LOGINElena/Ileana POVFor a moment, nobody spoke.Then Bianca’s shrill voice shattered the silence.“You’re insane! You’ve completely lost your mind!”Lorenzo was still on the floor, surrounded by shattered glass. A few pieces had caught his skin, leaving thin cuts across his arms, while blood seeped through the back of his shirt where he had landed against the broken table. He grimaced as he tried to sit up, only to suck in a sharp breath when the movement aggravated his injuries.Bianca was still beside him, her expression changing the moment she noticed the blood.“Lorenzo! Oh my God, you’re bleeding!” She reached for his arm, then hesitated when she saw the glass scattered around him. “Don’t move. Please, don’t move.”He clenched his jaw, his gaze fixed on me.“You…” He pointed at me, his voice shaking with anger. “What the hell is wrong with you?”I looked at his finger, then at his face.“Do you want me to demonstrate again, or was the first lesson sufficient?”He immediately lowered
Elena/Ileana POVFor a moment, I simply stared at Lorenzo.Then I glanced at Bianca, who was watching me with an expression that suggested she’d already imagined my humiliation and was thoroughly enjoying it.Finally, I looked back at him.“Are you finished?”His eyebrows drew together. “What?”“Your little speech. Are you finished, or is there more nonsense you’d like to get off your chest?”Bianca gasped.Lorenzo’s jaw tightened. “Watch your mouth, Ileana.”“Why? Does it offend you?”“I’m not joking.”“Neither am I.”He took a step toward me, clearly expecting me to retreat. When I didn’t, something flickered across his face. Surprise, perhaps, followed by irritation. He wasn’t accustomed to me standing my ground, and he certainly wasn’t accustomed to me looking at him as though his opinion meant absolutely nothing.“You’re going to apologize to Bianca,” he repeated. “You pushed her down the stairs. You could have seriously injured her!”“Could have,” I agreed. “But I didn’t. She’
Elena/Ileana POVBy the time I returned to the Bellucci estate, I had already decided that my new car was the best thing that had happened to me all day.The red Bugatti purred beautifully, responded to the slightest touch, and, unlike certain devilishly annoying men, didn’t insist on having the last word.I swung the keys around my finger as I walked through the front door, still enjoying the satisfaction of having driven away from Adonis D’Angelo without giving him the opportunity to annoy me any further.Unfortunately, my peace lasted all of three seconds.My shopping bags were scattered across the sitting room, and Bianca was seated on the couch, rummaging through them as though she’d stumbled upon a personal invitation to raid someone else’s belongings.I stopped in the doorway."Is there a reason you are going through my stuff?”Bianca’s head snapped up.I walked over and began collecting my bags, examining the contents as I picked them up. At least everything seemed to be ther
Elena/Ileana POVAnything I wanted.Adonis had said those words with the confidence of a man who had never experienced the consequences of making promises to the wrong person.That was about to change.I wandered through the boutique, examining the collections while the saleswoman followed closely behind me. Leather jackets, fitted leather trousers, boots, and heels quickly filled my selection. I picked a few skirts, too, but nothing overly delicate or impractical. I had no intention of filling my wardrobe with clothes that would become a nuisance the moment I needed to move quickly.The saleswoman looked increasingly uncertain as my choices accumulated.I ignored her.At the entrance, Adonis was still speaking with Matteo. I occasionally glanced in their direction, mostly because I preferred knowing what was happening around me. At one point, Matteo nodded at something Adonis said, then slipped out of the boutique.I watched him leave before returning my attention to the clothes.I
Elena/Ileana POVThe moment we walked out of the Bellucci estate, Adonis led me toward a sleek black car parked near the entrance.A man stood beside the driver’s door, waiting for us. He was tall, with neatly styled brown hair and a handsome face that carried an easygoing charm. The moment he spotted Adonis, he grinned before shifting his attention to me, his eyebrows rising with curiosity.Adonis opened the back door and gestured for me to enter. I climbed inside, followed by him, and the man settled behind the steering wheel before turning around to offer me a friendly smile.“Hi! You must be Ileana. I’m Matteo, Adonis’s best friend, right-hand man, occasional babysitter, and anything else he needs me to be.”Adonis rolled his eyes. “Drive.”“Nice to meet you, too, Your Highness.”I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. So this was Matteo, Adonis’s closest associate and trusted companion. There wasn’t much publicly available about him during my research on the D’Angelos,
Elena/Ileana PovHis smile turned positively radiant.“Is that a threat, sweetheart?”“Consider it a courtesy warning.”He chuckled, apparently delighted with himself, and finally lowered me to my feet.Better.I straightened my clothes and smoothed my skirt, then took his offered hand before anyone could question our little exchange. If we were going to convince everyone that this engagement was real, I could tolerate a certain amount of theatrical nonsense.But if he picked me up again without permission, I was seriously considering stabbing him in that gorgeous face of his with the nearest available nail.His face was his problem. My patience was mine.“Where’s your room?” he asked.I pointed toward the staircase.“Up there.”“Then let’s go.”He started toward the stairs with me beside him, his hand resting lightly around mine. I matched his pace, keeping my attention on the people behind us.Vittorio was watching Adonis cautiously. Lucia looked furious beneath her carefully arrang







