His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Dominic’s POV

I hadn’t planned on doing the school run myself.

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Florence traffic was already building, my phone kept vibrating with updates I was deliberately ignoring, and yet I found myself gripping the steering wheel harder than necessary as Mateo chattered in the back seat about a drawing he wanted to show his teacher.

Isabella sat beside me, too quiet.

She kept glancing over her shoulder, watching the school come into view like it might vanish if she looked away for too long.

When I pulled to a stop, Mateo unbuckled himself quickly, excitement warring with nerves on his face.

“You’ll be okay,” Isabella told him, brushing his hair back. “I’ll see you later, hmm?”

“I know,” he said happily. He said a quick goodbye to me and then he hugged her longer than usual before opening the door and going inside.

I watched her carefully as he walked inside.

She didn’t move, didn’t speak.

She just stood there, eyes fixed on the school gates long after they’d closed behind him.

“He’ll be fine,” I said quietly.

She exhaled. “I know. I just-” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “I worry.”

I nodded once. “I’ll pick him up myself and bring him straight home. Martha and I will take care of him till you get back from work.”

She turned to look at me. “I’ll come with you.”

It wasn’t a question.

I didn’t argue. “Alright.”

Then, I drove to her office which wasn’t too far away from Mateo’s school. Dropping her at her office felt

strange.

I’d seen her here before, but this time felt different. She straightened in her seat, professionalism sliding over her like armor once we’d reached the parking lot. This was her world. One she had built without me.

As we pulled up, another car slid into place beside us.

Luca.

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Chapter 53

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The moment he saw her, his face lit up. He got out immediately, crossing the space between them in seconds.

“Isa,” he said warmly, pulling her into a hug. “You’re back. God, I’m so glad you’re finally here.”

My jaw clenched before I could stop it.

I stayed in the car, hands tightening on the steering wheel, watching his arm linger around her shoulders, watching her smile soften in a way that scraped something raw inside my chest.

Too close. Too familiar.

I didn’t like it.

I opened the door and stepped out before I’d even finished the thought.

Isabella looked startled when she saw me beside her. “What are you doing?”

“If I’m here,” I said evenly, “I might as well get an update on the collaboration.”

Luca glanced between us, eyebrows lifting slightly, but nodded all the same. “Of course. Chiara will be happy to see you.”

Isabella studied me for a moment, suspicion flickering in her eyes. Then she smiled faintly, as if amused.

The three of us entered the building together.

I positioned myself between her and Luca in the elevator without consciously deciding to. The space felt too small. Luca spoke animatedly about work, and Isabella responded politely, but I barely heard them.

All I could think about was how easily he touched her. How natural it seemed.

When the elevator doors opened, I followed Isabella into her office before I could second-guess myself.

The moment the door closed behind us, the noise of the floor dulled, leaving only the quiet hum of the city outside and the faint scent of her perfume. Familiar. Distracting.

She turned to face me, arms crossing slowly over her chest.

“What are you doing?” she asked again, but this time there was something lighter in her voice. Curiosity, maybe. Amusement, too.

“Getting an update,” I said smoothly.

“In my office?” she prompted.

“I like efficiency.”

Her lips curved. “Funny. You usually prefer conference rooms. With glass walls. And witnesses.”

“I’m flexible,” I replied. “When the situation calls for it.”

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Chapter 53

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She studied me for a second longer, eyes sharp and knowing. “You followed me in here because Luca hugged me, didn’t you?”

I scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

She raised a brow. “You stood between us in the elevator.”

“That’s called courtesy.”

“You glared at him.”

“I always glare.”

She laughed then, soft, surprised, and the sound hit me harder than it had any right to. God, I’d missed that. Not just her presence, but this ease. This banter that felt effortless and dangerous all at once.

“You’re being territorial,” she said lightly.

“I’m being professional.”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed, unconvinced. “So professional that you followed me into my private office.”

I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “If I were being territorial, Isabella, you’d know.”

Her breath hitched just slightly at my words.

For a second, the air between us thickened, charged with things neither of us were saying.

She cleared her throat first, turning towards her desk. “So. Since you’re here, what do you want to know?”

I leaned against the edge of her desk, watching her instead of the files she pulled up.

“You,” I said without thinking.

She froze, then slowly looked back at me. “Excuse me?”

I smirked faintly. “Your work. Your department. I hear you’ve been keeping my people on their toes.”

She relaxed, rolling her eyes. “That’s because your people are impossible.”

“They say the same thing about you.”

She smiled at that, pride flickering through her expression. “Good. Means I’m doing my job.”

I nodded. “You are.”

The words came out quieter than I’d intended, more sincere.

She hesitated, then said softly, “You don’t have to hover, you know.”

“I’m not hovering.”

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Chapter 53

“You drove us. Dropped Mateo. Walked me in. Followed me upstairs.”

I shrugged. “Busy morning.”

She shook her head, smiling to herself. “You’re terrible at pretending you don’t care.”

The accusation landed somewhere deep in my chest.

“I care,” I admitted. “About my son. About his mother.”

Something flickered across her features before she quickly masked it.

“Care can be complicated,” she said, her tone neutral.

“So can distance,” I replied.

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For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt familiar, like something old trying to resurface.

Then a knock broke it.

Luca leaned in. “Sorry to interrupt but I’ve informed Chiara. She’s ready with the briefing.”

I straightened, irritation flashing hot and immediate. I didn’t bother hiding it this time.

“Of course she is,” I muttered. Luca simply smiled at me before leaving.

Isabella caught my expression and bit back a smile. “Shall we be professional now, Don Russo?”

I offered her my arm, mock-formal. “After you, Signora.”

She hesitated, but then took it.

And as we stepped back into the hallway, I realized something unsettling.

This wasn’t just jealousy.

This wasn’t obligation.

This was me enjoying her company far more than I was willing to admit, and liking the way she still knew exactly how to get under my skin.

And that scared me more than any enemy ever could.

12:58 Sat, Jan 17