She blinked, disconcerted. What was Ricco saying? Despite the calm facade she wore, her heart was beating wildly inside her chest, each thump like a reminder of the lie she was living.She chuckled, nervously, her voice thin. “What are you talking about? He's my boyfriend,” she said, and Ricco nodded, placing his hands together slowly, as though weighing his next words carefully.“You can lie to everyone, Coco, but not me,” he said. Her breath caught at the sound of the name he’d called her since childhood. **The warmth of it was a stark contrast to the cold truth she was avoiding.** She stared down at her fingers, suddenly fascinated by her nails.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. But she did know. Ricco always knew. He sighed, leaning in slightly.“This…” He pointed a finger at her. “...isn’t you. The Alessia I know would jump on her 'man' any chance she got.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, tension pulling his face tight.She bit
Alessia was the first to move. She stood up, her eyes flicking between her brother and Noah, waiting for someone to explain.“Okay, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice sharper than she intended. Piero only shrugged.“We got into an accident—"“It’s not a big deal,” Noah cut in, his calm tone earning a sharp glare from Alessia.Ricco stood up silently, a wordless reminder of the tense conversation he and Alessia had shared moments before. Piero followed him out of the room, grumbling under his breath, leaving just Alessia and Noah in the sitting room.Alessia folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at Noah as he limped toward the sofa.“What happened?” she demanded. Noah’s jaw tightened as he lowered himself onto the couch, avoiding her gaze.“Like your brother said, we got into an accident, and... it’s not a big deal,” he repeated, his voice clipped, clearly hoping to dismiss the conversation. “For God’s sake, Noah! You. Are. Limping!” she snapped, each word sharper than the last. She
“So, boyfriend, huh?” Ayana asked, her big dark eyes gleaming as she stared at Noah's retreating backside.Alessia blushed and nodded, her lips curving up slightly despite herself.“Yeah,” she shifted on the sofa, making enough room for Ayana to snuggle in next to her.“He's hot,” Ayana whispered, earning a soft chuckle from Alessia, who shook her head. She could deny a lot of things about Noah, but his hotness wasn't one of them.Unfortunately, his presence alone was doing things to her body she wished it wouldn’t.“I want the gist... Everything. How you’ve been, how America’s treating you, and yeah,” Ayana's voice dropped mischievously, “how you bagged that guy for yourself.” She leaned back into the sofa, crossing her legs with an expectant look.Alessia laughed, carefully tucking her hair behind her ear. “It’s not that exciting.”“Oh, come on.”“I swear. We met at the office,” Alessia began, recounting the version of the story she and Noah had agreed on. Simple, half-true. She ha
“How do I look?” Alessia asked, doing a slow spin in the middle of the room. Noah turned around as he fastened his belt, then froze. She blinked.She’d packed the red sundress at the last minute, just in case there was some emergency—though she hadn’t really expected to wear it. Now, with Ayana's birthday tonight, that "emergency" had arrived. She thought the dress was decent enough; sure, it made her chest look a bit fuller and dipped low enough to hint at cleavage, but it wasn’t anything outrageous. The look on Noah’s face, however, seemed to disagree.“Noah?” she called, feeling a pang of insecurity rise in her chest. Did she look that bad?A muscle in his jaw tightened as his gaze traveled down her body, then back up to her face.“You look... amazing,” he said, his eyes sweeping over her one more time. His voice was quiet, almost strained, and Alessia felt a warmth bloom under her skin as she realized his reaction was more admiration than anything else. And damn, that felt good.“
Alessia groaned, burying her face in her palms. "I have just a week to get a boyfriend. Fuck." The sound of crunching chips filled the air, drawing her attention to the woman sitting across from her, unfazed by the crisis at hand.Straightening up, Alessia narrowed her eyes. "You're really not going to say anything?" she demanded, arms crossed.Brielle barely spared her a glance before rolling her eyes. "What else is there to say? I've told you already—quit the lie. Just tell your family the truth. They won’t kill you. They might be pissed, sure, but that’s as bad as it’ll get," Brielle said, tossing another chip into her mouth. She pointed a manicured finger at Alessia. "And honestly, you’re not finding a man like that in a week."Alessia sighed and let her gaze wander around the lunchroom. The days were slipping away, and she still couldn’t confess to her family or, worse, find a fake boyfriend.If only she had kept her mouth shut. She wouldn’t be in this mess. After successfully d
Two days later."Can I speak to you?" Noah asked as he stood by the doorway of her office, both hands tucked into his pockets.Alessia looked up, meeting his blue eyes. Her gaze drifted down his body unconsciously, admiring how good he looked in a button-down shirt. Just like with blazers and suits, he looked effortlessly attractive. Her eyes fixated on his wrist, noticing ink peeking out from beneath his sleeve.Does he have a tattoo?Noah cleared his throat, snapping her out of her thoughts. She immediately flushed, realizing she’d been caught checking him out. So what? The man knew he was attractive and wasn’t above using it to his advantage."No," she croaked, quickly clearing her throat. "No, I’m busy." She turned her attention back to her laptop, staring at the same blank screen she had been fixating on for the past hour. She heard the door close and sighed in relief—until she realized...Wait, what? She looked up again. "I said I’m busy. I can’t talk right now," she protested
