“Enough.” I lifted my hand. “Don’t hide behind titles or duty. This was never about business. You chose through your actions.”
I took a step back, firelight dancing between us.
“And now,” I said quietly, “I’m choosing through mine.”
Sofia’s POV
The last wisps of ash still glowed faintly near my shoes when Lorenzo’s fury finally burned itself out, leaving behind something far more dangerous—regret. Under the pale wash of moonlight spilling through the towering glass windows, his face looked unfamiliar, stripped of the confidence he wore like a second skin. He tugged at his collar, straightening it as if reclaiming control by force of habit, but his body betrayed him. The rapid pulse at his throat, the tension in his jaw—none of it lied.
I brushed the soot from my palms with deliberate care and raised my chin, meeting his stare without offering even a hint of softness.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said coolly. “I noticed insects crawling through the album. Cockroaches, I think. Burning it seemed like the cleanest solution.”
He frowned, clearly thrown off, and moved closer, disbelief etched into every line of his face.