Chapter 5

"Does your ankle still hurt?"

Alessandro's voice cut through the silence as we drove away from the Fontainebleau. I could still hear the echo of shattering crystal and Tyler's furious shouts ringing in my ears.

"A little." I shifted in the passenger seat, testing my weight on the injured foot. Pain shot up my leg immediately. "Thank you for tonight."

His knuckles went white on the steering wheel. "Don't thank me. We're getting married soon."

The words hung between us like a loaded gun. This whole thing started as a business deal, but what happened back there... that wasn't acting.

I stole a glance at his profile. The muscle in his jaw was still ticking, his shoulders rigid despite the fight being over. Something had changed tonight, and neither of us knew what the fuck to do about it.

"Alessandro, about what your secretary said—"

"We don't need to talk about it now." His voice carried an edge I'd never heard before.

We pulled up to my building, and Alessandro insisted on walking me up despite my protests. The elevator ride felt suffocating – his cologne, that mix of leather and cedar, was driving me crazy in the small space.

"I can handle it from here," I said at my door, but my hands were shaking so badly I couldn't get the key in the lock.

He gently took the keys from me. "Let me."

The door clicked open and I stepped inside, reaching for the light switch in the dark entryway. But my fucked-up ankle chose that exact moment to give out.

I stumbled forward, but strong arms caught me before I could hit the floor. Alessandro pulled me back against his chest, his arms wrapping around my waist.

We stood frozen in the darkness, my back pressed against him, his heart hammering against my shoulder blade.

"Alessandro..." I whispered.

His breath was warm against my ear. I could feel every rapid beat of his pulse, the tension in his body as he held me.

"Your heart is beating so fast," I murmured.

"I know." His voice was rougher than usual, lower. "Sorry, I can't control it."

He found the light switch with one hand while keeping the other around my waist. The lights came on, but neither of us moved away. I could feel the heat from his body, smell his cologne. My heart was beating so fast I was sure he could hear it.

Finally, I stepped out of his arms and limped to the living room, dropping onto the couch with a wince. Alessandro followed, sitting across from me but close enough that I could see the tension in his jaw.

"Are you angry with me?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.

He sat across from me, running a hand through his dark hair. "Valeria... you said you wanted to see Tyler to clear up misunderstandings."

"And you thought I meant—" I stopped, seeing the flash of pain and jealousy across his face.

"I thought you were going back to him," he said simply. "That you wanted to work things out."

The vulnerability in his voice made my chest ache. This man - this strong, confident man - had been afraid of losing me to Tyler fucking Brooks.

"Alessandro, I only wanted to return that money and cut ties completely..." I leaned forward, ignoring my ankle's protest. "I never wanted to get back together with him. Ever. I hate him for what he did to me."

His shoulders relaxed, and I could see the relief flooding his eyes. "Now I understand. There's no chance of you two getting back together. Ever."

The way he said 'ever' made my heart race. His voice was possessive, demanding, and fuck if that didn't turn me on more than it should have.

"What do you mean by that?" I found myself reaching for him, my fingers catching his shirt. "What are you really saying?"

Alessandro looked at me for a long moment, his eyes dropping to my mouth before looking back up. The way he was staring at me made it hard to breathe.

"I'm in love with you."

The words hit me like a fucking truck. My brain went completely blank.

"What?"

"I said I'm in love with you, Valeria."

I stared at him, trying to process what I'd just heard. Alessandro Ricci – the man who was always so controlled, so careful about everything – just told me he loves me.

"But you're always so composed, so in control..."

"I know." His voice was steady, but his eyes held a vulnerability I'd never seen. "I'm usually in control of everything. But this... you... none of this was planned."

Heat spread through my chest, liquid and warm. "Alessandro..."

"I've been going crazy these past few days, thinking you wanted him back. Thinking I was just a convenient arrangement to help you get revenge."

I reached for his hands, lacing our fingers together. "You're not convenient. You're... everything."

Before I could say more, my phone started ringing with Tyler's ringtone. The sound completely shattered the moment.

I glanced at the screen, then at Alessandro. "I should ignore it."

"Answer it," he said, his voice going cold and possessive again. "Let's see what he wants."

I reluctantly hit speaker.

"Valeria!" Tyler's voice filled the room, slurred and furious. "You think you've won something? You think your rich boyfriend makes you better than me?"

"Tyler, it's over. Leave me alone."

"You know what kind of woman you really are?" Tyler's voice turned vicious. "The kind who'll do anything to climb higher. First me, now him. What did you have to do to get him to marry you? Women like you, these kinds of tactics—"

Rage boiled up inside me. I was so fucking sick of Tyler's voice, his accusations, his need to tear me down even now.

I looked at Alessandro, saw the anger and possessiveness burning in his dark eyes as he listened to Tyler's poison.

Screw it. I was done with Tyler thinking he could control my life.

I stood up and kissed Alessandro.

It started as pure defiance, a way to shut Tyler up and show him exactly where he stood. But the second my lips touched Alessandro's, everything shifted. He responded immediately, his hands coming up to frame my face, kissing me back with an intensity that made my knees weak.

Tyler kept talking through the speaker, his voice getting more agitated.

"Alessandro," I whispered against his mouth, "the call is still connected."

"Let him listen," Alessandro said roughly, his hands sliding into my hair. "I want him to hear exactly what he's lost."

He kissed me again, deeper this time, and I could feel the heat between us building. When we broke apart, both breathing hard, Alessandro kept his eyes locked on mine.

"Tell him," Alessandro said, his voice low and commanding. "Tell him who you belong to."

My heart was pounding so hard I could barely think straight. "I belong to you," I said, loud enough for Tyler to hear.

Alessandro's hands tightened in my hair. "Say it again."

"I'm yours, Alessandro." The words came out breathless, desperate. "Only yours."

Tyler's voice exploded through the speaker, screaming curses, but Alessandro just smiled - a dark, satisfied smile that made heat pool low in my stomach.

"That's right," he murmured, pulling me closer until our bodies were pressed together. "You're mine now."

He reached over and ended the call, cutting off Tyler's voice mid-rant. Then his full attention was back on me, his hands moving to my waist.

"Now," he said, his voice rough with want, "we can finally finish what we started."