“Which was?”
“That she needs to stay away from me.”
He whistles low. “Ah. Classic Nicolo Esposito. Pushes everyone away, blames the weather.”
“Romiro—”
“Don’tRomirome. You think I don’t know how you sound right now? You sound like a man trying to convince himself he’s not in love.”
The silence that follows feels heavier than it should. I glance down at the glass of vodka beside the papers, half-full, sweating against the wood. My reflection in it looks like a stranger.
Finally, I say, “Love doesn’t factor into this.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
Something in his tone digs deeper than I want it to. I look out the window, past the skyline, past the city that never stops breathing.
“What’s she said?” I ask.
“Who? Alessia?”
“Mara.”
He chuckles, and the sound isn’t kind. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Romiro.”
“She’s not my fiancée, Nic. You don’t get updates through me.”
“Romiro.”
He sighs. “Fine. You want the truth? She’s not talking much. She’s quiet. Alessia says she looks tired. Valentina says she looks lost. Eli’s parading her around like she’s already wearing a ring. And from what I’ve heard, she’s playing along.”
My grip on the glass tightens. “Playing along.”
“Yeah.” A pause. “You know, for a guy who prides himself on control, you sure look like hell when you lose it.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re a fucking liar.”
The words hang between us. He doesn’t apologize. I don’t ask him to.
Then, more quietly, he says, “They’ve started the fittings.”
My jaw locks. “Already?”
“Vera Chernov’s in town. She’s running the show. You remember her. The one who thinks marriage is a business contract with lace attached.”
“She’s not wrong.”
“Stop pretending you agree with her.”
I don’t answer. The silence stretches long enough for him to sigh again.
“Listen,” he says. “I’m not here to give you advice. God knows you don’t take it anyway. But if you’re going to sit in that fancy office of yours pretending you don’t care while the woman you actually give a damn about gets married off to some Eastern Bloc sociopath, you might as well at least be honest with yourself.”
“You finished?”
