The following days were a tense dance between Aurora and Lorenzo. Aurora, hungover and filled with a simmering resentment, barely spoke to him. Lorenzo, ever stoic, maintained his silent vigil, his dark eyes watchful. The air crackled with unspoken words and a newfound awareness that had blossomed between them during that chaotic night at the club.

She ignored him as much as she could, pretending he wasn't the shadow behind her.

That night a week ago when he found her at the club and brought her back, her father had grounded her and had given Lorenzo a punishment, he was whipped 50 times on his back yet through out there wasn't a change in his expression nor a sound from his thought like he was used to it.

My heart felt like it was cut through by a knife as I watched him kneel there under the hot sun as each lash landed on his back.

A pang of guilt washed over me as I thought, he wouldn't have been punished like this if not for me. Yet my pride and embarrassment from that night won't let me apologize to him.

After that night, her father had gone on a business trip which will last a month and she was left alone in their mansion with him and just a few maids. The silence between them was suffocating. Lorenzo was back to being very cold and unapproachable which hurt her alot.

Now she regrets why she had decided to rest for a year before getting a job. She had studied entrepreneurship for four years at the California institute and as she came back this year to Italy, she decided to rest and have fun for a year before starting her own enterprise.
Though her father wants her to inherit the Casino.

No she's really regretting that decision she made.

In the afternoon that day, she decided to go swim, they have a private swimming pool.
Skimming through her walk-in closet to wear her undies and swimsuits were, she picked a white two piece swimwear and put on.

It accentuated her curved and a thought flashed in her mind. What are you thinking girl, wake up. He will never like you. She hurriedly shook her head to get rid of such improper thoughts.

She put on a bathrobe and went out of the room, surprisingly, Lorenzo was not Infront of her room, probably in the gym or something.

Lost in thoughts, she had unknowingly walked her way to the gym. She found him in the training room, his movements a blur of controlled power as he practiced hand-to-hand combat. He was a warrior, honed to perfection.
A bead of sweat traced a glistening path down the sharp angle of Lorenzo's jaw, eventually dripping off his chin and landing with a soft plop on the worn mat. His movements were a deadly ballet, a blur of controlled aggression as he parried and countered his training partner's attacks. Every flex of his arm tensed his finely developed muscles.

Aurora felt a heat creep up her cheeks, a warmth that had nothing to do with the exertion in the stifling training room. Her gaze was drawn, almost magnetically, to the way his torso moved, the way his perfectly toned abs contracted and relaxed with each punch and block. Another bead of sweat escaped his hairline, tracing a line down to his chin and then his Adam's apple and down to his chest. Aurora felt her mouth go dry as her mouth hung open unable to stop herself from drooling at this hot to the eye sight. Damn!!

Suddenly, the air in the room seemed to crackle with awareness. Lorenzo, mid-move, froze. He whipped his head towards Aurora, his dark eyes catching her mesmerized stare. A jolt of electricity shot through her. Busted.

Embarrassment burned a fiery path across her face. How long had she been blatantly ogling him? She stammered, her voice barely a squeak, "I, uh, I was just... passing by."

Lorenzo's gaze held hers for a beat too long, the intensity of it making her squirm. Then, a flicker of something she couldn't quite decipher - amusement? annoyance? - crossed his face. "Signora Moretti," he finally rumbled, his voice low and husky. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," she lied, her voice tripping over itself. "Just... checking on things." Heat radiated from her cheeks, threatening to melt the expensive wallpaper on the walls. How could she have been so obvious?

Without another word, Aurora turned on her heel and practically stomped out of the training room. The heavy oak door slammed shut behind her with a satisfying thud, the sound the only release for the mortification simmering inside her. She mentally kicked herself all the way down the hallway and towards the swimming pool. Why did she have to be so obvious? Now he probably thinks she's some lovesick schoolgirl, incapable of looking at a handsome man without drooling.

Lorenzo watched Aurora flee the training room, a slow smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Amusement danced in his dark eyes. It seemed the stoic facade he presented wasn't entirely impenetrable. He enjoyed the delicious flush that had stained her cheeks, a stark contrast to her petite fair face.

