Armani’s POV
As the car winds its way up the long, tree-lined road to Del Valle Estate, I realize I’m holding my breath. It’s not the royal palace, but it’s still impressive in its own right—grand, historic, a symbol of wealth and tradition. I tell myself she’ll be impressed.
Not that she’d ever show it.
Rena has been impossible to read from the moment we met. Her expressions are guarded, her words carefully chosen. Even now, as her hand rests lightly in mine, there’s no real warmth in the touch. It’s just there, like an afterthought. And yet, I find myself unwilling to let go.
She’s different from the women I’ve known—elegant, but not in the practiced, polished way of courtiers or heiresses. There’s something natural about her, something effortless. But there’s also a distance, an uns
