CHAPTER 24

Jamie decided the next move carefully.

If chaos amused Matteo…

Then calmness would unsettle him.

For two days, Jamie stopped acting out.

No braking of objects.

No taunts.

No pranks.

He complied with meals when served and ate every grain.

He responded politely to the maids.

He stayed in his room and didn’t try to sneak out.

And he waited.

The quiet spread through the mansion like fog.

The maids were visibly relieved. They whispered less. Even smiled more.

Even the guards seemed less alert.

But Matteo noticed.

Of course he noticed everything. That’s what Jamie had been counting on.

On the third evening, Matteo entered Jamie’s room unannounced.

Jamie was seated at the desk, reading one of the books left for him. He didn’t look up immediately.

“You’re not acting out again? What is your game?”Matteo observed.

Jamie turned a page.

“So? I’m done playing games with you. ”

Matteo stepped further into the room.

“Chaos suits you more.”

Jamie closed the book slowly and looked up.

“And your arrogance suits you?”

A small pause.

Matteo didn’t smile this time.

“What are you planning?”

Jamie leaned back in the chair.

“Why does there have to be a plan?”

“Because you don’t do peace,” Matteo replied evenly.

Jamie stood.

Slowly.

The air shifted.

“You think you know me.”

“I know patterns when I see one.”

Jamie walked closer, deliberately reducing the distance.

“And what pattern am I following now?”

Matteo’s gaze dropped briefly — not to the floor — but to the space between them. Getting smaller.

“You’re conserving energy getting ready to strike.”

Jamie’s pulse jumped.

That was too accurate.

“For what?” Matteo asked.

Jamie tilted his head.

“You tell me.”

Silence thickened between them.

This wasn’t explosive tension.

This was sharp.

Measured.

Dangerous.

Matteo stepped closer until their proximity felt deliberate.

“You’ve realized something,” Matteo said quietly.

Jamie’s expression didn’t change.

“Have I?”

“Yes.”

Matteo’s voice dropped slightly.

“You realized I won’t hurt you.”

That hit harder than it should have.

Jamie’s jaw tightened.

“You’ve hurt me.”

“Not in the way you expected.”

The honesty in that answer was destabilizing.

Jamie’s heart thudded once, heavy.

“You think that makes you better?” Jamie asked softly.

“No,” Matteo replied. “But It keeps me in controlled.”

There it was again.

Control.

Jamie hated that word. He clenched his teeth.

Hated that it hovered over every interaction like a shadow.

“You’re not controlled,” Jamie said quietly. “You’re containing a beast. A monster.”

Matteo’s eyes darkened slightly.

“And what do you think happens when containment fails?”

Jamie stepped closer.

He could feel the heat radiating between them now.

“I think you’re afraid to find out.”

The room felt suffocating.

Matteo’s breathing shifted — barely — but Jamie noticed.

“You mistake discipline for fear,” Matteo said.

Jamie’s voice softened — not seductive this time, but probing.

“No. I think you’re afraid you’ll prove Enzo right.”

That did it.

Matteo’s expression sharpened instantly.

“Careful.”

Jamie pressed further.

“He said you’re attached.”

The word landed heavy in the room again.

Matteo didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

But something in his posture tightened.

“And you didn’t deny it.”

A long pause.

Jamie could feel his own heart racing now — not from fear, but from proximity to something fragile and volatile.

“You’re building a narrative to keep yourself sane,” Matteo said evenly. Like he was dismissing a bad student.

“I’m observing.”

“You’re provoking me.”

“Yes.”

At least that part was honest.

Matteo stepped forward suddenly, closing the remaining distance.

Jamie felt his back brush the desk.

Not trapped.

But nearly.

“You want clarity?” Matteo asked quietly.

Jamie didn’t answer.

Matteo’s hand came up — not grabbing — just resting beside Jamie on the desk, blocking one side of escape.

His other hand mirrored it.

Caged.

But not touched.

“If I were attached,” Matteo continued softly, “you would not be locked in this room.”

Jamie swallowed.

“And if I weren’t?” Jamie whispered back.

Matteo leaned in slightly — close enough that Jamie felt the warmth of his breath against his cheek.

“You would be locked in my room and tied to my bed post. For me to ravish at any time and at any day. And you will love it.”

The words weren’t loud. But they carried a lot of emotion behind it.

Jamie’s pulse slammed against his ribs.

He couldn’t tell if that was fear or adrenaline or something worse.

Matteo held the position for a second longer.

Then stepped back.

The absence of proximity felt colder than the closeness.

“You want me angry,” Matteo said calmly.

Jamie steadied his breathing.

“Yes.”

Matteo studied him.

Then:

“No you don’t.”

Jamie didn’t deny it.

Because that was the truth.

Matteo nodded slightly, as if confirming something internally.

“I won’t give you that.”

He turned toward the door.

But before he could leave, the door opened.

Enzo stepped in.

His gaze flicked immediately between them.

The distance.

The tension.

The charged air.

His expression hardened.

“This needs to stop,” Enzo said.

Jamie straightened.

Matteo didn’t respond immediately.

Enzo’s jaw tightened.

“You’re letting him destabilize you. We have people counting on us.”

“I’m managing it.”

“No,” Enzo replied sharply. “You’re indulging it.”

Jamie crossed his arms.

“You talk like I’m not here.”

Enzo looked at him finally.

“You shouldn’t be.”

That landed cold.

Jamie felt irritation flare.

“Is that jealousy?” Jamie asked lightly.

Enzo’s eyes flashed.

“Watch yourself.”

Jamie stepped closer deliberately.

“Or what?”

Matteo’s voice cut through the room.

“Enough.”

Both men stilled.

The authority in that single word was absolute.

Matteo’s gaze settled on Enzo.

“I am not compromised.”

Enzo held his stare.

“You’re hesitating.”

“And?”

“That’s not like you.”

The silence between them was older than Jamie understood.

History lived there.

Trust. Loyalty. Warnings unspoken.

Jamie realized something in that moment:

Enzo wasn’t protecting the operation.

He was protecting Matteo.

And that shifted something in Jamie’s understanding.

Matteo exhaled slowly.

“I am in control,” he said firmly.

Enzo studied him for a long second.

Then finally nodded once.

But his gaze flicked to Jamie again.

Sharp.

Assessing.

“You think you’re going to win this?,” Enzo said quietly to Jamie.

Jamie met his stare.

“I am.”

Enzo’s expression didn’t soften.

“No. You’re circling something you don’t understand.”

Jamie smirked slightly.

“Then explain it.”

Enzo stepped closer.

Low voice.

“Control is the only reason you’re breathing.”

Jamie felt that hit — but he didn’t show it.

Matteo interrupted before it escalated further.

“That’s enough Enzo. Step back.” His voice firm

Enzo stepped back.

The room settled into uneasy stillness.

Matteo looked at Jamie one last time before leaving.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he said quietly.

Jamie’s couldn’t find his voice.

Matteo’s gaze lingered half a second too long.

Then he left.

Enzo followed — but paused at the door.

Without turning around, he said:

“If you break him… you won’t survive what’s left.”

The door closed.

Jamie stood alone again.

Breathing hard.

Shaken — though he’d never admit it.

He had wanted anger.

Instead, he had found something far more volatile:

Restraint under pressure.

And cracks forming in it.

But here was the problem—

He didn’t know if he was trying to win.

Or trying to prove something.

And he didn’t know which outcome scared him more:

Matteo losing control.

Or Matteo choosing not to.