Chapter Three

The conversation at breakfast this morning had left Alessandro irritated all day as he stepped into the soft golden glow of The Golden Glass. Business, charm, reputation—everything he was trained to be waited for him. And Sienna Hudson, blissfully unaware, was just another opportunity.

In Sienna Hudson’s opinion, when opportunity came knocking dressed in a designer suit, worth five hundred billion euros, and bearing the name Alessandro Guidotti, there was only one sensible thing to do — grab it with both hands and never let go.

Alessandro Guidotti was the man the tabloids could never get enough of — the billionaire whose name was synonymous with charm, danger, and decadence. 

The man who arrived at every gala with a different beauty on his arm: a model one month, an actress the next, and occasionally an heiress for variety.

He was the sort of man who could close a deal with a single smirk or make a woman forget her name with just one look. Every photograph of him looked like an ad for perfection: the crisp suits, the calculated nonchalance, the women who clung to his arm as though proximity to him granted them a kind of immortality.

His name often floated through whispers of exclusive penthouse parties, adrenaline-fueled charity events, and scandalous affairs that no one could ever quite prove. But behind those headlines lay something far more dangerous — a mind as sharp as his jawline, capable of orchestrating both chaos and charm with equal precision. 

Every “leak” about his personal life, every public appearance with a new woman, was carefully crafted distraction — smoke and mirrors shielding the man he truly was.

To most, Alessandro Guidotti was the kind of man one admired from afar — wanted by many, possessed by none. She knew he was slippery, a man who didn’t stay where he wasn’t intrigued, but she couldn’t help wanting to be the exception. He was luxury personified and just as unattainable. 

But Sienna Hudson wasn’t most women. 

She, the granddaughter of Tyler Hudson — founder and chairman of Hudson Industries — had been the one to hold his attention for six months straight, the longest relationship Alessandro had ever been in. 

The tabloids called it his “golden phase.” Some believed the infamous playboy was finally ready to settle down. Others thought she was just another well-placed chapter in his carefully curated public narrative.

Sienna didn’t care what they thought. From the moment she met Alessandro at her grandfather’s birthday party, she had known — in that foolish, breathless way that only women in love can know — that he was it. The one. 

And perhaps, she told herself, he felt the same. After all, six months of monogamy from Alessandro Guidotti was practically a love letter written in fire. It was easy to convince herself that she was golden.

That belief — that certainty — was what had brought her here tonight.

She sat in the private room of The Golden Glass, one of his most exclusive restaurants, the soft golden light glinting off the champagne flute in front of her. She wore a beige silk dress that draped off one shoulder, the fabric sliding down her skin like liquid temptation. 

It had a slit that began daringly high — a gift from Alessandro himself and it made her feel exquisite, like she belonged in his world. Everything about tonight felt intentional. Important. Maybe even life-changing. If tonight wasn’t special, then what was?

When the double doors opened, Sienna turned instinctively, her heart giving a foolish leap at the sight of him. The Maitre’d led Alessandro into the room, and for a brief second, time slowed. He was breathtaking — dressed in a navy blue suit that fit like sin, a crisp white shirt, and a tie to match. 

His hair, dark and slightly curled, framed a face that could command boardrooms and break hearts without effort.

Her breath caught as he approached. She tilted her head slightly, lips parting in anticipation of his usual greeting — that slow, toe-curling kiss that always made her knees weak. But instead, his lips brushed her cheek in a fleeting peck.

“Sorry I’m late,” he murmured, already pulling out his chair.

Sienna blinked, masking her disappointment with a soft smile. He didn’t notice. He was already looking at the menu, his attention diverted as though the evening — their evening — was nothing out of the ordinary.

Something inside her tightened.

It was subtle, that shift — the way he avoided her gaze, the ease with which he slipped into silence. The moment was small, almost trivial. Yet it left an ache—sharp and sudden—beneath the silk of her composure. And yet, it told her more than words ever could. 

She smoothed her napkin across her lap, telling herself not to overthink it. Maybe he’d had a long day. Maybe the surprise she was hoping for hadn’t begun yet. But as the silence stretched, the certainty she’d carried in her chest all evening began to unravel, thread by thread.

“How did things go with the acquisition?” Sienna asked after a beat of silence, her voice light but expectant.

“Great,” Alessandro replied succinctly, his eyes fixed on the menu rather than on her.

Sienna waited, giving him space to elaborate, but the silence that followed stretched thin between them. She arched a brow, forcing a small smile to bridge the growing distance. 

“Okay, that’s awesome. I know you’ve always wanted to own both a pharmaceutical and biotech company, and Novacore Biotech and Pharmaceuticals is one of the best—”

The sharp clap of the menu closing made her flinch. Alessandro set it down with a muted thud, his jaw tightening as though her words had scraped against his nerves.

Sienna’s heart stuttered. She knew that look — the subtle irritation, the quiet withdrawal. It wasn’t anger that frightened her; it was the familiarity of it. She’d heard the stories whispered by women who came before her — glamorous, confident women who’d thought they were the exception until they weren’t. 

They had all noticed it first — the one-word answers, the flicker of disinterest, the sudden distance disguised as “busy.” And then, just like that, they were gone. Deleted. Forgotten.

For days, he had been quieter, distracted, and unreachable, but she had told herself it was because of work — because of the acquisition. She’d been patient. Understanding. But sitting across from him now, that patience began to taste like denial.

And here it was her turn. One-word replies, clenched jaw, the cold distance that followed — they were all the beginning of the end.

And deep down, she feared it had already begun.

“Um… is everything alright?” she asked softly, her tone wavering between concern and denial.

Alessandro stroked his jaw thoughtfully, eyes drifting somewhere above her head. He looked lost in thought, untouchable, his silence a fortress she couldn’t breach. 

Then his gaze met hers — those piercing blue eyes that had once made her feel chosen, seen. Now, they only made her feel small.

He said nothing for several heartbeats, the quiet pressing down on her until her chest ached. Then he sighed, long and weary, as if the act of speaking to her was a weight he’d rather not bear.

“Sienna…” he began gently, leaning forward, his expression unreadable. “I—”

Something inside her cracked. She could feel the words he was about to say before he even said them, and the fear of hearing them pushed her into desperation.

She didn’t let him finish. The panic in her chest turned to desperate courage. She felt everything slipping away and reached blindly for the only thing that might hold him there.

“Marry me,” she blurted.