C66 A Promise To Keep

Annabelle stood in the middle of Dante’s study, her fists clenched at her sides.

The air in the room was heavy with tension, the faint smell of leather and whiskey only adding to the suffocating weight between them.

Dante loomed on the other side of the room, his sharp, dark suit and towering frame making him look more like a force of nature than a man.

“You’re not going to Stoneraine,” he said, his voice calm but cold, like the surface of a frozen lake.

Annabelle’s jaw tightened. She refused to let him see her falter. “I am.”

“You don’t seem to understand how this works,” he replied, stepping closer. His dark eyes burned into hers, a silent challenge. “I’ve given my answer. It’s final.”

Her heart pounded in her chest, but she didn’t back down. “Cathy needs this, Dante. She’s finally starting to trust again. If I break my promise to her now, what does that say about me? About her future? She needs to see mom. I have to understand that and do what will make her happy. Even Dr. Olivia agreed with me.”

Dante’s expression darkened. “It seems Olivia needs a new job,” he said almost to himself.

Before she could defend the doctor, he took another step toward her, and Annabelle felt the overwhelming presence he carried with him, like a storm closing in. “If you defy me,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “I’ll lock you up myself.”

For a moment, she froze. His words weren’t just a threat.

They were a promise.

But then, anger surged through her veins, pushing back the fear.

“I’m not afraid of you, Dante,” she said, her voice steady despite the rapid beat of her heart. “I’ll take my sister to see her mother, even if it kills me.”

Dante’s jaw clenched, and the muscle in his cheek twitched.

For a long moment, they stood there, locked in a silent battle of wills. The only sound was the ticking of the antique clock on the wall, marking each tense second.

“Fine. Do whatever you want,” he said finally, his voice clipped. “But don’t expect me to save you when it all goes to hell.”

After their argument, Annabelle retreated to her room, her emotions churning like a stormy sea. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath.

Her heart still raced, not just from anger, but from the tension that seemed to crackle in the air whenever she and Dante were in the same room.

She looked out the window, her gaze unfocused as memories of the past few days flooded her mind.

The day of the shooting replayed in her head like a bad movie.

She thought of Mikhail tackling her to the ground, his charm replaced by quick reflexes and bravery.

She hadn’t even gotten the chance to thank him properly.

Dante had seen to that.

After they’d returned to the mansion, Dante had made sure she was escorted straight to her room. She hadn’t seen Mikhail or Antonia since.

Antonia’s message had explained everything. Dante blamed them for putting her in danger and banned them from coming near her.

Annabelle’s hands curled into fists.

She should have been grateful for everything Dante had done.

The shopping trip, the security detail, the spa day.

But his high-handedness, his need to control every aspect of her life, made it impossible to thank him.

The next morning, Annabelle decided to set aside her pride and try.

She found Dante in the dining room, a cup of coffee in hand, as he read through a stack of papers. He didn’t look up when she entered, but she knew he had noticed her.

His presence was too commanding for it to be otherwise.

“I wanted to thank you,” she said, standing awkwardly by the door.

“For what?” he asked without looking up, his tone flat.

“For everything,” she said, stepping closer. “For making sure Cathy and I are safe. For... the shopping trip. All of it.”

Dante finally set the papers down and looked at her, his dark eyes unreadable. “I don’t want your damn gratitude.”

Annabelle blinked, startled. “Excuse me?”

“What I want,” he said, standing and walking toward her, “is for you to use your head. Stop making reckless decisions. Stop putting yourself and your sister in danger.”

Anger flared in her chest, overpowering her earlier gratitude. “I’m not some reckless child, Dante. I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” he shot back, his voice rising. “Because it seems to me like you’re more concerned with proving a point than staying alive.”

Annabelle’s breath caught. His words stung, not because they were untrue, but because they hit too close to home.

“I’m trying to do what’s best for Cathy,” she said, her voice trembling.

“And risking everything to go back to Stoneraine is what’s best?” Dante’s tone was sharp, cutting through her defences.

The tension between them was suffocating, the air thick with unspoken words. Annabelle could feel her pulse racing, her emotions bubbling to the surface.

“You don’t get to make decisions for me,” she said finally, her voice steady despite the tears threatening to spill.

“I’m trying to keep you alive,” he said, his voice softer now but no less intense.

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the anger between them gave way to something else. Something deeper, more dangerous.

Annabelle’s breath hitched, and she turned away before he could see the emotions in her eyes. “I don’t need your protection, Dante,” she said, her voice quieter now.

Without another word, she left the room, her heart pounding in her chest.

Back in her room, Annabelle sat by the window, watching the rain patter against the glass.

Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions.

Anger.

Frustration.

Confusion.

And beneath it all, an undeniable pull toward the man she had just argued with.

She promised herself she wouldn’t let him affect her again.

She couldn’t afford to let him have more things to control her with.

She needed to find a way to stand on her feet and gain control of her life in some ways.

She just knew she would be totally lost if she gave in to the nerve-wracking tension between them.

She knew what it was.

She had had enough time to understand just how much he had gotten under her guard.

“I will never allow myself to be vulnerable to a man that way” she promised herself as she started thinking of what to do to make sure he sees things her way.

But deep down, she wasn’t sure it was a promise she could keep.