Chapter 57 The Library
Isabella’s POV ?
Earlier that morning, Alexander had insisted on driving me to school.
Which meant the entire ride had been filled with his usual mix of overprotective instructions and smug satisfaction.
“Text me when you get to class.”
“I will.”
“And if anything feels off—anything—you call me immediately.”
“Alexander.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to school. Not a war zone.”
He didn’t look convinced.
Still, he walked me all the way to the building before finally letting me go, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead like he needed the reassurance.
“I’ll pick you up after your last class.”
“I know.”
“Don’t disappear on me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Now it was later that afternoon.
I had one class left.
Fifty-five minutes until it started.
So I headed to the library to kill some time.
The place was quiet, filled with the soft rustling of pages and the occasional tapping of laptop keys. I walked between the tall shelves, pretending to browse while my mind drifted to Alexander.
To what he had said that morning.
To the way he had looked at me.
I love you.
The words still echoed in my head.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I reached for a random book.
Then I felt it.
That strange sensation of being watched.
I lifted my head.
Across the room, a guy sat at one of the study tables.
And he was staring directly at me.
The moment our eyes met, he looked down at his phone.
I frowned slightly.
Maybe it was nothing.
Alexander’s bodyguards were usually somewhere nearby when I was on campus. Sometimes I noticed them.
Sometimes I didn’t.
Maybe this guy was one of them.
Or maybe I was just being paranoid.
I looked back at the books, forcing myself to relax.
Get a grip, Isabella.
After a few minutes I sighed and closed the book.
Studying wasn’t happening today.
Food sounded like a much better idea.
The cafeteria was only a short walk away.
But first…
Bathroom.
I headed down the hallway and slipped into the women’s restroom. The place was empty except for the quiet hum of the fluorescent lights.
I washed my hands slowly, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
Still thinking about Alexander.
Still replaying that moment in my head.
I dried my hands and reached for the door.
Locked.
I frowned.
“That’s weird.”
I turned around—
And froze.
Two men stepped out from one of the stalls.
My heart dropped instantly.
One of them raised a finger to his lips.
“Quiet.”
The other man held up a phone.
My stomach twisted when I saw the screen.
Sarah.
Pictures of Sarah.
At her apartment.
Walking to class.
Standing outside a coffee shop.
Different places.
Different days.
They had been watching her.
“We have your friend,” the taller man said calmly.
My chest tightened.
“What?”
“If you scream,” he continued, “or if you try anything stupid… she gets hurt.”
My hands started shaking.
“What do you want?”
“You.”
The second man stepped closer.
“You’re going to walk out of here like everything is normal.”
My pulse thundered in my ears.
“You’re going to put this on.”
He pulled out a wig and another set of clothes from a bag.
My stomach twisted.
“We know Alexander Kingsley has bodyguards watching you,” he said.
“So here’s how this works.”
He held out the disguise.
“You change.”
“You put this on.”
“You walk out with us like nothing is wrong.”
“And you get into the car.”
My voice barely came out.
“And if I don’t?”
The taller man turned the phone toward me again.
Another picture of Sarah appeared.
This time outside her apartment building.
“If you don’t walk out of here with us,” he said quietly, “we call someone who is standing outside her building right now.”
My vision blurred slightly.
My mind raced.
The wig was still sitting in the man’s hand.
My fingers trembled as I slowly reached for it.
“Good choice,” he said quietly.
And in that moment…
I realized something terrifying.
Alexander’s worst fear had just come true.
They didn’t waste time.
The second I put the wig on, one of the men grabbed my phone from my hand.
Before I could react, he smashed it against the sink.
Once.
Twice.
The screen shattered instantly.
He crushed it again under his boot, grinding it into the tile.
“Leave it,” the first man said.
They tossed the broken phone into the trash can near the sink.
My heart pounded violently in my chest.
Alexander wouldn’t be able to reach me.
Wouldn’t know where I was.
Wouldn’t know anything was wrong.
“Move,” the man ordered.
I walked toward the bathroom door.
Every step felt unreal.
The hallway outside looked completely normal.
Students walked past us.
Someone laughed nearby.
No one noticed anything.