“Jesus, Elle, you can't go around snitching on me!” Alessia muttered, gesturing wildly with her hands, even though Brielle couldn't see her. She balanced the phone between her neck and shoulder while rummaging through her bag for her keys.“Well, someone had to, since you couldn't do it yourself,” Brielle huffed. “I was expecting a 'thank you,'” she muttered as Alessia rolled her eyes.“What were you thinking? Noah and I can never work, and you know that. But you still went ahead and told him everything!” She kicked the door open and walked in, shutting it behind her.“That’s just what you think, but my dear friend, Noah is the best option you have—if not the only one,” Brielle replied. Alessia felt a familiar twinge. It stung, realizing Brielle had said the same thing Noah had said earlier.Collapsing onto the sofa, Alessia sighed. “Noah and I aren't friends. He’s hated me forever. I can’t take him to Italy.” The idea made her uneasy—so much could go wrong.What if he ruined everythi
Alessia was so engrossed in her phone that she didn’t notice where she was going until she crashed into something hard.Solid —warm, with the unmistakable feel of taut muscles beneath a shirt. An arm wrapped around her shoulders to steady her—someone, then. Taking a step back, she rubbed her forehead as she looked up at the person she’d bumped into.Noah raised an eyebrow, a frown already forming on his face. Alessia mentally groaned. Of all the people she could run into, it had to be Noah.“Sorry about that,” she muttered, but Noah waved it off.“Not necessary,” he replied curtly. She nodded and moved aside to let him pass. His eyes lingered on her for a second before he made to walk away.Screw it.“Noah?” she called after him, taking a step forward, only to hesitate and step back again.“Yeah?” Noah turned around to face her, and she bit her lip. She was about to ask him something she’d already turned down yesterday, and now she regretted it.“About yesterday... I’ve been thinking,
“How do I look?” Alessia asked, doing a slow spin in the middle of the room. Noah turned around as he fastened his belt, then froze. She blinked.She’d packed the red sundress at the last minute, just in case there was some emergency—though she hadn’t really expected to wear it. Now, with Ayana's birthday tonight, that "emergency" had arrived. She thought the dress was decent enough; sure, it made her chest look a bit fuller and dipped low enough to hint at cleavage, but it wasn’t anything outrageous. The look on Noah’s face, however, seemed to disagree.“Noah?” she called, feeling a pang of insecurity rise in her chest. Did she look that bad?A muscle in his jaw tightened as his gaze traveled down her body, then back up to her face.“You look... amazing,” he said, his eyes sweeping over her one more time. His voice was quiet, almost strained, and Alessia felt a warmth bloom under her skin as she realized his reaction was more admiration than anything else. And damn, that felt good.“
“So, boyfriend, huh?” Ayana asked, her big dark eyes gleaming as she stared at Noah's retreating backside.Alessia blushed and nodded, her lips curving up slightly despite herself.“Yeah,” she shifted on the sofa, making enough room for Ayana to snuggle in next to her.“He's hot,” Ayana whispered, earning a soft chuckle from Alessia, who shook her head. She could deny a lot of things about Noah, but his hotness wasn't one of them.Unfortunately, his presence alone was doing things to her body she wished it wouldn’t.“I want the gist... Everything. How you’ve been, how America’s treating you, and yeah,” Ayana's voice dropped mischievously, “how you bagged that guy for yourself.” She leaned back into the sofa, crossing her legs with an expectant look.Alessia laughed, carefully tucking her hair behind her ear. “It’s not that exciting.”“Oh, come on.”“I swear. We met at the office,” Alessia began, recounting the version of the story she and Noah had agreed on. Simple, half-true. She ha
Alessia was the first to move. She stood up, her eyes flicking between her brother and Noah, waiting for someone to explain.“Okay, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice sharper than she intended. Piero only shrugged.“We got into an accident—"“It’s not a big deal,” Noah cut in, his calm tone earning a sharp glare from Alessia.Ricco stood up silently, a wordless reminder of the tense conversation he and Alessia had shared moments before. Piero followed him out of the room, grumbling under his breath, leaving just Alessia and Noah in the sitting room.Alessia folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at Noah as he limped toward the sofa.“What happened?” she demanded. Noah’s jaw tightened as he lowered himself onto the couch, avoiding her gaze.“Like your brother said, we got into an accident, and... it’s not a big deal,” he repeated, his voice clipped, clearly hoping to dismiss the conversation. “For God’s sake, Noah! You. Are. Limping!” she snapped, each word sharper than the last. She
