The Mafia Don That Murdered My Family

Chapter 6: Isabella's Attempt

Aria's POV

The car stops in front of my house and Dante’s man gets out to open the door for me.

“Miss Aria,” he says politely. “We’re here.”

I nod and step out clutching my purse like it holds my sanity together. The headlights bathe the driveway in gold before the car slowly drives off and I stand there for a long moment just staring after it until the sound of the engine fades.

My heart is still racing, and my head is a mess with one name.

Dante..

That man...he’s something else. Calm, reserved and almost too composed. The kind of calm that feels dangerous because it hides things underneath, but tonight he wasn’t cold. He was… kind. Gentle even. The way he looked at me and the way he tried to make me laugh when I was too embarrassed to breathe.

I bite my lip, annoyed with myself. I shouldn’t be thinking about him like this.

“Aria?” My father’s voice cuts through my thoughts as the front door swings open and he’s standing there in his robe with his hair catching the porch light. His eyes narrow at the empty driveway. “Who was that?”

“One of Dante’s men,” I say quietly, walking up the steps.

“Dante?” He steps aside for me to enter. “You mean Dante Marino?”

“Yes,” I reply. “He… he offered to have someone drive me home.”

Father raises an eyebrow as I brush past him into the living room and I can feel his stare burning the back of my head as I take off my shoes. I know what he’s thinking and he’s not wrong.

Once we’re both seated, I take a breath and tell him everything...from seeing Dante at the restaurant to how he joked, how he owned the place, how Isabella tore his card before and how he apologized to me. My father listens without interrupting, just steepling his fingers under his chin.

When I finish his lips twist into a small and satisfied smile.

“So,” he says slowly, “our plan is working.”

I glance up at him, frowning a little and he leans forward.

“You’re already close to him, Aria. Good. Keep it that way. Once the connection deepens, we strike. You’ll get close enough to kill him...and our family will finally have justice for your brothers.”

His words make my stomach twist with justice and revenge.

That’s what we wanted. That’s why I agreed to this plan...to seduce Dante Marino, get into his world, earn his trust and then destroy him but now…

Now I can still see his face when he looked at me across the restaurant table, the calm in his eyes and the quiet concern when he told me to sit down and get my head straight.

“He’s not what I expected,” I say before I can stop myself.

My father’s expression hardens.

“Don’t start with that.”

“I’m serious,” I say softly. “He’s… not like the stories. I thought he’d be cold, cruel even, but he’s...”

“Don’t let his mask fool you,” my father snaps. “The smile of a crocodile looks gentle too...right before it bites.”

I look down, feeling small again like I’m fifteen and he’s catching me breaking curfew.

“You think a man like Dante Marino gets to the top by being kind?” he continues. “No, Aria. He kills, he manipulates and he ruins families...ours included. Don’t forget what he did to your brothers.”

My throat tightens and the memory flashes like lightning with blood and screams from the night everything fell apart. I clench my fists.

“I haven’t forgotten,” I whisper.

“Good,” Father says, leaning back. “Because your marriage to him, when it happens, will only be a tool. You get close, and then you do what must be done. No distractions and no feelings.”

“I know,” I mutter. “You don’t have to remind me.”

But maybe he does because a part of me doesn’t believe Dante is the monster my father says he is.

When I go to bed that night, sleep doesn’t come easily and every time I close my eyes I see Dante’s calm eyes watching me with that slight half-smile of his, the way his voice lowered when he said, ‘You should sit and get your head straight before you leave.’

It wasn’t the voice of a killer or maybe that’s exactly why he’s dangerous.

***

The next morning, I drag myself out of bed and dress in jeans and a sweatshirt. The world outside is bright but dull like my mood. I drive my car to the auto shop because the glass still has cracks from last night with the gunfire from Isabella's goons.

The mechanic whistles low when he sees it.

“Damn, what happened here?”

“Just… wrong place, wrong time,” I mumble.

He nods and promises it’ll be ready by evening. I leave the car with him and start walking back down the road, planning to grab a taxi halfway.

The street is quiet... almost too quiet. The wind pushes loose papers across the sidewalk and I tuck my hands into my pockets and try not to think, but then a car passes slowly beside me... black, tinted windows with three men inside. I catch one of them staring at me through the half-rolled window and their eyes follow me as the car glides past.

My stomach drops and I keep walking, faster this time and pretending I don’t notice but then I hear the engine rev behind me. I glance back, and my blood runs cold. The car has turned around. They’re coming back!

My legs move before my brain does. I pick up speed with my heart pounding and then, suddenly I see a flash of metal from the car window.

Gun!

“s**t!” I dive behind a fire hydrant just as the shots ring out. Loud, sharp and deafening. People scream and scatter at the sound of glass shattering, tires screeching and chaos everywhere.

Bullets hit the dirt near my feet and sparks fly off the metal hydrant. I curl tight against it, covering my head and waiting for the pain to come, but it doesn’t.

When the shooting stops I dare to peek. The car speeds off with tires screeching again.

I’m still alive and without a single scratch. My body trembles as I get up with my legs shaking and my heart pounding so loud I can hear it in my ears.

It’s her. It has to be her. Isabella.

I start running not caring who sees me. I sprint until my lungs burn until I reach home. I slam the door behind me and lean against it, gasping.

“Aria?” My father rushes out from his study and his face tightens when he sees me. “What happened?”

“They...someone tried to shoot me,” I say breathlessly. “Three men in a car. They followed me after I left the auto shop. I’m sure of it...it’s Isabella. She must’ve sent them!”

His face darkens instantly.

“Isabella Moretti?”

I nod.

“She wants me dead, Father. She said before that she’d kill me if I got close to Dante and now she’s trying.”

He paces the room, thinking and I can see the rage simmering under his calm.

“This could be more dangerous than we thought,” I say softly. “If she’s already suspicious, we won’t even get close enough to...”

“Enough,” he interrupts. He walks to the bookshelf, pulls a lever hidden behind a stack of old novels and a small safe door pops open from the wall. He reaches inside and pulls out a black handgun.

He turns to me with his eyes sharp.

“Here,” he says, holding it out. “For protection…”