The man walked beside me like we were friends heading somewhere together.
The other followed behind us.
Just three people walking calmly through a college building.
My body felt frozen.
We stepped outside.
Alexander’s bodyguards were somewhere out there.
Watching.
Protecting.
But the wig changed everything.
They wouldn’t recognize me.
A black car waited near the curb.
The door opened.
“Get in.”
I hesitated.
The man behind me leaned closer.
“Sarah.”
The name was enough.
I got into the car.
The door shut.
Immediately a rough cloth covered my eyes.
“Don’t fight,” someone said.
My hands were grabbed.
I tried to stay calm.
Tried to remember every turn.
Every sound.
Every second.
The car started moving.
My heart beat louder and louder in my ears.
“Please,” I whispered. “Don’t hurt her.”
No one answered.
The car drove for what felt like forever.
Then suddenly—
A sharp pain exploded in my arm.
I gasped.
“What—”
The world tilted.
Everything started spinning.
Voices faded.
Darkness crept in from the edges of my vision.
The last thing I felt was the car slowing.
Then everything went black.
When I woke up, my head felt heavy.
My mouth was dry.
And my body felt wrong.
I blinked slowly.
The room around me was dim.
Concrete walls.
Cold air.
A single light hanging from the ceiling.
My hands were tied.
Tight rope dug into my wrists.
My legs were tied too.
Bound to the legs of the chair I was sitting on.
Panic surged through me instantly.
I pulled against the ropes.
They didn’t move.
A voice spoke from the darkness.
“Good.”
My head snapped up.
A man stood a few feet in front of me.
Watching.
Waiting.
He stepped forward slowly.
The light finally revealed his face.
And the cold smile spreading across it.
“Welcome,” he said calmly.
“You’ve been asleep for a while.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Who are you?”
The man tilted his head slightly.
“You really don’t know?”
He chuckled softly.
Then stepped closer.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“My name,” he said quietly,
“is Moretti.”
The name meant nothing to me.
I stared at him, my pulse racing, waiting for something in my memory to click.
Nothing did.
I had never seen this man before in my life.
“Who are you?” I demanded again, my voice shaking.
Moretti studied my face like he was examining something rare and interesting.
“You don’t recognize the name,” he said calmly.
It wasn’t a question.
“No,” I snapped. “Should I?”
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
“Not yet.”
He pulled a chair across the concrete floor and sat down in front of me. The scraping sound echoed through the room.
Up close, his eyes were dark.
Cold.
Calculating.
“You were unconscious for a few hours,” he said casually.
My head still throbbed, confirming it.
“I’m glad you’re awake now.”
My throat felt dry.
“Why?”
“Because,” he replied smoothly, “we have a lot to talk about.”
My hands strained against the ropes again.
“What do you want from me?”
He leaned back slightly, watching me struggle like it amused him.
“I’ll explain everything.”
“When?”
“In time.”
My patience snapped.
“You kidnapped me!”
“Yes.”
“You threatened my best friend!”
“Yes.”
“So maybe start explaining why!”
Moretti tilted his head, almost thoughtful.
“You’re spirited.”
“I’m furious.”
“Fair.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“But first…”
His gaze slowly moved over me.
From my face…
To my shoulders…
To my tied hands.
Then lower.
A slow, deliberate look that made my stomach twist with panic.
“You’re a very beautiful woman,” he said quietly.
My breath caught.
There was something in his eyes that made every instinct in my body scream.
Danger.
He stood up slowly and began pacing around the chair.
Each step echoed against the concrete walls.
“I can see why Alexander is so attached to you.”
“Don’t talk about him,” I said immediately.
Moretti smiled.
“Oh, we’re absolutely going to talk about him.”
My heart pounded harder.
“What do you want from Alexander?”
He stopped behind my chair.
For a moment, the room went silent.
Then he leaned slightly closer, his voice low near my ear.
“That,” he said calmly,
“is a very long story.”
He walked back in front of me again.
“And lucky for us,” he continued casually,
“we have plenty of time.”
My breathing grew faster.
“Alexander is going to find me.”
Moretti’s smile widened.
A slow, dangerous smile.
“Yes,” he said softly.
“That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”