Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

Isabella arrived at the hospital and heard joyful voices coming from the ward. Grazia was holding a child, playfully making the child laugh. Rocco stood beside them, gently watching the mother and child. It was heartwarming, yet it pained Isabella’s heart. She thought of her own situation. She and Emanuele could have had such warmth, during peaceful times. But now, not knowing Emanuele’s situation, despite trying to believe Phillip, when Emanuele didn’t respond to her messages, Isabella felt he might be in danger.

Isabella chatted with Grazia for a while, holding the child herself. Watching the adorable child made Isabella’s heart soften. “So adorable,” Isabella exclaimed. “I know, right? I think so too,” Grazia chuckled.

After a while, Isabella turned to Rocco. “I have something to ask you,” she said. Rocco nodded, and they walked outside.

“Do you know how Emanuele is doing now?” Isabella asked Rocco.

“I don’t know. Hasn’t Phillip replied to you? I haven’t sent anyone to Chicago since,” Rocco said.

“Okay. Today, I saw your sister. She came with something, and I sent her away,” Isabella said.

“You did well,” Rocco didn’t seem upset about Isabella sending Christina away. “I’ve already warned her not to come to my house again, so it’s up to you.”

He had warned Christina not to come to their house, let alone try to get close to Grazia. Thankfully, Grazia was still in the hospital today and didn’t see Christina. Otherwise, if she had been unhappy, Rocco wouldn’t have let Christina off easily. Despite Christina being his sister, for him, Grazia was the closer person.

Seeing Rocco’s behavior, Isabella was happy for Grazia. She wanted to see Rocco’s reaction after saying this, to judge his feelings for Grazia. Now, she was completely reassured.

Since this matter was settled, Isabella couldn’t help but ask about another matter she was very curious about. “Christina told me that my husband is dying now. Rocco, did she get this information from you? You said you didn’t know Emanuele’s situation, so where did she get this news from?” Isabella kept her eyes fixed on Rocco as she spoke, not wanting to miss any expression on his face.

Rocco’s smile froze for a moment, then he said, “I don’t know where Christina got this news from. I don’t even know. It’s ridiculous. Christina is just a lunatic. How dare she spread rumors about my brother, saying he’s dying? You can rest assured, Isabella, I will find out where she got this information. If she made it up, I won’t forgive her!”

Hearing Rocco’s assurance, Isabella wondered if it really wasn’t information coming from Rocco’s side. Where did Christina get this news from, and was it just a scare tactic? Was Emanuele really okay? But why hadn’t he responded to her messages these past few days? Everything seemed too coincidental. Isabella felt that something was off.

“Rocco, I still think something has happened to Emanuele. I’ll go back to Chicago in a few days. I’ve been here for a while, and I miss Emanuele,” Isabella said.

“You can’t go back yet,” Rocco stopped her. “You have to trust me and trust Emanuele. He’s fine. It’s just that his troubles haven’t been completely resolved. If you go back now, Emanuele will have to divert his attention to protect you.”

“But I can’t reach him now, I’m really worried,” Isabella said, feeling uneasy.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Since she sent the message to Emanuele and he didn’t respond, Isabella felt that something was wrong. Although Phillip and Rocco reassured her, how could she relax like this?

Seeing Isabella like this, Rocco frowned. He had promised Emanuele that as long as Chicago was still dangerous, he would try to keep Isabella in Italy. He had promised, but seeing Isabella like this, it seemed she felt she had to go back.

“Calm down, Isabella. You really can’t go back now. If you really want to know Emanuele’s situation, shall I send my men to Chicago right now?” Rocco’s words gradually calmed Isabella down. Yes, if Rocco went to check, and informed her about the situation, that would be good.

“Okay, please.” Isabella sighed.

“Why did Christina say those things? I’m not entirely sure, but I will verify with her,” Rocco said.

Seeing Isabella gradually calm down, Rocco also breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, Isabella, we’vebeen out for a while, Grazia will be worried about you. Why don’t you go inside and check on the child? I’ll arrange things.” Isabella nodded and walked back into the room.

As Isabella’s figure disappeared, Rocco sighed. This wasn’t the first time he had noticed Isabella’s sharp gaze. Previously, when he was about to marry Grazia, Isabella had also looked at him sharply. Today was no different; it was as if she wanted to see through his facade. Fortunately, he had a stable personality and was about twenty years more experienced than Isabella, having been through a lot. Otherwise, she might have seen through him.

He actually knew about Emanuele’s situation. In the midst of the chaos of the battlefield, Emanuele had gone missing, and they didn’t know where he was. He might have been captured, and Phillip was currently having people search for Emanuele’s whereabouts. Although Emanuele was missing, they still saw it as somewhat good news; at least they hadn’t found Emanuele’s body. It was a positive sign, but the longer this situation dragged on, the more dangerous it became for Emanuele. They had to find him as soon as possible.

Rocco sent a team of five people to Chicago.

Isabella returned to the ward, where Grazia was standing by the bed, holding Nicholas, humming a lullaby and appearing very cheerful. Seeing Isabella enter, Grazia asked, “What did you talk to Rocco about? You were gone for so long.”

“Christina came over, saying she wanted to visit you. I sent her away and asked Rocco if that was the right thing to do,” Isabella replied.

“She actually came?” Grazia was a bit surprised. “I don’t want to see her. Her showing up at a time like this can’t be a good sign,” Grazia said.

Isabella didn’t tell Grazia about the news regarding Emanuele. In case it turned out to be a false alarm, Grazia would worry for no reason. She would wait until she was certain before telling Grazia.

But Isabella still felt unsettled. Despite everyone’s assurances, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. If Emanuele was fine, he should have replied to her messages as soon as possible.

“Emanuele, please, don’t let anything happen to you,” Isabella murmured as she looked out the window. The weather was beautiful today, with blue skies, white clouds, and golden sunlight streaming down on the earth. Italian architecture naturally exuded an artistic beauty, much like ancient court buildings, making one feel especially good. However, it also served as a constant reminder to Isabella that she was in a foreign land. She still preferred Chicago and only hoped Emanuele would be safe.