Ch. 2: The Announcement

The Rossi estate didn’t just sit on the edge of the city, it loomed. A mansion dressed in white stone and glass, sprawling lawns guarded by black iron gates. Two men in tailored suits checked Adrian’s invitation at the entrance, but they didn’t need to. Everyone knew who he was.

Everyone always knew.

Ethan stayed a half-step behind him as they walked up the marble steps, his dark suit blending seamlessly with the bodyguards. Only Adrian noticed the subtle way Ethan scanned the crowd, cataloguing exits, watching hands. That protectiveness so quiet, so constant, was something Adrian had come to depend on more than he liked to admit.

The air inside smelled of expensive wine and power. Chandeliers spilled light over a sea of politicians, businessmen, and people whose smiles were as sharp as their knives.

And then there she was.

Cassandra Rossi.

She moved through the crowd like a blade sliding through silk; flawless in a black gown that glittered under the lights, dark hair swept into an elegant knot. Her eyes found Adrian instantly, and her smile bloomed like she’d been waiting her whole life for this moment.

“Adrian Valerio,” she purred, taking his hand before he could offer it. “Finally.”

“Cassandra,” Adrian said evenly, masking the faint chill that ran down his spine.

Ethan hung back, expression unreadable, but Adrian could feel his attention.

Before the conversation could go further, a deep voice cut through the music.

“Ladies and gentlemen!”

Adrian’s father, Alessandro Valerio, stood at the top of the grand staircase, silver hair gleaming under the chandelier. Beside him was Marco Rossi, broad-shouldered, dangerous in his immaculate suit, eyes like a wolf. The two men looked like kings dividing up a kingdom.

“If I could have your attention,” Alessandro said, voice carrying effortlessly over the crowd. “Tonight, we unite two families. Two empires. Two legacies.”

Adrian’s pulse thudded in his ears.

Marco Rossi stepped forward, his arm draped proudly around Cassandra. “It is my honor to announce the engagement of my daughter, Cassandra Rossi…”

“…to my son, Adrian Valerio,” Alessandro finished.

The crowd erupted in applause. Champagne glasses clinked. Cameras flashed.

Adrian stood frozen for half a second, his jaw tightening. He hadn’t agreed. He’d been told this would be a discussion or a business proposal. But the trap had been sprung before he even walked through the door.

Cassandra leaned in, her voice low so only he could hear. “Try to look like you’re thrilled, darling. You wouldn’t want to embarrass your father.”

Adrian forced a smile, though his knuckles ached from how tightly he was gripping the stem of his glass. His eyes flicked over the crowd until they landed on Ethan.

Ethan’s expression was a masterclass in control. To anyone else, he was just the perfect assistant calm, polite, professional. But Adrian could read the storm in his eyes. Hurt. Shock. And something that looked dangerously close to betrayal.

The rest of the evening blurred.

Cassandra clung to his arm like they’d been lovers for years, introducing him to people whose names Adrian wouldn’t remember. Marco Rossi told long, thinly veiled stories about loyalty and family, his gaze flicking toward Adrian with the weight of a threat. Alessandro looked twenty years younger, already basking in the glow of his “strategic victory.”

And Ethan… Ethan stayed close, just far enough to be invisible, but never more than a few steps away.

It was only when Adrian escaped to the balcony for air that Ethan joined him.

“You knew?” Adrian asked, his voice low, almost dangerous.

“No,” Ethan said instantly, and that steadiness in his voice made Adrian believe him. “But I had a feeling it wouldn’t be good news.”

Adrian laughed once, sharp, bitter. “Good news? My father just handed me a cage and called it an alliance.”

Ethan’s gaze searched his face. “And you’re going to let him lock you in?”

Adrian looked out over the manicured gardens, the city lights beyond. “I don’t know if I have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” Ethan said softly.

The words hit harder than they should have. Adrian turned to him, really looking at him. The lines of his jaw, the faint shadow of stubble, the way the evening light turned his eyes into something molten. And for a heartbeat, Adrian wondered if the choice was between Cassandra Rossi and the man standing in front of him, would it even be a choice at all?

But then the sound of heels clicked against marble, and Cassandra appeared in the doorway, her smile just as perfect as before.

“There you are,” she said smoothly. “Come back inside, fiancé. We have people to charm.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

Adrian straightened, mask slipping back into place. “Of course.”

He walked past Ethan, but their shoulders brushed just enough to send a current through him. And he knew Ethan felt it too, because for a fraction of a second, the man’s carefully composed face cracked.

The rest of the night was a performance.

Adrian played the role of a dutiful son and future husband. Cassandra played the radiant bride-to-be. And Ethan… Ethan disappeared into the background, as if fading into the role of assistant was easier than standing in the same room watching Adrian be claimed by someone else.

But when the evening finally ended and the last guest was gone, Adrian found himself in the back of the car with Ethan beside him.

No Cassandra. No father. Just them.

“You’re quiet,” Adrian said.

“So are you,” Ethan replied.

Adrian stared out the window. “This isn’t what I want.”

Ethan didn’t answer.

“Say something,” Adrian said, turning to him.

Ethan’s eyes met his. “If I say what I’m thinking, it’ll make this a lot harder for both of us.”

The silence that followed was thick, heavy, and humming with everything unsaid.

The city lights flickered past. Adrian wanted to speak. He wanted to say that the only reason this entire night had felt wrong was because of the man sitting beside him.

But instead, he sat back, swallowed it down, and said nothing.