Isabella spent the morning trying to forget about Matteo's strange questions. She focused on her chores, scrubbing floors and dusting furniture, anything to keep her mind busy.
She was arranging flowers in the main hall when Luca appeared.
"There you are, Little Mouse," he said with his usual grin. "I've been looking for you." Isabella glanced around nervously. "I'm working."
"All work and no play makes Isabella a dull girl," Luca said, leaning against the marble pillar. "Besides, I have a proposition for you."
"What kind of proposition?"
"A tour of the grounds. You've been cooped up in this house for days. Don't you want to see the gardens? The stables? Maybe the lake?"
Isabella's eyes widened. "There's a lake?"
"Beautiful one. Crystal clear water, surrounded by trees. Very peaceful." Luca pushed off the pillar. "What do you say? I promise I'll be a perfect gentleman."
Isabella looked toward the stairs, wondering if Matteo was in his office. "I don't think I'm allowed to"
"Since when do you care about rules?" Luca interrupted. "The last time if I remember perfectly you were trying to sneak into my brother's study."
Heat rose in Isabella's cheeks. "That was different."
"How?"
"I was just... curious."
"And now you're not curious about the rest of the estate?" Luca raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Isabella. Live a little."
The way he said her name, without the usual teasing tone, made her look at him more carefully. Behind his playful exterior, she saw something else. Loneliness, maybe.
"Okay," she said quietly. "But just for a little while."
******
The gardens were even more beautiful than Isabella had imagined. Perfectly manicured lawns stretched out in every direction, dotted with fountains and flower beds. Luca led her down a winding stone path.
"Matteo hired the best landscape designers in Italy," Luca said, plucking a rose from a nearby bush and handing it to her. "He wants everything to be perfect."
"It's gorgeous," Isabella said, accepting the flower.
"Wait until you see the lake."
They walked in comfortable silence for a while. Isabella found herself relaxing for the first time since arriving at the mansion. Out here, away from the cold marble and expensive artwork, she could almost pretend she was just a normal girl taking a walk with a friend.
"Can I ask you something?" Luca said suddenly.
"I guess."
"What do you think of my brother?" Isabella stumbled slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, what's your impression of him? Cold? Heartless? Cruel?"
"He's... intimidating," Isabella said carefully.
Luca laughed, but it sounded bitter. "That's one way to put it. Most people are just terrified of him."
"Are you?" The question seemed to surprise him. Luca stopped walking and turned to face her.
"Sometimes," he admitted. "He wasn't always like this, you know. When we were kids, he was different. He laughed more. Smiled more. He used to take me fishing at the lake."
"What changed?"
"Our mother died." Luca's voice became quiet. "After that, it was like a switch flipped. He became... harder. More focused on business. More focused on control."
Isabella thought about the broken photo in Matteo's room, the pain she'd seen in his eyes.
"He loved her very much," she said.
"We both did. But I learned to move on. Matteo..." Luca shook his head. "Matteo built walls around himself. High ones."
They continued walking, the path leading them through a grove of olive trees. Isabella could hear water in the distance.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked. Luca was quiet for a moment. "Because I think you might be the first person in years who's gotten under his skin."
"I don't understand."
"The way he looks at you. The way he acts around you. I haven't seen him like this since..." Luca trailed off.
"Since what?"
"Nothing. It's not important." But Isabella could tell he was lying. There was something he wasn't telling her.
They emerged from the trees, and Isabella gasped. The lake spread out before them, just as beautiful as Luca had promised. The water was like glass, reflecting the sky and surrounding forest perfectly.
"It's amazing," Isabella breathed.
"I come here when I need to think," Luca said, sitting on a large rock near the water's edge. "When the family business gets too overwhelming."
Isabella sat beside him. "You don't like it? The family business?"
Luca laughed harshly. "I hate it. All of it. The violence, the secrecy, the way people look at us with fear." He picked up a stone and threw it into the water, watching the ripples spread. "I want out."
"Why don't you leave?"
"It's not that simple. You don't just leave this life. Matteo would never understand. To him, family is everything. Loyalty is everything."
Isabella thought about her own family Clara and Marco, the people who had raised her with love and kindness. They were simple people, hardworking and honest. Nothing like this world of secrets and danger.
"Maybe if you talked to him"
"Matteo doesn't talk. He orders. He controls. He decides what's best for everyone." Luca's frustration was clear in his voice. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd been born first. Would I have become like him?"
"You're not like him," Isabella said softly. Luca looked at her, surprised. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because you brought me here. You wanted to show me something beautiful. That's not something a cruel person does."
For a moment, Luca just stared at her. Then he smiled, but it was sad.
"You know," he said, "you remind me of someone." Isabella's heart skipped. "Who?"
"A girl Matteo used to know. Before our mother died. She had your eyes. Your smile." Luca threw another stone into the lake. "He was crazy about her."
"What happened to her?"
"She disappeared. One day she was there, the next day she was gone. No explanation. No goodbye." Luca glanced at Isabella. "Matteo looked for her for months. I think losing her, on top of losing our mother, is what finally broke something inside him."
Isabella felt strange, like the ground was shifting beneath her feet. "What was her name?"
But before Luca could answer, a voice cut through the peaceful air.
"Luca!" They both turned to see Matteo striding down the path toward them, his face like thunder.
"Oh, hell," Luca muttered. "We're in trouble now."
Matteo reached them quickly, his dark eyes fixed on Isabella. "What are you doing out here?"
"I was showing her around," Luca said, standing up. "Relax, Matteo. We weren't doing anything wrong."
"Get back to the house," Matteo ordered, still looking at Isabella. "Both of you."
"Matteo"
"Now, Luca." Luca gave Isabella an apologetic look, then started back toward the house. Matteo grabbed Isabella's arm as she tried to follow.
"I told you not to leave the house," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
"Luca said it was okay"
"I don't care what Luca said. You don't go anywhere without my permission." Isabella pulled her arm free. "I'm not a prisoner!"
"Aren't you?" Matteo stepped closer, his eyes burning. "You're here because of a debt. You're here because I allow it. Don't forget that."
His words stung, but Isabella refused to back down. "Then why don't you just let me go? Send me back to the loan sharks. At least they were honest about what I was to them."
Something flickered in Matteo's eyes. For a moment, his anger seemed to falter. "You don't understand," he said quietly.
"Then explain it to me!"
But instead of answering, Matteo turned and walked away. Isabella stood by the lake, watching him go, wondering why she felt like crying.
When she finally returned to the house, Mrs. Russo was waiting for her in the kitchen.
"He's trying to protect you," the older woman said gently.
"From what?" Mrs. Russo looked around nervously, then leaned closer. "From people who would hurt you if they knew who you really are."
Isabella's blood went cold. "Who am I?"
But Mrs. Russo was already turning away. "That's not for me to say, child. But be careful. Trust no one. Not even the ones who claim to care about you."