ANNA'S POV
My hands hadn't stopped moving since I shut the door — straightening a lamp that didn't need straightening, smoothing a blanket that was already flat.
Not because of Luca. That was the problem.
The knock came before I'd worked out what to do with that. Two taps. Then: "Anna."
I unlocked the door and Mateo stepped inside. He read my face in about a second, and his expression went flat.
"What happened?"
I went to the window. Across the auditorium, a room-service cart sat forgotten in the hall, dishes stacked, nobody coming for them yet. "I met with Luca."
"I know."
"He asked about Ralph."
A blink. "What about him?"
"He knows Ralph is courting me."
Quiet. Then: "Good."
"Good?"
"Now he knows he isn't the only option." Mateo crossed the room and stopped beside me. His vo
