Chapter 2. The Devil

ISABELLA’S POV

It’s been a week since dad announced Gianna was going to marry Dante Giuseppe.

“What are you still doing in your room, Isabella? Dante Giuseppe will be here with his family in about an hour and you’re not even dressed yet.” My mother scolds at me as she stands at my door. Her Italian accent is most prominent when she’s pissed off.

“I’m not the one getting married mom. Gianna is. My presence will not be necessary and I have better things to do.” I brush her off and continue focusing on my phone screen, playing candy crush. Before I know it, my mother is walking towards my bed.

She grabs my phone and tosses it out of my window and I hear it land with a crack on the ground. My eyes widen as I wake up with a jerk from my bed.

“What the actual freaking hell mom? Do you have any idea how many games and apps I had on there?” I yell as I run over to my window from the first floor of the house and of course it’s shattered. Now I have to buy a new one and redownload all those apps.

How so very annoying.

“Shut up Isabella! Staying in your room and shoving your face into your phone is more important than meting your future brother-in-law? I swear you have to stop thinking the world revolves around you. Did you stop to think about the fact that your sister might want you there?” My mother scolds me with her perfect face.

“Oh, please mom. Gianna couldn’t care less if was present or not. I’m sure she won’t even notice my absence since she’ll be drooling over her fiancée the entire day and I am not in the mood to third-wheel, okay? I’ll just stay in my room.” I say and fall back in bed offering my mother nothing but a frown.

I do not want to be in the same room with Dante Giuseppe and his murderous family.

“I swear to God Isa, if you’re not down in twenty minutes, I’m telling your father!” My mother points her finger at me and walks out of my room, slamming my door shut.

She always uses my father as a weapon against me and she knows it will work every time because my life is basically in the palm of my father’s hands. It has been since I disobeyed him and then went ahead and had a boyfriend without his permission.

I groan loudly and walk into my bathroom to get ready to meet the devil. I hate my family. I hate my life and I want to die. Once I finish showering, I curl my hair and let it fall in waves down my back.

My father has always urged me to cut my hair shorter. He says it’s too long and thick and captures unnecessary attention so I’m going to let it fall down my back intentionally just to spite him. I decide to go for a red dress that reveals a huge portion of my back and diamond dot earrings and red bottom heels.

If I’m going to be forced to be somewhere I don’t want to be, at least I have the opportunity to look good. My make up is light with pink gloss giving my heart shaped lips a beautiful glow.

At least my mother has the genes of a goddess. All of her children are impeccably good looking. Satisfied with the way I look, I step out of my room and I immediately bump into a familiar hard chest.

“Watch where you’re going Antonio!” I say trying to balance myself as I almost fell from walking straight into him. My brother is the most tolerable of my entire family, mostly because he has a peculiar sense of humor.

“Wow Isa. With the way you look I would think you’re the one getting married instead of Gianna.” He says and his eyes widen as he gestures to my hair.

“You know I’ve always loved your hair sis but dad is going to freak if he sees you wearing it like that.” I smirk evilly at his words and side step him so I can make my way downstairs.

“It’s my hair Antonio, I can wear it however I want.” I wink at my brother and make my way down the staircase. The noise and chatter make me understand that everyone is probably here already and I’m the only one who’s late.

Perfect. Another reason for my mother to yell at me later. I mean hey, at least I showed up right? I could have been the disappointment everyone thinks I am and just stayed in my room but hey, I’m here and they should be grateful.

“Isabella. Finally. Come here.” My father spots me descending the stairs and he has a fake smile on his face as he addresses me. Probably because there’s another man at his side. A face I have no doubt belongs to Dante Giuseppe.

Wow. I haven’t even been out of my room for five minutes and my father wants to introduce me to the devil already? Maybe I should have stayed in my room after all. My stomach dips and I close my eyes in defeat, but I only hesitate for a second because that voice my father used is non-negotiable.

So, I walk confidently down the stairs and put up my most perfect smile once I’m in front of my father and Dante.

“Isabella, this is Dante Giuseppe. Dante, this is Isabella, Gianna’s twin.” My father introduces me. I’ve done this a hundred times. Being introduced to strangers every time my father has guests around.

