Ruined by Desire

Bad Timing

Sienna should’ve known peace wouldn’t last. For exactly three days after the masquerade, Luca behaved perfectly. Which was honestly, slightly irritating.

He sent her coffee during long editing shifts at Noir Magazine, he texted her constantly, he somehow learned her schedule well enough to appear outside her apartment exactly when she finished work like some dangerously attractive stalker.

And worst of all? Sienna liked it far too much.

“You’re smiling at your phone again,” Theo announced from across the office.

“I’m literally working.”

“You just typed Luca’s name into a photo caption by accident.”

Sienna froze.

Theo looked delighted. “OH MY GOD.”

“It was one time.”

“You are falling hard.”

“I hate that phrase.”

Theo rolled his chair dramatically closer. “So when are you admitting you’re dating?”

“We’re not dating.”

Sienna tried focusing back on her editing screen, but her attention drifted toward her phone again.

Luca: Lunch today?

Sienna: Some of us have jobs.

Luca: Tragic.

Sienna smiled before she could stop herself.

Theo pointed aggressively. “THERE. THAT.”

“Please leave me alone.”

“You’re emotionally attached now. I can smell it.”

“I’m blocking you.”

“You haven’t denied it.”

Because she couldn’t and that was becoming a serious problem. The worst part wasn’t even the attraction anymore. It was how easy everything with Luca had become - conversations, laughter, comfort. All of it.

He was slipping into her life in ways she hadn’t noticed until suddenly he was everywhere.

Her phone buzzed again.

Luca: Come to the marina tonight.

Sienna narrowed her eyes immediately.

Sienna: Suspicious wording.

Luca: I’m offended by your continued commitment to believing I’m a serial killer.

Sienna: You own a yacht named Euphoria. That’s villain behavior.

Luca: 8PM.

Sienna stared at the message for a moment longer than necessary before sighing softly.

Theo watched her carefully.

“You’re going.”

“I hate that you know me so well.”

“Mmhm.”

By eight that evening, Monaco’s marina glittered beneath soft gold lights reflecting across the water and Sienna stepped onto the dock already regretting her decisions again. The familiar yacht sat near the end of the marina, music drifting softly from the upper deck.

Sienna frowned slightly as she stepped aboard. No one stopped her anymore. She moved through the people mingling on the lower deck, searching for Luca while conversations and music echoed around her.

Sienna climbed the staircase toward the upper deck slowly and froze. A tall blonde woman sat directly beside Luca on one of the lounge couches, her hand resting lightly against his chest while Luca leaned close enough to hear something she whispered into his ear. The woman laughed her tinkling laugh and Luca smiled back automatically.

Something sharp twisted unexpectedly in Sienna’s stomach and before she could stop herself, she stepped backward instinctively.

Unfortunately, Luca looked up at exactly the same moment. Their eyes locked instantly and his entire expression changed.

“Sienna—”

Too late.

The blonde woman turned curiously toward her. Beautiful. Elegant. Comfortable beside him. Like she belonged there.

Sienna’s chest tightened painfully and suddenly she felt stupid. Of course this was stupid. What exactly had she expected?

Luca Moretti was still Luca Moretti. Billionaire playboy and professional heartbreaker. Th no-strings thing had been the agreement but it suddenly felt like someone had just punched her directly in the ribs.

“Sienna,” Luca said again, standing immediately.

She forced a smile onto her face so quickly it almost hurt.

“No, it’s fine.”

It absolutely was not fine. The blonde woman looked between them with growing interest. Luca moved toward Sienna instantly, but she stepped backward again before he could reach her. That stopped him cold.

“We’re busy anyway,” she said lightly.

Luca’s jaw tightened.

“Sienna.”

The warning in his voice only made her chest ache harder over feelings she’d promised herself she would never allow. The woman beside the couch stood slowly now, looking deeply uncomfortable.

“I should probably—”

“No,” Sienna interrupted immediately. “Please don’t let me interrupt whatever this is.”

Her voice sounded perfectly calm which was impressive considering the fact her heart was currently collapsing somewhere near her lungs.

Luca stared at her carefully. Then his expression shifted slightly to understanding and that made everything worse.

“Sienna,” he said quietly, “this isn’t—”

“It’s none of my business.”

The words came out sharper than intended, and it seemed like the deck suddenly quietened slightly as party-goers started to pay attention to the scene unfolding. But it was the blonde woman's expression that shocked Sienna. She suddenly looked horrified.

“Oh my God,” she said. “You think I’m sleeping with him?”

Sienna blinked once as the woman looked directly at Luca with visible disgust.

“You didn’t tell her?”

Luca closed his eyes briefly like someone developing a migraine. The woman folded her arms dramatically before looking back toward Sienna with a slightly softer expression than she had given Luca.

“I’m his cousin.”

Silence. Sienna wanted the ocean to swallow her whole. Immediately. Luca opened his eyes again slowly.

“I was trying to explain that.”

