In His Grasp: A Mafia Romance novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Not an Accident

Emanuele's actions were much faster than Isabella had anticipated.

On that very evening, Isabella moved into the top-tier apartment.

As she pushed open the apartment door, Isabella was greeted by over two hundred square meters of space. The living room alone was large enough to host a party for twenty people. The balcony was spacious and offered a view of the river below.

In total, there were three rooms, each of them generously sized. The master bedroom, in particular, even had a small sitting area.

"Wow, this is so luxurious!" Isabella marveled at everything before her. She had only seen such opulence online, but now she was actually living in a place like this.

However, despite the excellent environment, Isabella couldn't shake the feeling of not belonging. She was well aware that this place didn't truly belong to her. She was just here temporarily, and once everything settled down, she was determined to return to her peaceful life.

Isabella also discreetly noticed that there were no signs of a man using this place, which eased her mind a bit. At least Emanuele wasn't living here, so she didn't have to be on constant guard.

Emanuele stood behind Isabella, watching as she curiously took in everything in the apartment, like a kitten exploring a new environment. He couldn't help but smile. "Isabella, are you satisfied with all of this?"

Though Isabella knew the environment was nice, it was hard for her to relax and enjoy it, given that it wasn't something she had achieved through her own efforts and considering her disdain for Emanuele. How could she relax and enjoy all of this?

So Isabella turned to face Emanuele and said, "Even a caged canary may have a comfortable life, but it can never be as happy as a free bird."

Emanuele smiled, reached out, and embraced Isabella's shoulder, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, "One day, you'll come to enjoy this kind of life."

Emanuele had also arranged for clothes and everyday necessities for Isabella.

Looking at Emanuele, Isabella made a request, "Can you help me bring some things from my old apartment?"

Emanuele nodded, "We'll need to clean up first, you know. Some things are covered in blood."

"I don't want the bloodstained clothes," Isabella replied, "but the most important thing is a small metal box in my closet. Can you bring that to me?"

She could replace everything else, but that box held unique memories she couldn't bear to lose.

Emanuele's curiosity was piqued. "Oh? What's in the box?"

"It holds some cherished memories," Isabella said.

Inside the box were childhood photos of her with her parents, some gifts her parents had given her, and a Barbie doll she had saved up for and bought as a child. She had seen it in a shop's window and fallen in love with it. As a girl of her age, who didn't have dolls? But she didn't, and she had envied Chloe, who had a variety of Barbie dolls and played with them, changing their clothes and combing their hair. One day, she couldn't resist touching one of them, and Chloe had viciously slapped her hand, leaving it red and swollen.

"If you ever touch my stuff again, I'll break your hand!" Chloe had threatened.

Isabella dared not touch Chloe's belongings again, but she still longed for a Barbie of her own. She knew her mother worked hard, and it wasn't possible for her to buy such things. Her uncle and aunt were out of the question.

So she saved up, doing chores for the neighbors, helping them with their sheep, earning a few cents here and there, until she had saved enough over a year to buy that Barbie doll. To keep it hidden from Chloe, she would sneak it into her pillow every night, taking it out only to talk to it before bedtime.