Matteo, Leonardo, and Alessandro, the powerful owners of De Angeli Enterprises, are in their early thirties and have built a fearsome reputation worldwide. Known for their ruthlessness and ambition, these men have amassed wealth and influence by tak...
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Yulia felt her heart racing as Matteo stood so close, his breath warm against her ear. His teasing words sent her mind spiraling, and she instinctively licked her lips, a blush creeping up her neck. Stop it, Yulia, she scolded herself, trying to shake the vivid image of his lips on hers. He's probably just making a joke. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, hoping it would diffuse the tension, and walked ahead, her heart pounding with every step.
Behind her, Matteo let out a low mutter, barely audible. "Yulia, I can only contain myself so much." She didn't catch it, but the way his eyes lingered on her made it clear his words weren't just playful banter. He followed her back into the apartment, the air between them thick with unspoken tension.
Matteo effortlessly lifted the final two boxes, his muscles flexing under his shirt. Yulia grabbed her suitcase and the last batch of cookies she had baked that morning, clutching them like a lifeline. "Ready!" she said, her voice brighter than she felt inside, trying to push away the bittersweet emotions brewing within her.
They stepped out of the apartment together, Yulia pausing to lock the door for the last time. She stood there for a moment, her hand resting on the doorknob as a wave of nostalgia washed over her. This small, cozy space had been her refuge for the past two years. It had seen her through her loneliest moments and given her a quiet corner of the world to call her own. And now, she was leaving it all behind.
A small pang echoed in her chest as she realized how much this apartment had meant to her, even if it wasn't perfect. Her fingers lingered on the cold metal key for a second longer before she turned it with a soft click, locking up the life she had known in this building. She took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto her face. New beginnings, she reminded herself.
Matteo, ever observant, caught the subtle shift in her demeanor. He placed a reassuring hand on the small of her back, guiding her gently out of the building and toward the car. "You okay?" he asked, his voice softer now, less teasing, and more concerned.
Yulia nodded, biting back the lump forming in her throat. "Yeah," she whispered. "It's just... this place. It was home for a while."
Matteo smiled down at her, his eyes softening. "You'll have a new home soon, principessa. One where you're never alone." His words, spoken so earnestly, settled warmly in her chest, easing the ache as they walked away from her old life and toward something new.
Matteo helped Yulia into the car, his hand lingering on her arm for a moment longer than necessary. She offered him a small smile in thanks, but her mind was elsewhere. As Matteo slid into the driver's seat beside her, a silence settled between them-one that felt both heavy and fragile, as though words might shatter it.
Yulia sat quietly, staring out the window as the world blurred by, the streets she'd known for years fading into the distance. Anxiety gnawed at the edges of her thoughts, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was stepping into something far more complicated than she'd imagined. Matteo's presence beside her was comforting, yet it also brought an unsettling tension. He had been clear in his subtle advances-those lingering looks, the way his hand would graze hers-but for Yulia, it was anything but clear.
