CHAPTER THREE: Chemistry

[SOMEWHERE IN PARIS, 9:30 PM – THE SCOTT MANSION]

"Miss Alessia."

The guards and maids bowed slightly as she walked through the grand iron gates into the mansion.

She gave them a tight smile, the kind you wear like a mask, and kept walking.

Her heels echoed through the marble hallway, but it wasn’t the sound that made her tense up. It was the voices—the laughter—drifting from the dining room. Her stomach turned.

She stepped in, and as if on cue, all eyes turned to her.

Their laughter died, and their smiles faded.

Their stares hit her like cold wind—icy, sharp, filled with disdain.

Alessia swallowed hard but lifted her chin and walked in with forced grace. Her black coat draped over one arm, her dress hugging her frame in a way she regretted now. She nodded politely and took her seat at the long table, directly across from Damon’s mother.

“You’re late,” Mrs Estelle Scott said coldly, as she cut into her steak.

Alessia forced a smile. “I wasn’t aware I was expected for dinner.”

“How would you?” Isla—Damon’s younger sister—said with a shrug. “Or have you forgotten your place?”

Alessia ignored the jab, reaching for her water glass.

Mrs Kane didn’t miss a beat. “So... what’s this I’m hearing about no dress fittings? No event planner, no updates? Nothing?”

Alessia's hand paused mid-air.

“You do realise the wedding is in a few weeks,” Genevieve added, her voice sweet but sharp.

“I haven’t made any plans... because I’m busy running the company.” Alessia responded flatly with no drama. Just the truth.

The room went dead silent.

Damon looked up from his phone for the first time.

“What did you just say?”

“I said I am busy, and I want the wedding postponed,” she repeated, voice low but steady.

Mrs Kane dropped her fork.

Isla blinked. “You’re kidding.”

“No.” Alessia exhaled. “This is tough for me. And I’m exhausted.”

Mrs Kane let out a soft laugh—cold and joyless. “You *think* you have a choice, dear?”

“You do realise what your father owes us?” Damon added, his voice now laced with threat. “All those debts? That company is barely staying afloat?”

Alessia's jaw clenched.

“We’ve covered for your family more than once,” Mrs Kane said. “And we can easily bring down the company and send your father to jail.”

“You’re threatening my father?” Alessia asked, her voice breaking just slightly.

“We are *reminding* you,” Estelle said with a chilling smile, “the only reason he’s not behind bars is because we pulled strings. If you don’t cooperate, we won’t lift a finger next time.”

Genevieve crossed her arms. “And if you think you can make decisions without our consent—think again. We can destroy you.”

“No,” Alessia snapped, her voice shaking, “are you all threatening me?

Mrs Kane stood up, her face tight with rage. “Then consider this your warning. Sit back down. Play the role. Or your family pays the price.”

Tears burnt behind Alessia’s eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. Not here. Not in front of them.

She stood. Picked up her purse and walked out with her heart pounding in her chest, her throat thick with unshed tears. As soon as she reached the car, she collapsed inside and finally let herself cry.

Her face burnt, not from anything—but from fear, exhaustion, and the weight of knowing what they were capable of.

Her phone buzzed. **Mike.**

She wiped her face and answered.

“Where the hell are you, Alessia?” he asked, half-panicked. “I’ve been calling for an hour. The Moretti team moved the meeting up. You need to get to their office. Now.”

“What?” she croaked.

“They said if you’re not there in one hour, the deal’s off.”

Alessia blinked. “That’s impossible; the review is scheduled for tomorrow—”

“Yeah, well, welcome to the new plan. Get there. Please. I’ll meet you.”

The call ended.

Alessia exhaled shakily. Her heart still thudding from the dinner, her cheek still stinging with their threats.

Now she had to face *Dante Moretti*—the father of her unborn child she hadn’t told anyone about.

The same man who didn’t even know she was carrying his baby.

She gripped the steering wheel.

And started the car.

_________

[MORETTI’S ENTERPRISE]

_________

Alessia's heart pounded wildly like a party drum as she made her way into the grand lobby of Moretti Enterprises. Her breath caught mid-throat; her eyes widened as they drank in the sheer magnificence before her.

"Damn!" She whispered under her breath, overwhelmed.

It was big, the decorations were just so amazing and more...

Everything shimmered with power and precision – glossy marble floors that reflected the elegance of the space, elevators gliding up and down the silent sentinels, and staff moving about, dressed immaculately in tailored suits. Their gaze focused, their slides purposeful.

"Ms Alessia?" She spun around at the mention of her name to find a young man walking towards her.

She narrowed her eyes and then waved back. He was Dante’s secretary.

"Hi," a smile crept out of his lips, and she smiled back, trying to ignore the way her heart was pounding.

"I came here to see Mr Dante." She muttered out the name, gripping the edge of her blue gown like a lifeline.

The male stared at her for a moment and then smirked. "I'm sure he's already waiting for you. You have 10 minutes left, so I will take you there."

Alessia smiled gratefully as he led the way to the devil in human form... For some minutes she felt relieved that the man was walking with her, but then she scoffed when she realised he was not going to be there with her.

"I'm Michael, by the way," the male introduced as they stepped into the elevator.

"Like Michael from Prison Break?" she asked playfully, needing to clear the levity or the tension building up in her.

He chuckled as he pressed the number 23. "Exactly. He's my favourite actor in the movie.

Alessia smiled faintly, her mind already spiralling elsewhere.

Silence fell as the elevator ascended... The hum of motion surrounded them, but in her head, only that one sound roared.

his name.

Dante Moretti...

He wasn't just a man. He was a myth wrapped in shadow. A beast in a tailored suit.

The first day she had seen him was one of the days she was never going to forget.

Weeks ago, everything had fallen apart.

It wasn’t just the night she’d slept with Dante.

It was why.

She had left work late, exhausted and emotionally raw, hoping to get it all sorted after seeing her fiancé.

She walks into the house only to see her best friend—Lily—tangled in the arms of her fiancé.

Damon.

The man her parents want her to marry. The man who thinks he is doing her a favour by marrying her.

And the worst part?

Lily hadn’t even flinched when Alessia walked in.

She hadn’t hidden. She smiled.

It didn’t matter.

Like she didn’t matter.

Lily?

Among her four friends, if anyone would have done this, she’d have thought it would be Rhea, known for her reputation with married men. But lily?

"How could you! How could you cheat on me with my best friend?" she shouted, struggling to catch her breath.

Damon's eyes widened, and he scoffed. "We have a wedding to plan, babe. This isn’t the time for your nags. I didn’t do anything," he claimed.

She couldn't believe her ears; he still wanted to plan a wedding even after cheating on her.

'How did she get herself in this mess? That was what was on her mind as she ran off to the club to seek solace.

"We are here," Michael announced, jolting her from her thoughts.

And that seems to be the height of it... Because now, her heartbeat had just increased to 200. Her legs stiffened as she stepped into the hallway, where silence held its breath.