Various trees and vehicles passed by as Isabella stared out of the window, watching them. She was sitting in the car, heading toward the Valentino Group for a meeting.
The Valentino Group had finally sent a response. It took a little time for them to accept the project. And it made Isabella have negative thoughts.
Since they didn't send any response, she thought maybe they were going to reject it. She was making plans for how she was going to make them agree to the project.
Before she could put the plan to work, she got a reply from them. They wanted to discuss the project in person before making a decision. To discuss the project, they had scheduled a meeting today.
At first, instead of going herself, Isabella thought of sending Elena as her representative. But since the project was really important to her, and she must get the investment from them, she decided to go herself.
This was her last chance. The chance she needed to grasp onto at all costs. She must get the investment. She would get the investment.
The car came to a halt in front of the Valentino Group, and Elena got out of the car before opening the backseat door. Isabella stepped out of the car and headed inside the company along with Elena.
Isabella stood in the entrance hall, and upon seeing her, a young man strode toward her and stopped in front of her. He smiled at her slightly and uttered,
"Hello, Miss Russo. I'm Luca. I'm here to receive you."
Isabella looked at him coldly and nodded. The reaction of Isabella made Luca slightly smirk in satisfaction, as he thought that she was really made for the devil. Luca didn't let Isabella notice his emotions, as he quickly masked his expression.
"Let me escort you to the meeting room. Our CEO is waiting for you," Luca said professionally.
Isabella and Elena followed Luca as he led them to the meeting room. They stood in front of the door, and Luca let out before grabbing the handle,
"Assistants are not allowed at meetings. We will wait in the waiting room. Have a nice meeting, Miss Russo."
Luca's words made Isabella frown as she wondered why the assistants were not allowed. But she didn't think much about it, as she guessed it might be the way they work.
She gave a little nod to Elena as a gesture of telling her to stay with Luca. Luca opened the door, and Isabella walked inside the meeting room.
Nicholas stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows with his hands stuffed in his pockets. The perfectly tailored suit melded into his well-built body effortlessly. His entire existence screamed power and dominance.
Isabella hadn't seen his face yet, as his back was facing her. She couldn't help but look him up and down from the back. Just observing him from behind, she could tell that he had a good body.
Isabella stepped forward a little as she suddenly felt familiar with the back. She wondered if she had ever met him before.
Nicholas smirked as he was aware of Isabella's presence. Adrenaline rushed into him at the knowledge that she was finally near him. The moment she recognized him, Nicholas turned around with a sinful smile.
Isabella froze in her place, and her mind went blank as she stared at Nicholas, who was looking at her with numerous emotions. Happiness, anger, longing, and mystery. There were so many emotions in his golden eyes that made her dizzy.
Isabella blinked multiple times to make sure that her eyes weren't playing games on her. And when she was sure that the devil was in front of her, various thoughts ran rampant in her head.
Isabella wondered what he was doing here. Why was he there? How could he be here? She was supposed to stay away from the devil, but how did she end up being alone in the room with him? Isabella's heart pounded in her rib cage.
She was sure that this company didn't belong to Nicholas. She clearly remembered the details she learned about the Valentino Group. Enzo Valentino was the CEO of the company. He should be the one here, not him.
Then why was Nicholas Costa there? How come he was here? Was the reason her? Did he remember her? Was it a trap? No, he didn't remember her, right? Maybe it was a coincidence. It had been five years. There was no way he would still remember her.
Seeing the situation, Isabella was well aware that she was just trying to fool herself. But she couldn't understand why he was there. Where was the real CEO of the company? What did he want from her?
When she was in shock and deep in her thoughts, Nicholas slowly strode toward her. The burning and predatory gaze of Nicholas made Isabella's mind and heart scream at her to run as far away as possible from him. It made her see red. Her instinct told her to just run, but her body refused to move even an inch.
Isabella stared into Nicholas's eyes with her wildly beating heart. Nicholas stood in front of her and stated with a devious smirk,
"Miss me, Mia Luna?"
His deep voice echoed in the room, making her flinch, and a shiver ran down her spine.
Nicholas's eyes and words made her realize one thing: he remembered her. She was wrong. He never forgot her. And this was a fucking trap.
As this realization hit her, anger rushed into her. He set a trap for what? What did he want from her? Where was Enzo, the CEO of this company? Did he do something to him?
Isabella decided to compose herself first, as her mind was in a mess. She looked at Nicholas and asked calmly,
"Where is Mr. Valentine, the CEO of the company?"
"Did you have fun playing hide-and-seek, Mia Luna?" Nicholas asked, completely ignoring her question.
It was like he didn't hear her at all. A feeling of annoyance filled Isabella at the fact that Nicholas ignored her. Isabella almost snapped at him, but she stopped when she looked into Nicholas's eyes.
The burning madness in Nicholas's eyes made Isabella's heart tremble with a little fear and an unknown emotion.
"Tell me, Mia Luna. Did you have fun?" Nicholas growled while stepping toward her.
Isabella stepped backward as a reflex and averted her gaze from his eyes, as they were making her unable to think.
"I don't know what you are talking about. Do I know you?" She stuttered as she decided to feign ignorance.
It would be fine. She could still keep things the way they were before. As long as she pretended not to know him and escaped from here, from him, everything would be fine.
The words of Isabella made Nicholas halt his steps and look at his little moon in amusement. He could clearly see through her lies. Even though he couldn't tell what was going on in her pretty head, he could still see what his little moon was thinking.
Nicholas chuckled at Isabella's naivety, making Isabella look at him confused. Nicholas again stepped toward her with a smirk, and Isabella stepped backward until she bumped into the door.
