CHAPTER SEVEN: DANGEROUS PROXIMITY
585 Words
Chapter Seven: Dangerous Proximity
Isla told herself she wasn’t affected. That Alessio Moretti was just another arrogant, powerful man who thought the world bent to his will.
And maybe it did.
But she wouldn’t.
At least, that’s what she kept repeating as she followed him back into the office after their tense, suffocatingly intimate lunch.
Her stomach was full, but her thoughts were unsettled.
Because for the first time, she realized just how dangerous this situation was.
Not because Alessio was a ruthless mafia heir.
Not because she was trapped in a contract she couldn’t escape.
But because when he leaned in close, when his voice dropped into that low, teasing murmur, her body reacted in ways it shouldn’t.
She hated him.
Didn’t she?
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The afternoon dragged on.
Isla buried herself in work, determined to prove she wasn’t just some charity case Alessio had dragged off the street.
But it was impossible to ignore him.
Every time she looked up, he was there. Watching.
His presence filled the room, sucking out all the air, making it impossible to think straight.
She was about to escape for a coffee break when a sharp knock interrupted her thoughts.
The door swung open, and two men strolled in without waiting for an invitation.
Alessio didn’t even look up. “Gabriele. Luca.”
Isla stiffened.
His brothers.
She recognized them immediately—Gabriele, the eldest, controlled and cold, and Luca, the second-born, with a sharp gaze that felt like it could cut through steel.
They didn’t look pleased.
“What is she doing here?” Gabriele asked, his gaze slicing toward Isla like she was some kind of contaminant.
Alessio exhaled, leaning back in his chair. “Working.”
Luca scoffed. “She looks more like a liability.”
Isla’s fists clenched. She had no idea what their problem was, but she wouldn’t stand here and let them talk about her like she wasn’t in the room.
“I can hear you, you know,” she said, voice tight.
Luca smirked. “Good. Then you’ll understand when I say you don’t belong here.”
Heat crawled up her neck, but before she could fire back, Alessio’s voice cut through the tension.
“She belongs wherever I say she belongs.”
A shiver ran down her spine.
The room went silent.
Gabriele’s expression remained unreadable, but Luca scoffed again, shaking his head. “You’re slipping, fratellino.”
Alessio’s jaw ticked. “Watch yourself, Luca.”
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then, without another word, Gabriele turned and walked out, Luca following close behind.
The second they were gone, Isla let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
Alessio rubbed a hand over his jaw, exhaling sharply. “Idiots.”
Isla hesitated. “They don’t like me.”
Alessio’s lips twitched. “They don’t like anyone.”
She folded her arms. “But especially me.”
He looked at her then, something unreadable flickering in his dark eyes. “They don’t trust you.”
She swallowed. “Should they?”
He leaned forward, voice low. “Should I?”
The air crackled.
Something in his gaze made her stomach flip.
She needed to get out of this office.
Now.
She turned abruptly. “I’m taking that coffee break.”
Alessio let her go.
But as she walked away, she could still feel his gaze burning into her back.
And for the first time, she wasn’t sure if she was running from him—or from herself.
- Writer
