Private Invitation

Sienna woke to three missed calls from Theo and twenty-seven unread messages.

Which usually meant disaster.

Still half asleep, she reached for her phone and immediately regretted it.

Theo: Call me RIGHT NOW.

Theo: You're trending in Italy.

Theo: WHY ARE YOU SWIMMING WITH LUCA MORETTI.

Theo: I hope he at least replaced that masterpiece of a dress

"Oh no," Sienna muttered.

She opened social media and her stomach dropped with growing horror. Photos from the yacht had spread everywhere overnight. There were blurry images of her jumping into the water, Luca shirtless beside her, the two of them laughing on the swim platform.

One headline read:

MONACO'S MOST ELIGIBLE BILLIONAIRE FINALLY FALLS HARD?

Another:

MYSTERY GIRL STEALS LUCA MORETTI'S ATTENTION.

Sienna dropped her phone dramatically onto the bed.

"This is how I die."

Unfortunately, curiosity got the better of her almost immediately and she picked the phone back up again. There were hundreds of comments beneath the photos. Some people were obsessed with identifying her. Others were already predicting how long she would "survive" before Luca got bored.

One comment simply read:

She actually looks happy around him. Weird.

That one unsettled her most. Because she had been happy.

Her phone buzzed again.

Luca: Good morning, wrong party girl.

Sienna stared at the message for a full five seconds before answering.

Sienna: You ruined my life.

Luca: Dramatic.

Sienna: I'm internationally embarrassed.

Luca: You looked cute threatening Matteo with murder.

Annoyingly enough, she smiled. That was becoming a dangerous problem

Luca: Lunch today?

Sienna: You're improving - that was a question and not a demand. But absolutely not.

Luca: Dinner?

Sienna: Still no.

Luca: You're difficult.

Sienna: You're famous. It's stressful.

There was a longer pause this time before his reply arrived.

Luca: Fair.

That single word softened something unexpectedly inside her chest because most men like Luca would laugh off her discomfort. Instead, he understood it.

Her phone buzzed again.

Luca: Then come somewhere private.

Sienna: That sounds like the beginning of a documentary about rich serial killers.

Luca: You've really committed to this murderer narrative.

Sienna: Because you keep acting suspicious.

Another typing bubble.

Luca: There's a charity masquerade tomorrow night.

Sienna: A masquerade?

Luca: Very dramatic. Monaco loves costumes.

Sienna: You're already wearing a billionaire disguise every day.

Luca: That was rude.

Sienna smiled despite herself.

Sienna: Why are you inviting me?

The typing bubble disappeared.

Reappeared.

Then finally:

Luca: Because I'll spend the entire evening looking for you if you don't come anyway.

Oh no. Sienna stared at the screen far longer than necessary. Before she could decide how to respond, another message arrived.

Luca: Also Emilia threatened me.

Sienna laughed softly.

Sienna: That feels believable.

Luca: She says you're "good for my emotional development."

Sienna: Terrifying sentence.

Luca: Agreed.

Sienna rolled onto her back staring at the ceiling of her apartment. This was getting dangerous. Not because Luca flirted with her. He flirted with everyone. Not even because she was attracted to him anymore. That ship had sunk several disasters ago. The dangerous part was that she liked talking to him.

She liked the quieter moments. The honesty underneath the charm. The way he listened when she spoke like her thoughts actually mattered.

Theo called again before she could spiral further. She sighed and accepted the call carefully.

"You're dating Luca Moretti?" Theo demanded immediately.

"I went swimming once."

"That's how dating starts."

"We're not dating."

"The internet disagrees."

Sienna groaned and buried her face in a pillow.

Theo continued mercilessly. "Do you understand how insane this is? Half of Monaco has been trying to get that man emotionally attached for years. "

"He's not emotionally attached."

A pause.

"That wasn't convincing."

Sienna sat up with a glare despite the fact he couldn't see it.

"There are no feelings involved."

"Mmhm."

"We literally agreed on no strings."

Theo went quiet for one dangerous second.

"Oh my God," he said slowly. "Do you just like him or are you sleeping with him?"

"I have to go."

"You absolutely—"

She hung up immediately before he could finish.

Her phone buzzed again.

Luca: You disappeared.

Sienna: Theo called to accuse me of ruining my own life.

Luca: And?

Sienna hesitated before typing back.

Sienna: The jury's still out.

Three dots appeared almost instantly.

Luca: Come to the masquerade tomorrow.

Sienna looked toward the photos still open on her screen. This was a terrible idea. Everything involving Luca Moretti was a terrible idea.

Her phone buzzed one final time.

Luca: Wear something distracting.

Sienna laughed helplessly despite herself.

Then she typed:

Sienna: You're paying for a new dress and personal stylist because this is way out of my league?

Luca: So you're coming?

She should say no.

Sienna: Maybe.

Luca: That's basically a yes. Emilia will text you to go shopping later this morning with my credit card. Let's see if i can find you with your mask on, wrong party girl.

Before Sienna could argue, her phone went off again.

Emilia: Hi Sienna. Luca has thrown his Amex black and your number at me. See you at Madam Fleur in 2 hours.

Sienna groaned and buried her head under the covers. Today was going to be a long day.