Rosa’s POV
The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows, practically blinding, if I hadn’t dropped the curtains a bit when I entered. I leaned back in my chair, scrolling absentmindedly through an email on my laptop. It was some logistics report my father insisted I review, but the words were swimming on the screen. My mind was elsewhere.
It wasn’t like me to be distracted. Focus was one of the few things I prided myself on—especially in a house like ours, where any misstep could mean a weak link. And yet, here I was, replaying the conversation I’d had with Allesio in the garden last night.
Something was off with him. I could see it in the way he carried himself, the tightness in his jaw, the way his normally easy confidence felt… strained.
I tried to shake it off. It wasn
