The night was thick and oddly silent when Isabella stepped into the house. The moment her ghungroos chimed against the marble floor, a sharp voice tore through the dimly lit foyer.
"Isabella!" Belrum appeared almost instantly—his shirt half-buttoned, hair messy, eyes wide with frantic dread. It wasn't the worry of a father waiting for a late daughter. It was the terror of a man who had seen death walk into his home.
"Baba?" She blinked, surprised. "You're… awake?"
He rushed to her, grabbing both her arms."Where were you? Why didn't you come straight home after practice? Why did you leave without telling me properly?"
"I did tell someone," she defended softly. "The man in the hall—Leonardo I asked him to tell you."
Belrum's blood turned to ice.
"The man…"
His voice broke.
"Leonardo Romano?"
Isabella nodded gently. "Yes, Baba. I thought you already knew him so-."
Belrum's throat tightened painfully.
"I do," he whispered. "Too well. Wait— how do you know his name?"
She hesitated. "There's more… Baba, my car broke down. And he… he dropped me at the the Dance practice hall "
He froze — so completely she thought he'd stopped breathing.
Her father's fingers dug into her shoulders, not in anger, but terror."He WHAT?"
"He just gave me a lift." Isabella stepped back, confused. "Is that… bad?"
Belrum tried to speak, tried to form words — but nothing came out except a hoarse breath.
"Isa," he finally said, voice trembling like glass. "That man is—he's not a friend. He's not someone you should ever be alone with."
She frowned. "He didn't harm me, Baba. He was polite."
Belrum shut his eyes, a broken laugh leaving him.
Polite. Leo Romano. It was like calling fire cold.
He forced himself to calm, cupping her cheek.
"Tomorrow… the charity event," he whispered. "Go there. Perform. But stay where I can see you. Promise me."
"Baba—"
"Promise."
The desperation in his voice scared her more than any warning.
"…Okay," she finally whispered.
**I have to do something after tomorrow to keep Isabella safe. Tomorrow is a big event and I can't stop her even if I want to so just till tomorrow.....oh God keep my daughter safe.** Belrum sighs as he feels like his breath is getting shorter and shorter.
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Night — Isabella's Room
Warm yellow lamplight wrapped around her room like a soft cocoon. Isabella stepped out of the shower with damp hair clinging to her skin, wrapped in a light cream robe that tied loosely around her waist.
Steam followed her into the room.
Her skin glowed from the warmth, her cheeks flushed, her collarbones catching the soft light.
She hummed under her breath — the melody she'd been practicing for the charity performance.
She reached for the drawer to grab her clothes…
And froze.
A whisper of cold air slipped through the window — though she was certain she had closed it.Her heart fluttered."…Hello?"
No answer.
She exhaled, shaking her head. "I'm overthinking," she muttered.
But she wasn't.
Because in the deepest corner of her room, half-shielded by shadows…Leo watched her.
Silent.
Still.
Predatory.
He hadn't meant to come.He told himself he wouldn't.But he had found himself outside her window before he even realized his feet had moved — as though something in him had snapped loose and now dragged him to her like gravity.
And then he saw her.
Hair wet.
Skin dewy.
Wrapped in that soft robe that slipped just slightly off one shoulder.
His jaw clenched.He had watched death, torture, bloodshed without blinking once.
But this?This made his pulse misfire.
She walked across the room, unaware of the eyes devouring her every movement.
Unaware of her own innocence.
Unaware of the danger breathing in the dark corner.
She picked up the second friendship band — the one she had saved for Rumi — and smiled softly.
Leo's chest tightened in a way he didn't understand.
Didn't like.
He stepped back silently, slipping out the window before she could sense him — the way a shadow retreats just before dawn.
Outside the house, he inhaled sharply, gripping the wall as if steadying himself.
"What the hell are you doing, Leo…" he muttered, rubbing his face.
But he didn't go far.
He stood outside for a long time, staring at her lit window, the bells of her ghungroos still ringing inside his head.
---
Meanwhile, Inside
Isabella shut the window, thinking it was just wind.
But she felt it.A strange flutter in her chest.
Warm.
Heavy.
Electric.
She placed her hand over her heart.Why did it feel like someone had been watching her?Why did those grey eyes — the ones she saw earlier — haunt her like a half-remembered dream?She sank onto her bed, hugging her knees, her damp hair trailing over her shoulder.
Tomorrow would be a long day.
A performance.
A hall full of people.
A cause she deeply believed in.
But there was something else too.Some strange, unexplainable part of her…..
...hopeful.
"Will he come?" she whispered to the empty room.
And for the first time, she wanted the answer to be yes.
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