Isabella finally arrived home, locking the door behind her.
Her heart was still pounding, and her hands were shaking slightly.
She threw herself onto the couch, trying to process what had happened: the men on the street, the strange pick-up line, and… Dante.
"Next time, don't wait for someone to come and save you."
The phrase echoed in her mind, as if it had left a mark she couldn't decipher.
She took a deep breath, trying to push the thought away.
"I don't know who this guy is…" she muttered to herself. "But he seems… dangerous."
The next day, Isabella walked into the office feeling like the world might still be safe within the walls of the office.
Alexander greeted her with a soft smile:
"Ready for your first day?"
She nodded, but her mind wandered.
"Yes…" she replied, trying not to blush as she remembered yesterday's pick-up line.
Throughout the day, as she familiarized herself with the office and its procedures, she couldn't get Dante's figure out of her head.
The memory of his deep voice, his penetrating gaze, and his aura of danger made her heart race for no apparent reason.
Late that afternoon, as she left to catch the subway, she felt that chill again: someone was watching her.
She turned, but there was no one only shadows.
A strange feeling, a mix of fear and curiosity, washed over her.
And then, in the reflection of a shop window, Isabella saw Dante's dark, intense eyes, discreet but fixed on her.
She blinked in surprise. He only gave a slight smile before disappearing into the shadows of the street.
Isabella felt her heart race.
She didn't know how or why, but something about his presence made her restless, confused, and, strangely, alive.
As he walked to the subway, one certainty dawned on him:
"Dante Navarro… it's not over yet."