She blinked, disconcerted. What was Ricco saying? Despite the calm facade she wore, her heart was beating wildly inside her chest, each thump like a reminder of the lie she was living.She chuckled, nervously, her voice thin. “What are you talking about? He's my boyfriend,” she said, and Ricco nodded, placing his hands together slowly, as though weighing his next words carefully.“You can lie to everyone, Coco, but not me,” he said. Her breath caught at the sound of the name he’d called her since childhood. **The warmth of it was a stark contrast to the cold truth she was avoiding.** She stared down at her fingers, suddenly fascinated by her nails.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. But she did know. Ricco always knew. He sighed, leaning in slightly.“This…” He pointed a finger at her. “...isn’t you. The Alessia I know would jump on her 'man' any chance she got.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, tension pulling his face tight.She bit
“You don't know how hard this is... I mean, he hates me and I—well, I hate him too,” Alessia whisper-yelled into her phone in the bathroom. Brielle's chuckle on the other end only grated her nerves.“Oh darling, don't be so hard on yourself,” Brielle teased. “Okay, maybe you two could hook up and get the steam out of your systems,” her voice turned serious, though her tone still held an edge of amusement.Alessia huffed, irritation curling in her chest. “Can you even hear yourself, Elle?” She glanced at the bathroom door, making sure it was still closed. She’d escaped here when it became clear Noah wasn’t leaving the room anytime soon. Last night had been tough—*too* tough. She'd come dangerously close to asking Noah for some... orgasmic favors. Trying to squeeze into the bed had been awkward, and they'd ended up in the same tangled position as the first night they arrived.But this time, it was worse. His scent had been intoxicating, driving her crazy. How she survived the night wit
Noah only blinked at her, leaning into his seat.“Yeah, to satisfy your curiosity. I was just going through her social media before you asked. Her picture is on the phone, you can take a look at it,” he said and she shook her head.“No... No, I didn't mean to,” she muttered, forcing a smile. Her stomach churned, hollow and uneasy. She was doing this with someone else's boyfriend. Her mouth tasted bitter, and she couldn't swallow past the knot forming in her throat.She felt like, she had been played —again. Even though she didn't have the right to feel that way.“Alessia, the phone is right in front of you,” he muttered, his gaze sharp, his eyes taking in her reaction, never leaving her face.She stared at the phone just inches away, as if it might burn. If he had a girlfriend she might as well see who the lucky —unlucky— girl was.Grabbing the phone, she glanced at Noah whose expression was unreadable as if he held all the cards in his hands and had no intention of showing.Her breat
“Hey, Alessia,” Antonio smiled tightly, his eyes darting from Alessia to Noah and then returning to her.Noah immediately wrapped his arm around Alessia's waist, pulling her into him. She stiffened for a second before she relaxed, shoving her hand into Noah's back pocket.She tried to ignore the feel of his ass against her palm, resisting the urge to pinch it. Focus, Alessia, she mentally scolded herself.“Hi, Antonio...” Her gaze slid over to Adelina. “Adelina,” she added with a curt nod. Adelina's eyes shifted from Noah back to Alessia, her nod equally cool.Alessia glanced up at Noah, who was staring down at her with a gaze that felt too soft, too knowing. She swallowed, her throat tightening, and looked away.“What brings you here?” she asked, forcing small talk. It’d be awkward if they just stood there here, without saying anything to each other.Antonio shrugged, giving a sidelong glance at Adelina, who leaned into him. Their fingers intertwined. Alessia couldn’t help but notice
She groaned, raising a hand to touch her aching forehead. Why did it feel like there was a whole community of people in her skull?A few muffled sounds reached her ears, too muffled to make sense of. Dark—everything around her was dark.A warm hand pressed briefly to her forehead then withdrew. She tried to open her eyes, but it took several attempts before she finally peeled them open.Everything was grey. Blinking a few times, her vision sharpened, revealing shadowy figures around her bed.The fog that clouded her mind shattered in an instant. The voices came into focus.“Thank goodness, she's awake,” Mama murmured in Italian, moving closer to Alessia’s side and gazing down at her with teary eyes.“Water,” she croaked, her throat chapped. Noah quickly uncapped a bottle and handed it to her. Alessia’s eyes lingered on his face as she took it.He looked —pissed.He stepped back, hands shoving into his pockets as if to contain whatever he was feeling.“Cosa stai cercando di fare?" Papa
"Non ci posso credere," Alessia muttered, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She turned slightly, huffing in frustration. She’d gained weight, and that wasn’t good.She was supposed to look slimmer—a sign she was doing fine. But instead, she was getting heavier.Her eyes dropped to her chest. Did her breasts get bigger? They weren’t supposed to. Her gaze bounced to her face, spotting new freckles. Her eyes looked larger and browner, and her lips were almost pale.She could lie to herself, but deep down, she knew the truth. She was comparing herself to Adelina— again.Adelina was lean, perfect, everything Alessia wasn’t. The thought annoyed her, it was a feeling she couldn’t shake.Grabbing her dress from the bed, she slipped it on. She knew what had to be done.---“Want to hear something funny?” Piero asked, a mischievous grin on his face.Noah glanced at Alessia, who shook her head quickly. “Piero, non cominciare,” she warned, but as usual, he ignored her.“Alessia had a massi