The sun had barely risen over Capri, casting pale gold across the villa when Alessia woke to a note slipped under her door. Elegant script, familiar and infuriating:
"Meet me at the eastern cliffside at sunset. Alone. – Bianca"
Alessia frowned, tossing the note aside. She knew Bianca well enough now—ambitious, reckless, and determined to force a marriage alliance with Luca. But Alessia refused to be intimidated or manipulated.
Sofia noticed her frown over breakfast. "What's wrong?"
"Bianca," Alessia said, trying to keep her voice steady. "She wants me alone. I think she's planning something."
Sofia's eyes widened. "Don't go."
"I have to," Alessia replied. "If she thinks she can corner me, I'll show her she's wrong. I can handle this."
By sunset, Alessia approached the cliffside. The ocean glimmered beneath her, waves crashing against rocks far below. Bianca was already there, her golden gown fluttering in the breeze, a smug expression plastered across her face.
"Well, look who came," Bianca said sweetly. "I thought you'd be too scared."
Alessia's jaw tightened. "I'm not scared. And I'm not alone," she added, subtly moving so Luca, who had been silently following at a distance, could see her.
Bianca's smirk faltered slightly. "Oh… I see. You brought your… protector?"
Alessia raised an eyebrow. "I brought my eyes open. That's all you need to know."
Before Bianca could respond, Alessia stepped closer, her voice calm but cutting. "You want Luca, fine. But you won't get him by underestimating me—or thinking I'll stand aside."
Bianca laughed, a harsh, high-pitched sound. "And what? You think just standing there makes you better than me? He notices me. You're just… in the way."
"Maybe," Alessia said lightly. "Or maybe I just don't waste my energy trying to control someone who doesn't belong to me."
The words hit Bianca like a slap. She opened her mouth, furious, but before she could speak, a shadow moved behind her.
Luca stepped out of the cliffside shadows, his presence magnetic and deadly. Alessia felt the tension coil between them.
"Bianca," he said, his voice smooth but razor-sharp. "Step back."
"I—" Bianca stammered.
"You heard me," Luca interrupted, stepping closer, his hand resting lightly—but possessively—on Alessia's back. "Or leave. Now."
Alessia's chest swelled with a strange pride. She didn't need Luca to defend her. She had stood firm, unshaken, and his presence merely reinforced her courage.
Bianca's gaze flicked between them, frustration and envy boiling. "This isn't over," she hissed, before storming off down the cliffside path.
Alessia turned to Luca, exhaling. "You didn't have to step in."
"I wanted to," he said softly. His green eyes softened, the usual edge of danger giving way to something intimate and vulnerable. "But… you handled it brilliantly."
Alessia smiled, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "I didn't do it for you."
"I know," he murmured, leaning closer. "And yet… I can't stop noticing."
The wind tugged at Alessia's hair, the cliffside stretching endlessly behind them. She let herself lean slightly into him, heart racing—not from fear, but desire.
"You're impossible," she whispered.
"And yet… here you are," he replied, brushing a thumb along her jawline. His eyes flickered with a dangerous intensity, but also tenderness she hadn't expected. "And I don't regret it."
Alessia tilted her head, letting her lips brush his cheek—a teasing, tender gesture. Luca's breath hitched, and the tension between them surged, electric and undeniable.
"I'm not backing down," she said softly. "Not from Bianca. Not from you. Not from anything."
"And I wouldn't want you to," he replied. His hand slid to hers, intertwining fingers. "That's what makes you… irresistible."
For the first time since the docks, Alessia felt completely seen. Dangerous, magnetic, impossible—but seen. And for the first time, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to fear falling for him.
The night sky stretched endlessly above them, stars shimmering like promises. Alessia Romano had faced fire, threats, and rivals—and she had emerged unshaken, clever, and alive.
And Luca? He had finally let someone into his world—someone fearless enough to stand beside him.
Together, they watched the waves, knowing the storm wasn't over—but trusting that, for tonight, they had survived it… together.