The penthouse lights burned low, their glow spilling across the glass walls that opened to the skyline. Xavier leaned back in his chair, the weight of an unshed storm sitting heavy in his chest. Cody was sprawled across the opposite sofa, feet up, a tumbler of whiskey in his hand, watching his brother with a mixture of suspicion and amusement.
"You're too damn quiet," Cody muttered, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "That's never a good sign."
Xavier didn't respond at first. His jaw was tight, his eyes locked on the city below, where the night seemed endless. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, deliberate.
"I told my dad."
Cody arched a brow. "Told him what?"
"That I won't be marrying Alessia."
The words dropped like stones into still water, their ripples spreading across
