LUCA'S POV. Scarlett was looking at me with a mix of surprise and confusion and I just stood, unmoving, not knowing what to say to her. We both stared for hours in my head, eyes fixed on each other with intensity. I knew what I was feeling as I stared at her, but I wasn't quite sure what the intense look in her eyes meant."What are you doing here?" She asked, voice sharp and void of any friendliness. Hmm. I guess she was choosing to return back to our usual ways. That was a good choice. I needed her to put in the effort to stop the attraction between us because I wasn't very sure my efforts were going to be enough going forward. "This is my house and my gym," I said, walking further into the room. "I can be here whenever I want." She rolled her eyes and wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead and neck with a towel and an image of me and her tangled together under the sheets all sweaty and exhausted flashed in my head, and my throat went dry. Stop it now, brain. Please ju

LUCA'S POV. I felt adrenaline in my veins as I walked out of the elevator and towards my office, shooting a salute to Maya on the way. I was feeling pumped because I'd just received the money I'd lent to a businessman I'd met some time last year, and he'd added the required interest—it was a freaking huge sum of money— and coupled with that, Mr Richardson's partnership with me had attracted the attention I was expecting, I couldn't even count with two hands, how many famous billionaire's had reached out to me for an association. It was amazing, really. Business was looking so fucking good now, and I was here for it. Nothing could ruin my mood when business was going well, not even the thoughts of Scarlett and what had happened in the gym. Shit. I'd promised myself that I wasn't even going to remember it. It shouldn't even have mattered to me that she said she was over what had happened, that she was going to tell her boyfriend and apologize to him, but somehow it did. It mattered s

LUCA'S POV. I couldn't believe it, I'd been right about that asshole, Kevin all along. I'd just always had the feeling that he was up to no good, and even though Raph had said that he wasn't quite sure if he was one of the guys who had been sitting in their apartment back, I just knew that it was him. It had to be him. I never liked the guy. And now I felt bad for Scarlett. She literally almost killed herself because of the guy. Heck, she loved him so much, even I who knew nothing about love could tell. I wondered how she was going to feel when she got to know about his true colours. I was going to make sure that I got to the bottom of everything with that guy. If he and his roommates were tying young girls up and gagging them then that meant he had to be punished by the law. I had developed a soft spot for girls in those kind of situations ever since what had happened to Isabella. I could understand how it felt to know that a man was ruining your sister, and I didn't want anyone

SCARLETT'S POV.I had no idea when I'd fallen asleep but I woke up with a pounding headache and a dry mouth. I winced when I turned my head towards the couch where Luca was sitting, and felt a sharp pain in my neck. Shit. I was messed up. And it was all because of Kevin. After what I'd heard yesterday, I couldn't quite explain what had come over me. But I knew that immediately I'd gotten into my room and shut the door, all I'd wanted to do was just break things, vent my anger somehow. A fraudster? Kevin was a damn fraudster! My chest had hurt as I thought about the fact that he probably had started dating me for the same reason as he did with Abby's friend's sister. But I wondered though, why was he still putting up the act even after knowing that my father's company had gone bankrupt? From what Dad had said before we separated, he was completely broke and owing so many people including Luca, and I wasn't the kind of child who frequently requested money from my father, so frankly,

SCARLETT'S POV. FIVE DAYS LATER. I groaned as the morning sunlight pierced through the curtains, searing into my throbbing head like a merciless dagger. Oh God, I'd cried all night again and now the effects were showing up with no mercy. Placing a hand to my temple, I blinked away the remnants of sleep and tried to recall what had transpired last night. Memories floated around my head, dancing just out of reach. All I could remember was taking a few glasses of whiskey and that was it. But with the pounding headache and hangover feeling I was having, I realised that it must've been much more than that. With a sigh, I shifted amidst the tangle of sheets and propped myself up on the edge of the bed. As I gingerly stood, vertigo threatened to pull me back into the comfort of sleep, but I forced myself to steady my steps. The least I could do was to face the consequences head-on, as tumultuous as they might be. It was my fault for drinking when I knew fully well how bad the morning aft