The Price Of His Desire

The Fall

A sharp ache pulsed through my head as I woke up. Flashes from last night rushed in like broken film scenes. The club. Aria’s man. The shock of seeing him in person. The way everything spiraled after that.

I groaned, trying to move, but my body felt heavy. My eyes burned as I rubbed them open, and when the blur cleared, confusion hit me hard.

This wasn’t my bed.

The room was much larger than mine at the penthouse. The sheets were softer, the air cooler, scented faintly with something expensive and masculine. My heart began to race as I pushed the covers back, relieved to see I was still in my clothes.

I stood up slowly, the floor cool beneath my feet. My mind scrambled for answers. Where was I? How did I get here?

Just as I reached for my heels, the door opened.

And there he was.

Alfonso.

He stepped inside casually, his presence filling the room before he even spoke. He wore grey joggers and a white shirt that clung to his chest and arms. He looked unreal, like a Greek god walking into the wrong world.

I froze, my pulse hammering.

“I thought you’d never wake up,” he said, his voice deep and rough, snapping me out of my trance.

I hoped I hadn’t embarrassed myself by staring too long because a small smirk tugged at his lips, like he’d caught me in the act.

I sat up quickly and looked around until my eyes landed on my purse. I grabbed it and checked my phone. The battery was almost dead. My thoughts were scattered. I needed to leave. I needed answers.

Meeting Alfonso had only made things worse. He said he didn’t know Aria, and I didn’t know what to believe anymore. If anyone could explain this, it had to be her.

I stood up, fixing my dress for what felt like the hundredth time.

“I need to get back home,” I said quietly.

He started walking toward me, slow and deliberate, until he was standing just an inch away.

“I wish you would stay,” he said, his voice soft but heavy, his eyes tracing every part of me like they did last night. My body reacted before my brain could stop it.

He slipped his hands out of his pockets. “We never even got to start anything before you passed out. For being your prince charming last night, you owe me, princess.”

The way he said it made my stomach twist. He knew exactly what he was doing, how to use his voice, his words, his presence. He was the kind of man who always got what he wanted.

His body towered over mine, making me feel smaller, weaker, and it only made the tension worse.

I didn’t know what to say. I just smiled faintly, lost in the pull of his words.

He got me with that one.

He smelled so good I wished I could use him as my pillow, just to breathe him in for hours.

“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “I need to leave. I have to get home right now.” My voice came out softer than I intended.

He just nodded, calm and unreadable, then stepped back and walked to the door. “Let me get a driver ready for you,” he said, his voice low and steady.

He led me downstairs to what I guessed was the ground floor. The place was enormous, every corner whispering luxury. It had to be his house.

A car pulled up outside. He said something to the driver in another language, his tone smooth and deep. It sounded like Italian , at least I thought so. The way his voice rolled through the words made it even more magnetic.

I sat quietly in the car, lost in my thoughts. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I’d only just met him, yet he already had this strange hold on me.

Someone who might be my sister’s boyfriend.

Now it was time to find out the truth from Aria herself.

Eager to get back home, I rushed into the elevator and tapped the card to open the door to the penthouse. I could already hear faint giggles coming from inside. The door opened, and I froze.

Aria was in the middle of the living room, caught in a steamy moment with someone. I just stood there watching until she finally noticed me. She pulled away from him quickly, fixing her hair and her dress.

“Hi, sis, you’re finally back. I called you for the longest time,” she said, clearing her throat before coming over to hug me.

I barely moved. My eyes drifted to the man standing awkwardly behind her.

“This is Mike. Mike, my sister Diana,” she said, trying to sound casual.

He stepped forward and reached out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Diana. Heard so much about you,” he said with a small, nervous laugh.

I took his hand briefly and then looked straight back at Aria. “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

Her expression changed as she realized I wasn’t going to move or smile my way through this. She sighed softly and gestured for Mike to go upstairs.

“Aren’t you supposed to have a billionaire boyfriend?” I asked, my voice sharp. The moment I said it, the man vanished from sight, leaving us alone in the tension.

Aria rolled her eyes. “Is this what’s so important? Really?”

“Is it not? Did he not get you all of this?” I asked, pointing around at the penthouse, the expensive furniture, the kind of life we could never afford on our own.

She let out a frustrated laugh and threw her hands up. “Can you just let me breathe for once? What is your problem, Diana? Why are you so obsessed with what’s going on in my life?”

Her voice rose with each word, the anger spilling over. I could see it in her eyes; she was hiding something.

“Because you’re lying to me and you know it,” I said, my voice trembling with anger.

“I do not want to have this conversation again,” she shot back. “I don’t care what you think or what you believe is a lie. If you don’t want all of this, the money, the lifestyle, then you can leave, Diana.”

She turned to walk away, her heels clicking against the marble floor.

“I’ve met him, you know. Alfonso,” I yelled after her.

She froze. Slowly, she turned to face me, her eyes wide, confusion and shock written all over her face.

“So please, is he really the one who gave you all of this? Tell me the truth, Aria. Something isn’t right. I feel it,” I said, my voice trembling between fear and frustration.

She looked at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she scoffed softly.

“Do you expect me to believe what you just said? I don’t need to explain anything to you,” she said before turning away.

I watched as she climbed the stairs, her silence louder than any answer she could have given.

Once again, I was left alone, confused, uneasy, and drowning in questions with no answers. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I went straight to my room and threw myself on the bed, still drained from all the drinking and chaos of last night. That uneasy feeling in my chest hadn’t gone away. It was still there, quiet but heavy, like a warning I couldn’t shake off. I kept hoping it was nothing, that everything was fine.

With that thought, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, the sky outside was dark. I’d slept longer than I meant to. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since morning. Aria was gone, probably out with that man I saw earlier.

I got up and headed downstairs, the lights coming on automatically as I moved. I almost tripped on the last step when I saw them.

Three figures. One sitting, two standing behind him.

My heart skipped.

My eyes locked with his.

Alfonso.

He sat on the couch, calm and collected, one leg crossed over the other, that same knowing smirk on his lips. His presence filled the room just like before, quiet, powerful, unsettling.

And in that instant, I knew.

Everything I had hoped wouldn’t happen was happening.

He knew something. Something I didn’t.