The Cold Mafia Boss Never Loved 😍

Unwanted care

CHAPTER 4: UNWANTED CARE

The ride back to the mansion was silent. The heavy black car moved smoothly through the dark city streets, but the air inside was thick and tense. Bella sat pressed against the door, her hands folded tightly in her lap, her mind still replaying what had happened at the dinner.

Alessandro sat beside her, his long legs stretched out, his elbow resting on the window ledge. He stared straight ahead, his face hard and unreadable, the same cold mask he always wore back in place. He hadn’t spoken a single word since they left the hotel.

But Bella could still feel the heat of his anger, the intensity of how he had protected her, the way his hand touched her wrist—gentle, caring, terrified—when he asked if she was hurt.

He said it was duty, she thought to herself, staring at his sharp, handsome profile. He said it was only because I belong to him. But no man burns with that kind of fire just for a possession.

When the car finally pulled up in front of the mansion gates, the driver stepped out to open the door. Alessandro got out first, tall and imposing, waiting silently for her. Bella stepped out, and without a word, he turned and walked toward the entrance, expecting her to follow.

She followed him inside, through the grand hall and up the wide staircase. She expected him to go straight to his office or his private wing, far away from her, like he always did. But instead, he stopped right in front of her bedroom door.

Bella paused, surprised. She looked up at him, confused. "Is… is something wrong?"

Alessandro didn’t answer immediately. He stood close to her, towering over her, his dark eyes scanning her face. Then, slowly, he reached out his hand. Bella flinched slightly, her heart racing, but she didn’t move away.

His fingers brushed gently against her cheek, then moved down to her neck, stopping at the collar of her dress. He gripped the fabric softly, pulling it slightly to the side.

There, against her pale skin, were faint red marks—leftovers from where Mr. Rossi had grabbed her arm and pulled her close, bruises that were only just beginning to show.

Alessandro’s eyes darkened. His jaw tightened, and his thumb brushed over the marks with a touch so light it almost tickled.

"He hurt you," he said. It wasn’t a question. His voice was low, rough, laced with a dangerous kind of quiet fury.

"It… it doesn’t hurt much anymore," Bella whispered, her breath hitching in her throat. She couldn’t look away from him. Being this close to him, seeing this side of him… it was dangerous. It was confusing.

Alessandro dropped his hand abruptly, stepping back as if he had just realized he was touching her for too long. He turned his face away, staring at the wall, struggling to regain control of his own emotions.

"I told you to stay close to me," he said, his voice sharp again, masking whatever softness had slipped through. "I told you not to wander off. If you had listened, this wouldn’t have happened."

Bella felt a spark of anger rise inside her. She had been scared, she had been hurt, and now he was blaming her?

"I did stay close!" she answered back, her voice louder than she intended. "You were the one who walked away to talk business! You left me alone! I did exactly what you told me—I stood still, I kept quiet, I didn’t embarrass you! And still… still, someone tried to hurt me."

She took a breath, her eyes shining with unshed tears, looking straight at his cold, hard face.

"You say I am nothing. You say you don’t care. You say you will never love me. But if I am truly nothing to you, Alessandro… why do you even care that I got hurt? Why did you make a scene in front of everyone? Why are you standing here right now?"

Silence stretched between them, heavy and charged. For a long moment, Alessandro said nothing. He looked at her—really looked at her—with an expression she couldn’t decipher. It was a mix of frustration, confusion, and something deeper that he was fighting hard to hide.

He took a step closer again, invading her space, trapping her between him and the door. He leaned down, his face inches from hers, his warm breath fanning over her skin.

"Because," he gritted out, his voice low and intense, "when something belongs to me, it is mine to break or mine to keep safe. No one else gets to touch you. No one else gets to hurt you. Not because I care about you, Bella. Not because I have a heart. But because you carry my name. You represent me. And I do not tolerate damage to what is mine."

He stared deep into her eyes, searching for something, or perhaps trying to convince himself of his own words.

"Do not mistake my actions for kindness. Or love. It is nothing more than ownership. Do you understand me?"

Bella nodded slowly, even though her heart was screaming that he was lying. Even though every action he took contradicted every cold word he spoke.

"I understand," she whispered.

Alessandro held her gaze a second longer, then pulled back sharply, turning away like he was running from something.

"Good." His voice was distant again, walls built back up high. "There is medicine in the bathroom cabinet. Apply it. I do not want to see marks on you tomorrow. It looks ugly."

He started walking away, his long strides carrying him down the hall. But before he turned the corner, he stopped, his back still to her.

"And Bella…" he said, his voice quieter, almost too low for her to hear. "Tomorrow… do not leave the house. Not even the garden. Stay inside. Where it is safe."

Before she could answer, he was gone.

Bella stood there, leaning against the doorframe, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She touched the marks on her skin where his fingers had been, where the other man had hurt her.

He says he owns me. He says it’s just pride. He says he will never love me.

But as she walked slowly into her room, she knew one thing for certain:

Alessandro Moretti might be a master at hiding his feelings, but his actions were already betraying him. He claimed he had no heart… yet he was already giving hers everything she ever wanted, without even knowing it.