In His Grasp: A Mafia Romance

Chapter 41: Chloe Is Coming to Chicago

Isabella paused, her footsteps faltering, as if she was filled with uncertainty. She turned to look at Pippo. In Isabella's impression, Pippo was merely a schoolmate and someone who had been helpful to her and Evelyn at work. His personality was mild and cultured, making him a friend she could interact with, but that was it.

But now, he seemed to see right through her, recognizing the miserable state of her life, and incredibly, he asked if she wanted to leave. She wished she could.

However, thinking about Emanuele's icy gaze and his cold-blooded demeanor, Isabella knew she couldn't escape. At least for now, she hadn't found an opportunity to flee. Furthermore, his enemies believed she was associated with the Lombardi family, and if they killed her, it would hurt Emanuele, even though she wasn't!

But all in all, it made Isabella feel trapped. Staying here meant being toyed with by Emanuele, but leaving would likely result in her being abducted by Emanuele's enemies, who would ultimately torture her to death.

"Thank you for your concern, Pippo. I'm fine. I don't want to leave," Isabella told Pippo.

"But you don't look fine," Pippo sighed. "Isabella, are you sure you don't need my help? Trust me, maybe I can help you get away from those people."

"No, Pippo. I need to rest for a while, I'm feeling tired," Isabella waved off Pippo, then turned and left.

Pippo watched Isabella's retreating figure, furrowing his brow. Why wouldn't Isabella listen to him?

Because of Pippo's words, Isabella became even more agitated. She was well aware of Pippo's intentions, but for now, what could she do?

After a short rest, Isabella resumed her work. Despite being an intern, she was diligent and efficient, making the doctors eager to have her around.

Evelyn couldn't help but admire Isabella. "Isabella, you're amazing. You're already the princess of the Mafia. You don't need to work. You have endless money every day. So, why are you working so hard now?"

"I was forced into that world. Someday, I'll break free from it. My dream is to save lives as a doctor," Isabella replied. Her early years had been marked by the loss of her father, and she and her mother had struggled through adversity, facing mistreatment, hunger, and cold. This experience had driven Isabella to desire to become a doctor, to save lives and, indirectly, rescue the families of those she helped. She hoped to ease their hardships and prevent other children from suffering as she had.

This determination, however, had gradually eroded since she was thrust into the world of the Mafia.

At that moment, Isabella's phone rang, and when she saw the text message, her face turned deathly pale, and her breath became labored.

The message was from her cousin Chloe.

"Isabella, long time no see. I miss you. Next week, I'll be visiting Chicago. I hope you can host me."

Isabella, trembling, couldn't control her hands, and even her phone fell to the ground. Chloe was coming, and Isabella had an extreme fear of her cousin. Even though they hadn't seen each other in years, Isabella's phobia flared up at the mere mention of her name, as it did now.

Chloe scared her more than Emanuele.

Isabella immediately retrieved estazolam from her bag, shaking as she struggled to open the bottle. Due to her severe trembling, the bottle slipped from her hand and scattered pills all over the floor. She quickly picked one up and swallowed it, desperate to calm her anxiety.

"Isabella, are you okay?" Evelyn was startled by Isabella's reaction. As Isabella's good friend, Evelyn knew about her condition, but over the years they had been together, she had rarely witnessed her having an episode. Even when it happened, it had never been as terrifying as it appeared now.

Just moments ago, Isabella was fine. How did she become like this after checking her phone?

After taking the medication, which helped stabilize her emotions a bit, Isabella told Evelyn, "My cousin says she's coming to visit me."

Isabella had shared a little about Chloe with Evelyn, giving her just a hint of the situation. But as soon as Evelyn heard about Chloe, she was filled with hatred for her.

"That wretched woman dares to come and find you? Tell me when she's coming, and I'll bring a baseball bat. Let me show her what I'm capable of!" Evelyn expressed her anger.

Listening to Evelyn's passionate defense of her, Isabella felt warm inside. She smiled, gripping Evelyn's arm. "It's okay. I'll do my best to overcome it. If it comes to it, I just won't see her."

Isabella thought that Chloe must be coming to meet Emanuele. Remembering how much Madelyn had admired Emanuele, she probably heard all about him after returning home.

Isabella couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Chloe trying to seduce Emanuele. She felt less terrified because she believed that Emanuele would make Chloe regret her actions. After all, bad people needed even worse ones to punish them.

Isabella tried to put this issue out of her mind. She had grown up and become independent. She was determined not to let Chloe affect her mood.

After work, Isabella returned to her apartment and started preparing dinner. She made her favorite tomato pasta, with a few slices of bacon added for extra flavor. It looked absolutely delicious. But just as she had placed the pasta on the table, the apartment door swung open, and Emanuele walked in.

"You can cook? Not bad!" Emanuele commented, his eyes immediately drawn to the pasta on the table. It awakened his appetite.

"My cooking is good," Isabella responded confidently to Emanuele's praise.

She was actually quite skilled at cooking. When she was younger, she used to help her uncle's family cook. At first, her cooking was terrible, and Madelyn and Chloe would scold her. To avoid their punishment, Isabella worked hard to improve her culinary skills. Even the usually picky Madelyn couldn't find fault with her cooking, and it was impeccable to others.

Emanuele didn't hesitate to sit at the dining table and move the plate of pasta in front of him to start eating.

"Isabella, it's no trouble for you to make another portion for yourself," Emanuele suggested, enjoying the noodles.

Isabella clenched her teeth in frustration but had no choice. She turned and headed back to the kitchen to prepare another serving of pasta. She even fried an egg and added two sausages this time, then placed it in front of Emanuele.

Emanuele looked up at her. "This is for you," Isabella said, feeling that a big guy like him couldn't possibly be full from just one serving of pasta. Emanuele gazed at Isabella's youthful face, so beautiful and considerate. He smiled and said to her, "All right, thank you, my dear Isabella." The last few words were deliberately drawn out, making it sound very ambiguous. Isabella couldn't help but glare at him.