Nicholas stopped in front of her and caged her between him and the door. She wanted to fight back, but there was something about him that made her feel vulnerable in front of him. He held her chin gently and made her look at him before whispering darkly,
"Oh, so you don't remember me, huh? It's okay. You remember that note, right? You will remember me and never forget me when I fulfil the promises I made in that note."
Isabella's eyes widened as she understood what Nicholas meant. He was thinking of shackling her with him. He wanted to cage her, but she would never let that happen.
She tried to push him away from her, but he didn't budge even a little. He stepped closer to her, leaving no space for even air to pass between them, and whispered in her ear,
"But before that, let's recite that beautiful night. Maybe that will make you remember me faster."
Before Isabella could register Nicholas's words, he slid his hand on her waist and leaned in slowly while looking straight into her eyes. As Isabella finally came to her senses, she pushed him away from her with all her strength and shouted in anger,
"What do you think you are doing, Nicholas Costa?"
Nicholas smirked in satisfaction and in victory as Isabella uttered his name.
"Now, you remember me," Nicholas said smugly.
Isabella's eyes widened when she realized that Nicholas just played with her to make her admit the truth. Before Isabella could react, Nicholas caged her in his arms and stated darkly,
"You misbehaved, sweetheart. You ran away from me. Did you forget what I told you? You are mine. I have looked for you all over the whole world like a madman. I have been looking for you and waiting for you for five years, sixty months, one thousand eight hundred twenty-five days, forty-three thousand eight hundred hours, two million six hundred twenty-eight thousand minutes, and one hundred fifty-seven million six hundred eighty thousand seconds."
Isabella looked at Nicholas in shock. He counted times. He counted the times since they were separated. And this knowledge made Isabella's heart twist with an unknown emotion.
"Do you know how delighted I was when I finally found you? I offered investment in your project, but you rejected the offer to get away from me. But Mia Luna, nothing can keep you away from me. You belong to me." Nicholas growled, making her gulp.
"Well, you rejecting me made me resort to other options," Nicholas muttered.
"What?" Isabella stated, confused.
"I bought this company just for you," Nicholas said, smiling delightedly.
Isabella stared at him, bewildered, and exclaimed in shock,
"You did what?"
"I brought the Valentino Group just for you, Mia Luna."
"You are crazy. What do you want from me?" Isabella asked, glaring at him.
"You know what I want, sweetheart. I want you. You are mine." Nicholas whispered.
Isabella shook her head and uttered angrily,
"No, I'm not yours. Since when I became yours?"
"From the night we met, you belonged to me. Did you forget the note, Mia Luna? I told you the next time I would see you, you would be mine. You came to me yourself that night, love. You gave yourself to me willingly. That night, I marked you as mine. You belong to me." Nicholas whispered against her lips with a smirk.
Isabella pushed him away from her again and looked at him furiously. She hated that he was treating her as a thing. She stood a few steps away from him to keep her distance from him and said, her voice laced with rage,
"That night was a mistake. I'm not a thing that can be owned. I only belong to myself, not you. I DON'T BELONG TO YOU."
"You are mine, sweetheart. LA MIA LUNA. Accept that. And, indeed, you are not a thing. But you are my queen, my moon, and my CHILDREN'S MOTHER." Nicholas muttered, making Isabella freeze.
'He knows about the children.' Isabella thought as her heart stilled.
Since when did he know? When did he find out? As if Nicholas had heard Isabella's thoughts, he muttered in satisfaction,
"The day I found you. I found out about them too. And don't try to lie about them not being mine, etc. I'm sure they are mine. They are our children."
Nicholas's words left Isabella speechless. She didn't know what she was supposed to do now. Was he going to take them from her? Would he take her angels from her?
"Don't worry; I'm not going to take them away from you. I want them to have both of us in their lives. They are mine, like you are. Both you and the children belong to me."
Isabella felt a little relieved but soon rage filled her. She glared at him and spat,
"Let me say that one last time. I don't belong to you. I will never be with you. What are you going to do? Kidnap us and force us to be with you?"
Nicholas released a deep breath and leaned against the table before saying,
"If it were five years ago, I would have done that. But I won't do it now. I will win my little babies' hearts. I will woo you. I will make you fall for me. I will make you come to me willingly."
"That's never gonna happen," Isabella said, glaring at him.
"Never say never, sweetheart," Nicholas said with a smirk.
"Never. I will NEVER fall for you. I will NEVER be yours. I will NEVER belong to you," she retorted.
"We will see, Mia Luna," he said darkly.
"I will kill you," she grumbled.
"Oh, it will be my honour to be killed by you, Mia Luna. I will wait for it. But know that even death won't be able to stop me from having you." Nicholas said with a smile, making her look at him with a done face.
"You are crazy. I've had enough of our conversation. Do whatever you want, but I will never fall for you." Isabella said as she stepped toward the door. Forget about the meeting; she needed to get out of here.
Nicholas wanted to tell her that it didn't matter whether she fell for him or not because no matter what, she was his. He wanted to stop her and feel her in his arms again, but he stopped himself.
He decided to let her go today. He didn't want to put her on edge. He reminded himself to be patient and that it was just beginning. Days would come when she would be caged in his arms for eternity.
As Isabella grabbed the door handle, Nicholas uttered with a dangerous smile,
"Oh, let me tell you one more thing. Don't try to run away from me. You can never escape from me. I will hunt you down, even in hell. No matter where you hide, I will always hunt you down and drag you back to me."
Nicholas's words made a chill run down her core, and she swallowed hard. Without looking back and saying another word, she opened the door and left the room before saying,
"Psycho."
Nicholas smirked at Isabella's words. He knew that Isabella's statement was right. He was a psycho. Her psycho. He was really crazy. Madly crazy for her.