Free Web NovelChapter 89: 200 million
"I’m going to take a shower then head out!" he told her calmly, his voice smooth and even, leaving no trace of what had just happened between them in his gaze. freēwebnovel.com
There was nothing in his expression to betray emotion, or affection—only the cold, detached demeanor she had come to know all too well. With that, he turned and walked out of the dining room, his footsteps echoing softly across the polished floors as he closed the door behind him.
Dora remained leaning against the table, still naked, her skin glistening with his lingering touch. His semen had dripped down her legs, a sticky reminder of what had just transpired.
She could still feel the feeling of his touch as it lingered on her skin even as she looked down at herself before looking back up at the empty dinning room.
She stared into blank air, her eyes unfocused, as if searching for something beyond the walls of the mansion, somewhere her mind could escape. A small frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. The abrupt shift in Dante’s demeanor—from the passionate, unrestrained man he had been just moments ago to this cold, indifferent version—felt like a bucket of ice water had been thrown over her. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, tightening in frustration.
Clearly sex isn’t going to magically endear him to me, she thought to herself even as the frown on her face deepened.
It was beginning to look like trying to make Dante care for her in any meaningful way was a lost cause.
Her thoughts drifted to the small life growing inside her, and her hand instinctively rubbed her belly. ’I made a mistake,’ she realized with a pang of guilt. She could not bring herself to think of giving birth to her baby and selling it for money. That was not the kind of person she was.
Yet, simultaneously, she felt a chill of fear deep in her bones, knowing that Dante was not someone she wanted to cross. Without a written contract, there was nothing legally binding her to obey him, but she understood instinctively the danger in defying him.
He might look quiet but even I know that he didn’t become a billionaire by being subservant.
The frown on her face deepened as she rubbed her temples, groaning as a small headache began to rise, fed by the swirling storm of her thoughts. Slowly, she put her clothes back on, the fabric feeling oddly heavy on her skin. She forced herself to sit and eat a little, though her appetite was muted by the lingering bitterness in her chest. Dante would not return until later; he would be heading to his workplace, leaving her alone with her racing thoughts.
After finishing, she rose and made her way to her room, her movements almost mechanical. Once inside, she headed straight to the bathroom, letting the hot water of the shower wash over her. She closed her eyes, trying to let the warmth calm her mind, but the images of what had just happened between her and Dante refused to leave her. The sex had been incredible—an intoxicating mix of heat and closeness that she would not have minded experiencing every day—but the aftereffects left a bitter void inside her. Dante had reverted to his cold, aloof self, and it was painfully clear that their relationship had not improved in any meaningful way.
At least he didn’t seem to hate the sex, she thought, a faint smirk ghosting over her lips despite the heaviness in her chest. She stepped out of the bathroom and dressed in a fresh outfit, determined to get some air. She needed a break from the suffocating atmosphere of the mansion. A walk in the mall or a visit to her stepmother might help her organize her thoughts.
Elise, her younger stepsister, had been adjusting well. She could already walk independently with minimal support, thanks to her toe prosthetics that allowed her to bear weight on her foot properly. Her stepmother, Maria, however, was still struggling. Her entire leg above the knee had been amputated, and recovery was slower and more painful. If not for my father, I wouldn’t even go there, Dora thought, though she forced herself into the car, where Ettore, her bodyguard, was already waiting.
"Hospital," she instructed tersely, climbing into the back seat. She had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with Ettore; the conversation that had almost pushed her to fire him still lingered at the edge of her mind. For all she knew, any replacement he found would be worse, but she was unwilling to risk another unpleasant interaction with Dante by letting Ettore linger unnecessarily.
The car moved smoothly through the city streets, and soon they arrived at the central hospital. Dora stepped out, her heels clicking against the polished lobby floor as she made her way toward the familiar room she had visited countless times before. Just as her hand hovered over the handle to open the door, she froze. Voices rose in argument from within, loud enough to reach the lobby.
"You need to ask her for the money! Do you know what he could do to us?" Maria’s sharp voice carried anger, panic, and desperation.
"I’m already missing one leg! I could lose two!" came the sharp reply, her father’s voice strained yet urgent.
Maria’s shouting intensified, and the conversation struck Dora like a thunderclap. She had warned her father that she would be coming, so the sudden entrance was unsurprising to anyone inside. Pushing the door open without hesitation, Dora stepped in, ignoring the tense silence that immediately followed. Maria’s glare was directed at her, irritation etched across her face, but neither her stepmother nor her father seemed surprised by her abrupt arrival.
"What debt are you talking about?" Dora asked, her voice calm but firm. She did not wait for an answer, instead pressing forward, her gaze fixed on her father, Luca.
"I heard you, so don’t even try and deny it," she added, her eyes narrowing. Luca’s gaze dropped immediately, shame and guilt written plainly across his face.
"It’s nothing for you to..." Luca began weakly, his voice faltering as he shook his head.
"Father!" Dora snapped sharply, annoyance and impatience lacing the single word. She would not stand for excuses; she wanted answers. Her command seemed to snap Luca out of his hesitation. Almost as if he had been rehearsing this moment, he shifted in his seat, lifting his eyes slightly to meet hers.
"I... I had to! Yes, Mr. Bellini provides all we need, but I’m also a man! I need to provide for my family!" he admitted, his voice breaking slightly under the weight of his confession.
"The shares are gone," he continued, his frustration evident. "I figured if I could borrow some money, I could buy back some shares and try to make a profit. Or even start a small business of my own!"
He paused, swallowing hard as he continued, "The transfer and stock exchange agents I spoke to assured me that nothing would go wrong, and I believed them... until something went wrong. I found out he sold dummy shares to me. And I can’t exactly call him out on it, since he promised to give me more shares if I simply transferred the money to him without a paper trail."
Dora listened quietly, her mind racing. Beyond her concern for her father, a single thought dominated her: they now had Dante. Money could be fixed if he intervened. She could handle the repayment herself, if necessary, using her earnings from the TV show she had acted in.
"How much is it?" she asked, her voice even, masking the rapid pulse of panic threatening to surface.
Luca swallowed hard and replied, "It’s about 200 million," his head dropping lower as if to make the weight of the number physically visible.
Dora froze, her mind struggling to process the enormity of the sum. She stared at him, wide-eyed, unable to move or speak for a few heartbeats. The words felt unreal, a weight pressing down on her chest.
"I told you! You’re a useless man!" Maria snapped, tossing her pillow at him in anger. Dora felt a twinge of conflict: she wanted to shield her father, yet at the same time, she could not help but see him in a new, less flattering light. Has he always been this foolish? she thought, incredulous. The thought gnawed at her as she fixed her gaze on him, evaluating him in a way she never had before.
Her father, small and defeated, avoided her eyes, his fingers twisting nervously in his lap. Dora took a deep breath, steadying herself. She knew that despite the chaos and anger, there was a solution somewhere, and she would find it. Money could be replaced; trust, once lost, was harder. But she would ensure her family was safe, even if it meant stepping further into the dangerous orbit of Dante Bellini.
