ISABELLA

Chapter 19

Isabella’s pov

A familiar ringtone chimed and I instantly smiled, answering the video call.

“Isa!” Gabriella’s face filled the screen, her brown hair a mess. She squealed dramatically. “Oh my God, Italy looks good on you! Look at you glowing.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Gabby, it’s literally just morning light. Don’t start.”

“No, no—seriously. You look different. Like… I don’t know, mysterious.” She squinted, leaning closer to the screen. “Wait. Don’t tell me you’re keeping secrets already.”

I bit my lip, hesitant. Gabriella knew me better than anyone. If there was one person I couldn’t lie to, it was her. “It’s… complicated.”

Her eyes lit up instantly. “Complicated means interesting. Spill.”

I took a deep breath, lowering my voice. “Gabby… there’s mafia here.”

There was silence. Then—

“WHAT?!” Gabriella shrieked so loud I nearly dropped the laptop. “You mean like—guns, crime, blood, dark suits, fast cars mafia?!”

“Shhh!” I hissed, glancing at the door. “Yes. Exactly that. They’re everywhere here. And somehow, I keep running into them.”

Gabby pressed a hand to her chest, eyes sparkling. “Girl, you’re living my Netflix fantasy right now. Tell me everything. Who, what, where?”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. “It’s not funny, Gabby. They’re dangerous. And…” I paused, lowering my voice. “…one of them has been getting… too close.”

Her jaw dropped. “No. Don’t tell me you’re falling for a mafia prince. Isabella, you’re crazy. Crazy!”

“I’m not falling for anyone,” I shot back quickly, though my heart skipped at the thought of Leo’s piercing gaze. “It’s… complicated.”

Gabriella smirked knowingly. “Complicated twice in one call. Yeah, you’re so doomed.”

I changed the subject quickly. “Anyway, have you heard anything from Dante?”

Her playful expression darkened immediately. “Ugh. Don’t even say his name. That guy is trash.”

I nodded quietly. “I blocked him everywhere. Haven’t heard from him since…”

“Same here,” Gabriella cut in. “He’s not in California anymore. Honestly, no one knows where he went. One day he was just gone. Good riddance if you ask me.”

I chewed my lip, uneasy. Something about the thought of Dante being out there, somewhere, unsettled me.

Gabby leaned closer, whispering like we were teenagers again gossiping at a sleepover. “Isa… promise me you won’t let him back into your life. Not after what he did.”

“I promise,” I whispered back. But inside, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Dante wasn’t as far away as we thought.

Gabriella leaned in so close to the camera that all I could see was her wide, mischievous grin.

“So…” she dragged the word out, her eyes glinting. “What’s this mafia prince’s name?”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s not a prince.”

“Oh please. He’s rich, dangerous, probably drives a black car, and I bet people scatter when he walks into a room. Sounds like a prince of darkness to me.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “So. Name?”

I hesitated. My chest tightened just saying it. “…Leo.”

“Leo,” Gabby repeated slowly, letting the syllables roll off her tongue like she was savoring it. “Ooooh, Isa, that’s sexy. Is he hot?”

I choked on my own spit. “Gabby!”

“Answer the question!” she demanded, laughing. “On a scale of one to ten?”

I bit my lip. My mind flooded with the image of Leo’s sharp jawline, the way his shirt clung to his shoulders, the danger and obsession in his eyes. Heat spread across my cheeks. “I don’t know. A ten, maybe.”

Gabby gasped, clapping her hands together like a child at Christmas. “A TEN?! Girl, you’re gone already. Don’t even try to fight it.”

“I am not gone!” I snapped, though my voice came out too defensive.

“Yes, you are.” She leaned back.

“Do you like him?”

“No!” I said quickly. Too quickly. “I mean… no. I can’t. He’s… he’s mafia. Dangerous. Arrogant. Possessive. He drives me insane.”

Gabby tilted her head, smiling slyly. “You just listed everything women fall for in bad boys.”

I groaned, dragging a pillow over my face. “You’re impossible.”

“Admit it,” she sang. “Isa has a crush on the mafia prince.”

I peeked at her from under the pillow, cheeks still burning. “…Maybe a tiny one.”

Her scream nearly broke my laptop speakers.

“Ahhhhhhh!” she screamed into the camera, clutching her chest like she’d just heard I was marrying royalty. “Isa! My sweet, innocent Isa is falling for a mafia prince. Oh my God, oh my God.”

“Shhh! Keep your voice down!” I hissed, glancing around my aunt’s living room as if the walls themselves might snitch.

