Chapter Five

Avery’s POV

For a few seconds after I woke up, everything felt normal. The sunlight was warm against my face. The soft sheets smelled faintly of lavender. Somewhere outside, water moved quietly. Then I remembered where I was and why.

My eyes opened slowly.

The ceiling above me was unfamiliar and definitely not a student apartment, not my apartment. My head reeled as memories rushed back. I pushed myself to sit up on the massive bed, my heart beating faster than usual. The room around me was beautiful. Tall windows showing a beach, marble floors spread beneath my feet, a large antique mirror stood near the wardrobe, reflecting the rays of the rising sun. Despite the fact that luxury surrounded me, I felt strangely trapped inside it because none of this belonged to me.

I stood slowly, feeling the warm floor.

This was Luca’s apartment. One of his apartments, apparently. Less than forty-eight hours ago, I thought I was dating a successful businessman, now I knew he was the heir to one of the most powerful families in Italy.

A quiet knock sounded at the bedroom door.

My heart jumped. “Yes?”

The door opened slightly and Marco stepped inside. He looked exactly how he was last night, calm and entirely unbothered by the chaos that seemed to follow Luca everywhere.

“Good morning, Avery.”

“Morning.”

His eyes scanned me. “You slept?”

“Not really.”

“I expected that.”

I rubbed my face tiredly. “What time is it?”

“Almost nine.”

Marco gestured toward the hallway. “Breakfast is ready if you’d like to join me.”

“I’m not sure I can eat.”

“You should try.”

Something about the authority in his voice made it difficult to argue. So a few minutes later, I followed him into the dining room. The space was just as stunning as the bedroom and sunlight spread across a polished wooden table set with fresh fruit, pastries and coffee.

The smell alone made my stomach churn, not because the food looked bad but because everything felt too normal, like the world outside hadn’t exploded overnight.

Marco pulled out a chair for me. I sat down slowly.

“You live here?” I asked.

“No.”

“Then whose apartment is this?”

“Luca’s.”

I nodded slowly. “Of course it is.”

Marco poured coffee into a cup and slid it toward me. “Drink.”

I wrapped my hands around the warm cup, grateful for the heat.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway. Marco glanced up. I didn’t need to look to know it was Luca. He entered the room a moment later. His dark hair was slightly messy, his shirt sleeves rolled up like he has been working all night but the moment his eyes found mine, his expression softened.

“You’re awake.”

“I figured hiding in bed wouldn’t fix anything.”

His lips curved slightly. “No. It usually doesn’t.”

Marco stood. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”

He walked out quietly, closing the door behind him. The silence that followed was heavy.

“So what happens now?”

Luca leaned back in his chair, looking at me carefully. “What do you want to happen?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Why not?”

“Because your life is the one exploding right now.”

He shook his head slightly. “Our lives.”

I sighed. “Your fiancée must be thrilled.”

His expression changed. “Gianna will deal with it.”

“That doesn’t sound reassuring.”

Luca leaned forward slightly. “She doesn’t control my decisions.”

“Maybe not but she clearly has power, influence and a family that probably wants me dead.”

I rubbed my aching temples. “I just wanted to surprise my boyfriend.”

He gave a faint smile. “That may have been the worst surprise in history.”

“Definitely.”

I looked up at him. “So what’s your plan now?”

“I’m going to stop hiding.”

My eyes widened. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m not pretending you don’t exist.”

“Luca…”

“They’ve already turned this into a scandal.”

“Yes.”

“So we stop pretending it isn’t one.”

My voice lowered. “Your fiancée is going to destroy me.”

His answer came calmly. “She’s already trying.”

Before I could answer, Luca grabbed his jacket.

“We’re going out tonight.”

I blinked. “What?”

“To dinner.”

“Luca, the paparazzi are everywhere.”

“I know.”

“That’s a terrible idea.”

His eyes softened slightly. “Maybe but I’m tired of letting other people control my life.”

Pride and fear swelled in me simultaneously. “You’re serious.”

“Yes.”

“And if Gianna sees us?”

“She will.”

“And the media?”

“They definitely will.”

I groaned. “This is a disaster waiting to happen.”

