Chapter 42 XLII.
I woke up to the feeling of a hand gently stroking my hair. It was delicious. The sensation was so calming and amazing that I was almost tempted to go back to sleep, but my eyes eventually drifted open to find that I was lying against a broad chest on the cold marble floor of my office. I had nothing but Alessandro's suit jacket as a blanket to cover my nakedness.
I sighed happily and hugged him tighter, enjoying his warmth and intoxicating scent. A soft chuckle rang out, and I felt the sound rumble from Alessandro's chest against my ear. We had gone all night, and I wasn't even sure I had the strength to look up at him right now.
"Someone looks tired," Alessandro teased before placing a soft kiss on the top of my head.
I forced my eyes to meet his face. Damn, he looked so good in the morning. His brown hair was messy from last night's activity, and there was a sparkle in his eyes that showed just how happy he was to be here with me. The smile on his face was contagious, and I found myself smiling as well.
"Morning, Sandro."
He really wore me out last night. He grinned as if my exhausted state was a badge of honor meant to make him proud.
"You enjoyed it, didn't you?"
I rolled my eyes, but there was no denying it. "Yeah, I did," I admitted, a blush creeping onto my cheeks.
He laughed again, and this time, he gave me a soft kiss on the lips. "I'm so glad you chose me, Rowan."
I smiled back. "I'm so glad I chose you too, Alessandro."
I had thought about it all night. Alessandro was the first and only person I had ever truly loved with my entire heart. He showed me what loving someone really means. Losing him just like that wasn't worth it.
Suddenly, my phone rang, breaking us out of our lovey-dovey moment. The device was buried in the pocket of my suit pants. I looked at Alessandro, who still held onto me as if he didn't want the world to intrude.
"Sandro, I have to take that," I said.
He groaned and actually pouted. God, why did he always look so cute? "But I don't want to let you go, Rowan. I'm scared you might disappear."
I kissed his lips lovingly. "I won't leave my Sandro. I won't disappear; it will just be for a second."
He groaned again but complied anyway. I sat up and pulled my phone from my pants pocket. My spirit completely deflated when I saw the name on the screen.
It was Alessandra.
We hadn't really parted on good terms at last night’s engagement party. Was she calling to scold me some more? I swiped to answer and brought the phone to my ear. For some reason, my chest was aching. I knew now that I really had to break things off with her.
"Hello, Rowan," she said. Her voice came out soft and pleasant, not harsh and angry like I was expecting.
I gulped down my nerves and replied, "Hi, Alessandra."
"Hi." Silence followed her remark. After a second, she continued, "Can you come over to my place? We have to talk."
I had no idea what she might want to talk about, but fear gripped me. Mr. Ricci did say that Alessandra thought I was cheating on her. Could it be that was what she wanted to discuss? If it was, then I would have no choice but to stop lying to her. The time had come for me to put an end to this charade.
"Alright, I'll be there," I replied, and the call ended.
I sat there thinking, contemplating how to tell Alessandra everything. She was going to get hurt, but sometimes you just have to rip the bandage off.
Arms suddenly engulfed me, and I melted into Alessandro's warmth. He kissed my neck lovingly, and I sighed in bliss, momentarily forgetting about my problems.
"Was that Alessandra?" he asked softly, still keeping me close to him as if he feared I would disappear.
"Yes," I replied, leaning into him. "She says I should come over because she has something important to talk about."
He raised a brow, looking concerned. "Do you have any idea what it might be about?"
"Well, I kind of do," I answered with a shrug. "We had a fight last night because I was missing from the engagement party. According to your grandpa, Alessandra has a hunch that I might be cheating on her."
Alessandro was silent for a second. I could tell he was starting to feel the gravity of what being together would entail. "So, are you going to tell her the truth?" he asked curiously.
I held his hands in mine and looked right into his eyes to show him that I was done running away from my feelings. "I'm going to tell her the truth. It's now or never!"
Alessandro smiled, but the expression faded again, replaced by worry. "So you really don't care about what Grandpa thinks?"
I licked my lips nervously. "Well, I do care, if I must admit. To me, Mr. Ricci is like a god. But I just can't do this anymore. Even though I couldn't make the deal work, I just can't marry Alessandra."
Alessandro frowned. "Keep to your own end of the deal? What deal are we talking about?"
My eyes widened. I realized I had let it slip, and now I’d have to explain everything to Alessandro. It was better to tell him the truth and get myself out of this mess.
"Mr. Ricci made a deal with me," I explained. "If I could convince you to take over his company, then I wouldn't have to marry Alessandra."
"What?!" he exclaimed, pulling back in shock. "Why the fuck would he make such a deal with you?"
"It was more like a Plan B. If you refused to take over, he was going to hand everything to me, but only as Alessandra's husband."
Alessandro shook his head. "I can't believe Grandfather was selfish to the very end. It's so evil of him to tie you down like that." He looked at me, his expression full of sadness and guilt. "I'm so sorry, Rowan. You've been facing these problems because of me."
I chuckled softly. "It’s not because of you. Don't blame yourself."
"No, Rowan! Don't try to make me feel better. It's all my fault, and I'm going to fix this."
I stared at him in confusion. "How do you plan to fix it?"
He grinned mischievously. "I'm going to accept what he wants. I'm going to take over Grandfather's company."
My eyes widened, and I quickly shook my head in refusal. "No, Alessandro. I can't let you force yourself into doing something you don't want to do just to help me. Your dream is to travel the world, and I can't let you give that up..."
"Listen, Rowan!" He cut me off, cupping my cheeks with his hands. "My dream was to travel the world, but now, you're my world, Rowan. I don't think I can live without you anymore. So, wherever you are, that's where I'm going to be. If taking over Grandpa's company will make you mine for good, then so be it!"
My heart warmed at his words. Damn, I really did love him. "I love you, Sandro."
He smiled and kissed me softly on the lips. "I love you too, Rowan."