Chapter 4 - The Snake in the Garden|
Isabella stared at Marco, the hallway light casting sharp shadows across his bruised-looking eyes.
"Carlo," she repeated.
"Carlo's valet wiped down the case before I could secure it for the lab," Marco explained, his jaw tight with frustration. "Dante doesn't know yet. If I tell him without undisputed proof, Carlo will claim I'm trying to protect you because we're both from the old neighborhood."
"Why would Carlo frame me?" Isabella asked, stepping back into her apartment and gesturing for Marco to enter.
Marco stepped inside, shutting the door quietly behind him. He looked around the modest living room, taking in the framed photographs of Isabella’s father and the old baking awards hanging on the wall.
"Carlo has been managing the syndicate's real estate portfolio in Brooklyn for three years," Marco said. "Two months ago, Dante told the captains that once you two were married, you would be taking over the family's charitable trust and real estate oversight."
Isabella frowned. "Dante mentioned that to me. He said he wanted the legal accounts clean."
"Exactly," Marco said grimly. "If you audited those real estate files, Miss Rossi, you would have found out that Carlo has been skimming millions off the shipping docks through shell companies. Framing you didn't just ruin the wedding—it ensured you'd never get your hands on those books."
A cold realization bloomed in Isabella’s chest.
It hadn't been about jealousy or snobbery. It was about survival. Carlo had used a priceless family heirloom to execute a hit on her character before she could destroy his financial fraud.
"Does Dante suspect him at all?" she asked.
"Dante is blind when it comes to his cousin," Marco said bitterly. "They grew up like brothers after Carlo’s father was killed in the Chicago war. Dante promised his uncle on his deathbed that he would always protect Carlo."
"Then Dante is an idiot," Isabella said flatly.
Her phone on the sofa began ringing again. This time, it wasn't Dante.
It was an unlisted number.
Isabella walked over, picked up the phone, and swiped the screen. "Hello?"
"Isabella."
The voice on the other end was smooth, relaxed, and utterly devoid of remorse.
Carlo.
May you like
"What do you want, Carlo?" she asked, her tone turning to absolute ice.
"I hear you left your ring on the table tonight," Carlo said softly over the line. "A very dramatic exit. Very brave. But leaving the city would be even braver, Isabella. My uncle Sal is in town, and he doesn't like people who steal from the family."
