Mistaken Identities

FOUND HER

Angelo's POV

She believes altering her hair color will thwart my recognition, but she underestimates me. I can discern her by more than just her face; her skin tone and physique give her away easily. It's futile to think a simple hair color change will deceive me.

Isabella's vibrant blond hair was one of her defining features, but she's opted for a stark black hue instead.

That blond hair initially captivated me, but now it feels like a betrayal. She vanished without a trace, leaving me stranded at the altar, waiting for a bride who never appeared.

My sole purpose in coming to California was for her. Now, we're bound for New York City tonight.

I watch as my men run after her. She keeps glancing back till they catch up with her.

Leaning on the car, I continue to watch them drag her back and shove her forward till she is right in front of me.

My gaze finally leaves hers. I shift it to meet Ethan's cold look. Suddenly, I punch his face and she gasps, looking scared shitless, just like she looked a few minutes ago when I cut that bastard's wrist.

"No one hurts my woman. No one is allowed to hurt her except me. Understood?" The rest of the men look shocked until I growl out in anger.

Isabella seems shocked as well. Her chest is heaving up and down.

"I asked you to get her, not hurt her," I pointed towards Ethan. He is my right-hand man, and he ought to know what I want and what I don't want. He was the one who shoved her toward me.

"Get lost now!"

They all disperse quickly while two of them remain. They take the other car while Chase opens the car behind me and gets into the driver's seat before opening the door for us to get in.

Left with Isabella, I take off my hood and fold my arms to scrutinize her carefully.

Something is missing.

That look. That wicked glint is no longer evident in her eyes.

The hair color isn't the only difference between them.

This Isabella has suddenly become cool-headed and not fiery and stubborn. She looks calm and timid.

She tucks the fallen pleats of her hair behind her ears and smiles nervously. "Hi."

I do not say anything. "Thank you for saving me. I don't know him from anywhere, he just showed up from nowhere…."

"Isabella…," I cut her short.

This is Isabella. She used to be a chatterbox.

She raises a brow with confusion skating her expression. "Isabella?"

"Isabella Marino, the same woman who left me at the altar eleven months ago and came to hide here in California of all places."

Her confusion intensified, but I care less. She is good at acting. She once told me she wanted to go to an acting school but her parents wouldn't allow her.

"Who are you talking about, sir?" Her hands tremble, but she quickly hides them by holding both hands together.

This is the right time that I am supposed to let it all out. The pent-up anger. The frustrations. The humiliation.

"You think I am a fool?" I yell, unable to control my anger. "You think I wouldn't find you? Do you think you can hide from me forever? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Her trembling increases and she tries to back away, but I grab her arms. "Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm so... sorry. I don't know what you are talking about," she stutters, her face red and a tear rolling down her cheek.

I won't fall for this.

She knows how much I hate liars and people who pretend. She knows this, yet she is doing this. She is lying and pretending to be someone else.

I let go of her, and wicked laughter leaves my mouth. "You don't know what I am talking about?"

She shakes her head, unable to reply to me.

I nod. "Good. Get into the car."

"What?!" She exclaims rather loudly, and I arch a brow at her.

"You heard me, get into the car!" I order with implacable authority.

Without any arguments, she takes giddy baby steps toward the open door and enters.

I flop in beside her, a deep sigh of relief escaping my mouth.

This is it. It's time for my revenge.

"Who are you?" I question her, giving her the liberty to lie all she can till she is tired of lying.

She is not going to suffer only for the humiliation she caused me; she is also going to suffer for lying to me.

I hear her heave a deep sigh. "I'm Olivia. Olivia Carter."

"Olivia?" I snap my head towards her. She nods, avoiding eye contact with me now.

I shift my gaze to her jacket. "Roll it up."

"What?" She asks in confusion, wondering what I mean.

"Roll up your jacket," I utter firmly, my gaze not leaving her hand. I just need one more piece of evidence to know that she is truly the woman I have despised for eleven months, who couldn't back out of the arranged marriage like an adult but instead did a childish thing by running off and leaving me to face the consequences of her actions.

She left her home, her parents, and her real life to come here all because she didn't want a lifetime with me.

What more could be painful for a man like me, who had a reputation and dignity to protect?

It made me feel less of a man. It was business; there were no feelings involved, but she ruined my plans by running off.

At first, I thought she ran off with a lover, but her parents admitted that she never had a boyfriend.

When Ethan first brought the news of her appearance here in California, I almost waved it away because I thought she wouldn't have the nerve to be somewhere close to New York after what she did. But I know how courageous Isabella is and how stubborn and determined she can be.

She was determined to leave me at the altar, but she didn't act suspiciously for me to know that she was planning something huge.

We have searched all around for her; her parents included, but she is nowhere to be found. Now I have found her.

She works in a local restaurant here in California, where there is a big possibility of a good life waiting for her in New York for eleven months.

Carefully, she rolls the left-hand sleeve up, and I see the last piece of evidence that indicates that this is indeed Isabella.

It is a tattoo.

The tattoo of a tiny baby with an alphabetical A below.

This is indeed Isabella.

I lock eyes with her and smirk mischievously before ordering Chase to drive.

This is indeed Isabella, and revenge time is finally here.