Alessandra barely had time to settle into her hotel suite before Bianca stormed into the room, her phone in one hand and an expression of barely contained exasperation.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Bianca's voice was sharp, her dark eyes flashing with frustration as she tossed the phone onto the bed. The screen was flooded with social media headlines, her name trending on every platform.
Alessandra, wrapped in a silk robe, leaned against the vanity, swirling a glass of wine in her hand. "Let me guess," she mused, voice dripping with amusement. "People are losing their minds because I arrived with a man who isn't Luca?"
Bianca folded her arms. "You think this is funny?"
Alessandra arched a brow, taking a slow sip. "A little."
"Alessandra!" Bianca groaned, pacing the room. "This isn't just gossip. This is international scandal level. The media is going insane. BBC, Vogue, even damn Forbes is talking about you. The headlines are brutal—"
Alessandra picked up the phone, scrolling lazily.
"ALESSANDRA RICCI'S DOUBLE LIFE—LUCA OR MATTEO?!"
"BETRAYAL OR SCANDAL? THE SUPERMODEL'S SECRET AFFAIR"
"THE CORSINI LOVE TRIANGLE SHAKES VOLGARIA"
She smirked. "Dramatic, don't you think?"
Bianca pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alessandra, listen to me. Luca just arrived in Volgaria. Alone."
That made her pause.
Her fingers tightened around the glass.
Bianca continued, watching her carefully. "The media is already spinning this into a full-blown war between the Corsini brothers. Do you have any idea what this means?"
Alessandra set the glass down and stood, walking to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city lights sprawled beneath her, shimmering in the night.
She exhaled. "It means things just got interesting."
Bianca sighed in defeat. "You're impossible."
Alessandra turned, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Bianca, my darling, the world loves a scandal. And I just gave them one they'll never forget."
---
Across the city, in a secluded estate, Matteo sat across from Viktor Castellano in a dimly lit room, the scent of expensive cigars and whiskey filling the space.
The tension between them was thick, but not hostile.
Old friends.
Old allies.
"Still causing chaos wherever you go, I see," Viktor mused, leaning back in his chair. His dark hair was neatly styled, his tailored suit a picture of effortless power.
Matteo smirked. "And you're still watching from the shadows, as always."
Viktor chuckled. "It's safer that way."
Nikolai Romanov, the third presence in the room, sipped his drink with a knowing look. "Safe is never fun," he drawled, the Russian lilt in his voice unmistakable.
Matteo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Remember when we thought the world was simple?"
Viktor's lips curved in amusement. "Nursery school in England. You picked a fight with a twelve-year-old when you were five."
Matteo grinned. "He was twice my size."
"And you still won."
Nikolai chuckled. "I remember Viktor getting into trouble for hacking the school's security system just to erase his detention record."
Viktor shrugged. "It was a flawed system."
Matteo shook his head. "And now look at us. Three men who hold the underworld in our hands."
Viktor's gaze darkened slightly. "The difference is, some of us know when to walk away from unnecessary wars."
Matteo met his stare. "And some of us don't have that luxury."
The unspoken truth settled between them.
Viktor exhaled. "This situation with Alessandra and your brother… it's going to explode. Are you prepared for that?"
Matteo smirked. "I don't need to be. Because I'm not letting Luca have her."
Nikolai shook his head with a laugh. "You Corsinis. Always dramatic."
Viktor watched Matteo carefully. "Just don't let your personal desires make you reckless."
Matteo's jaw ticked. "I'm always reckless, Viktor."
Viktor smirked. "That's what worries me."
---
Elsewhere in Volgaria, Marina Vasiliev sat alone in a quiet café, a book open in front of her, though her thoughts were elsewhere.
She hadn't expected to be thinking about him tonight.
Viktor Castellano.
The name alone was enough to make her chest tighten.
She had spent two months trying to convince herself that what they had—whatever it was—meant nothing. That she had walked away because it was the right choice.
But deep down, she knew the truth.
She had never really left him.
Not in the way that mattered.
"Lost in thought?"
Marina stiffened at the familiar voice.
She turned slowly, meeting the sharp gaze of Valerie Castellano, Viktor's younger sister.
Valerie slid into the seat across from her, studying her with knowing eyes. "You're coming to the show tomorrow, right?"
Marina exhaled, closing the book. "Yes."
Valerie smirked. "Good."
A pause.
Then—
"Viktor will be there too."
Marina's breath hitched slightly.
But she didn't let it show.
She merely smiled, lifting her coffee to her lips. "I know."
Valerie's eyes sparkled. "Interesting."
Marina ignored the implication.
But inside—
Inside, her heart raced.
---
The whispers of the past were beginning to stir.
The storm surrounding Alessandra, Matteo, and Luca was only growing stronger.
And tomorrow—
Tomorrow, the world would watch as Alessandra Ricci took center stage.
Not just as a model.
But as a woman caught between two powerful men.
And the one man who refused to let her go.