"I suspected. But I needed proof," he replied, his tone steady but unreadable.
"So you brought me to your house. Like a lab rat," she accused, leaning forward.
"I brought you to my house because you were in danger," Matteo shot back, his voice suddenly edging. "The people who killed your father are still out there. They've been looking for you. For the money."
"I don't have any money," Isabella said, shaking her head.
"But they think you do," he countered, his gaze unwavering. "They think Antonio told you where he hid it before he died."
Her head spun under the weight of it all. "This is insane," she muttered.
"This is our world," Matteo said, sitting down across from her, his elbows resting on his knees. "This is what we were born into."
"I wasn't born into anything. I was adopted by good people who love me," she said, crossing her arms.
