CHAPTER 31: Giovanni's POV
Mirabella didn’t flinch.
She didn’t retreat, didn’t break eye contact. She just stood there, shoulders squared, lips parted, eyes locked on mine. That silence between us wasn’t passive. It was a dare. And it echoed louder than any scream.
I’d expected fury. Sarcasm. Maybe a slap. She was all edge and defiance, a woman built to bite back.
But she didn’t move.
Didn’t run.
Didn’t say a word.
That stillness said everything.
She heard me. And some part of her wasn’t trying to escape.
I stepped forward, deliberate and slow, letting each pace pull the tension tighter between us. My palm settled on her waist. It was not rough, not soft, just firm. The warmth of her body thrummed against mine, pulsing with tension.
“You don’t need to agree,” I said, my voice lo