Luca stepped closer. “Maybe.”

Then he asked quietly, “Are you brave enough to face it with me?”

*****

Hours later, we stepped out of the car in front of the restaurant and chaos erupted instantly.

Cameras flashed.

“Luca!”

“Over here!”

“Is that Avery Sullivan?”

My heart raced. “This was a mistake” I whispered.

Luca didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled me closer, his arm wrapped firmly around my waist. The cameras went wild. Then he tilted my chin upward and kissed me. Flashes and gasps exploded from the crowd around us. When he pulled away, the photographers were practically screaming with excitement.

I stared at him. “What have you done?”

His voice was calm. “Sent a message.”

****

By the next morning, my life had officially become a show. I knew it the moment Marco placed a tablet in front of me at the breakfast table.

“You may want to see this.”

Something in his tone made me worried.

“Do I really?”

“Probably not.”

I hesitated before looking down at the screen. The moment it lit up, my shoulders slumped. Photos, so many photos.

Luca and me standing outside the restaurant last night. Luca pulling me close and kissing me. My face burned instantly.

“Oh no.”

Marco sipped his coffee calmly. “Yes.”

Headlines filled the screen around the photos.

RAMANO HEIR PUBLICLY CHOOSES MYSTERY WOMAN

VENICE SCANDAL: BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET AFFAIR

WHO IS AVERY SULLIVAN?

My voice cracked with worry, I said “I look like a criminal.”

Marco raised his head slightly. “The media enjoys drama.”

“That’s not drama” I muttered.

Another headline caught my eye.

AMERICAN STUDENT BREAKS POWERFUL ENGAGEMENT

I pushed the tablet away. “I didn’t break anything.”

Marco’s expression softened slightly. “You didn’t but opinions often replaces truth.”

Lucas walked in and I immediately crossed my arms.

“So your grand plan to make a public statement worked.”

“It did?”

“Now everyone thinks I’m a homewrecker.”

Luca stepped closer. “They thought that yesterday.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Marco slid the tablet toward him. “Have you seen the headlines?”

Luca glanced at the screen briefly. His reaction was calm.

“I expected worse.”

I blinked. “Worse?”

“They could have printed worse lies.”

I stared at him. “You’re unbelievably relaxed about this.”

“I’m not relaxed.”

“You look relaxed.”

His eyes darkened slightly. “I’m calculating”

My phone buzzed on the table, then again and again. Notifications, messages, mentions and comments flooded the screen. My heart raced as I opened the first message.

Is this really you in the news?

The second was less kind.

Wow. Didn’t know you were that desperate.

The third message made my chest ache.

You should be ashamed.

I locked the phone quickly and set it down. “I think half the world hates me now.”

Marco raised an eyebrow. “Only half?”

I laughed weakly. “Okay. Probably more than that.”

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen, it was a message from Elisa.

CALL ME NOW.

I stood quickly. “I need to take this.”

Luca nodded. I stepped into the hallway and answered the call.

“Elisa?”

Her voice exploded through the phone. “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!”

I winced. “I kissed Luca in front of about fifty photographers.”

“I noticed!”

She sounded halfway between horrified and impressed.

“You’re trending everywhere!”

“Great.”

“Avery, do you realize what you’ve done?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“I might have accidentally started a war.”

Elisa sighed heavily. “Listen to me carefully.”

“Okay.”

“You have two choices now.”

“I’m listening.”

“You either run away from this disaster… or you stop acting like a victim.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you stay in Luca’s life, you need to stop letting everyone push you around.”

“I’m not letting anyone push me around.”

“You look pretty pushed around right now.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it because she wasn’t completely wrong.

“I just didn’t sign up for this” I said quietly.

“No one ever does.”

Silence. Then Elisa said softly,

“If you run now, Gianna wins.”

“And if I stay?”

“Then you fight.”

The call ended a few minutes later. When I returned to the dining room, Luca was waiting but Marcus wasn’t around anymore.

“What did she say?”

“That I’m acting like a victim.”

His eyebrow lifted slightly. “Do you agree?”

I hesitated. “I don’t know.”

Luca stood slowly. “Then maybe it’s time you decide.”

I looked up at him. “Decide what?”

