Antonio's POV
The smoke curled from my lips as I leaned lazily against Leo's car, watching them approach. They were walking tiredly, dragging their feet like exhausted little prisoners after detention. I let out a low chuckle — my piccola looked too innocent to be causing trouble in school. Guess I'll talk to Suz later, tell her to let my Ell be.
Leo's eyes flickered with surprise the moment he noticed me, but I didn't bother looking his way. "Long time no see, Le," I said, still keeping my gaze fixed on Isabella.
He replied stiffly, "Yeah right, it's been almost forever."
I took one last drag from my cigarette, then dropped it to the ground and crushed it under my shoe. My gaze stayed on her — wide eyes, lips slightly parted, her whole body frozen like she'd seen a ghost.
"Piccola… vieni qui," (little one… come here).
She blinked, her lips parting slightly. For a moment, her eyes darted between me and Leo, like she was asking for permission or maybe courage. Then she took a small step forward.
Only then did I lift my gaze fully to Leo — his expression stiff, fists clenched at his sides. A slow smirk pulled at my mouth. Just as I thought.
She took a step forward, but Leo's hand shot out, pulling her back.
"You can't just come here and act like you own her," he said, his voice sharp with anger.
A slow smirk tugged at my lips. I could see how red his ears were — jealousy suits him badly.
"Well, Le, I do own her. That's exactly why I'm here — to take what's mine. Now take your hand off her. I don't like it when other people touch what belongs to me," I said, my voice calm but cold.
"You can't tell me what to do. I don't care about whatever stupid deal you two have. She's not leaving here with you," he fired back.
"Is this jealousy I'm hearing?" I asked with a chuckle, watching the muscle in his jaw twitch. "We'll see to this childish stunt of yours later." I turned my gaze to my piccola.
"Ell, vieni qui (Ell, come here)," I said softly.
She hesitated — looked at Leo's hand holding hers, then back at my face.
Elena stepped in carefully. "Leo, I think you should let her go. Remember, this is Antonio," she said quietly.
"I don't give a fuck if he's the goddamn devil himself! She's not leaving here!" Leo blurted out.
I sighed and straightened up, my tone dropping low.
"I'm letting you talk too much, Le, not because I can't kill you right now, but because I'm in a good mood. Ell, if you don't want me to ruin it and make me spill some blood, come here. I won't repeat myself."
She immediately stepped forward, closing the distance between us — just as I expected.
"That's more like it," I muttered with a smirk.
"Now, Le, I'll pretend this little scene never happened. We used to be close, but not anymore. So don't cross the line."
With that, I grabbed Ell's wrist and walked off.
The moment she got in, the air grew thick.
She sat beside me, quiet—her fingers trembling slightly as she held them together on her lap. I started the engine, eyes fixed on the road, but my mind… was far from calm.
I could still see Leo's hand on her wrist. That single image was enough to make my jaw tighten.
"You've gotten brave, piccola," I said quietly, almost to myself. "Telling me to marry you… then letting another man hold you like that."
I smirked, masking the irritation clawing at my chest. It wasn't jealousy—never that—but the sight of another man holding what was mine had a way of scraping my nerves raw. I tilted my head slightly, stearing at her as my eyes darkened. Control. Always control. Losing it wasn't my thing—but pushing others to lose theirs? That, I enjoyed.
She turned her face toward the window, refusing to meet my gaze.
"You don't have anything to say?" I asked.
"I didn't plan for things to go this way," she whispered.
"Hmm." I took a slow drag of my cigarette and blew the smoke out through the half-open window. "You always say that when you're in trouble."
Her eyes flicked to me, glistening. "You didn't have to talk to him like that."
I gave a dry laugh. "Oh, I should've smiled while he held my girl like she belonged to him?"
"I'm not your girl," she snapped softly, but her voice cracked at the end.
I turned my head just enough to meet her eyes—slow, deliberate. "You are now," I said, voice low, calm, final.
The car was quiet. Too quiet. She kept stealing glances at me, like she wanted to ask something but couldn't bring herself to. Her fingers twisted nervously in her lap.
"Where are we going?" she finally asked, voice low.
I didn't answer. I just kept driving, eyes on the road. She shifted uncomfortably, clearly realizing we weren't heading toward her home.
"Antonio—" she started again.
"Don't worry, piccola," I cut in calmly. "You'll be safe where we're going."
She turned to the window, biting her lip. The silence stretched until the gates opened and we drove into my property — her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the tall iron fences and the mansion beyond.
I glanced at her, noticing the wide-eyed shock, the way her mouth parted as if she wanted to scream.
"Where the hell did you bring me to?" she asked.
"My house," I said simply, my tone flat, letting her imagination do most of the work.
She froze. "Why would you bring me here?"
I let my eyes roam over her face, unreadable. "To spend the night on my bed, right here in my arms… where you belong." I kept my expression blank, letting her think I was serious.
Her gasp was immediate, sharp, and loud. "What?!"