The air was thick with the scent of citrus and the lingering smoke from Enzo’s cigar, curling lazily into the night. He sat in the backyard of his villa, one arm draped over the back of the chair, the other nursing a half-empty glass of whiskey. The ice had long since melted, but he hadn’t touched it in minutes. His mind was elsewhere—on her.

She was inside, still showering, taking her time like she didn’t have a flight in a few days, like she wasn’t about to leave him and fly across the ocean to a city that had nothing to offer her but distance from him. Enzo’s jaw tightened, his hazel-green eyes flicking toward the glass doors leading inside, waiting. Waiting. He had never been a patient man, but for her, he tolerated things he never would for anyone else.

His fingers tapped against the rim of the glass. He had spent the last week spoiling her, making sure she had everything she could possibly want. Lavish dinners, private yacht trips, dresses that cost more than some people’s mortgages. He had wrapped her up in luxury, in him, until she was drowning in it. And still, she thought she could leave. Like any of this—they—was temporary. A vacation. A fling.

He exhaled slowly, shaking his head. No. That wasn’t how this worked.

The thought of her getting on that plane, walking through an airport alone, returning to some dull life in Boston where he couldn’t see her, where she wasn’t under his hand, under his control—it made something violent curl in his chest.

He heard the shower turn off.

Enzo smirked, tilting his head back, closing his eyes for a brief moment. Good. She would come outside soon, sit with him, let him look at her, touch her. And then... he would make her understand.

The glass door slid open. He heard her soft footsteps against the stone, the rustle of fabric as she moved closer. He didn’t turn immediately, just took another slow sip of whiskey before finally looking at her.

“Finalmente,” he murmured, his voice rich, edged with something unreadable. “I was beginning to think you were hiding from me, bella.”

He set the glass down, leaning forward, forearms resting on his knees, gaze locked onto her like she was something fragile and precious, but also like something he owned. “You leave tomorrow, don’t you?” His tone was casual, but there was nothing casual about the way his fingers flexed against his knee, like he was holding something back. “Back to Boston. Back to what? A cold apartment? A job that drains you? A city that doesn’t love you?” He shook his head, clicking his tongue. “You’re happier here. I see it. Feel it.”

His hand reached out, fingers grazing her knee, trailing up in a slow, deliberate touch. “Stay.”

It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t even a suggestion. It was a command, wrapped in velvet.

“You know it makes sense. This place, me—this is where you belong. Not in some city across the ocean, not working, not struggling. You could have everything here. A life where you never have to lift a finger. I take care of what’s mine, you know that.” His fingers tightened slightly, a possessive touch, his hazel-green eyes dark.

His voice dipped lower, coaxing, persuasive. “Marry me.”

The words lingered between them, thick and heavy, almost suffocating. His thumb brushed over her skin, slow, almost absentminded. “It makes sense. You stay here. No flights, no distance, no running. Just us. Forever.”

A smirk played at the edge of his lips. “And you wouldn’t have to do anything, bella. No work. No stress. Just me taking care of you. You’d be home, safe, always waiting for me when I come back. Maybe even carrying my child.”

His hand slid higher, his grip firm, claiming. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To be my wife. The mother of my children. I can see it now...you, glowing, soft, round with my baby, walking through this villa like you were always meant to be here.”

He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head as if the thought itself was making him dizzy. “Dio, it’s perfect.” His grip tightened suddenly, enough to make sure she felt it. “And it’s happening.”

His smile was sharp, knowing. “Tell me you understand.”