86

86
Allesio’s POV
The quietness of the office was usually comforting to me. It helped me focus. But today, it was suffocating. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the ledger in front of me, my mind kept drifting back to her.
Rosa.
I pressed my thumb against the corner of the page, flipping it more aggressively than I needed to. What was wrong with me? I was glad she was gone when I woke up this morning. It was better that way. Cleaner. A one-night stand didn’t need the mess of lingering glances over coffee or awkward goodbyes.
And yet, I couldn’t shake her.
The way her body had moved against mine, the soft hitch of her breath, the sharp intelligence behind her eyes-I clenched my jaw, shutting the memory down before it could spiral further. I’d had my share of good nights with women, but there was something about Rosa that had seeped into my mind like a drug.
I didn’t like it.
“Allesio,” Alaric’s sharp tone snapped me out of my thoughts. I glanced up to see him watching me with mild irritation.
“Yeah?” I muttered, setting the ledger aside.
“Are you paying attention, or should I just handle this myself?”
I forced a smirk, leaning back in my chair. “Relax, Alaric. I’ve got it under control.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he went back to his own work. Alaric had a way of always knowing when something was off, but he also knew better than to pry when I wasn’t ready to talk.
We continued working in silence for a few minutes and it was almost enough to distract me until the door creaked open and Emilia stepped inside. Without Kno ming.
She had her bright energy around her as usual. It was both endearing and infuriating.
“Hi,” she murmured with a small wave in my direction before looking away.
“Alaric,” she said with a small smile, walking over to his desk. “Do you have a minute?”
Alaric glanced up, nodding. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well,” she began, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was wondering if it would be okay for a friend of mine to come over. She’s new in town, and I thought it might be nice for her to visit. Just for a little while.”
I stiffened in my chair, setting my pen down with a little too much force.
“Who’s this friend?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended.
Emilia shot me a look, clearly unimpressed with my attitude. “Her name’s Rosa. She’s not a threat, Allesio. She’s just a friend.”
Rosa.
The name hit me like a slap. It couldn’t be the same Rosa, could it?
I felt my stomach twist, but I kept my face neutral, leaning back in my chair as I crossed my arms. “We don’t just let anyone into this house, Emilia,” I said coolly. “You know that.”
“She’s not ‘just anyone,'” Emilia replied, her tone firm. “I’ve known her for years. She’s trustworthy.”
I glanced at Alaric, silently hoping he’d back me up, but to my irritation, he just shrugged. “If you trust her, Emilia, then it’s fine,” he said.
I stared at him, my disbelief clear. “Alaric, we don’t know anything about this woman.”
Alaric shot me a pointed look. “We know Emilia vouches for her. That’s enough for me.”
I clenched my jaw, biting back the urge to argue further. This was a mistake. Letting strangers into the mansion was a risk we couldn’t afford, no matter how harmless Emilia claimed they were.
But Alaric had made his decision, and there was no point in pushing it further.
“Fine,” I muttered, standing up from my chair. “Do what you want.”
Emilia rolled her eyes at me but didn’t say anything as I walked out of the room. I needed air.
The rest of the day was a blur of half-hearted work and restless pacing. I couldn’t get her name out of my head. Was it really her? And if it was, what the hell was I supposed to do about it?
I didn’t like how she’d gotten under my skin, how easily she’d slipped past my defenses. Women weren’t supposed to linger in my mind like this. I’d built walls around myself for a reason, and she’d torn through them in a single night.
When evening rolled around, I found myself in the kitchen, pouring a glass of whiskey. The mansion was quiet, but my mind was anything but.
The sound of footsteps behind me made me turn, and I wasn’t surprised to see Alaric standing there, his arms crossed as he leaned against the doorway.
“You’ve been off all day,” he said, his tone neutral but probing.
“I’m fine,” I replied, taking a sip of my drink.
He raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”
I shot him a look, but he didn’t back down. Alaric had a way of getting under my skin when he wanted to, and right now, it was clear he wasn’t going to let this go.
“Just… distracted,” I admitted reluctantly.
He nodded, waiting for me to continue.
“It’s nothing,” I added quickly, not wanting to get into it.
Alaric studied me for a moment before finally nodding. “Alright,” he said. “But whatever it is, get it together. We’ve got too much going on for you to be distracted.”
“I know,” I muttered, draining the rest of my glass.
He gave me one last look before turning and walking away, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I needed to get a grip. Rosa was just a woman-a woman who had no business occupying this much space in my mind.
But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself, I couldn’t shake the feeling that letting her back into my life, even indirectly, was going to complicate things in ways I wasn’t ready for.
“She’s not the one,” I murmured, convincing myself while running a hand through my hair before I retired for the night.