The convertible's engine roared loudly as Dante slammed on the accelerator. The car shot down the avenue, cutting through the night wind like a wild beast.
Isabella gripped the seat at first, her heart racing.
"Dante! Are you crazy? Slow down!" she shouted, but her voice was almost lost in the sound of the speed.
He gave her a sidelong glance, a teasing smile plastered across his face.
"Trust me, Isabella. Danger is sweeter when you learn to embrace it."
She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She wanted to complain, wanted to beg him to stop. But suddenly, something shifted inside her. The wind whipped against her face, her hair came loose and danced in the air, and the adrenaline that had previously felt like fear began to transform into something else.
*"Okay… just for now… I'm going to enjoy it."*
Isabella closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the speed take over every nerve in her body. For the first time in days, she forgot about the note, the flowers, the fear. There was only the feeling of freedom, of being alive.
Dante noticed the change in her expression. He slowed slightly and turned his face to look at her. The moonlight illuminated her skin, and for a second his eyes softened.
"You're different from all the women I've known," he said in a low, almost intimate tone, but it carried over the sound of the engine.
Isabella opened her eyes, surprised by his sudden seriousness.
"What are you saying?"
He laughed lightly, but there was sincerity in his gaze.
"I say you have courage. Even when you're afraid, you dive in headfirst. Even when you're scared, you don't give up. You intrigue me, Isabella."
She swallowed, looking away at the road illuminated by the city lights.
"You shouldn't say those things."
"Why?" Dante accelerated again, but without taking his eyes off her. "Because you have a prince in a suit waiting for you? Or because you're afraid of feeling something... for me?"
The words fell heavily inside her. Her chest tightened, her heart racing in a way different from the speed.
Isabella wanted to answer, wanted to deny it, but nothing came out.
Dante smiled, satisfied with her silence, and leaned toward her slightly.
"You don't have to answer now. Just know that when you're with me, you can let the world outside disappear."
The wind blew hard, Isabella's hair whipping against her face, but she didn't move.
For a moment, she let herself be lulled by the dangerous sensation of being next to Dante, without thinking about tomorrow.
But deep down, a question remained:
"What if he really is the man who left those flowers… and that note?"