When Isabella opened the apartment door, Dante was awake.
He was sitting on the sofa, watching the entrance.
His gun was beside him.
“You're late,” he said.
Isabella looked at the clock.
“I haven't even been gone for an hour!”
“Forty-seven minutes.”
She stared at him in surprise.
“You were counting?”
“I notice everything.”
“That must be exhausting.”
His eyes narrowed.
“What's in those bags?”
“Medicine, food, and a few other things.”
“Put them on the table.”
She did as he said.
Dante checked the medicine first.
“Did you buy everything?”
“Everything I could get. But you still need a doctor.”
He ignored her comment.
Then he noticed the groceries.
“What's all this?”
“Food.”
“I can see that.”
“Then why are you asking?”
Dante slowly turned towards her.
Isabella realised what she had just said.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Dante gave her a small, cold smile.
“You have a habit of talking back.”
“And you have a habit of pointing guns at people.”
His smile disappeared.
Isabella immediately lowered her eyes.
“Sorry.”
“Don't apologise if you don't mean it.”
She looked at him.
“I mean it.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
He watched her for a moment before looking away.
“Fine. Now tell me what you're planning to do with all those groceries.”
“I'm going to prepare breakfast.”
“For me?”
“For both of us. I haven't eaten properly since yesterday.”
Dante looked at her as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“You bring an injured stranger into your home, and now you're preparing breakfast for him?”
“You were the one who told me to bring you here!”
“Be careful, Isabella.”
She pressed her lips together.
Then she picked up the grocery bags.
“I'm going to the kitchen.”
She turned and walked away.
Dante watched her leave.
He couldn't understand her.
She was afraid of him, yet she continued arguing with him.
She had used his card to spend money and buy food for both of them.
He didn't know whether she was foolish or simply different from everyone else he had ever met.
But he didn't like the fact that he wanted to know more about her.
### Breakfast
Isabella placed the groceries on the kitchen counter.
Then she looked towards the living room.
Dante was still watching her.
She immediately turned away.
She had bought something from the animal-care shop for a specific reason.
She took the bag out of her handbag and checked its contents.
Then she looked at Dante again.
She needed to be very careful.
Even a small mistake could make him angry.
She had already learned how dangerous Dante Moretti could be when he was angry.
She placed the bag inside a cupboard and began preparing breakfast.
Soon, the smell of fried eggs and toasted bread spread throughout the apartment.
Dante closed his eyes for a moment.
He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had sat in a quiet room and smelled freshly prepared food without thinking about business, betrayal, or death.
But he immediately pushed the thought aside.
He was still in danger.
His enemies were still searching for him.
And he didn't know whether Isabella could be trusted.
In the kitchen, Isabella finished preparing the food.
She placed two plates on the table.
“Breakfast is ready.”
Dante looked at the table.
“Do you expect me to eat this?”
Isabella stared at him in disbelief.
“No. I prepared it for the ghost living in my bedroom.”
He looked at her.
She looked back at him.
For a moment, she thought he was going to become angry.
Instead, Dante slowly laughed.
It was a small laugh, but it was genuine.
Isabella was surprised.
Isabella: “You can laugh? I thought your face didn't even know how to smile.”
Dante's smile disappeared.
Dante: “Be careful, little girl.”
Isabella: “I'm twenty-four. I'm not a little girl.”
Dante: “Then stop behaving like one.”
Isabella rolled her eyes and returned to the kitchen.
Dante silently watched her walk away.
She cleared the plates and organised the remaining groceries.
A few minutes later, she picked up the bag she had bought earlier and placed it on the wooden table.
She stood there, staring at the items inside.
Then, slowly, a mysterious smile appeared on her lips.
Isabella: “Let's see how this works.”
She glanced towards Dante.
He was still sitting on the sofa, completely unaware of anything unusual.
Isabella picked up the bag again, and her smile widened.
For the first time since meeting the dangerous stranger, it seemed that she had a secret of her own.
Whatever she was planning, she had no intention of telling him.
End of Book 1
To be continued...