Chapter 1 - Two beautiful ladies? Easy.

Viviane

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I was slipping, and I knew it.

It was like trying to hold onto water, and the more I fought, the faster it slid through my fingers.

Alessandro was everywhere—in my thoughts, in my dreams, in the way my pulse spiked every time I heard his voice. He’d wormed his way into my mind, and I hated it. I hated how much I thought about him, how some part of me had started to crave him. How I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was losing pieces of myself, piece by piece, and he was the one holding them.

Standing alone in my bathroom, steam still clinging to the walls, I pressed my hands against the sink, holding myself in the coolness of the marble.

I stared at my reflection, wrapped in nothing but a towel, hair damp and sticking to my skin. My eyes looked harder, but underneath that hardness, there was a crack, one that had only started to show since I came back from the island.

“Get a grip,” I said through clenched teeth, as if saying it would snap me out of this.

Who was I kidding? My mind was a mess, my loyalties were all over the place. I wasn’t even sure I could trust myself anymore.

I wanted things to be simple—a straight line I could follow without looking back. But he was cutting across that line. With him, everything blurred, twisted into shades of gray, like a blade pressed to my throat but never cutting deep enough to end it.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to look at my own eyes in the mirror, to snap out of whatever this was.

Viviane Kane doesn’t lose her cool. She doesn’t slip up, doesn’t get rattled.

But for the first time in my life, I felt truly out of control. And I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to pull myself back.

I shook my head, pushing the frustration down, and headed back to my bedroom.

I grabbed the blow dryer, running my fingers through my damp hair. Once it was dry, I picked up my curling iron, sectioning off my hair and working quickly. Loose, bouncy waves took shape, framing my face just right. They’d look effortless, but I’d spent enough time to make sure every wave was exactly where I wanted it.

All this effort for one man, Viviane? That’s got to mean something, doesn’t it?

My makeup was next. I leaned into the mirror, blending out the foundation, making sure to not hide my freckles. I lined my eyes with a sharp, black flick, and applied a deep red lipstick that matched my mood—bold, unmissable.

I went to my closet and pulled out the red dress. I slipped it on, smoothing the fabric down over my hips. It hugged in all the right places, with its long sleeves, short hemline, and the sweetheart neckline. I stepped into my red heels, and glanced at myself in the mirror.

Checking my phone, I saw another missed call from the babysitter. She’d been ignoring my calls all night. Brandon was supposed to take Felicity for the night. That’s why I’d chosen tonight, but something came up at his end and he had to change last-minute.

I walked into the living room to find Felicity curled up on the couch, surrounded by a blanket and clutching a giant bowl of popcorn. She looked up, her eyes lighting up as she grinned.

"You look so pretty," she said, beaming.

“Thanks, kiddo,” I replied, sinking onto the couch next to her. “But all this effort is about to go to waste if I don’t get a babysitter lined up soon.”

She shrugged, “You can go on your date. I’ll be fine.”

I raised an eyebrow, snorting. “Yeah, nice try. You’re dreaming if you think I’m leaving you alone for the night. Guess I’m just gonna have to ditch him,” I said, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close.

She rolled her eyes, but I could see the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Felicity leaned more into my side, her eyes never leaving the TV. “You know, he’s gonna be bummed. Guys don’t like getting ditched.”

I laughed, “Trust me, this guy could use a little humbling. And since when are you the expert on what guys want?”

She shot me a look, eyebrow raised, the sass radiating off her like she’d had years to perfect it. “I see things. I’ve got school, social media, my mom’s rom-coms…” She ticked them off on her fingers as if she were listing hardcore credentials. “Plus, you think I haven’t noticed you and Alessandro? I’m twelve, Aunt Viv, not clueless.” she nudged me with her elbow. “And you wouldn’t go through all this trouble getting ready if you didn’t like him at least a little bit.”

I sighed, shaking my head, she was the only one I'd admit it to, “Alright, fine. Maybe there’s something there—”

A knock echoed through the apartment. My stomach did a little flip—I hadn’t expected him to come all the way up.

I opened the door, and there was Alessandro, leaning against the doorframe, dressed in a crisp black suit hugging every inch of him like it was stitched with sinful intent. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, just enough to show a flash of golden chains resting over the hard lines of his chest.

His gaze swept over me, and for a moment, he just stood there, completely still. His eyes traced every inch of my body in a way that felt like a physical touch.

