115

115
Rosa’s POV
The conference room smelled faintly of leather and freshly brewed espresso, a combination that always reminded me of my father. It was his space, his domain, where every deal, decision, and strategy was meticulously planned. I sat at the long oak table, flanked by my father’s most trusted advisors and a few of my cousins, including Marco. I glared at him.
I had grown up in rooms like this. I knew the game well-speak only when necessary, choose your words with precision, and never let your emotions betray you. Today, however, I was finding it harder to stick to those rules.
“So, what’s the story with this Allesio?” my father asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp as he looked directly at me.
I froze for a split second, the question catching me off guard. My father rarely inquired about my personal life, let alone anyone I might be spending time with. The room seemed to grow quieter, all eyes subtly shifting toward me.
“What about him?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral as I leaned back in my chair.
My father’s gaze didn’t waver. “You’ve been spending quite a bit of time with him. I’d like to know why.”
I hesitated, carefully considering how to respond. The truth was, I didn’t fully understand it myself. Allesio slipped into my life with an ease that was both unsettling and comforting. He wasn’t like the others in our world-he didn’t try too hard to impress or intimidate. He just… existed, confidently and unapologetically. And somehow, that had been enough to draw me in.
“He works for Alaric,” I said finally. “He’s been helpful.”
My father raised an eyebrow, his skepticism evident. “Helpful? How, exactly?”
I could feel all eyes in the room on me. Weighing, judging, reveling in the fact that my father was practically interrogating me. No
“He’s reliable,” I said firmly. “He’s been around when I’ve needed him, and he hasn’t given me a reason to doubt him.”
One of my cousins, Nico, let out a soft scoff. “Reliable? Isn’t he just another one of Alaric’s lackeys? You’re putting a lot of faith in someone who hasn’t proven anything to us.”
I clenched my fists under the table, willing myself to stay calm. Nico had always been insufferable, constantly trying to undermine me in subtle ways.
“Maybe you should focus on your own reliability, Nico, before questioning others,” I shot back, my voice steady but sharp.
A few of the advisors exchanged amused glances, and Nico’s smirk faltered. My father, however, remained unamused, his expression unreadable as he leaned forward.
“Rosa,” he said, his voice low and deliberate. “You know better than to trust so easily. Especially someone who isn’t family.”
The words stung, not because I didn’t expect them, but because they implied I was being naive. Trust, in our world, was a fragile commodity-something earned over years, not given freely. And yet, here I was, defending Allesio without a second thought.
“I’m not being naive,” I said, meeting my father’s gaze. “I’ve spent enough time with Allesio to know where he stands. He’s loyal to Alaric, yes, but he’s also proven himself to me.”
My father studied me for a long moment, his dark eyes searching for any cracks in my resolve. “And if you’re wrong?” he asked.
I hesitated, the question settling over me. If I was wrong about Allesio, it wouldn’t just reflect poorly on me-it could jeopardize everything. Trusting the wrong person in our world wasn’t just a mistake; it was a liability.
But I wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t be.
“I’m not,” I said firmly.
The room fell silent, the tension thick as my father leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. Finally, he gave a small nod, though his skepticism lingered in his eyes.
“Very well,” he said. “But keep your guard up. People like him always have an angle.”
The meeting dragged on, shifting to other topics-shipment schedules, territory disputes, and the usual politics that came with running our empire. But my mind kept drifting back to Allesio and the way I had instinctively defended him.
It wasn’t like me to vouch for anyone so easily. Trust was something I guarded fiercely, doling it out in small increments only after someone had proven themselves beyond a shadow of a doubt. But with Allesio, it felt… different.
I couldn’t deny the pull I felt toward him, the way he seemed to see through the layers of armor I wore around everyone else. He had a way of making me feel like I could breathe, like I didn’t have to constantly be on guard. And yet, there was still a part of me that hesitated, that wondered if my father was right to question his intentions.
After the meeting ended, I drove back to the Castillo mansion, speeding without any care in the world. On a normal day, I’d have spent a few hours and talked with my dad like a normal father and daughter. Today was not a normal day.
I found myself in the library, nursing a glass of wine and replaying the conversation in my mind. Marco had told my dad about Allesio. Or maybe someone else had. Or maybe dad himself was keeping a close eye on me. He knew I’d hate that, hate the feeling of being watched and caged. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, its warmth doing little to ease the chill of doubt creeping into my thoughts.
Was I letting my emotions cloud my judgment?
I didn’t hear the door open until it was too late, and when I looked up, Allesio was standing there, his expression as unreadable as ever.
“You have a habit of sneaking up on people,” I said, my voice laced with a mix of annoyance and amusement.
He smirked, closing the door behind him. “Or maybe you’re just easy to sneak up on.”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. “What do you want?”
He shrugged, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Just checking in. You seemed… preoccupied earlier.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Preoccupied? That’s an interesting observation coming from someone who spends half his time brooding.”
His smirk widened, but there was a softness in his eyes that caught me off guard. “Touche.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke, the silence stretching between us. I thought about what my father had said, about the warnings he had given me, and I wondered if I was making a mistake by letting Allesio in.
But then he spoke, his voice low and earnest. “You know, you don’t have to carry everything on your own.”
I’d heard it before, but the words still caught me off guard, their sincerity cutting through my defenses.
“I’m not,” I said, though the words felt hollow even as I said them.
He stepped closer, his gaze steady and unwavering. “Yes, you are. And it’s okay, Rosa. You don’t have to trust me completely, but… I’m here. For whatever that’s worth.”
I looked at him, searching his face for any signs of deception, but all I saw was honesty. And for the first time in a long time, I felt the smallest flicker of hope-hope that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t as alone as I thought. Maybe I wasn’t making a mistake as everyone seemed to think.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, the words barely above a whisper.