Episode 4 – The First Night Under His Roof

Elena had never felt a silence so loud.

The entire floor of the mansion belonged to her now — or rather, to them — yet it felt too big, too luxurious, too intimate for a girl who had grown up in a warm but simple family home.

Everywhere she looked, there were signs of Alessandro.

A black suit laid perfectly across a chair in the sitting room that connected their bedrooms.

His watch on the marble table.

The faint, dark scent of his cologne in the air.

Her heart refused to calm down.

She stepped onto the balcony, gripping the railing as the cool evening breeze from Lake Como brushed her skin. The water reflected the fading sunset in shades of gold and crimson.

Beautiful.

Dangerous.

Just like him.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

Elena turned sharply.

A woman stood in the doorway of the balcony — tall, elegant, dressed in deep red silk. Her beauty was sharp, the kind that came with confidence and calculation.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know this floor was restricted,” Elena said politely.

The woman’s lips curved, but there was no warmth in it.

“Oh, it isn’t restricted,” she replied. “Not for me.”

There was something in the way she said it that made Elena’s chest tighten.

“I’m Valentina,” she continued, stepping closer. “I’ve known Alessandro for years.”

The name sounded like a claim.

Elena forced a small smile. “I’m—”

“Elena De Luca. The fiancée.” Valentina’s eyes swept over her, slow and assessing. “You’re younger than I expected.”

The words were soft.

The insult wasn’t.

Before Elena could respond, Valentina moved beside her at the railing.

“Do you know what it means to live in this house?” she asked.

“To belong to a man like Alessandro?”

Elena lifted her chin slightly. “I’m learning.”

Valentina laughed under her breath.

“He doesn’t love,” she said. “He owns. He controls. He destroys anything that becomes a weakness.”

Her gaze slid toward Elena.

“And now that weakness is you.”

The words struck deeper than Elena wanted to admit.

But before she could answer—

A cold voice cut through the air.

“Valentina.”

The temperature dropped instantly.

Alessandro stood in the doorway.

He wasn’t wearing his jacket anymore, his sleeves rolled up, his expression darker than she had ever seen it.

Dangerous.

Not controlled.

Furious.

Valentina straightened. “We were just talking.”

“I don’t remember giving you permission to be on this floor.”

His voice was quiet.

Which made it terrifying.

“I’ve always had access,” she replied smoothly.

“Not anymore.”

The finality in his tone made Elena’s heart pound.

Valentina’s eyes flickered to Elena — something bitter and sharp passing through them — before she walked past Alessandro without another word.

The moment she disappeared, the air changed again.

Alessandro turned to Elena.

“Did she say something to you?”

The question was calm.

But his hands were clenched into fists.

“I’m fine,” Elena said softly.

His jaw tightened. “That’s not what I asked.”

She hesitated.

“She said… that I would become your weakness.”

For a second, something dark and violent flashed in his eyes.

He walked past her into the room and picked up his phone.

“Eliminate Valentina’s access to the estate,” he said coldly. “Effective immediately.”

Elena’s eyes widened. “Alessandro, no—”

“And if she ever speaks to Elena again,” he continued, his voice lethal, “she answers to me.”

He ended the call.

The silence that followed was heavy.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Elena whispered.

“Yes, I did.”

“She was just talking.”

“She was hurting you.”

His voice broke on the last word — just slightly.

And that small crack in his control shattered her defenses.

“I’m not made of glass,” she said gently.

His gaze moved over her face, conflicted, intense.

“I know,” he said.

“That’s what terrifies me.”

Her breath caught.

“Why?”

“Because you make me feel things I can’t control.”

The confession hung between them like a living thing.

He stepped closer.

Slowly.

Giving her time to move away.

She didn’t.

“I’ve built my entire life on discipline,” he continued, his voice rougher than she had ever heard it. “Power. Order. Fear.”

His hand lifted, trembling slightly before it touched her cheek.

“And then you look at me like I’m not a monster.”

Her heart shattered.

“You’re not,” she whispered.

Something inside him snapped.

His hand slid into her hair, pulling her closer — not harshly, but with a desperation that made her pulse race.

“Elena,” he breathed, like her name was a prayer and a sin at the same time.

She rose onto her toes without thinking.

This time, there was no interruption.

His lips crashed into hers.

Hot.

Possessive.

Devastating.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss.

It was weeks of tension, jealousy, restraint breaking all at once.

Her hands clutched his shirt as his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him like he couldn’t bear even an inch of distance.

The world disappeared.

There was only his mouth, his breath, the way he kissed her like she was the only soft thing he had ever allowed himself to touch.

When he finally pulled back, both of them were breathing hard.

His forehead rested against hers.

“You’re going to be the end of me,” he murmured.

Her heart felt like it belonged to him already.

“Then don’t stop,” she whispered.

His eyes darkened with a hunger that sent heat rushing through her entire body.

“Careful, angel,” he said softly.

“You have no idea what you’re asking for.”

But he kissed her again.

And this time—

She kissed him back like she was already his wife.

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