IRRESISTIBLE DESIRE

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER 3

THE DEAL HE SHOULDN'T MAKE

The next morning found Leonardo seated in his Manhattan office, overlooking the skyline, but his mind was not on the merger papers spread across his desk. Every thought circled back to her.

“Isabelle,

The woman who had lied to him, fled from him, and yet somehow became the only truth that was left in his life.

He had sworn he would not chase her again. Still, her perfume clung to his shirt, and the quiet defiance in her voice reverberated in his memory.

A knock broke through his thoughts, and in came Luca Ferraro holding a file.

“The board needs your signature on the Selene acquisition,” Luca said. "You're buying the entire chain of cafés."

Leonardo's gaze sharpened. “Selene?”

“Yes. Small franchise. Mostly Europe-based. One branch recently opened in Brooklyn.”

A slow, dangerous smile touched his lips.

Brooklyn,

“Proceed,” he said, “Effective immediately.”

That evening, Isabella came to work very early, her nerves raw after another sleepless night. She told herself she wouldn’t think of him, wouldn’t replay that kiss ,but her heart refused to listen.

Eleni, her boss, met her at the counter. "You came just in time, my girl. The new owner is coming today. Big investor. Very serious man."

Isabella froze. "New owner?”

“Bought the entire chain. You will meet him tonight.”

The bell above the door rang, and she knew. She didn't have to look. She could feel it-a shift in the air, the power, the quiet danger.

“Good evening,” Leonardo said smoothly, stepping inside as though he owned the world. Which, technically, he did.

Eleni beamed. “Ah, Signor D’Amato! Welcome! This is Isabella, my best employee.”

Leonardo’s eyes met hers. “We’ve met.”

Eleni chuckled. “Then you’ll work together well.”

Isabella's pulse pounded. She could hardly breathe. "You can't just"

“I can,” he cut in, his tone calm yet firm. “You left me no choice.”

“This is harassment."

“No, Isabella. This is business.”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear.

“You disappeared without a word. I thought I'd lost my mind trying to find you. Now fate has given me another chance.

I'm not wasting it."

Her throat tightened. “What do you want from me?”

His voice was low, perilous. "A deal."

Later, in the quiet of the closing hour, she found herself sitting across from him at a corner table; outside, the city glowed beneath the streetlights, uncaring of the storm brewing between them.

Leonardo leaned back, eyes level. "You need stability. A job. Protection. I need someone I can trust for a project coming up. A partnership-on paper, at least.

She frowned. “A partnership?”

He smiled wryly. "A contract marriage."

Her breath caught. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe. But it solves both our problems. My shareholders want a respectable image after Bianca’s scandal. You would gain security. We help each other.”

Isabella stared at him, heart hammering. "You think I'd marry you for convenience?"

"Not convenient," he said quietly. "For control. For safety. For the truth that neither of us can ignore."

She stood up abruptly. “No. Whatever you think is between us,it ends now.”

“Does it?” His tone was a challenge. “You’re trembling, Isabella. Tell me you don’t feel it. Tell me you don’t want this as much as I do.”

Her lips parted, but no words came.

He stood, closing the distance between them. His hand brushed against her wrist , a light touch, but it burned like fire. “You can keep lying to yourself, but we both know the truth.”

She met his gaze, her defences crumbling. “You don’t know my truth, Leonardo.”

“Then let me find it,” he muttered.

When he finally left, Isabella locked the door behind him and pressed her back to it, breathless. A contract marriage. It was madness. It was dangerous. It was everything she'd sworn to avoid. But as she closed her eyes, she could still feel his touch ,and she knew she was already falling into the one trap she couldn’t escape.