She grinned like the devil. “So, Leo is the one? Tall, dark, dangerous, a ten out of ten. Have you kissed?”

My heart stuttered. “What? No! Absolutely not!”

“But you want to,” she sing-songed.

“I don’t!” I argued, shoving my hair back nervously. “…Okay, maybe a little. But I can’t. It’s complicated.”

Gabriella’s smile widened. “Complicated is code for yes, I’m obsessed but scared to admit it.”

I groaned and tried to change the subject. “Anyway, it’s not just Leo. There’s his cousin, Riccardo.”

Gabby raised her brows. “There’s a cousin?!”

“Yes.” I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “And he’s… different. Charming. Protective in this infuriating way. He was there at the park when everything went crazy, and he literally grabbed me to make sure I was safe.”

Gabriella gasped. “Protective too? Girl, are you in a mafia love triangle?!”

“No!” I said quickly. “Gabby, stop it. I am not. I don’t even like Riccardo like that. He’s just… he notices me. And Leo—” I stopped, biting my lip.

“And Leo?” she pressed, her grin sharp.

“…Leo hates when Riccardo is near me. He gets this look. Like I belong to him.”

Gabriella’s jaw dropped, then she clapped again. “Possessive and jealous? Isa, this isn’t just a story, this is a Netflix series waiting to happen. My best friend, the star of Mafia Wars: Love and Bullets.”

I covered my face with my hands. “You’re insane.”

“No, you’re in trouble,” she said dramatically. “Because two gorgeous mafia men are circling you, and you’re pretending you don’t like it.”

I peeked at her through my fingers, my cheeks burning. “…Okay, maybe a little.”

Gabby screamed again.

Gabby had her hands clasped like she was praying. “Isa, listen. I’m obsessed. You’re literally living in a mafia K-drama right now, and I’m here for it.”

“Gabby—”

“No, let me finish.” She leaned closer to her camera, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Leo, the brooding mafia heir who looks at you like you’re oxygen. Riccardo, the cousin with the protective streak who swoops in when chaos breaks out. Both gorgeous. Both dangerous. You can’t write this stuff, Isa.”

I groaned. “You make it sound like some twisted fairy tale.”

“It is! Except instead of glass slippers, it’s bullet casings, and instead of a pumpkin carriage, you have a blacked-out luxury car.”

Despite myself, I laughed—but only for a second. Because the truth was, her words weren’t funny at all.

“Gabby,” I said quietly, “you’re forgetting something. This isn’t a fantasy. It’s real. I heard gunshots. People actually get hurt in their world.”

Her smile faded. “I know.” She softened her tone, her playful grin replaced by something more serious. “Isa, I joke because it’s insane to me that you of all people are mixed up in this. But… I’m scared too. If Leo and Riccardo are that protective of you, it means you’re already in deeper than you realize.”

I swallowed, guilt prickling at my chest.

“And Dante,” she added bitterly, “was proof enough that these boys can break you in ways that don’t heal easily. You can’t let history repeat itself.”

My throat tightened at his name. Dante Moretti. My ex. The betrayal. The lies. The cheating I never confronted him about.

“Dante’s gone,” I muttered.

“For now.” Gabby tilted her head. “But Leo and Riccardo aren’t. And if you’re not careful, Isa, you’re going to end up caught between them. And that’s not the kind of triangle you can laugh your way out of.”

I hugged my knees to my chest, staring at the floor. “I don’t even know why I care about Leo. He’s dangerous. He’s—”

“—the only one who makes your heart race like this,” she cut in knowingly.

I didn’t answer. Because she was right.

Gabby sighed, her voice gentler this time. “Just… promise me one thing. If you have to choose between their world and your peace, Isa—choose peace. Choose yourself.”

I nodded slowly, but deep down, I wasn’t sure I could keep that promise.

Gabby suddenly glanced offscreen, her brows rising. “Crap—my mom’s calling me.”

I smiled, shaking my head. “Tell her I said hi.”

“You know I will,” she said, already scrambling. Then she paused, leaning back toward her camera, her face softening. “Isa…”

“Yeah?”

Her eyes shone with that mix of mischief and sincerity only Gabby could pull off. “I know I tease you, and I scream over the mafia prince stuff, but you’re still my girl. Okay? Don’t forget that. No matter what’s happening over there, you’ve still got me here. Always.”

My chest tightened. “I know. I love you.”

“I love you more.” She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the camera. “Stay safe, Isa. For me.”

The call ended, and the screen went dark, reflecting only my own face back at me.