In His Grasp: A Mafia Romance

Chapter 65: Isabella Disappears

Isabella had been staying in her room for two days without any major incidents, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief. She knew she had to return to school to prepare for her graduation procedures. She had to take graduation photos, collect her diploma, and say goodbye to her close friends. She could temporarily postpone going back to the hospital, but if she missed her graduation ceremony, it might be a missed opportunity forever.

With determination, Isabella mustered the courage to call Emanuele. "Emanuele, can I go back to school? I'm preparing for my graduation."

The moment she mentioned graduation, Isabella recalled Emanuele's proposal for her to marry Clark after she graduated. He had stated that once she finished college, he'd arrange her marriage. Had she graduated, and was it time for her to get married?

Isabella felt a mix of nervousness and uncertainty. Thankfully, Clark seemed to have forgotten about her; he hadn't messaged her.

A playboy like Clark surely had many women around him. Isabella could only hope that Clark had truly forgotten about her.

Emanuele, sounding a bit frustrated, replied, "Don't you realize how dangerous it is for you right now? They've set their sights on you, and you still want to attend the graduation ceremony? You'd become a human target!"

"No, I won't," Isabella immediately reassured. "I'll just go to the school, complete what I need to, and come back right away. There shouldn't be any trouble."

She was somewhat aggrieved, feeling that she wanted to escape her current torment. She didn't need to go through all of this. She had already given up her job at the hospital; did she need to let go of her graduation too?

Emanuele, hearing the hint of distress in Isabella's voice, felt a bit compassionate despite his exhaustion. "All right, Isabella. I'll have Tony keep a close eye on you. After the graduation ceremony, come back to me immediately."

"I understand," Isabella replied. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit of regret. Her mother wouldn't be there to see her graduate.

Two days later, Isabella returned to her school to attend the graduation ceremony, say her farewells to her friends, and collect her diploma. Her student life had come to an end.

Evelyn embraced Isabella and said, "Isabella, take care of yourself. Stay inside as much as possible. I believe your family can protect you. I'll video chat with you online."

Evelyn didn't know what had happened to Isabella, but she sensed it was dangerous. As a friend, there was little she could do to help, but she wished for Isabella's safety, even if they couldn't meet in person. "The last time at the hospital scared me," Evelyn admitted.

"Yeah, okay, Evelyn. No matter what, you should be careful too," Isabella said, thinking about her friend. She wasn't sure if her troubles would affect Evelyn, but she hoped not. After all, Evelyn had no connection to Emanuele, and those people wouldn't target her, would they?

Isabella replied, "Yes, Evelyn, no matter what, be cautious as well."

Evelyn added, "Pippo is really worried about you, Isabella. He said you haven't replied to his messages, and he's quite frightened."

Isabella thought of the messages Pippo had sent her, inquiring about her whereabouts, safety, and whether she needed a visit. She hadn't responded to him because she didn't want to burden him with her problems or risk involving him in the situation.

"Tell him I'm okay," Isabella said. She was starting to feel weary.

"Don't worry; I'll certainly tell him. It's just a pity, you worked so hard to stay in the hospital as a doctor, and now it's all..." Evelyn sighed as she spoke.

She could see that Isabella had genuinely worked hard. She had been dedicated to her studies in school and continued to work diligently afterward. She even had plans for further education. Isabella aspired to be a great doctor, but now it all seemed to be slipping away.

"It's okay," Isabella remained surprisingly positive, offering a smile. "Life is long, and who knows what opportunities may come in the future, right?"

"You're right," Evelyn reassured her, patting Isabella on the shoulder.

At the graduation ceremony, Emanuele discreetly increased the number of bodyguards. As a result, everything concluded smoothly.

When they left the ceremony and found their car had broken down, Isabella suggested, "Why don't we take the subway?"

"Miss Gould, the subway is crowded and dangerous," Tony frowned with concern.

"Why do you think the car suddenly broke down? There's definitely something wrong with it. They know we're staying put until you manage to get another car for us. But they'll never guess we'd take the subway," Isabella calmly analyzed.

Sometimes, the riskier places turned out to be the safest. If they, who were experienced bodyguards, considered the subway dangerous, wouldn't those lurking in the shadows know that too? They were unlikely to expect Isabella to choose the subway.

Seeing the merit in Isabella's reasoning, Tony and Harry surveyed the surrounding road conditions. There were many spots where someone could hide, and standing there waiting for a car made them easy targets. The subway, on the other hand, was crowded, making it harder for any potential attackers.

"Alright, let's take the subway," they finally agreed.

However, the subway was indeed very crowded. Isabella squeezed onto the train first, and in a blink, Tony and Harry lost sight of her. Panic spread through their hearts.

Isabella was gone, disappeared before their eyes. Were they overpowered by the crowd, or had the Sicilians captured her? They couldn't know.

After frantically searching and failing to find Isabella, they immediately called Emanuele to report the situation. At the time, Emanuele was still deeply involved in his work. He had already determined Frederick's general location, which was good because it allowed him to plan his moves.

But right at that moment, Emanuele received Tony's call. After hearing Tony's report, Emanuele felt like throwing his phone against the wall.

"What? Say that again. Where's Isabella?"

"Boss, she's gone. One moment she was in front of us, and the next, she disappeared."

Fear gripped Emanuele's entire body, causing his large, mountain-like figure to tremble. He had never felt such fear before. Had the Sicilians taken Isabella? If they had dared to lay a hand on her, he vowed to make them disappear from this earth.

Emanuele called Isabella, but no one answered, and he was met with a busy tone. He swore to himself. A raging beast roared within him, his hands shook from anger and worry, and his light brown eyes slowly darkened, just like the demon Isabella had seen that night, as if emerging from the depths of hell. He swore to overturn the entire Chicago if he had to, just to find Isabella.