brought you dinner," She placed a bowl of porridge in the bedside table and went to check my temperature. 

"Thanks."

I never feared death, I was consumed with the idea that I would one day die fighting for my family but having experienced the near-death situation all over again was a different experience. When I was 20 I almost died too, with emphasis on almost, fortunately, I was saved by someone. I never knew her but I could still remember the smell of her hair and her hazel eyes. 

But having to experience it again, the blood, the adrenaline, and the desperation, this nightmare was so real, seeing everyone I value die right in front of me was ten times torturing. I accidentally pressed the distress button on my watch, and minutes later Richard was banging on the front door.

"Is Emily back?" Isabelle innocently asked herself as she went to the door.

Realizing what I did, I immediately stood up and raced her to the door. 

"Don't open the door!" I shouted, loud as I could be, enough to be heard outside. 

"You don't need to shout, maybe that's Emily."

"Do you honestly think Emily will be back at this late hour?"

"Then maybe it's your people…"

"Then if it is, do you know how to protect yourself? Do you have a gun?"

She looked at me skeptically, the moment I met her she had been suspicious of me and she had the right to be so, 

Exhaling a heavy sigh she questioned herself while shaking her head in dismay, "Honestly, what did I get myself into?"

"My world, a very dangerous one." I gave her a serious look and she immediately retracted her steps and went back to her room. 

The banging stopped and Richard set the distress button off. Isabelle locked herself inside the room and did not come out for a while and when she did, I had the biggest laugh echoed in her apartment. 

"I can certainly protect myself, I don't know about you." She held the hockey stick close to her face.

"And a hockey stick will protect you?"

"Why not? I took kendo lessons in college and I was a field hockey player until freshman, I can handle a few jabs."

I guffawed loudly and the next thing I knew she managed to swing her stick across my face just close enough to give me a nose job, 

"What's with you people attacking a person's most important asset?! My face is worth billions! They don't make this face nowadays!" 

I was exasperated and looked at her, "Look, you proved me wrong, now keep that toy away, and let's talk."

She placed the stick down and sat across me with her arms across her chest and pouted. 

"Did Emily play hockey when she was in high school too?"

"No, she was our coach. What should we talk about? Speak."

Looking at her made me realize two things; her hazel eyes were her best assets and second, she knew how to handle herself in dangerous situations. 

"First of all, I am a man of my word," she sneered at me and relaxed herself against the couch, "So, tell me, Isabella, how should I repay you?"

Isabelle looked at me skeptically and even perusing every emotion I exuded, her eyes squinted and she then cleared her throat and looked at me, 

"Two things, one, it's Isabelle and just call me Isa. Two, you don't need to pay me, just treat it as a good samaritan taking pity on a Hebrew." 

"Are you sure? Is there anything you wanted the most? How about your own hospital?"

"Woah, let's not be overzealous here, I know you people are dangerous and rich, rich and dangerous what a deadly combination. I am not interested in all that. So you can keep your money, and your life away from me. Just recover well and leave me."

Her reaction was predictable, I could not expect anything more from her. I knew she was reluctant to save me but she had no other choice but to do so. Isabelle's dedication was commendable but a Dominic Rossi would not miss this opportunity to get to know her a little more. 

A long awkward silence resounded between the two of us, no one dared to break the silence. I cleared my throat and looked at her while she fidgeted at my bedside. 

"Am I scaring you?"

She took time before she could answer the question, she tried to look for euphemisms but there were no available words to lessen the blow. Thus, instead of directly answering the question, she chose not to answer me. 

"I need to see your wound and dress it up before you sleep tonight. If you still experience any discomfort, I will bring you to the nearest hospital."

"If things come to worse tell Emily right away, she knows what to do."

She nodded and apparently Emily covered the part where she and I had history. But it was not a secret that Emily's mother and my mom worked in a foundation 20 years ago - thus explaining our connection after all. 

"Your mom, Ms. Eloisa, was a great person," Isabelle muttered before leaving me in the room alone. 

Hearing a compliment intended for a person long gone was refreshing and a curse. Not only did that person's memory jog down the memory lane she even visited me in my nightmares. 

