~Alessia~
I should have known this semester break would turn out differently than I'd planned.
At twenty-four, in my final year of university, all I wanted was a smooth last semester, my internship hours filled, and enough time to finish my thesis in peace. I was majoring in International Business, with the hope of landing a career in corporate law someday.
Everything about my plan screamed order and predictability. But what I hadn't planned on was ending up here... in the penthouse of Lorenzo Morano, billionaire CEO of Morano Holdings… and my brother's best friend.
It was supposed to be temporary. Just three months of staying here during my internship at his firm. Three months of early mornings, long work hours, and tiptoeing around his space until I could finally move back to campus housing.
But three months suddenly felt like a lifetime because it was Lorenzo.
I had liked him since I was eighteen, back when he'd still show up at our family's house during holidays, all pressed suits and serious eyes. He was nine years older, untouchable, and had never once looked at me as anything other than his best friend's little sister. Over the years, I told myself I'd outgrow it, that crushes fade.
But seeing him now... broad-shouldered, tall, and devastatingly handsome in ways that magazines could never capture, made me realize I had only buried those feelings, not erased them.
And the worst part? He had no clue.
"Stop staring at the walls like you're lost," Lorenzo's deep voice pulled me back to the present. He set his briefcase down in the living room, his velvet tie slightly loosened from a long day. "This isn't a vacation, Alessia. Remember that."
I turned, clutching the strap of my bag. "I know. I'm here for work, not to sit around."
His mouth curved faintly. "Good. Because working under me won't be easy."
I shouldn't have shivered at the way he said under me. But I blamed my overactive imagination, the one that had been hopelessly in love with him for years.
Lorenzo walked toward the bar cart, poured himself a scotch, and leaned against the counter, watching me. His eyes were the same stormy gray they had always been... intense and far too sharp when directed at me.
"You'll follow some rules while you're here," he said, taking a sip and I jerked my head twice.
"One: no parties. Two: keep your things in order. Three: don't bring your college friends over. And four..." His gaze locked on me for a moment, softer now. "Don't treat this place like it's mine. For three months, it's yours too, so make yourself comfortable."
That surprised me. "That's… generous of you."
His lips twitched like he was fighting a smile. "Your brother asked me to keep an eye on you, I don't intend to fail him."
Of course, always my brother. Will it kill him to say it's because of me? Tsk!
I forced a smile, though my chest ached. He didn't see me... not really. To him, I was still the clumsy teenager who spilled soda on the sofa and tripped over her shoelaces in front of him when I was fourteen. I could wear revealing dresses, put on lipstick, and stand on my own two feet, but in Lorenzo's eyes, I was just a little sister.
He'd probably never see me differently, would he?
Lorenzo wasn't the type of man to look twice at anyone anymore, anyway. Not since five years ago, when his fiancée was caught in bed with another man. Everyone in our circle knew the story, the way he'd walked into the hotel suite to find her betrayal written in the most brutal way possible.
He had ended things that very night, and since then, he had locked his heart behind an iron gate. Women still flocked around him, swooned over his wealth, his power, his face that belonged on magazine covers. But Lorenzo never let anyone close.
It made me wonder if he even remembered what closeness felt like.
I shifted awkwardly under his gaze, realizing I must've been standing there too long, staring.
"So… rules. Got it. No wild parties, no freeloading." I stuttered, not knowing what to say.
"And don't work yourself into exhaustion," he added, more gently now. "I know you. You'll try to do everything perfectly. Just… pace yourself."
My cheeks warmed. He noticed more than I thought. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Good." Lorenzo finished his drink, set the glass aside, and tugged off his suit jacket. "Now go unpack. Your room's down the hall, second door to the left. And Alessia?"
"Yes?"
"Try not to trip over the furniture please. It hasn't moved since the last time you visited."
I rolled my eyes, even as heat crept into my face. "That was three years ago, Lorenzo."
"Some things don't change." His voice held quiet amusement as he walked away.
Some things don't change? Like me, still clumsy, and hopelessly tangled up in feelings for him.
By the time night fell, the city skyline glittered through the windows like diamonds. I had unpacked, showered, and dressed in my soft pink pajamas, determined to sleep early and start fresh for work in two days.
But hunger had other plans.
My stomach growled as I tiptoed into the kitchen, the floor cool under my bare feet. I rummaged through the fridge, juggling leftovers and nearly dropping a bottle of water before managing to slam the door shut. Classic me... always one slip away from disaster.
Balancing a plate in my hand, I turned, and my foot caught on the edge of the rug. I yelped, stumbling forward, the plate clattering to the floor as I crashed straight into something solid.
No, not something... but someone.
I collided hard into Lorenzo's chest, warm and unyielding, and in the chaos of steadying myself, my hands grabbed him. That's when I realized.
He was wearing nothing but a towel. Just a towel?! I blinked in shock.
It hung low on his hips, dangerously loose, the faint trail of water still dripping down his sculpted chest. My breath froze as his arm instinctively came around my waist, catching me before I fell.
"Alessia," his voice rumbled, low and sharp in my ear.
But before I could answer, or even breathe, the white towel slipped down from his waist... and fell to the floor.