The doorbell echoed through the quiet mansion. Aria, still in her robe with coffee in one hand and blueprints in the other, blinked. She wasn't expecting anyone, Selene had meetings, Maya and Lucas were out shooting, and Adrian didn't knock.
She opened the door and nearly dropped her mug.
Cassian stood there all sun-kissed arrogance and Milan tailoring, his dark hair a little longer, his jaw sharper, his smirk still lethal. The same Cassian who once ruined her kitchen and her bed in the same night. The same Cassian who'd vanished to Italy like a storm that never sent a warning.
Aria stared. "You're supposed to be in Milan." Cassian shrugged one shoulder, gaze dragging over her like a fond memory. "Got bored. Thought I'd check if my favorite firestarter burned the whole empire down yet."
