جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 34

By the fourth day of Chloe’s residency, the tension in the estate had reached a breaking point.Chloe had discovered the indoor heated pool behind the West Wing, and she spent two hours trying to convince Marco to do a cannonball with her—an interaction I watched from the balcony while trying to muffle my laughter with both hands. Marco had looked like he was facing down an armed militia, standing at absolute attention while politely declining.Lorenzo, on the other hand, had officially run out of patience.It happened around midnight. Chloe had finally crashed, fast asleep in the guest room after a three-hour marathon of reality television and leftover takeout. I sat at my desk in my oversized hoodie, typing a draft of my civil law brief, the screen glowing softly in the dark room.A sharp, authoritative knock rapped against my door.Not Marco's polite tap, not a maid's timid rap. A heavy, commanding knock that could only belong to one man.I didn't answer. I just kept typing, preten

“I am not your prisoner, Lorenzo, and I am done sitting in this chair like an ornament.”Lorenzo didn't answer right away. He slowly capped his silver fountain pen, the click sharp against the quiet study. His storm-gray eyes lifted to mine, cold and unyielding, but I didn't back down. I pulled my laptop off the mahogany side table, snapped it shut, and hugged it tight against my chest.“You agreed to give me space to study, Mrs. De Luca,” Lorenzo rasped low, his deep voice dropping into that dangerous, gravelly register. “You did not agree to wander around the compound whenever you feel like it.”“I am going back to my wing,” I said, my voice steady despite the rapid pulse hammering in my throat. “I have a contract law paper due tomorrow, and I refuse to draft it while you sit across from me glaring at every keystroke.”I turned on my heel before he could issue another command and marched straight out of the door. He didn't chase after me, but the sheer weight of his gaze burned into