In His Grasp: A Mafia Romance

Chapter 143: Luring Isabella

And so, the two changed several positions until they were both exhausted, and only then did Emanuele release Isabella. Now, they lay in bed, Emanuele holding Isabella from behind. His hands caressed Isabella's spine, giving her a tingling sensation on her back.

Ticklish, yet strangely wonderful.

In the end, his hands stopped at a certain spot. Isabella knew it was where her butterfly tattoo was.

He still cared about this.

She thought that his return and their intimate moments meant he had let go of the suspicions in his heart. Yet, it seemed otherwise.

"Why did you come back?" Isabella inquired.

"Lilly said you've been in a bad mood lately, unable to eat," Emanuele's low voice sounded from behind her.

"Yes, a little," Isabella replied.

"Because of me?"

"You're suspecting me, aren't you?"

Emanuele furrowed his brows, and after a while, he said, "I admit, in fact, it's Frederick who made me suspicious of you. He has a photo of your back tattoo. This place, only the most intimate person could know about. You've never worn backless outfits, so where did he get a picture of your back?"

Although Isabella knew she was innocent, Emanuele's words had some validity.

She found it strange too.

"Could it be photoshopped? He only needed to know I had a back tattoo, and he might find someone to Photoshop a design similar to mine."

"That's also possible. Don't worry too much about this. I just want to investigate the cause and effect. Even if you have nothing to do with him, I want to know why he knows these details about you and why he's doing this."

Emanuele, at this moment, was caressing Isabella's hair gently. His movements were tender, making Isabella feel like a cat lying in its owner's arms-extremely comfortable.

Isabella leaned against Emanuele. She hoped Emanuele could uncover the truth soon.

"No skipping meals from now on," a voice suddenly came when Isabella was about to fall asleep.

Isabella immediately woke up and nodded, "I know. Can you also not be away so often?"

Even though she often got angry with Emanuele, thinking he was heartless, Isabella always looked forward to meeting him, hugging, and kissing him.

She knew her body needed Emanuele; she couldn't live without him. Therefore, she had this contradictory mentality, scolding Emanuele as a devil on one hand, but unable to leave him on the other. Emanuele smiled, "Alright."

Actually, today was a rare moment of relaxation for him. In these past few days, stimulated by Frederick's information, he was almost going crazy. He was like a machine, constantly immersed in work. He wanted to find Frederick, wanted to kill him immediately. At the same time, he wanted to know where Frederick got Isabella's information. If Isabella was innocent, then was it someone around her? Frederick's actions were a challenge to him. He couldn't even protect his own wife.

This feeling made Emanuele feel terrible.

Until tonight, returning to the apartment, entering Isabella's body, Emanuele finally felt relaxed.

Isabella lay in Emanuele's arms, and the two snuggled tightly together. Isabella felt an unprecedented tranquility. She lay against Emanuele and drifted off to sleep.

And for Emanuele, who hadn't slept much in these days, he quickly fell asleep too.

The next day, when Isabella woke up, she found Emanuele was still there, which was very rare. Usually, he was gone by the time she woke up.

She hadn't observed Emanuele closely for a while. Shortly after waking up, before she could carefully observe him, she saw him open his eyes.

Emanuele, unlike an ordinary person, didn't wake up groggy. He quickly became alert, his gaze as cold and ruthless as ever. But towards her, he was gentle, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Baby, awake?" Isabella smiled, leaving Emanuele's embrace. She sat up, saying, "You rarely sleep in this late. I'll go downstairs and have Lilly prepare breakfast."

They were lying naked together, but Isabella, now leaving Emanuele's side, went to freshen up and change. Emanuele observed Isabella's delicate waist, curvy hips, and slender legs. Her perfect figure reignited the flames of desire in him.

He really wanted to pull Isabella back for another round. Unfortunately, he had many things to attend to; he couldn't delay any longer.

For breakfast, Lilly prepared toast, eggs, sausages, and milk. Isabella and Emanuele sat facing each other. Despite knowing that Emanuele still harbored suspicions about her, Isabella's mood had improved, perhaps due to the passionate night they had experienced.

"Emanuele, if you have any concerns, just ask me. I'll answer anything I know," Isabella said. They were a married couple, and they should be open about any issues instead of hiding things. Emanuele looked at Isabella, staring at her for several seconds. His gaze scanned her face like a scanner. After a while, he said, "No need. I've asked what I needed to ask."

Since he chose to believe Isabella, he needed to find out Frederick's motives. If Isabella had no connection with Frederick, why did he say he would hand Isabella over, disappearing forever?

In the office, Phillip, seeing Emanuele lost in thought, couldn't help but offer his suggestion. "Boss, what if you try handing your wife over to him?" Now that Frederick was hiding in the shadows and they were in the open, maybe using Isabella as bait could help locate him.

But before he could finish, Emanuele kicked him. "How dare you suggest that?" Emanuele's voice was as cold as the freezing weather. Even a single sentence could be chilling.

"I wasn't suggesting actually handing her over. Just using her as bait," Phillip explained, enduring the pain in his leg.

In Emanuele's gray-brown eyes, there was no warmth. His gaze was especially cold, making Phillip feel his breath constricting. He regretted why he had spoken those words; now, the boss was angry.

"Phillip, as the head of the Mafia, if I have to use my own woman as bait, then I think I can find a replacement for the position. I can send women away as gifts for my own benefit, but using them as bait, knowing it puts their lives at risk? Especially Isabella? The Chicago Mafia has never stooped so low. Don't say such things again."

"Yes, boss," Phillip lowered his head, bowing to Emanuele. Whatever happened, he was indeed wrong this time.

However, he also saw Emanuele's concern for Isabella. In the past, when he followed Emanuele, jokes could be made freely. Now... Indeed, as he thought, if Emanuele hadn't been persuaded to marry Isabella back then, he would regret it for a lifetime.