Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Lovely wife 214

He's Not Alone

The hotel room was quiet, save for the low hum of the television mounted on the far wall. Izzy stood by the window, sipping lukewarm tea, her coat still draped over one arm. She had left the channel on out of habit, not expectation-but the moment the newscaster mentioned her name, she turned.

"...and in breaking headlines, the legal representatives of socialite and Rossi Group heiress Isabella Rossi have declined further comment on her whereabouts, prompting a public reaction from Amalia-former guardian and family trustee. Our team caught up with her outside a law office in Milan earlier today."

The screen shifted to a scene outside a stone building where Amalia, dressed in black with her pearl necklace glinting in the afternoon light, faced a crowd of reporters. Her lips moved quickly, hands gesturing as microphones were shoved toward her.

"I raised her,” Amalia said, her tone clipped. "Her parents were gone. I was the one who managed her estate, her tutors, and her education. Now she's had an accident, and they won't even let me speak to her? Her lawyers are shutting everyone out. Why? What are they hiding?"

A reporter leaned in. "Have you spoken to anyone from the Rossi legal team directly?"

"I've filed requests. I've made calls. All I get is silence. Isabella was like a daughter to me. And now? Locked doors. Lawyers. Security. I deserve to know she's alright. The public deserves to know."

Izzy took another sip of tea and snorted. "Since when did I become a national headline?"

The camera cut back to the anchor, seated in the studio. A photo of Izzy flashed beside her-an old one, from a charity gala two years ago. "The Rossi legal team has yet to issue a public response, though insiders say the heiress is recovering in private under high security after a targeted vehicular incident last week. The question now- why the secrecy? And what does this mean for the future of Rossi Group?"

-Izzy sat down on the edge of the bed and set her cup on the nightstand.

"She wants camera time," she muttered. "That's all it ever was with her." Obviously, Izzy knew that Amalia also wanted access to her trust. Maria had been updating her about these people.

She picked up the remote and muted the screen, watching as Amalia's dramatics continued in silence. She leaned back, shaking her head.

"I almost die," she said to no one, "and somehow the headline is about her feelings."

There was a knock, and Izzy got up to check who it was. Seeing that it was Mondo, she opened it and walked back toward her bed. The door clicked open behind her. Mondo stepped in without saying anything and locked it again.

"You saw the news?" she asked.

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He's Not Alone

"I did."

arms. "Think she'll sue my

blink. "She

back at

Izzy then turned toward him. "Let me guess..."

we let you leave without his permission and is

him where I'm

give her an answer, but he didn't need to.

still lies with Liam.

what about the thing that

that I could find."

on the bed, dragging her finger across the screen to scroll through the

the information about the things happening inside Liam's

internal activity within Horvath Holdings-timelines, flagged communications, and financial bottlenecks. She skimmed most of it, stopping only when her eyes caught a string of irregular transfers dated just a day

Too convenient, she thought.

aortic aneurysm had been sudden, but the stress levels recorded days before the incident didn't match someone just suffering from overwork. Izzy tilted her head. Between the board pressure, the sudden rise of opposition, and now this health emergency... it didn't sit right with

sure yet, but something about all of it felt too perfectly timed. Like everything unraveled just as she reentered Liam's world. She had this sinking feeling that somehow, people had

finish reading the next page, Mondo's phone rang. He stepped

me. Ineed to take

nodded, still scanning

and the

when something on the muted television caught

eye.

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He's Not Alone

Her brows pulled together.

ago, Liam Horvath, interim acting head of Horvath Holdings, was seen leaving the company's New York

to a shaky video clip of Liam being escorted by local police, his coat still draped over one arm, his

by actress Cassandra Sarano, who previously had a private working relationship

bed, the tablet