Chapter 6

The first lie was the smile.

Luca forced it onto his face as he reentered the ballroom, walking beside Serena like nothing had happened. Like his heart wasn’t still racing.

Like he hadn’t kissed her brother against a wall twenty minutes ago and wanted to do it again.

His tie felt too tight. His skin, too hot. He adjusted his collar for the third time as they approached the cluster of investors his father had summoned.

Paolo Virelli turned toward them, his eyes sharp as ever.

“There he is,” Paolo said, motioning to Luca like he was nothing more than a trophy to be presented. “My son. The future of Virelli Global.”

Luca nodded politely, shaking hands with the men gathered in the corner. They were old money, pressed suits, shiny shoes, smug smiles that came from decades of power.

He smiled. He made small talk.

And all the while, his mind stayed in that room with Asher. The heat of his touch. The feel of his lips. The electric sense of rightness that terrified him more than anything else ever had.

He could still taste him.

“…What do you think, Luca?” one of the investors asked, pulling him back to the present.

Luca blinked. “Sorry?”

“The Hartwell expansion,” the man repeated. “Will you be taking a seat on the board once the merger is finalized?”

He felt Serena’s eyes flicker toward him.

He didn’t hesitate.

“Of course,” he said smoothly. “Our families aren’t just merging assets. We’re building a new era.”

The men chuckled appreciatively.

Serena reached over and slipped her fingers into his.

It looked like affection.

But it felt like chains.

Later that night, after the last guests had left and the last champagne flute had been cleared, Luca stood at his bedroom window, staring out at the city that glittered with everything he could never have.

His room was quiet, pristine, untouched, just like the life he performed in.

He undid his tie and sat at the edge of the bed, trying not to think about how Asher had looked walking away.

Or how he had tasted, smoke and defiance and something Luca wasn’t allowed to crave.

He ran a hand over his face, exhausted in a way no sleep could fix.

There was a knock.

He tensed. “Yeah?”

The door opened. Serena stepped inside, barefoot, her evening gown replaced by silk lounge pants and a robe.

He blinked. “Everything okay?”

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, her expression unreadable.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I thought maybe you couldn’t either.”

Luca’s stomach dropped, but he nodded. “Yeah. Long day.”

She walked to the armchair by the window and sat, folding her legs beneath her. “You seemed… off tonight.”

He didn’t answer.

She tilted her head. “Is it the wedding?”

“It’s everything.”

Her lips twitched, almost sympathetically. “It’s a lot. I get it. But we’re doing what we’re supposed to.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s right.”

She was quiet for a long beat.

“I’m not in love with you, Luca,” she said softly.

He turned to her, startled.

“I know that’s not how this started. And maybe not how it ends, either. But I’m not stupid.”

He looked down. “I never meant to lie to you.”

“You didn’t,” she said. “Not really. You never promised anything more.”

Another pause.

Then, carefully, she added: “Is there someone else?”

His throat closed.

He could lie. He should lie.

But for a single, dangerous second, the silence held.

“I saw the way you looked at Asher,” she said, quieter now. “I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that.”

His head snapped up. “Serena...”

“I’m not accusing you,” she said quickly. “And I won’t say anything. I’m just… telling you what I noticed.”

Luca stood, restless. “It was a mistake.”

“Was it?”

He didn’t answer.

She rose to her feet and walked over, standing close, but not touching. Her voice was low.

“My family doesn’t care who you’re with, Luca. Not really. They care what it looks like. What it earns. Same as yours. You and I? We’re pieces on a chessboard. Nothing more.”

He looked at her, surprised by the sharpness in her voice.

She offered a small, sad smile. “I learned a long time ago that survival means knowing which truths to say out loud. And which ones to keep to yourself.”

“Is this… are you saying you want out?”

“No,” she said. “I’m saying I know what this is. And what it isn’t. And if you’re going to keep pretending, you better get better at it.”

Her eyes held his for a beat too long.

Then she turned, walked to the door, and paused.

“Just be careful with him,” she added without looking back. “Asher’s not part of this world. He doesn’t know the rules.”

And then she was gone.

That night, Luca didn’t sleep.

He stared at the ceiling, remembering the heat of Asher’s mouth, the sound of his voice, the way his name had sounded when it wasn’t drowned in duty.

The first lie had been his smile.

The second was telling himself it would end there.

The sun rose like an apology Luca didn’t want.

Its gold light spilled across the Virelli estate in soft bands, illuminating the illusion of serenity. But inside Luca’s chest, everything was static.

He didn’t go downstairs for breakfast. He didn’t check his phone. And he definitely didn’t look at the door, hoping someone would knock.

Instead, he stood in the massive walk in closet staring at rows of tailored suits like armor, wondering which version of himself he had to wear today.

By the time he stepped out of his room, Serena was already waiting for him in the sitting room off the west hall.

She was dressed in beige slacks and a sleeveless ivory blouse, business casual, effortless, disarming.

Her expression gave nothing away.

“I called ahead,” she said. “We’re meeting my father’s attorneys at noon. Then yours. I thought we’d finalize the prenup together.”

Luca nodded slowly. “Right. Of course.”

Serena watched him closely. “Did you sleep?”

“Barely.”

She gave a dry smile. “Yeah. Me too.”