His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 199

Chapter 199

Chapter 199

Isabella’s POV

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The past few days had been softer, warmer. Caterina had a way of doing that, of filling spaces that had felt too quiet, too heavy, with noise and life and a kind of love that didn’t ask questions. She hovered, fussed, scolded, and fed me like a proper mother hen, and for once, I didn’t mind it.

I liked it. I liked not having to carry everything alone. I liked that Mateo laughed more. I liked that for a few brief moments in the day, things felt normal.

Which was probably why the shift, when it came, felt so sharp.

I was at my desk two days later, reviewing a set of curation notes, my mind only half on the work, half still on the conversation I’d had with Caterina that morning about names-names, of all things-when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I said absently.

My assistant stepped in, but something in her expression made me look up immediately. She looked uneasy as she stood near the door.

“Ma’am, there’s someone here to see you.”

“Who?”

A pause. “Alessia Moretti.”

Everything inside me went still.

The pen slipped slightly in my fingers before I steadied it.

“She doesn’t have an appointment,” my assistant added quickly. “But she told me to tell you her name. Said you knew her.”

I almost scoffed. Oh, did I know her. But the question was, what was she doing here?

“Send her in,” I said to her anyway.

The moment the door closed behind my assistant, the room felt different, like something had already entered it before she even had.

The door opened again and Alessia walked in like she belonged, composed, elegant and completely unhurried.

Her eyes met mine immediately, and she smiled. “Isabella,” she said warmly. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“You are,” I said bluntly, my voice calm but firm.

Her smile, however, didn’t falter. “I won’t take long,”

She stepped further inside, her gaze drifting around the room, not idly but precisely, like she was cataloguing everything

“You’ve built something beautiful here,” she said softly. “Very peaceful”

I didn’t respond.

“What do you want?” I asked instead.

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Chapter 199

She tilted her head slightly, as if amused by the directness.

“Straight to the point,” she murmured. “I like that.”

I stayed silent.

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She moved closer to my desk, her fingers brushing lightly against the surface before stopping near a stack of files.

“Renaissance acquisitions,” she said casually. “A project this big must be exhausting.”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I replied firmly.

Her eyes lifted to mine. A flicker of something-amusement? approval?-passed through them.

“Of course,” she said lightly.

Then, she walked closer to my desk and reached for something kept there.

My phone.

My body reacted instantly. “What are you doing?”

‘I just want to see something,” she said, already turning it in her hand.

My chest tightened. I hated her touching anything that belonged to me. Hell, I hated every second of her being in the same space as me. “Put that down,” I said.

She didn’t.

Instead, she glanced at the screen, dark, locked, and then looked back at me.

‘Relax,” she said softly. “I’m not going to steal it,”

Then she placed it back exactly where it had been, like nothing had happened.

But everything had.

Because now I knew. She wasn’t just here to talk. She was testing boundaries, pushing them, seeing how far she could go And how much I would tolerate.

She stepped back then, as if giving me space again.

“You seem tense,” she observed.

“I wonder why.” I replied.

A faint smile curved her lips. Then, “Tell me something,” she said.

I didn’t answer. But she continued anyway.

“Do you ever think about how fragile this is?”

My brows drew together slightly. “What is?”

She gestured lightly around the room. “This,” she said. “Your life. Your routine. Your sense of control”

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Chapter 199

A pause.

“It can disappear very quickly.”

Something cold settled in my chest. “Is that a threat?” I asked.

“No,” she said immediately. “It’s concern.”

A lie. A very practiced one.

Then, she reached into her bag, pulling out a small object. She placed it gently on my desk.

A keychain.

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My breath caught because I knew it instantly. It belonged to Mateo. He had bought it as a keepsake from a shop in Milan a few days back. But he had lost it while playing at the park yesterday.

What was it doing with her? Was she watching us? What the hell did this mean? Was she trying to scare me? Into doing what? And why?

My heart started pounding.

“Where did you get this?” I asked, my voice low.

Her expression didn’t change. “I found it,” she said simply.

“Where?”

A small pause. Then, “In a park.”

The room spun for a second. The park. Where I often went with Mateo. Where Caterina had gone with us yesterday too.

My fingers curled into fists. “You followed us there?” I asked.

“Of course not,” she said smoothly. “I told you, I found it lying around.”

Liar.

Every instinct in my body screamed it. But I had no proof. Nothing I could hold onto. Nothing I could throw back at her. Just that quiet, creeping fear curling through my chest.

She watched me for a moment, carefully. Then said softly, “You should be more careful.”

The words landed heavier than anything else she had said so far.

Before I could respond, the door opened.

“Isa-”

Dominic stopped the moment he saw her.

The temperature in the room dropped instantly.

“Alessia.”

His voice was sharp, controlled, dangerous.

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Chapter 199

She turned towards him, calm as ever. “Dominic,” she said. “Perfect timing.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I came to visit,” she replied lightly.

“You can not come here,” his tone was flat, final. “We’re leaving.”

She sighed softly, as if indulging him. “You’re overreacting.”

“No,” he said. “I’m not.”

Silence stretched.

Then she turned back to me with that same composed smile.

“Take care of yourself,” she said. “And your son.”

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My stomach dropped. Then she walked towards Dominic. He didn’t wait, didn’t argue. He just took her arm and guided her out without another word.

The door shut behind them.

And just like that, the room fell silent again.

But it wasn’t the samne silence. It didn’t feel calm anymore. It didn’t feel safe.

My eyes dropped slowly to the keychain still lying on my desk.

Mateo’s. Found in the park.

I didn’t fully understand what had just happened. I was both confused and angry. Had Alessia been trying to show me that she was keeping tabs on me and my son? But why? Was this some kind of a ploy to scare me? If so, scare me into doing what? What the hell did she want from me?

And wait, did she know about my pregnancy? It didn’t look like she did or she definitely would’ve mentioned it.

I hadn’t talked to Dominic much the past few days. But now it looked like Alessia’s unexpected visit had given me a reason to do just that.

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