Lorenzo's POVAlexander Vitali has always been a thorn in my side. Well, maybe not always, but for the past ten years, he's made me angrier than I’ve ever been. Honestly, I think he and Victoria are the perfect combination of losers. I can’t stand that man. And now he thinks he can just walk in and take Elara from me? He’s joking.“Boss, the jet is ready. We leave in five,” one of my men informs me."Good! Make sure you prepare a room next to mine for her.""Yes, sir."I board the jet, the flight to France seeming longer than ever before. I know it's because I can't wait to take my girl from that bastard.As soon as we land, my team updates me on Alexander and Elara’s location. Eiffel Tower, huh? So, he’s trying to be the hopeless romantic for my girl. Not a chance.As I step out of the jet into the cold breeze that slaps at my face, my phone rings. It’s my father. I roll my eyes before answering. “Yes, Dad?”“Lorenzo, what is this I hear about you insulting Victoria?” Why am I not su
Elara's POVThe moment we enter Lorenzo's house—a couple of hours later—I turn to him, pointing my finger at his chest. He raises an eyebrow, looking clearly amused."How dare you, Mr. Russo? Why did you do that? He didn’t do anything wrong to you!" I say, emphasizing every word.He crosses his arms over his chest, his expression unreadable. "I don't understand what you're talking about, Walker.""Stop calling me that," I snap."Oh, why?" he asks, his smirk growing.I roll my eyes. "Mr. Russo, you had no right to attack Alexander and me like that. You just punched him for nothing.""Well, it wasn’t for nothing," he says with a shrug."Yes, it was for nothing. You said so yourself," I insist. "What did he do to you? We basically spent the whole time together, so there’s no way he could have contacted you or done anything wrong during that time.""Lara," he calls, but I ignore him."You could come and talk like a normal person! You don’t just run up on people and start punching them. It
Elara's POV“Nicola?” Lorenzo says on the phone. “Oh, I just called to remind you; make sure the Eastside project continues smoothly. Yes, do everything as I ordered you to do. Yes, we are running out of time. Hurry! Yes, I will.” He drops the call.Exiting the jet, we are now on our way to the area where the gala will be held. Since the day I rejected my boss, he hasn’t been friendly with me anymore, not like he was before. His confession came out of nowhere, and I am still trying to understand what exactly happened.I thought he hated me? How does hatred develop into love so fast?He has been neutral with me—no smiles, nothing, just a boss and an employee. But why does my heart clench every time he calls me professionally?“Ms. Walker, I need the presentations. Ms. Walker, get me some coffee. Just Ms. Walker.”I want him to call me Lara, or even Elara, to show that he cares. I want him to look at me the way he did before, but all I see is a billionaire focused on growing his empire.
Lorenzo's POVThe business meeting stretches on, but I’m not really paying attention. I keep glancing at Alexander, who’s sitting across from me, looking distracted as well. He doesn’t seem to be listening; his mind is elsewhere, and it’s obvious where it is."Mr. Vitali,” one of the men asks, his voice low. “Is everything okay, sir? You seem a bit out of it.”Alexander blinks, snapping back to the conversation, and then smiles. “Nothing. Just thinking about someone.”The other men laugh, teasing him. “Oh, my guy, are you in love? Who is she? Tell us.”I know exactly where this is going. I feel the tension in my chest tighten as Alexander looks at me, his face smug. I know very well who he’s thinking about—Elara. My woman.He doesn’t say anything at first, just smiles in that infuriating way of his. "She's one hell of a vixen, guys. So innocent, yet so hot. I believe soon you'll be invited for a wed–"I can’t take it anymore. I stand up, cutting the meeting short. “Well, that’s all fo
Elara's POVThe crowd gasps, and I instantly realize I must have offended someone powerful. The wide-eyed stares around confirm it, and the man's glare alone is enough to make anyone feel like they're being sliced in half. Surprisingly, I don’t feel as scared as I expected for someone who just crossed a big shot. Not even as scared as I’d felt around Lorenzo. And now, here this man is, calling me “Ara.”“Excuse me, sir. I am not Ara. You must be mistaking me for someone else.”“Yes, yes, sorry.” He nods, a hint of confusion in his eyes. “My name is Damien Rossi. Nice to meet you.”“Very nice to meet you too, sir. I’m Elara Walker.”“Elara Walker,” he repeats, as if testing how it sounds.“Oh, and about your shirt, sir, I’m truly sorry. It was an accident.”“Yeah, I know it was.” He shrugs it off. "Well, do you want to take a stroll out to the yard? I know a beautiful garden around here."“Well, it’s not like I’m doing anything here,” I reply, accepting his invitation with a small smil
Elara's POVThe hall falls into stunned silence, people's mouths hanging wide open as they take in the scene. Meanwhile, the girl I slapped turns to me.“How dare you, bitch! I’m going to deal with you.”But as she raises her hand, I catch it mid-air and shrug it back down, making her friends take a step back. Mr. Rossi said I should fight, right? I am going to fight.“Wow,” I hear behind me. “Since when did my girl become this feisty?” Alexander says, making me furrow my brows. What does he mean by my girl? I must have heard something else.I hear a scoff on my right. “Call my girl yours once again, and I'll gouge out your eyes so you'll never be able to see her," Lorenzo's deep baritone voice snaps.What the hell is wrong with these two? I think to myself. They've been acting really weird.I pay them no heed. Instead, I smirk at this girl and say, “You know now never to mess with me. I may be nobody, but you don’t insult me, you don’t push me, because I am going to give you more tha
Elara's POV My head is spinning. Everything around me looks blurred, but Damien Rossi's intense gaze holds me still. Did he really say my child? Did I even hear him right? Or did he mean… Laila? I look around, but Mr. Wilson’s stunned expression confirms my confusion isn’t just in my head. “Mr. Rossi,” I finally manage to say, my voice small and almost trembling, “What do you mean?” Damien’s gaze softens, but only slightly. His lips press together as if he’s trying to swallow his own words. For a moment, he looks… almost vulnerable. Then he runs a hand through his hair, sighs deeply, and glances over at Lorenzo. “Lorenzo,” he whispers, his voice tired—a tone that should never come from a man this powerful. "Please clear the party.” Lorenzo doesn’t waste a second. He smiles at the guests, his voice ringing through the room as he says, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming tonight. The beach party will commence tomorrow afternoon. For now, let’s all get some rest
Elara's POV The moment I lock eyes with Antonio Rossi—my dad—it feels like the entire world around me disappears. It’s as if only he and I stand there. His eyes widen, and he freezes on the spot, even though he had rushed in just moments before. We just stare at each other for what feels like hours until he seems to recognize himself. He takes a step toward me, his hands reaching out to wipe his eyes. “Ara?” he calls out, using the same name Damien had called me a few hours earlier. Ara. “Oh my god! It’s true, Damien. It’s true! My Bambina is here,” he says, his voice thick with an accent. “Yes, brother. It’s true. Our Bambina is here,” Damien replies with his own smile. At that, it seems like whatever shock Antonio Rossi had been in finally snaps. Because in the next second, he lunges toward me, pulling me out of Lorenzo’s arms and wrapping me tightly in his own. So tight. But my hands just hang at my sides, awkwardly dangling. It seems like Antonio notices that I’m not hugging