Alessio
Alessio hadn't slept since the night of the hospital. He wasn't the kind of man who lingered. Not on women. Not on moments. But her?
He'd spent the past three days retracing every second of their brief encounter — the warmth of her hand, the steadiness of her voice, the way she didn't flinch from him.
His assistant had sent in all information about her, and he went through it, sitting silently in the back of his sleek black Mercedes, the only sound the occasional beep from his phone as more information filtered in.
His jaw clenched as he studied the file sent to him just moments ago. Photos. School records. Even her class schedule.
Aria Salvi. 22. 2nd year Medical student. Lives in Miami with a roommate. Ailing father in hospital.
Of course she wanted to be a doctor. That explained the calm in her eyes when she'd touched him. The precision in her voice.
He turned another page—her school ID photo stared back at him, her features serene, innocent. His eyes lingered too long.
His driver pulled to a slow stop in front of a campus café. Alessio looked up.
She was there.
Sitting by the window with two other students, laughing at something one of them said. She looked... happy. Carefree.
One of the guys leaned close to her, whispered something in her ear, and she laughed again, brushing her hair behind her ear with a slight blush. Alessio's jaw tightened.
He didn't like that. Not at all.
"Who is that?" he asked, nodding toward the young man.
His assistant, seated quietly beside him, flipped through his tablet. "Matteo Bianchi. Classmate. Rumored to be her boyfriend."
A pause.
"Are they serious?" Alessio asked, voice clipped.
"Not clear. But they've been seen together frequently. Dinners. Study sessions. She doesn't seem romantically attached, but he clearly wants more."
Alessio didn't reply, but the tension in the car tripled. Something he didn't understand stirred in his chest. It wasn't love. But it was something raw, hot, and far too possessive for a stranger.
He didn't even know her. And yet the idea of someone else touching her, smiling at her, standing too close—it made something primal coil inside him.
No one had ever touched him and left him whole. Until her. And now someone else was whispering in her ear and making her blush?
Unacceptable.
"Keep tabs on him. On all of them," Alessio ordered, voice cold. "I want everything."
He leaned back against the leather seat, forcing himself to look away. "Take me to the office."
******
Alessio sat in his office at Moretti Enterprises, staring at a file he couldn't read.
His mind was elsewhere, still caught in the image of Aria and her supposed boyfriend.
The door opened with a soft knock, and he didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"Alessio," a familiar voice purred.
Sienna, the daughter of one of the main stockholders,and his ex girlfriend.
He finally looked up, expression shuttered. She wore a crimson dress that hugged her curves, lips painted to match. The same woman he'd ever tried to love—until she betrayed him with ambition disguised as affection.
"I heard you were back in town," she said, gliding into the room without invitation. "Didn't even call me. Don't you miss me?"
"I didn't." he said simply.
She smiled tightly, ignoring the jab. "You look… tired. You're not still seeing that specialist, are you?"
Alessio's eyes snapped to hers. Too sharp. Too fast. "Why do you ask?"
Sienna shrugged innocently. "Just wondering. You always had those... episodes. I'm worried about you."
Liar.
She was fishing.
She didn't know. Not yet. But she suspected something.
"I'm fine," he said shortly.
Sienna continued, "Everyone's talking, you know. You've been laying low. Cancelled events. Ignored investors. Even your father's consigliere said you missed last week's dinner."
He stared at her coldly.
"You've always been a little too intense," she teased, pressing a manicured nail to his chest. "But I like that about you. I always have."
He pushes her hand away firmly as goosebumps started to rise on his skin. "I'm not interested."
She blinked, a flicker of something sharp in her eyes. "I heard rumors you're looking to settle down. Marry. Imagine how easy it would be if we just—picked up where we left off."
"I'm not marrying for appearances," he said coldly. "Not this time."
Sienna took a step closer. "So, do you have someone you love?"
He didn't answer.
"That's why you're looking into that girl, isn't it?" she continued, eyes glittering. "I heard rumors. Medical student. Sweet. Unremarkable. Barely dresses well. And she doesn't even know who you are."
Alessio's jaw clenched. "Careful, Sienna."
She leaned over his desk, too close. "Come on, Alessio. You and I—we made sense. Let me be the one."
He stood, slow and lethal. "You were never in love with me. Only with the idea of being Mrs. Moretti."
She didn't deny it. Instead, she smiled again, cruel and cold. "Maybe. But at least I know how to survive in your world. That girl? She'll be crushed."
Alessio walked past her to the window. Outside, the city stretched endlessly—bright, alive, dangerous.
"Don't do anything stupid, Sienna."
Sienna stepped back, wounded pride smoldering beneath her smile. "You'll regret turning me away."
"No," he replied. "What I regret is ever letting you in."
She left. But not without a parting glance—eyes narrowed, calculating.
He knew that look. Sienna wasn't finished.
He calls his assistant.
"Alex, keep an eye on Sienna, and inform me if she nears Aria."
He ended the call and stared down at Aria's photo once more.
She was more than just a girl now.
She was hope.
And that made her dangerous.
To him.
To everyone.