Micah’s POVThe days just went by. They stretched out like gum stuck to your shoe. I swear, I started thinking the house was shrinking, walls creeping in.Sandra had basically moved into the Romano's mansion. Her perfume got everywhere; seriously, open a window and you’d probably still catch a whiff.And then there’s me, her brother, tagging along because “someone needs to look after Sandra.” Father tossed that line out with his usual fake-nice grin, and nobody bothered to object. So here I am.Something had shifted. Even the staff; usually all business and smooth moves; were on edge, tiptoeing around like they were scared to breathe too loud. Mrs. Romano barely said a word, but now it felt sharp, like one wrong move and she’d shatter. And Alessandro was basically a ghost.I barely caught more than a flicker of him here and there. Just enough to wonder if I was making him up. A shadow hovering at the end of the hall. Sometimes I spot him drifting across the courtyard, but poof, he’d
Alessandro’s POVSunlight crashed through the window, lighting up my cufflinks like I’d accidentally signed up for a daytime rave. I winced at my own reflection, wrestled my tie into a technically legal shape, messed with my jacket sleeves for no actual reason, and gave my shoes a half-hearted swipe.Ugh, my chest was basically getting crushed by some invisible clamp, and my brain, it just would not chill.Sandra. Marcus. Those stupid files. What I dug up yesterday was still doing somersaults in my head. My jaw’s tight, I let out this shaky breath. Not happening. Whatever. Today I’d face her. I was done tiptoeing around. Time for the truth.I heard faint voices from the garden below. My mother’s soft hum and some other voices I couldn’t place.Wiped my hands on my jacket; yeah, whatever, then slid out into the hallway. Downstairs was a total madhouse. The noise just kept cranking up. Every step I took, the shouts and laughter chased me harder, practically nipping at my heels.Hit the
Alessandro’s POVCity lights sprawled out for miles, all glitter and promise, but they just made me feel lonelier, staring out from behind my office glass. They mocked me. Flickering dots, distant and cold, like everyone out there had no idea what I was going through. The Romano Corp tower was supposed to feel like home, a palace of power. Instead, it felt like a cage.I couldn’t focus. Every email, every ping of a new notification, every file on my desk blurred into meaningless shapes. My assistant called twice. Twice, I ignored her. I couldn’t stop thinking about Micah. His laugh, the way he looked at me without judgment, without pretension. The honesty in his eyes. That night… that night with him replayed in my mind again and again, burning brighter every time I tried to push it away.And then… Sandra.Her name and Marcus Chen’s; linked together like some cruel joke in the files I’d discovered yesterday. Her poise, her perfect smile… and behind it, something dangerous, hidden, cal
Alessandro’s POVThe Romano Corp headquarters towered over the city like a glass blade cutting into the sky. From the street below, people always looked at it with awe, snapping photos, whispering about power, money, and the Romano name. But as I pushed through the revolving doors that morning, all I felt was exhaustion.I muttered under my breath as the secretary met me with that polite, too-bright smile.“Mr. Romano, the files are on your desk, the ones I left yesterday. They need your signature before lunch.”“Of course,” I replied flatly, tugging at my tie. My voice was sharp, clipped. I didn’t even mean it to be, but the weight on my chest from last night hadn’t lifted. If anything, it had grown heavier.I headed up to my office. The glass walls glared at me. Sleek. Intimidating. Every surface polished to perfection, like it was made for a different man. A man who belonged here.Not me.Never me.The moment I opened my office door, the cold air hit me. The room looked the same as
Alessandro’s POVThe moment Micah left, the room felt colder. Like the air itself had collapsed around me. He hadn’t slammed the door or shouted goodbye. He stared me down, eyes blazing like I’d just insulted his entire family or something, and growled, “Don’t avoid me.” Poof... gone, vanished, Houdini style. Just left me there like an idiot, gripping that coin to my chest like it could stop my heart from pounding out of my ribs.My hands trembled. My head spun. My chest ached. His words just kept bouncing around in my skull; like, seriously, on repeat: You already chose me the moment you kept that coin. What a line.By the time I stumbled into my room, the clock was basically laughing at me, it was that late. My eyes were half-glued shut. The sheets were cold. The house was silent. My father was asleep in his wing of the mansion, and my mother tucked away quietly. The staff kept to their quarters. And I… I lay there with eyes wide open, the coin necklace pressing into my skin every t
Alessandro’s POVThe study was too quiet. Too still.My pen tapped against the wood. Numbers blurred in front of me. Words twisted into nonsense.I muttered under my breath, “Work. Focus. Numbers don’t break your heart.”But my chest betrayed me. Every few seconds, my thoughts circled back. Not to the contracts. Not to the endless responsibilities of Romano Enterprises. No. My mind betrayed me with one name, one face.Micah.His laugh. His eyes. The night at the hotel.I shoved the file away, frustrated. My hands dug into my hair. “Damn it.”And then…Knock.The sound jolted me upright. Not from the door. From the balcony.I stood there, totally locked up. Like, statue mode, couldn’t move. My head creaked around toward the window, all slow and jittery, heart doing drum solos in my chest. Swear I saw something flicker out there.Something shifted again. No, someone.I went for the curtain, practically ripped it off the rod. And holy crap, Micah just standing there, like he’d walked str