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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Two weeks had passed since the pyjama party, and the vibrant purple in Alice's hair was fading faster than anyone expected. Each day, her hair seemed lighter than the day before, reminding Yulia how temporary everything felt lately. It had been almost a month since Alessandro left, with no word or text from him. Yulia had stopped asking about him or about what exactly was going on between them. The answer was always the same: Wait for Alessandro. But how long could she keep waiting?
It frustrated her to no end. She had been working for the De Angeli's for almost a month now, but she hardly felt like she was contributing. With her bandages finally off, she was cleared to do light work, but she was still barred from fully stepping back into the kitchen. Instead, she found herself mostly instructing Aline and Alice—who were now more than capable of handling things on their own. Even that role was dwindling. At least she was allowed to handle meal prep, which gave her some sense of purpose.
Her friendship with the twins had grown, though. They confided in her, sharing stories about their own lives, and Yulia learned that they were both taken—by friends of the guys, no less. It was comforting to have them around, but it didn't stop the growing confusion and uncertainty gnawing at her. No one was giving her clear answers, and the silence surrounding Alessandro's absence had become unbearable.
Finally, for her own peace of mind, she decided to take a step back from Matteo and Leonardo. It was a difficult choice, one that weighed heavily on her, but her heart was too tangled in confusion to stay as close as she had been. She couldn't keep waiting for someone who was giving her nothing in return—not Alessandro, and not the brothers who seemed to hold all the answers.
The conversation with Matteo and Leo had been hard. She had sat them both down, explaining her need for space, her need to protect herself. They understood, but the disappointment in their eyes had been hard to miss. Matteo had been quiet, more reserved, while Leonardo—ever the one who liked control—had taken it worse. His jaw had clenched when she said that she wouldn't be able to talk about anything serious until Alessandro returned.
In a moment of pettiness, she had thrown his own words back at him: "We'll talk when Alessandro's here." The same dismissive line they had given her so many times before. The memory of Leonardo's jaw tightening as he tasted a bit of his own medicine made Yulia chuckle softly. It was a small, fleeting victory in an otherwise messy situation.
But despite that small satisfaction, Yulia still felt the emptiness Alessandro's absence left behind. How long could she really wait? She wasn't sure anymore. For now, she focused on her growing bond with the twins, her tentative steps back into the kitchen, and the quiet distance she had created between herself and the others. It was for the best—at least, that's what she kept telling herself.
Yulia could feel herself changing—becoming more confident, less reserved, and increasingly comfortable in her own skin. The twins, Aline and Alice, had definitely played a part in that transformation, and she wasn't complaining. Their energy was infectious, their carefree spirit rubbing off on her in ways she hadn't expected.