Deciding to cut his training short, Lorenzo headed for the showers. The cool spray did little to quell the unexpected warmth that had bloomed in his chest at the sight of Aurora's flustered state. Toweling off briskly, he decided to check on her.

On reaching her room, a frown creased his brow when he found it empty. A prickle of unease wormed its way through him. He found a young maid dusting the hallway and, his voice clipped, inquired about Aurora's whereabouts.

"The Signorina is by the pool, Signor Lorenzo," the maid replied, a hint of blush appearing on her face as such a handsome man was speaking to her.

Lorenzo thanked her curtly and made his way towards the pool, the unease morphing into a strange anticipation. As he rounded the corner, the sight that greeted him stole the breath from his lungs.

There, bathed in the golden light of the late afternoon sun, was Aurora. She glided through the water, a picture of effortless grace. Her white two piece swimwear clung to her curves in a way that sent a jolt straight to his core. Gone was the prim and proper facade she usually presented, replaced by a woman radiating confidence and sensuality. He watched, mesmerized, as she swam, each stroke a slow, deliberate tease.

A wave of arousal hit him as he watched her, his body heated up, his mouth dry hungry to have her in his arms.

Lorenzo stood rooted to the spot, his gaze devouring Aurora's every move. Time seemed to slow as he watched her, the world around them fading away. The sight of her, so carefree and uninhibited, ignited a fire within him that he couldn't explain. Minutes bled into what felt like hours until, inevitably, Aurora's emerald eyes met his.

A blush bloomed across her cheeks the moment she realized she was being watched. The confident aura she exuded moments ago faltered under the intensity of his gaze. A dangerous glint flickered in his dark eyes, his jaw clenching as he watched her. It was a look that sent a shiver down her spine, a mixture of something she couldn't decipher and a raw heat that left her breathless.

"Is something wrong, Lorenzo?" she finally asked, her voice barely a whisper above the sound of the trickling water.

He studied her for a long moment, his eyes so dark they seemed to swallow the light. Then, in a voice that rumbled deep in his chest, almost a growl, he simply said, "Nothing."

The curt response hung heavy in the air, leaving Aurora feeling both relieved and strangely disappointed. Needing to break the tension, she took a deep breath and offered, "Would you like to join me?"

Lorenzo hesitated, his gaze lingering on the way the wet fabric clung to her curves. An image flashed through his mind, no he didn't come here for pleasure and whatnot, he has reasons to be here don't let yourself be distracted. He shook the indecent thoughts away.

"Perhaps later," he replied finally, his voice gruff. However, a flicker of something in his eyes betrayed his words.

Aurora saw it too, that hint of something more, and a mischievous glint sparked in her own emerald eyes. This was her chance, a chance to mend fences for storming out of the training room earlier and potentially causing him trouble.

"Actually," she began, an apologetic smile appeared on her lips, "there's something I need to apologize for. Escaping to go to the club... it was stupid and childish of me. I am sorry you were punished for it."

Lorenzo's brow furrowed slightly, surprised by her unexpected apology. He couldn't deny it had irritated him, not because of any reprimand, but because of the way he had met her there, she had let herself be food for hungry wolves.

"Yes it was stupid of you" he deadpanned and watch anger morph in her eyes, amusement twinkled in his, I thought she was apologizing.

"But it's nothing," he mumbled, attempting to downplay it.

She was about to invite him once more to swim with her when a young maid approached the pool, a silver tray held delicately in her hands. On it rested a single, ornately designed card.

"Scusi, Signorina Moretti," the maid addressed Aurora, her voice polite. "An invitation has arrived from the Mancini family. They request your presence at their son's birthday celebration this evening."

Aurora's eyes twitched. The Mancini family was one of the most prominent and influential families in all of Italy. An invitation from them was a prestigious honor but to her it was a normal thing since they were family friends with her father.

He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of something akin to curiosity crossing his features. "The eldest son must be turning 25 tomorrow," he remarked, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Aurora bit her lip, a hint of suspicion appearing in her eyes wondering how he knew, isn't he supposed to be a normal family?

As if sensing her suspicions, Lorenzo spoke again, his voice softer this time. "I saw it in the news" he said simply.

" Oh" she relaxed

"Thank you," she said, accepting the invitation. "Please inform the Mancini family that I will be there."