11
1267 Words
SOPHIA POV
I don’t argue with him.
That alone should tell how shaken up I am.
“Pack a bag,” Lorenzo says, already moving toward the bedroom, his grip firm around my wrist like he’s afraid letting go will give the world an opening.
“Lorenzo,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady, “you can’t just say someone declared war and expect me to—”
He stops abruptly and turns to face me.The look in his eyes kills the rest of my sentence.
This isn’t the man from five minutes ago the one teasing me in the kitchen, kissing me like the world didn’t exist beyond his walls. This is someone colder. Sharper. Someone who has survived things I don’t even know how to imagine.Someone more calculated.
“I can,” he says quietly. “And I am.”
My stomach drops.
He cups my face, softer now, like he’s trying to ground both of us. “Listen to me carefully. I don’t have time to explain everything, but I will. Just not here.”
“Explain what?” I whisper.
He presses his forehead to mine. “Why someone is watching you. Why they think you’re leverage.”
Leverage the meaning of the word settled heavily in my chest.
The word echoes in my head, ugly and heavy.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” I say, fear creeping into my chest.
His jaw tightens. “I know.”
That’s worse than denial.
I pull away and grab my phone again, rereading the message like it might change.
He’s not who you think he is.
“I already know you’re not normal,” I say. “You’re a billionaire with armed security and a talent for intimidation. That’s not exactly subtle.”
His lips twitch once, humorless. “If that’s all it was, this wouldn’t be happening.”
“So who sent it?” I demand.
He hesitates.
That terrifies me more than anything else.
“Isabella,” he finally says.
The name lands between us like a blade.
“She’s connected to my past for real,she’s more than just who you think she is Sophia,she’s connected to my family. To things I tried to walk away from and hoped would stay behind,but turns out I can’t,her father is my business partner and now he’s in town which is why she has the balls to intimidate you.”
“And she wants what exactly from you Lorenzo?” I ask.
He looks at me then really looks and the honesty in his eyes steals my breath.
“She wants me for herself,she’s obsessed with me and multiple times I’ve made it clear I don’t want her as much,but I have to keep up because of my business with her father,” he says. “And now she knows I choose you over her she wants to bring you down in all ways possible.”
I swallow hard. “So what am I supposed to do? Hide?
“Yes,” he answers immediately.
The word stings so bad.
I straighten my spine. “I’m not some fragile thing you can lock away when it’s convenient.”
His hands tighten at his sides. “Sophia, this isn’t about convenience. This is about keeping you alive.”
Silence stretches between us.
Then, quietly, “You don’t trust me.”
His gaze softens, and that somehow makes it worse.
“I trust you with my body,” I say. “With my heart. But I don’t trust what you’re not telling me.”
He exhales slowly, like he’s losing a battle inside himself.
“Fair,” he admits. “But right now, I need you safe more than I need you satisfied.”
I grab my bag and start throwing clothes into it, my movements sharp, controlled.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“My Milan apartment,” he replies. “Private. Secure. Off-grid.”
My head snaps up. “We?”
He meets my eyes. “I’m not leaving you alone.”
Something warm twists in my chest fear tangled with something dangerously close to hope.
LORENZO POV
She’s quieter than usual on the drive.
That worries me.
Sophia isn’t someone who shrinks. She questions, challenges, pushes back. The silence tells me she’s processing and when she finishes, the storm will come.
Good,I can’t wait
I’d rather deal with her anger than her fear.
The jet hums beneath us as we take off, and I watch her from across the cabin, curled into the leather seat, arms crossed. My shirt still hangs on her frame like a claim I didn’t mean to make so publicly.
Mine.
The thought is dangerous.
“You’re staring,” she says without looking up.
“Can’t help it.”
She finally meets my eyes. “Start talking.”
I lean back, fingers steepled. “Isabella’s father is my business partner who’s business is growing weak and wants my support,so that’s where his daughter came in.”
Her brow furrows and I can’t tell what she’s thinking about which bothers me.
“You know I’ve heard my dad talk about things like this about his ‘business’ that he wants me to over see in the future.”she says and somehow I feel better.
Sophia studies my face. “Has she always been obsessed with you?”
“The signs were there,” I admit. “And I think I encouraged it in some ways.”
“You mean you fell for someone and liked the idea of her been all over you,” she says.
I don’t deny it.
Her breath catches, just slightly.
“She thinks if she scares you away, we will be back ,” I continue.
“And will you?” Sophia asks.
I lean forward. “Only if you let her.”
She looks down at her hands. “I didn’t ask to be a weapon.”
I reach across the space between us and take her fingers gently. “You’re not a weapon. You’re a choice MY CHOICE.”
Her eyes lift, glossy but fierce. “Then don’t make decisions for me.”
A pause.
Then I nod. “Alright.”
Her lips part in surprise.
“We do this together,” I say. “No secrets. No half-truths.”
She squeezes my hand. “Good. Because if someone thinks they can scare me off with a DM, they don’t know me very well.”
A slow smile curves my mouth.
God help me—I’ve never wanted anyone more.
SOPHIA POV
Milan is colder than I expect.
Not the weather the atmosphere.The apartment is stunning. I walk to the window and stare out at the city lights, trying to convince myself I didn’t just step into a war I don’t understand.
Lorenzo comes up behind me, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“You can still leave,” he says quietly. “I’ll understand.”
I turn to face him. “You won’t.”
He studies me, searching for doubt.
Finds none.
“Then stay,” he murmurs. “And let me protect you.”
I press my palm to his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady, powerful, real.
“I’m not staying because I need protection,” I say. “I’m staying because I want you.”
Something breaks open in his expression.
He kisses me then not rushed, not hungry. Just deep and certain and full of promise.
Outside, Milan glows.
Inside, everything changes.
And somewhere out there, someone just made the biggest mistake of their life.
- Writer