My mom, Eloisa, was a different kind of mother after all. She was outgoing and more hands-on when it came to the family business and code. She knew the family inside and out and worked closely with my father. 

She was well aware of the horrors the family did and convinced not only my father but also my grandfather to reform the family for a lasting generation. She worked in different foundations with my aunt, Erin. (My father's biological sister)

No one knew the real connection of Erin Carter to the Rossi family, it was a deal my grandfather had to honor as it was part of my grandmother's will. Carter's name will be erased from all records and connection with the Rossi in return for their loyalty and servitude to Porta Sole. Erin was part of the deal hence she was not mentioned in any of the records unless you worked closely with the heads. 

Eloisa and Erin worked together to build their own legacy. After my mom died when I was 12, Aunt Erin refused to visit her grave or see us during Thanksgiving, instead, she poured her time into her political career and foundations. 

"You knew her?"

Isabelle's hazel eyes were fixated on a certificate hanging on the wall and nodded her head, "I was one of the benefactors in her foundation, I met her once in a program, and it is funny how I could still remember how she smelled that day."

I studied her longing face and her facial expressions were sincere and without malice. I had a different memory with my mother, I never saw her kind and benevolent face instead I saw her cheeky and playful side. 

She always had a puzzle for me to solve or a quest for me to accomplish, I witnessed her ruthlessness when people disobeyed her and I saw how she handled her people. 

***

"As you have expected, Antonio managed to find a burnt corpse with your phone and license, sir. How do you want to proceed?"

"We need to plan out every move we make from now on, Antonio was able to double-cross me and it was an amazing plan, to be honest. Our little guy has grown some balls." Looking at Richard's stoic face loses all the fun, this guy never failed to amuse me. "Anyway, did you hand the picture to my father?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did he suspect I'm still alive?"

"He never uttered a word but Lt. Vargas was arrested for drug possession this morning."

"He's quick, that old man."

Richard handed company files to my bedside, it had been a week since I woke up and the news of my disappearance had been a secret, and not one news agency took a sniff of it. My father had been great in handling the situation despite the manipulation Antonio did for the past week.

"Sir, Antonio has just hired hackers to manipulate company stocks, I have arranged for our people to monitor any malicious movement from them."

"You've done enough, Richie. You can leave this issue with me. Don't stop my father if he decides to publicize my death. Right now, to stop Antonio's crazy plans we need to make him believe I am gone."

Richard stood in silence and nodded, he then noticed I was having a hard time fixing my polo so he then drew to the bed and helped me get dressed, 

"Thanks," I gave him a reassuring smile, "What will I do without you?"

"WHAT. THE. FUCK?!" Emily's huge eyes became bigger with her jaws dropped. 

"I was right, right?!" 

"You two?"

"You two are together?!" She blurted and immediately Richard took a step back from my bedside and readjusted his tie. 

Emily could not stop herself from laughing hard and even rolled on the floor, 

"Oh my god, couz, what will uncle do? I mean, you are his only son! He can't possibly give the authority to Antonio's future sons!"

"Excuse me," Richard broke the sequence and left us two in the room. 

"Was he embarrassed? Should I call him brother-in-law now?"

"Will you stop it?!"

"Those tabloids who wrote about your sexuality were right after all! I mean, Richard is a great guy, smart-looking and very muscular; I'd fall for him if I were you."

It was not news in Porta Sole, I had never been involved with a woman before and the issue of my sexuality was asked anywhere I went in Porta Sole. I was born into a mafia family and I had seen a lot, of men and women, women and women, and even men and men. 

The current head of the Valla family is openly gay and he's happily in love. But it was different with me. I had my share of fun, I was not innocent after all. But those were all part of my younger days when I was all booze up and crazy. 

Waking up without any direction was my past, I was mad and lost. Now, I could not say I changed but love was never in my dictionary. 

"So, is it true?" Isabelle went home with an article on her phone and she passed it to me.

"No."

"Are you sure? I mean your assistant Richard is a perfect embodiment of Adonis!"

"Do you want to meet him?"

She looked at me quizzically and her hazel eyes fixated on my wristwatch;

"Hey, mafia boss, why is your watch glowing red?"

Fuck! 'They are here!'