Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

Isabella felt her belly growing larger day by day. She thought it was time to go to the hospital for a checkup. However, going to the hospital now would raise suspicions from Emanuele. Alternatively, if she insisted on it, he might have a doctor come over to examine her. Either way, it would likely expose her.

In this critical situation, Emanuele was even more unwilling for her to have a child. Having a child equaled a threat to him. Isabella believed that Emanuele would make her get rid of the child. Sighing, she thought perhaps she could wait a little longer. Maybe when the months were more advanced, Emanuele wouldn’t have a choice, even if he wanted to.

Fortunately, it was winter, and Isabella deliberately wore more clothes than usual, despite the heating in the apartment. She didn’t want anyone to notice anything. Now, she hoped Emanuele would capture William soon. With one less threat, she could tell Emanuele about the situation, and he might be relieved.

Thinking about this, Isabella began to silently pray.

Lilly had prepared some desserts and placed them on the table.

“Darling, come, these are today’s desserts. Give them a try.”

Seeing the colorful desserts, Isabella couldn’t help but salivate.

She had previously told Lilly not to make too many sweets as she wouldn’t be able to control herself, but Lilly seemed to have figured out her liking. Without Isabella saying anything, Lilly made some every day.

“Lilly, make fewer next time. I’m on a diet,” Isabella complained. However, facing the desserts in front of her, she couldn’t resist and picked up a piece with her fork.

She couldn’t help it; she couldn’t resist sweets now.

Seeing Isabella enjoying the treats but asking her to stop making them, Lilly couldn’t help but laugh.

“Isabella, you don’t need to be polite with me. Emanuele assigned me the task of taking good care of you. You can’t go anywhere now. If you find joy in food, then I suggest you eat more.”

Persuaded by Lilly, Isabella couldn’t resist eating a bit more.

She was controlling herself based on her subjective will, trying to eat less. But in reality, when she saw food, she felt hungry and ate quickly.

Oh God, would people notice her weight gain sooner or later?

After eating a piece, Isabella anxiously put down her fork and called Tony and Harry to join her.

The two big guys, facing such small desserts, devoured them in no time.

Lilly exclaimed, “Oh my God, Isabella, you’re wasting so much. I made so many, and you only ate one?”

“Enough, Lilly, I can’t eat too much. Look at how much weight I’ve gained.”

After saying that, Isabella prepared to go to the gym. Emanuele’s apartment was large, with leisure and entertainment areas, as well as a gym. She had checked, and although she couldn’t do intense exercises, aerobic activities were still okay. Some moderate exercise would be good for her body, making childbirth easier later on.

She finished her workout, worked up a sweat, took a brief break, and then headed to the bathroom for a shower before lying down on the bed to rest.

One couldn’t deny the exhilarating feeling of energy release after a good workout. Despite the fatigue, it was oddly satisfying. Isabella lay on the bed, and her hand found the gun she kept behind her pillow.

As she touched it, Isabella remembered something and took out her own gun. Now, she had two pistols – one she carried with her and another placed under the pillow in case of unexpected situations while sleeping.

She felt the need to adapt to the rules of survival in the Mafia world. To survive in this world, she had to be capable. If she remained a protected figure, she would eventually meet her demise. Isabella didn’t want to be brutally killed, so she had to learn to protect herself. Moreover, she had a child in her belly that she needed to safeguard.

She had mentally prepared herself for the possibility of killing. It wasn’t her intention, but if it came down to it, she wouldn’t hesitate.

Emanuele hadn’t returned home in these past few days, but things were calm. No news of William, and none of his men had encountered any accidents. He thought tonight would be a good time to return home.

Late at night, around 1 am, Emanuele went straight to the apartment. Opening the door, he saw Isabella sleeping on the bed. Emanuele approached, wanting to embrace her.

Unexpectedly, Isabella, as if suddenly awakened, swiftly pulled out the gun from under her pillow and aimed it at his forehead.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Emanuele was momentarily stunned.

Seeing it was Emanuele, Isabella also froze. Afterward, her hand loosened, and the gun fell to the side.

Once Emanuele realized what happened, he immediately reached out to hold Isabella, tenderly kissing her cheek and lips. “Isabella, I failed to protect you. I never thought you’d be so on edge even when sleeping.”

Isabella wasn’t like this before. Even when he returned very late, she would sleep in a daze, instinctively snuggling into his embrace. Sometimes, she would hug him, as if embracing a giant teddy bear. In any case, it wasn’t like it was now.

Now, when he came in to hug her, Isabella didn’t instinctively lean on him. Instead, she instinctively pulled out a gun.

Emanuele wasn’t angry; he felt ashamed. It was because he failed to protect Isabella that she became like this.

After seeing Emanuele, Isabella dropped the gun and hugged him. “I thought you were an enemy.”

She was genuinely scared. Emanuele didn’t inform her of his return, and she had already fallen asleep. Suddenly, he came back, frightening her enough to pull out her gun. Fortunately, she didn’t shoot.

Isabella was mentally tense now. Even when sleeping, she couldn’t completely relax. The slightest movement could immediately wake her up.

That’s why she acted the way she did just now. She needed this kind of reflex – the speed to pull out a gun quickly – to give herself a chance at survival.

Emanuele held Isabella in his arms, saying nothing. At this moment, his emotions were still fluctuating. He didn’t expect Isabella to develop such fast reflexes to protect herself during the time he wasn’t with her. In the moments he wasn’t there, she probably practiced this countless times.

At this moment, his heart felt like it was tightly gripped, and the pain spread throughout his body.