*Sophie’s POV*Luca and I were now sitting on the plane, with Italy coming into view as we descended. We'd both managed to get our affairs in order and delegate our projects to other people, freeing up the time for the villa restoration. It had been easy for both of us, as we had finished up the large projects we were working on.We were both ecstatic to see what was in store for us here and the scenery around us was breathtaking. The vast expanse of land, revealed by the clouds slowly lifting, had our eyes wide open in amazement."Oh, my God," Luca said as he pointed to the countryside coming into view.The fields of rolling greens, lined up against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains seemed like something out of a postcard. The tiny little towns nestled in between them looked so quaint and peaceful from our vantage point in the air. Everything below just looked alive - buzzing with energy and life that only added to my excitement for this new adventure.My cheeks hurt from smili
*Sophie’s POV*The reverberation of the front door hitting the wall caused us all to turn our heads. Alessandro Rossi stood in the doorway with an amused look on his face as he assessed the precarious situation the three of us had found ourselves in. His eyes moved from the scared expression on my face to the gun in the other man’s hand, and I swear he smiled.He wore an expensive suit that accentuated the muscular build of his body. His face was lined with age, but still handsomely chiseled. "Jacopo, put the gun away. Sophia and Luca were invited here by me, and I won't have you running them off because you're having one of your temper tantrums."Jacopo. That was the name of this handsome stranger that stole my breath at the flea market, and now stole my peace in Tuscany.Jacopo furrowed his brow and scowled at Alessandro. His gaze shifted to Luca and me, and he bared his teeth in a menacing expression. I held my breath as Jacopo tightened his grip on the gun before uncurling his
*Jacopo’s POV*The wooden cuckoo clock ticked away the seconds, each one feeling like an eternity as I waited for my father to return from his clandestine meeting. I watched through the large bay windows as a sliver of orange sun slowly descended behind the distant hills. The room dimmed, and gradually, shadows crept in, casting ominous shapes on the floor.The villa had been in our family for generations, and I knew every winding path, vine-draped wall, and creaking floorboard. As a child, I roamed these grounds with carefree pleasure; I slid down the banister of the grand stairway, climbed in the sprawling oak tree, and lay daydreaming beneath its shade. Now my father hinted at his plans to sell it—a thought that filled me with sadness.I sat on the couch in my father's study and looked around at all the familiar knickknacks and artifacts he had accumulated throughout his life; reminders of days long passed. It seemed unfair for him to just abandon everything like this without any
*Sophie’s POV* Luca and I barely got six hours of sleep before we had to be back at the villa. Mr. Rossi's late wife had been an avid collector of all art mediums. We were walking to a storage building on the property where he held most of her collection, and Luca was blabbering on about the bedroom he slept in being haunted."I don't think that's possible," I said, trying to stifle a laugh. "Ghosts aren't real, Luca."He scoffed, "You don't know that."I rolled my eyes, "Sure, Luca. Keep telling yourself that.""You may not be a believer, but I am. I woke up three times to a woman's voice saying my name. The third time, I swear I felt someone breathing on my neck. How am I going to get anything done when ghosts are keeping me up all night?" he dramatically pretended to fall over from exhaustion.I rolled my eyes and listened to my work boots crunch against the gravel beneath my feet, "Stop. You're going to give me nightmares. If that happens, I'll kick your ass," I warned.We
*Sophia's POV*"Don't drink all the coffee, ass. I'm going to need that to get through everything we have to get done this morning," I admonished Luca when I saw him filling his cup for the third time this morning."You can always make another," he teased as he tipped the pot over."WE DON'T HAVE TIME. We have to be over at the villa in ten minutes. Give me that damn cup," I growled as I charged him.Luca laughed and handed me the cup, "Alright, alright, calm down. I'll be ready in two minutes."I took a sip of the hot coffee and sighed in relief. The warmth spread throughout my body, and I surveyed my notes for the millionth time.While Luca went to get changed, I pulled on my work boots and grabbed my coat. We set off, walking swiftly down the long gravel walkway that led to the villa.The morning sun had barely risen above the horizon when we arrived at our destination. The air was still chilly, but I had dressed lightly under my coat. I knew once the sun fully rose, and we s
*Jacopo’s POV*"Where the fuck is she?" I asked Dante, one of the men working under Sophia.He shrugged his shoulders and continued to take measurements for the contractor who was working on the foundation of the house.Everything was changing, and it was starting to piss me off. The house had been emptied and gutted. Every time I walked in and saw the damage, I felt like I was going to throw up. I needed to find Sophia and see what the end game was. She told me she wanted to restore the villa, but it sure as fuck didn't look like that.Luca saw me glowering his way, so he stood up straight and approached me, "Can I help you with something, Jacopo?" I rolled my eyes, "Where is she?" Something mischievous flashed in Luca's eyes, "Who do you mean?"It was obvious that these people had no idea who I was, or for that matter, who the Rossi Family was. Even worse, they seemed entirely too comfortable ignoring my orders and showing a complete lack of respect towards me. "You know e
*Sophie’s POV*Luca and I knelt on the dusty, creaking floorboards of the upper level. We examined the contractors' blueprints as we discussed where to start replacing the worn-through beams with new ones. Our fingers traced along the yellow lines of the plan, lingering over certain areas that seemed too weak to bear any more weight."Luca," I started, "We've got to get the beams replaced. Without the strength from the new wood, we won't be able to bring anything new into the villa."He looked at me pensively, then replied, "I know, I just didn't realize when we started how compromised some of it would be. It's hard to pick a spot when they're all in bad shape." We both jumped whenever someone cleared their throat above us. We looked up to find Jacopo standing in the hallway, the sun spilling in from outside, making him look like an angel. He stepped forward and knelt beside us, his dark eyes studying the blueprints carefully. "What are you two looking at?" he asked.Luca and I
*Jacopo’s POV*The heavy wooden door to the mansion emitted a low hum as I pushed it open. My boots echoed on the floors as I walked toward the sound of heated conversation coming from the dining room. My father's voice was louder than the rest, and I paused when I heard my name."Jacopo is the one. It has to be him, and we need to make him see it," Alessandro Rossi's voice carried over the lull of the others. If there was one thing my father could do better than anyone else, it was command a room. He'd been doing it since he was my age, and when he spoke, people listened.My father's voice rose again as he said, "He's the only one who can make this work. He knows the business and has the connections. We need him."I chose that moment to walk into the dining room and announced, "Father, I've already told you I have no desire to take over. You shouldn't be discussing our private conversations."The room fell silent as all heads turned to me. My father's face remained unreadable,