However, nothing could have prepared for the intensity in the gaze of Dante. He glares at me like he has a personal problem with me and it leaves an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

He’s so handsome but in the most dangerous way possible and I hate the way he’s looking at me in such a condescending manner so I go ahead and raise my brow at him, wiping the smile off my face and replacing it with a scowl.

“It was interesting meeting you Mr. Giuseppe but I have to go and find my sister now.” His lips twitch slightly as if he were amused, but I don’t even give him or my dad the chance to respond because next second I’m walking away from him and my father and heading towards the living room where I spot my sister talking with some guests who are probably Dante’s family.

I grab her arm and drag her away from the people she was talking to and lead her towards the kitchen.

“What are you doing Isa? That was so rude. Do you have any idea who I was talking to? That was Marco Giuseppe. Dante’s brother? We were bonding!” I raise my brows at her in an attempt to show her I don’t care and she just rolls her eyes at me.

“I met your fiancé by the way. Real charmer that one.” I say pushing myself up to sit on the kitchen counter. Mother hates it when I sit on the kitchen counter but I don’t really care.

“Right?” Gianna basically squeals. “He’s so hot. I’m really so happy that dad was able to set up this marriage.” She beams with happiness and I can’t help but frown at her. How can she be so glad that she’s marrying the number one mafia boss in the city? Isn’t she even a bit scared that under all that handsomeness lies a monster?

“Um, no he’s actually very rude and he glares at people.” I say swinging my legs back and forth on the counter. Gianna’s smile falls and she walks closer to me and places a hand on mine.

“Look Isa. I know you don’t like this life and I understand that. But please, I need you for all this to be special. I know we’re not the closest sisters in the world but we can try right? For me? I’m happy about this wedding.”

This is the first time Gianna has ever spoken to me like this and I know it’s not because of some sisterly love between us. She’s just happy she’s getting what she wants.

Dante may be the most vicious mafia leader in the city but if my sister is happy, then so be it. I just hope he’s not some sort of psycho who beats women up.

“Fine.” I force a smile. “Now go back to your guests before mom and dad start looking for you.” She beams at me and then escapes the kitchen leaving me alone on the kitchen counter. I hope no one comes in here. I am in no mood to socialize.

I know Gianna and I may not be close but having her around the house was still nice. Antonio is almost never around and mom and dad hate me. In a month she’ll be gone and I’ll be left in this huge mansion all by myself with parents who despise me.

Life couldn’t be more perfect. I stretch my hand and open the fridge next to me and take out strawberry ice cream. I’m all happy and contempt being alone and devouring my ice cream when a muscular figure walks in.

Dante.

“What are you doing here?” I roll my eyes at him and focus on my ice cream. I smiled at him earlier and instead of returning it like any gentleman would, he glared at me. I don’t like him.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He states and I realize it’s the first time I’m hearing his voice. It’s exactly as I imagined it would be. Rich, deep and dangerous.

“It’s my house so I get to go wherever I want. However, you should be outside, with the others.” I turn my gaze towards him and he’s glaring at me again, as if I had something on my face.

I sigh and drop from the kitchen counter and start walking boldly towards him. He’s ruining the taste of my delicious strawberry ice cream.

“Look.” I start saying and he raises his brows at me. “I know you’re going to be my brother-in-law soon and we’re supposed to be family and all but all that doesn’t really matter to me. All that I care about is you keep my sister safe. If you even try as much as lay a finger on her I swear to god…”

“Are you assuming I beat women up?” He tilts his head at me in annoyance. “That’s a bold assumption, Bella.” He says my name in a way that is strangely inappropriate. No one calls me Bella and I cringe internally for liking how it sounded coming from his lips.

“With the kind of reputation you have, I wouldn’t put it past you.” I say to him and he furrows his brows and takes two steps towards me, closing the distance between us so that his chest almost comes in contact with my breasts and I suddenly get so self-aware of how revealing my clothing is that I start feeling cold all over.

He brings his face close to my ear and his voice is deep and vicious when he talks, as though he were giving me a warning. “I hate assumptions, Isabella. Don’t do it again.”

He pulls back and scans me from my head to my toe, his jaw hardening and his eyes darkening in a way I’ve never seen before, then he turns on his heel and exits the kitchen.

Once he’s out, I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding because Dante Giuseppe scares me, and I really need to learn how to keep my big mouth shut around him.