“No you weren’t. You waited until the ambiguity was peak before speaking to her.” the woman replied sharply.

“That is absolutely not what was happening.”

“Oh my God.” Sienna’s face burned alive.

The cousin looked delighted now. “Oh this is incredible.”

“I need to leave the country.” Sienna muttered.

Luca was trying not to smile. That i***t was actually trying not to smile.

“Sienna,” he said carefully.

“No.” She pointed at him immediately. “Don’t even speak to me right now.”

His composure cracked instantly. Luca laughed which turned her embarrasment into rage.

“You were jealous,” he realized.

The cousin looked moments away from crying with laughing.

“This is the best thing I’ve seen all month,” she announced.

Luca stepped closer carefully now, still visibly entertained.

“You thought she was another woman?”

"I don't need to stand here and be laughed at for a perfectly reasonable reaction." Sienna managed to choke out around the ball of embarrassment and sadness threatening to force tears of rage down her face. Her voice cracked slightly on the last word, and she hated herself for it.

She turned on her heel and walked back down the stairs to the lower deck. She was almost to the marina when Emilia caught her wrist and pulled her into one of the rooms that were closed off for the gathering.

Emilia shut the door behind them before Sienna could make it more than two steps into the room.

“I am never recovering from that,” Sienna announced immediately, pacing furiously across the space. “I need a new identity. Possibly plastic surgery. And Luca can pay!”

Emilia winced slightly. “Okay, in your defense? That got out of hand very quickly.”

“Your cousin was laughing at me!”

“She laughs at everyone,” Emilia replied automatically before pausing. “No, actually, that’s not helping.”

Sienna pointed aggressively. “Exactly.”

The embarrassment had settled into full irritation now and honestly, that felt easier to handle.

“I looked insane.”

“You looked jealous.”

“In front of an audience!”

“That part,” Emilia admitted carefully, “was unfair.”

Sienna stopped pacing because that was the first time someone had actually acknowledged it.

“They all just stood there watching,” she muttered, anger softening slightly into humiliation again. “Like it was entertainment.”

Emilia sighed and crossed her arms.

“Welcome to rich people in Monaco. They treat emotional disasters like live theatre.”

Sienna dropped dramatically onto the edge of a velvet chair and buried her face in her hands.

“I genuinely thought he brought me there while flirting with another woman.”

“And honestly?” Emilia sat beside her. “That reaction would’ve hurt anybody.”

Sienna peeked at her through her fingers.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” Emilia nudged her lightly with one shoulder. “Luca and Valentina should’ve realized how that looked before turning it into joke in front of half the marina.”

Something in Sienna loosened slightly at that. Because she knew logically the misunderstanding was ridiculous now. But standing there while people stared and laughed had stung far more than she wanted to admit.

“I just felt stupid,” she said quietly.

Emilia’s expression softened immediately.

“You’re not stupid.”

“I practically accused him of cheating and we’re not even together.”

Emilia snorted softly. “Please. The emotional repression between you two is visible from space.”

That startled a reluctant laugh out of Sienna.

“There she is,” Emilia said gently.

Sienna exhaled slowly, some of the heat finally leaving her chest.

“It’s just…” She shook her head. “I hate that I reacted like that.”

“Why?”

“Because it means I care.”

Emilia looked at her for a long second before answering quietly.

“You do.”

The honesty of it landed heavily between them and Sienna stared down at her hands.

“That’s dangerous.”

“Probably,” Emilia admitted. “But Luca caring about someone is rare enough that I think half the family forgot how to behave tonight.”

Sienna looked up sharply. “He doesn’t care.”

Emilia gave her a look so unconvinced it was almost offensive.

“Sienna. My brother once ignored a Victoria’s Secret model because she interrupted his espresso. And he has been staring at his phone like a lovesick i***t for two weeks.”

“No he hasn’t.”

“He absolutely has.” Emilia grinned faintly. “Matteo actually asked if he’d been drugged.”

Sienna tried not to smile at that and failed completely. Emilia noticed immediately.

“Oh, you’re gone.”

“I am not.”

“You got jealous over a cousin.”

“That was a temporary psychological break.”

Emilia laughed softly before her expression gentled again.

“For what it’s worth,” she said quietly, “I’m glad it was you.”

Sienna blinked. “What?”

“Luca’s spent years surrounding himself with people who wanted his money, his name or the version of him from magazines.” Emilia shrugged lightly. “You’re the first person who looks at him like he’s just a man capable of being annoying.”

“That’s because he is annoying.”

“Exactly.”

Sienna smiled despite herself.

Then there was a knock at the door and both women looked up immediately. Luca’s voice came carefully through the other side.

“Am I forgiven,” he asked cautiously, “or should I start swimming to another country?”

Emilia smirked slowly.

“Depends,” she called back. “Are you prepared to apologize properly for emotionally humiliating a woman in public?”

A pause.

Then Luca answered honestly:

“…Yeah. I probably deserve that.”