~MARCELLA~Alber exhales and laughs.Not casually, not smoothly, but with genuine surprise.“How did you know that?” he asks, his eyes searching mine now, sharper than before.My heart skips…. just once.But my face? Unmoved.“I didn’t,” I shrug lightly, flipping my pen between my fingers. “I guessed.”He studies me, really studies me now.Like he’s trying to peel something back.Figure something out.And then slowly… a grin spreads across his face.“Interesting,” he murmurs.Then he leans closer, closer than necessary, his presence pressing into mine.His voice drops.“Yeah,” he says quietly. “You’re right.”My fingers tighten slightly on my pen.“I’m the Mafia heir of the Morrison family,”he admits.There it is…. heavy, real and dangerous.And suddenly, everything about him makes perfect sense.The arrogance.The confidence.The way he carries himself like the world bends around him.My chest tightens slightly, but I keep my expression neutral, unbothered.“
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