CHAPTER 28

Jamie barely had time to process the shift in Alexis’ face before it happened.

A dull, heavy sound cracked through the night air.

Alexis hands went lose around him as his eyes rolled to the back of his head showing only the whites.

Alexis’ body went slack mid-breath.

For half a second Jamie didn’t understand what was happening.

Then Alexis crumpled sideways, hitting the balcony floor in an ungraceful heap.

Behind him stood someone Jamie had only seen twice before — always at a close distance.

Matteo’s younger brother.

Same dark eyes.

Softer jaw.

Less restraint in the expression.

He held what looked like a short metal baton loosely at his side. Not threatening anymore. 

Romeo looked down at Alexis body in disguist. His pretty lips pulled back as if he wants to say an insult.

A bodyguard stood behind him, already stepping forward.

The efficiency was terrifying.

The bodyguard bent, checked Alexis briefly, then lifted him under the arms.

Alexis groaned faintly — unconscious but breathing.

“Take him. Put him a closet or something ” the younger brother said calmly waving his had dismissively.

The bodyguard dragged Alexis toward the service staircase at the side of the balcony — one Jamie hadn’t even noticed before.

Within seconds, Alexis was gone.

Gone.

As if he’d never been there.

The music inside never faltered.

The glass doors still shimmered with light.

The world had not changed.

But Jamie’s hands were shaking.

He hadn’t realized they were until the younger brother stepped closer and gently caught his wrist.

“Hey,” Romeo said quietly.

His voice was surprisingly calm. Not cold. Not cruel. So different from Matteo.

Jamie blinked, breath uneven.

“I— he—”

“I know.”

The younger brother’s eyes scanned him quickly — not invasive, just checking.

“Did he hurt you?”

Jamie swallowed.

“No.”

The answer felt insufficient.

“He tried,” Jamie added quietly.

A flicker passed through the younger brother’s eyes.

Not surprise.

Not confusion.

Just confirmation.

" I should have hit him harder."

Romeo exhaled slowly, like something had been expected.

“You’re safe,” he said.

Jamie let out a shaky breath he hadn’t meant to release.

The younger brother placed a steadying hand on Jamie’s shoulder.

“Look at me.”

Jamie hesitated, then did.

“Breathe,” he instructed softly.

Jamie inhaled.

Held it.

Exhaled.

The younger brother nodded once.

“Good.”

The calmness was disorienting. He didn't even realise he was having a panic attack.

Jamie had expected chaos.

Shouting.

Public confrontation.

Instead, it had been precisec clean and contained execution.

“Who—” Jamie started.

“Later,” the younger brother said gently.

He pulled out his phone.

Dialed.

“Matteo,” he said when the call connected. His tone shifted slightly — more formal. “Balcony. It’s handled...You owe me.”

A pause.

“Yes.”

Another pause.

“He’s fine.” He drawled.

Jamie felt something twist at that.

He’s fine.

Not Alexis.

Him.

The younger brother hung up and returned his full attention to Jamie.

“You don’t go outside alone this place is filled with sharks and you are fresh meat for them,” he said quietly.

It wasn’t accusatory.

It wasn’t scolding.

He was just stating facts.

Jamie bristled anyway.

“I can handle myself.”

A faint, almost tired smile touched the younger brother’s mouth.

“I know you think that.”

Jamie’s jaw tightened.

“I didn’t ask for—”

“I know,” he interrupted gently.

That softness unsettled Jamie more than anger would have.

The balcony doors opened again.

Matteo stepped out.

This time there was no audience.

Just the three of them and the sound of the ocean.

Matteo’s eyes went straight to Jamie.

Not to the empty balcony floor.

Not to where Alexis had been dragged away.

To Jamie.

His gaze assessed quickly — posture, breathing, distance.

“You’re hurt?” Matteo asked.

The question was direct.

Controlled.

But tight.

Jamie shook his head.

Matteo stepped closer.

Close enough that Jamie could feel the tension radiating off him like static.

“What happened?” Matteo asked.

Jamie hesitated.

Because saying it out loud made it real.

“He thought I was—” Jamie stopped.

Matteo’s jaw flexed once.

“He thought I wanted something I didn't want.,” Jamie finished quietly.

Silence.

The younger brother spoke calmly.

“He didn’t understand the word no.”

Matteo’s gaze sharpened.

Not explosive.

Sharper.

Dangerously so.

“And?” Matteo asked.

“I stopped it before it escalated I mean.” the younger brother replied evenly.

Matteo’s eyes flicked briefly to him.

A silent exchange passed between them.

Understanding.

Permission.

Approval.

Jamie realized something unsettling.

This had not been impulsive.

The younger brother had been watching.

The bodyguard had been positioned.

The intervention had been timed.

Matteo turned back to Jamie.

His voice was lower now.

“You’re coming with me.”

Jamie stiffened.

“I don’t need to be escorted.”

“That wasn’t a request.”

The tone wasn’t harsh.

But it wasn’t negotiable either.

Jamie opened his mouth to argue.

Then closed it.

Because suddenly, he didn’t want to stand on that balcony anymore.

Matteo placed a hand lightly at the back of Jamie’s neck.

Not possessive.

Grounding.

Steady.

Jamie hated how much that steadied him.

As they walked back inside, the ballroom swallowed them again in light and music.

No one looked twice.

No one knew.

Or maybe they did.

But power meant silence.

Lucas stood near the center of the room.

His eyes immediately found Jamie.

Concern flickered there.

“You okay? You disappeared.” Lucas asked.

Jamie nodded automatically.

“I’m fine.”

The lie felt thin.

Matteo’s hand remained at his back.

Subtle.

Controlled.

But closer than before.

Across the room, investors laughed.

A producer raised a toast.

The quartet swelled into something triumphant.

Jamie felt very small for a moment.

Not because he couldn’t fight.

Not because he couldn’t argue.

But because in a world this polished—

Damage disappeared quickly.

People disappeared quickly.

Narratives were rewritten quickly.

He glanced up at Matteo.

“You have made your point,” Jamie said quietly.

Matteo’s gaze met his.

“I wasn7t trying to make a point.”

Jamie held his eyes.

“Then what was all this show for?.”

Matteo’s expression hardened just slightly.

“Jamie...not everything is white and black. Learn to see the grey areas too.”

Jamie felt something strange in that wording. The was he said his name.

As they moved through the crowd, Jamie realized something else.

For weeks, he had been pushing Matteo to lose control.

To crack.

To show something raw and dangerous.

But tonight—

The control had been terrifyingly effective.

No explosion.

No public scandal.

Just removal.

Efficient.

Invisible.

Jamie didn’t know which was worse.

That Alexis had assumed he was available.

Or that Matteo’s world had swallowed the problem whole.

And for the first time since arriving—

Jamie wasn’t thinking about escape.

He was thinking about safety.

And that realization scared him more than the balcony ever had.

Lucas watched as Matteo and Jamie left the building feeling alone. A shadow draped over him, he looked up. 

" Enzo." He said softly.