The Devil’s Mask (Continued)

Isabella stood in the darkened corner of the mansion, the echoes of her father’s rage still reverberating in her ears. Matteo, her once-mighty father, was now bound in the cold embrace of his own betrayal, his empire crumbling beneath the weight of his daughter’s treachery. Her heart should have been pounding with triumph, but instead, it was silent—cold.

Luca’s hand was warm on her shoulder, his presence grounding, yet it felt like a noose slowly tightening around her. She had won, but in doing so, she had lost herself.

As her father’s last breath echoed through the vast hallway, Isabella felt a strange emptiness. It wasn’t relief—it was an abyss. The life she had fought so hard to escape was still there, now more powerful than ever. The mafia didn’t die with her father. It evolved. And she was its new face.

Luca turned to her, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that made her stomach churn. “It’s over,” he said, his voice low, but with a hint of satisfaction. “The Corvino family is finished. You’re free, Isabella.”

The word *free* felt foreign to her now, like an old promise that had lost its meaning. She had no idea what freedom meant anymore. The very act of taking down her father had brought her closer to the heart of the darkness he had created. She was no longer the innocent girl who had dreamt of a life beyond the mafia’s reach. Now, she was the architect of its rebirth.

"I never wanted this," she whispered, her voice trembling for the first time in months. “I didn’t want to become this… monster.”

Luca studied her for a long moment, his eyes cold yet oddly understanding. “No, Isabella. You never wanted it. But you were always going to become it. You just didn’t know it yet.”

The truth in his words sank deep into her chest. In some twisted way, her destiny had been written the moment she was born into this world. She was the daughter of the Corvino Mafia, the bloodline of power and ruthlessness. Even her father’s death hadn’t severed the ties that bound her to this life.

But Luca’s words weren’t just about her past. They were about the future.

“We have work to do now,” Luca continued, his voice softer but with an edge of authority. “The mafia needs a new leader, someone strong. Someone who can take it to the next level. And who better than you?”

Isabella recoiled at the suggestion. “Me? Lead? I’m nothing like him. I don’t want to be a part of this anymore.”

Luca stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. He was no longer the charming enigma she had once found so captivating. Now, he was the embodiment of everything she feared—someone who had learned to manipulate power with the same ease as breathing.

“You have the power, Isabella. More than anyone realizes. You know how to play the game—better than your father, better than I ever could. But you need to stop fighting who you are. Embrace it. You’re not just a victim of the mafia. You are the mafia now. And if you want to survive, you’ll need to take the reins.”

The weight of his words crushed her. She had betrayed her father. She had become the villain, the one who would rule with fear and manipulation. It was a dark, twisted fate, but it was hers.

Isabella felt a sharp pang in her chest. She had done the unthinkable. The girl who had once dreamed of freedom now stood at the head of an empire she had helped destroy. There was no going back.

But as she looked into Luca’s eyes—those cold, calculating eyes that seemed to pierce right through her—she knew that he wasn’t asking for her to lead for the sake of power. He was asking for something else. Something darker. Something that could only be forged in the fires of betrayal.

And deep down, Isabella realized that Luca had never cared about the mafia. He cared about one thing—control.

“You’re right,” she finally said, her voice a mix of resignation and defiance. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”

Luca smiled, his expression wicked. “You always have a choice, Isabella. You just have to decide which side you’re on. And now… you’re on mine.”

---

The following months were a blur of blood, power, and manipulation. Isabella shed the last remnants of the sweet, innocent girl she had once been. Her transformation was as swift as it was brutal. No one dared challenge her—she was a force, feared by every rival, every former ally of the Corvino family. But with every step forward, a piece of her humanity slipped further away.

Luca, ever the opportunist, stayed by her side. He was her confidante, her partner, and, in many ways, the person who truly understood the depths to which she had fallen. Together, they rebuilt the Corvino empire, expanding it across the city, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Isabella no longer hesitated to make the hard choices—those that broke her father, those that shattered her conscience. The mafia had taught her one thing above all: *survival was the only law.*

But even as she ascended to the top, she knew she was losing herself. She had traded her soul for power, and in doing so, had become something she once feared—something worse than the monster her father had been. She was the new face of the mafia, the cold, calculating queen who ruled with fear, surrounded by a legacy of betrayal.

And yet, despite the empire she had built, despite the fear and loyalty she commanded, there was still a void inside her—a nagging emptiness that would never be filled. The girl who had longed for freedom was now the one holding the chains.

As Isabella stood at the edge of the balcony overlooking the city that had once been her prison, she finally understood the true cost of her actions. The mafia had given her everything she had ever wanted. But it had taken everything in return.

The wind whispered through the trees below, and for a moment, she thought she heard her father’s voice, distant yet clear, carried on the breeze.

*The cost of power is always more than you’re willing to pay.*

And as the darkness of the night closed in, Isabella realized that the price she had paid was one she would never escape.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***