Alessia’s Pov
The room buzzed with the kind of low, charged energy that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I sipped the champagne a waiter had handed me earlier, though my hands trembled just enough to betray my calm façade. Luca—or Matteo, as I was to call him tonight—stood beside me, his demeanor unreadable as ever.
The sound of a bell echoed through the villa, and the surrounding conversation stilled almost instantly. My stomach churned as a man in a deep crimson suit and an elaborate golden mask took to the stage. His presence commanded the room like a predator commanding its prey.
My heart thudded in my chest as I stood beside Luca—Matteo. The tension was suffocating, thick enough to cut through, and I instinctively took a step closer to him.
The host clapped his h