“Whether you’re staying or leaving.”

“Maybe they’ll stop if I disappear.”

“No.” The word came out almost immediately.

I sighed.

“You can’t seriously expect me to stay in the middle of this.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s dangerous!”

Luca leaned forward slightly. “Do you think leaving would make you safe?”

I hesitated. “I don’t know.”

“I do.” His voice softened. “They’ve already targeted you.”

The memory of the brick through the window flashed in my mind and a cold shiver ran down my spine.

“So what’s the solution?” I asked.

“You stay where I can protect you.”

“And if I don’t want protection?”

His expression changed slightly. “You don’t have that luxury anymore.”

The harsh truth in his words left me speechless.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then my phone buzzed again. Another message. I frowned and picked it up, it was from an unknown number. My body shook in fear as I opened it. The message contained only a single photo, a picture of me taken outside my university building and beneath the photo was a message.

Pretty girls shouldn’t play dangerous games.

My hands began to shake.

“Luca…”

He noticed immediately. “What is it?”

I turned the phone toward him. His expression changed instantly and all the warmth drained from his eyes, only anger remained.

“Where did this come from?”

“I don’t know.”

He stood and walked toward the window, dialing his phone.

“Marco,” he said.

There was a pause. “Yes. Now.”

He hung up and turned back to me. “Show me the number.”

I handed him my phone.

“They’re getting bolder” he whispered to himself.

My voice cracked. “They’re watching me.”

“Yes.”

Before I could say anything else, Marco returned. Luca handed him the phone. Marco looked the message carefully.

“Interesting.”

“Interesting?” I repeated.

He nodded. “They’re escalating.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

Marco gave me a soft look. “It means they’re getting impatient.”

“Impatient for what?”

“For you to break.”

The words sent another shiver through me.

“Well congratulations to them,” I said weakly. “I’m close.”

Luca’s voice softened. “You’re stronger than you think.”

I didn’t feel strong. I felt like a normal girl who had accidentally walked into a war she shouldn’t have. Marco handed the phone back to Luca.

“I’ll trace the number.”

“Do it.”

Marco nodded and left again.

The room went quiet.

I stared down at my trembling hands. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

Luca’s voice was gentle. “I know.”

“Your world is insane.”

“Yes.”

I looked up at him. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth before all this happened?”

For the first time since we met, Luca looked almost… regretful.

“I wanted you to see me” he said softly.

“Not the name, not the power. Just me.”

“That didn’t exactly work out.”

“No.”

He walked closer. “But you’re still here.”

“Only because I don’t know how to escape.”

His eyes locked on mine. “Do you want to?”

The question stayed between us. I thought about the threats, the headlines, the danger but I also thought about the way he had looked at me from across the engagement stage like I had shaken his world just as much as he had shaken mine.

“I don’t know” I admitted.

His expression softened. “That’s honest.”

For a moment, the tension lessened.

Then Marco’s voice echoed from the hallway.

“Luca.”

The seriousness in his tone made it return again. Marco walked in quickly, holding another phone.

“This just came in.”

Luca frowned. “What is it?”

Marco turned the screen toward us, it was showing a video or rather a security footage. The video showed the street outside the restaurant from last night with photographers filling the sidewalk. Luca and me stepping outside but then something strange too. A man standing across the street, just watching. He wasn’t taking photos or part of the crowd, he was… observing.

“Who is that?” I whispered.

Marco zoomed in, showing the man’s face that was partially hidden under a cap but something about him made Luca’s expression darken instantly.

“You know him?” Marco asked.

Luca’s voice turned cold. “Yes.”

“Who is he?”

Luca didn’t answer immediately, instead, he looked at Marco. “When was this recorded?”

“Last night.”

Luca’s eyes turned colder. “Then we have a bigger problem than Gianna.”

I swallowed. “What do you mean?”

He finally looked at me. “That man isn’t one of my family’s enemies.”

“Then whose enemy is he?”

“Mine.”

Suddenly I realized something terrifying. The threats I had received… the brick, the message, the man watching us. None of it might have anything to do with Gianna at all which meant one scary possibility.

Someone else watched me gone and they aren’t playing clean.