The Phantom's Game | 18+

Chapter 6

If only she could get rid of the sneer on Vincent Falcone's face. It annoyed her more than anything else. After all, she remembered her father warning her about the Falcones. She remembered her father telling her about the that particular family, who were cruel killers, and how he wanted her to stay away from them, fearful that they would hurt her if she crossed their path. 

That was precisely why he wanted her to keep away from the family, especially given the recent threats she had received.

Yet it seems that the family had finally discovered her, and it pissed her off even more. How dare they come after her?

"Yes, Isadora Moretti?" Vincent inquired, amused at her initial reaction.

"How did you find me?" The brunette glared at him, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

The grin that had graced Vincent's lips disappeared instantly, "Now that is none of your business."

With a quick move, he grabbed the brunette by the back of her shirt and pushed her against the wall forcefully, leaning her back against it and pinning her wrists with his hands on either side of her head. Isadora gasped at the sudden action, trying her best to get out from the grip of his fingers which were locked around her wrists, making it difficult for her to free herself.

However, as she kept struggling underneath him, Vincent leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I know a lot about you, and I'm certain that your father knows about me, as well."

A shiver ran down her spine, and she tried her hardest not to show any emotion that was on her face. She knew that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt her if she showed her emotions or betrayed any sort of weakness.

"What do you want from me?" She asked softly, although he could see the rage burning through her warm brown eyes. She was furious, but she kept her face blank so that he wouldn't read anything into her emotions.

"Information," He responded plainly.

"What kind of information?"

His hold on her tightened, and he pulled back to gaze deeply into her eyes, causing her to widen her pupils. His voice softened as he spoke softly, "Everything I could possibly want. If you cooperate, then I won't harm you."

She remained silent for a moment, studying his face in search of any lie in his words and eventually, deciding to believe him instead. She sighed, "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"I want information about the attack on one of my businesses. The one under your command."

"... What?" Her brows furrowed together confusedly.

Vincent sighed quietly and removed his hands from her wrists, taking a step back from her, and gave a small shrug. "I don't know if you're familiar with it, but the incident has gotten quite a number of attention lately. I have my people scouring the city for clues, as well as the police department to investigate further. So far, our investigation leads us nowhere..."

The brunette frowned, unsure about what he meant, "Why does it matter anyway?"

"It's very important. You see, my business is involved as much as yours is. I can assure you this will be worth whatever damage I suffer due to it," He explained calmly.

Isadora narrowed her eyes suspiciously, knowing full well that it wouldn't be that simple. The Falcones seemed like a bunch of assholes – and this was just the beginning of their troubles. She shook her head and replied bluntly, "And why should I tell you anything?"

Vincent stared at the woman for a short time without saying anything, and then he nodded, acknowledging her answer. "I see. Then we're going to have to change tactics and get some information out of you, aren't we?"

Without waiting for an answer, he stepped forward, his hand reaching for her face and pushing it towards him. She let out a tiny yelp of pain. But before she was able to react again, he placed his finger on her mouth to silence her.

"Don't resist," He warned her sternly. "Tell me everything you know, or I will make your life hell until I am satisfied enough."

The brunette hesitated briefly, but soon complied. "Alright, I'll tell you everything. But just because you threatened me doesn't mean that I'll talk, understood?"

He didn't reply as he moved his hand from her mouth and nodded slowly, "Understood."

"I believe we were framed. Someone is trying to damage our businesses, our connections."

"Do you know who that person is?"

"No. Whoever this person is, they keep their identity well hidden. But what I do know is that this person goes by an alias named The Phantom."

"The Phantom?" Vincent repeated curiously.

"Yes. It appears that this person doesn't like it when they are made public. They usually prefer to operate alone or in secrecy. There's also a possibility that this person may have been involved in the attack on your business."

"I'll have my men look up on this 'Phantom' guy. Those who fuck with my business will pay for it," Vincent swore under his breath.

"And what will you do about it?"

"None of your business."

Isadora scoffed, crossing her arms against her chest, "You broke into my house, and now you're telling me nothing? Rude."

"What does it matter to you?"

"Look, this Phantom guy is fucking up both of our business. Why don't we look into this together?"

"Are you proposing an agreement?" Vincent asked in confusion.

She simply nodded, "Yes. Unless you're still keen on doing this alone."

"I'll take my chances. Now I'll take my leave," He scoffed, walking away from the brunette.

This time, the woman let him go after she shrugged. Who would have guessed that Vincent Falcone was the intruder who confronted the woman at the manor and demanded answers? 

Gabriel at least gave her answers, but she realized it wasn't sufficient. The woman went to her own office after Vincent left her manor to look up this "Phantom" online. She hadn't had much luck, therefore, she sent a message to Enzo to dig up more information on this "Phantom" as quickly as he could.

The brunette sighed deeply as she sat at the desk and browsed the Internet. She had been looking for this "Phantom" figure for the past hour, but she had no luck. Nobody was aware of this person's identity or line of work. But she persisted in her resolve.

Her eyelids drooped, and her lips parted in a yawn, revealing how sleepy she was. It was past her bedtime, yet she made no movement to return to bed after what happened earlier. After all, the image of Vincent Falcone burned in her mind. It's about time she met him – if only under different conditions. So if this "Phantom" were to ruin their business, it was about time they return the favor.