The Godfather’s Forsaken Rose Chapter 14
Dominic did not look again at the man on the floor or the stunned guests around them.
“Watch your mouth.”
Then he took Sophia, who was just as shocked as everyone else, and strode out through the suffocating silence.
It was the first time in his life that he had lost control so completely at an important public event.
And all because another man had spoken about Isabella with desire in his voice.
On the ride home, the car was oppressively quiet.
Sophia seemed frightened. After a long while, she spoke carefully.
“Dominic… my aunt called again today. She asked when we might start thinking about marriage.”
Dominic looked out at the night rushing past the window and rubbed his brow.
“Several cross-border deals are at a critical stage. I’m busy. We’ll talk about it later.”
His tone was tired and perfunctory.
Sophia’s eyes dimmed, but she said nothing more.
Late that night, Dominic sat alone in his study.
As if driven by something he refused to name, he opened an encrypted album on his phone.
There was only one short video inside.
It was from a friend’s party years ago. Someone had pushed Isabella onto the stage and asked her to sing.
She had gone up without hesitation, grabbed the microphone, and sung a bright pop song with infectious rhythm.
In the video, she was radiant and alive. Her smile was like summer sunlight. Her eyes burned with a vitality that lit up the dark, noisy cigar room.
And perhaps, at that time, it had lit up some dark place inside him too.
When had he saved this video?
Dominic could no longer remember.
Looking at that carefree figure on the screen, then comparing it to the stagnant life he had now, he felt as if an invisible hand had closed around his chest.
The pain was almost suffocating.
He suddenly turned off the video and set the phone face down on the desk.
His breathing was unsteady.
He refused to examine where that feeling came from.
Three years passed.
At JFK International Airport, Dominic returned from a business trip for an important cross-border deal. Sophia was with him as his fiancée. Their schedule was low-profile, and they used the VIP passage to avoid the crowds.
But the moment they stepped out, a deafening roar came from the arrivals hall.
The reception area was packed with people.
Young fans held light boards, flowers, and posters, chanting one name in a unified frenzy.
“Bella! Bella! Bella!”
The sound nearly shook the ceiling.
Ordinary travelers stopped to look, whispering curiously.
“Who is that?”
“You don’t know? Isabella Moretti. She’s huge right now. She debuted three years ago and people call her a once-in-a-generation beauty. She’s gorgeous, and she can actually act.”
“Oh my God, I can’t believe I get to see her in person.”
Dominic stopped the instant he heard the name carved into his bones.
His gaze followed the crowd.
Across the hall, on a massive billboard wrapped around a pillar, was a woman’s face.
Her makeup was flawless. Her features were even more striking than they had been three years ago. The sharp arrogance of youth had settled into something calmer, more confident, polished by time and success.
She wore the newest dress from a top luxury brand. Her eyes were cool and distant, yet she carried the aura of someone who controlled every room she entered.
She was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her.
It was Isabella.
Dominic’s heart took a heavy blow.
The sudden contraction in his chest stole his breath for a second.
He stood there, staring at the enormous poster. All the noise around him seemed to fade until only that star-bright figure remained.