The Phantom's Game | 18+

Chapter 12

He started walking towards his car without hesitation. This confused Isadora greatly, who didn't understand why they were going to his place instead. She assumed something was wrong and followed closely behind him.

They walked silently in a comfortable silence until they arrived at his car. He opened the door of the passenger seat before climbing inside the driver seat and started the engine. He looked over at Isadora briefly.

"Get in," He instructed calmly.

Isadora hesitated for a second before getting in. After closing the door, Vincent put the car in gear and drove out of the parking lot, driving out of the neighborhood and leaving the area. After about five minutes or so of silence, Isadora spoke up again.

"Why are we going to your house?" She asked him bluntly, causing him to raise an eyebrow slightly.

"Because it's more secure there than anywhere else at the moment."

She nodded and then continued, "Do you want to tell me what happened with those men and how'd you know where I was?"

Vincent paused, glancing at her briefly, "Not yet. But I will. Just give me time."

"Why?" Isadora questioned once again.

He sighed lightly before giving her a tired smile, "Just trust me, okay?"

She narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out exactly what was going through his mind. Vincent noticed her suspicious expression and smiled once again, before returning his attention to the road. They eventually reached their destination. Vincent parked the car and led her inside the house, shutting the door behind him after stepping inside.

Isadora stared around the interior of the house. It was fairly spacious, almost a mansion. Everything from the furniture to the decorations to the walls were all white. There wasn't a single trace of color anywhere. It was cold and bleak and just plain depressing. 

If Isadora hadn't known better, she might have thought that everything was abandoned. There were a few paintings hanging up on the walls in a variety of different sizes. Some paintings were portraits and others were landscapes. None of the paintings depicted any kind of personal interest; it looked like a bunch of empty canvases.

Vincent led her over towards a set of wooden stairs leading upstairs. Isadora followed behind him curiously, trying not to lose sight of his tall form. When they climbed up to the last flight of steps, he opened the door at the end of the hallway, revealing a living room that was surprisingly warm. 

The moonlight shined through the windows in the room, casting a soft white glow into the room. A couch sat right in the center, flanked by two armchairs. It was quite comfortable.

Isadora stepped inside cautiously, noticing how Vincent closed the door quietly behind him. She glanced over towards the man, noticing that his eyes were trained on the floorboards. His posture appeared to be tense, like he was hiding something. Isadora decided to try to talk to him, but she didn't know where to start.

"So," She started off awkwardly. "Who are the people back there?"

Vincent didn't respond for a second, "Some men from the Phantom's gang. That's all I will say for now."

Isadora raised her eyebrows at him as she crossed her arms across her chest, "Are you sure? If I knew it was them, I could've taken them out."

Vincent chuckled lowly, "You would've been killed. Not that you would stand a chance against them anyway."

"And why is that?" She questioned him angrily.

"You saw how badly they outnumbered you earlier tonight. You won't stand a chance against both of them when they are working as a team. Even if you did manage to defeat them, you would still fall to their superior strength easily."

She clenched her fists, taking a step towards him, "Well, maybe if I had the advantage, I wouldn't lose!"

"If only. And what do you think you would do then?" Vincent retorted coolly, raising an eyebrow.

"I would..." Isadora paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "...run."

"I believe you would've been surprised by just how close you would come to dying."

"How close would I come to death?" She repeated his words.

"Very close. That thug almost choked the life out of you," He answered simply.

Her anger suddenly dissipated, and a wave of guilt hit her like a tonne of bricks. What if she had died? How would she feel? Would she regret what happened?

"Vincent..."

"Hush, Ms. Moretti, I haven't finished explaining. I find out from one of my people that the Phantom's gang were on the lookout in every district. I'm not sure what their intention is... but it might have something to do with our plans for the ball. Likewise, I don't think they wanted it to go to waste either. I sent someone to check them out just in case something went wrong, but I am also sure that they don't expect anything to happen to you."

Isadora pondered at his words for a second, trying to figure out a solution, but she was exhausted from a near-death experience earlier. Vincent could see the look on her face, studying her briefly.

"You should rest. Go to bed." He ordered.

"I... don't have-" She tried to protest, only to be cut short once again.

"I don't care. Get some sleep." He commanded.

Isadora scowled slightly at him before sighing deeply, knowing there was no point in arguing with him and nodding slowly, "Alright. Fine. Whatever."

Vincent gave her a small smile before waving a hand at her. Then, he exited the room to leave her to her own devices and a rest, his legs dragging him towards the other end of the hallway where his room was. 

Meanwhile, Isadora sat down on the bed, her hand reaching out to her throat where a bruise was imprinted on her neck. She winced slightly at the memory of the man choking her, which caused a pang of pain to run through her chest.

However, she couldn't allow herself to dwell on that matter too much, because there was so much to deal with already. She needed to focus her energies on the task at hand and stop the Phantom and their organization from being able to control the world.