One hand was in his pocket while the other held a bouquet of red roses, he cleared his throat before holding them out to me. “Ms. Kane.”

I accepted the flowers with a smile, stepping back to let him in. His eyes traced every detail of me once more, lingering on the neckline of the dress, then traveling down, taking in the way the red fabric hugged my figure, before his eyes dropped down to my legs.

As I arranged the flowers in a vase, I picked up my phone again and dialed another babysitter's number, which was another fail because she had the flu.

I paced back and forth in the living room, calling one babysitter after another. Felicity sat cross-legged on the couch, watching me with that amused sparkle in her eye, as if she found my desperate hunt for a sitter more entertaining than any movie.

Meanwhile, Alessandro waited, standing by the door, both hands in his pockets. I could feel his eyes on me every second I was on the phone.

Felicity patted on the couch beside her, “Come sit with me. It’s not like I bite,” she said to Alessandro, who seemed a little taken aback by her but then walked over to the couch and settled beside her.

His broad frame making her look almost tiny in comparison. I glanced over as the phone started to ring, catching a snippet of their conversation—something conspiratorial that I couldn’t quite make out. God only knew what they were talking about.

“Another one bites the dust,” I muttered, hanging up after the third failed attempt. I placed a hand on my forehead, trying to keep my frustration from spilling over. “I can’t find a babysitter, so… the date’s officially canceled.”

“Just go, Aunt Viv. I’m not a little kid anymore. I’ll be fine,” Fliss said.

I glared at her, "I'm not leaving you alone."

Felicity made a face and glanced at Alessandro, “You know what, I’ll take the flowers. She doesn’t deserve them if she’s planning to ditch you.”

“In that case, maybe I should take you out on the date instead of her,” Alessandro said to her and then glanced my way, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes at both of them, “Very funny, both of you,” I said, crossing my arms, but a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Felicity shrugged innocently, clutching the blanket to her chest. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Not happening,” I shot back. “Need I remind you of that time you burned Brandon’s entire apartment down because the babysitter was too busy to keep an eye on you?”

Her cheeks flushed, and she gave me an eye-roll. “That was forever ago, and it wasn’t my fault. I didn't know a science project could even do that.”

I let out a sigh, “Still, I’m not leaving you alone. What if you get sick and there’s no one to help you?”

Felicity shrugged, “Then I’ll call you. Or better yet, I’ll call Alessandro,” she said, tilting her head toward him, “We should exchange numbers, just in case.”

Alessandro smiled too, pulling his phone out without hesitation, “Now there’s a smart idea.”

I watched them for a few seconds, feeling a twinge I couldn’t ignore. No. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t make himself her favorite person, too—not when he was already starting to become mine.

They exchanged numbers, Alessandro tapping in her digits with that half-smile still on his face, and when he handed the phone back, she beamed at him like he’d just agreed to some secret alliance. It was adorable and oddly…disarming.

I shook my head again, “I’m sorry, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m not about to leave her alone, especially after that last sitter disaster.”

Alessandro leaned forward, taking Felicity’s hand as he pressed a light kiss to the back of it as if he was a perfect gentleman, “You know, Felicity,” he murmured, “maybe we should ditch Viviane and have some fun of our own. She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms to keep from smiling. “You two are ridiculous,” I said, fighting off the warmth spreading through my chest, watching him interact with Fliss like this, “You’re more than welcome to stay and join us for an impromptu date night right here, Alessandro.”

Alessandro looked at Felicity, then back at me. “Or,” he said slowly, his voice taking on a softer tone, “Felicity could come with us. Might do her good to get out of the house.”

Felicity’s face lit up, and she turned to me with wide, hopeful eyes. “Really? Can I, Aunt Viv? Please?”

I glanced between her and Alessandro, taken aback. “Are you… sure? You’d be okay with that?”

He shrugged confidently even though I wasn't sure he was the kind of guy to spend time around children willingly, “Was my idea, wasn’t it?”

Felicity practically bounced on the couch, and I sighed, giving in to her excitement. “Alright, fine. If you can handle that.”

Alessandro leaned back, looking thoroughly pleased. “Two beautiful ladies? Easy.”

The self-assured glint in his eyes made my hand itch to wipe that look right off his face. I shook my head, trying to ignore the flutter in my chest as I took Felicity to her room to get her changed into some nice clothes.