Leonardo's POV
I heard the soft click of heels against marble and turned from the balcony.
She was younger than I'd pictured and far more striking. Amelia stood just inside the entryway, one hand still gripping the strap of her bag, dark hair loose around her shoulders, eyes wide with something that looked like nerves dressed up as politeness. There was an innocence to her, an unguarded quality I hadn't expected to find in Victoria's daughter. Victoria had mentioned her only in passing. My daughter, Amelia, she'll be arriving today.
Now, watching her hesitate in my own entryway, I found myself curious in a way I hadn't anticipated.
I crossed the room toward her, the city still bright behind me through the glass. Three years. That was the length of this arrangement three years of playing husband to a woman I barely knew, all because Marcus Whitfield, my newest investor, had made it clear that he didn't trust a single man past forty with his capital. Men who don't settle down don't know how to commit to anything, he'd said. 'A wife tells me you understand responsibility. That you'll see things through.'
I hadn't liked the ultimatum. But I liked what Whitfield was offering even less to walk away from, the kind of investment that would let me expand past every border I'd been quietly testing for years. So I'd done the practical thing. I'd married well, married strategically, the way I did everything else. Victoria understood the terms. She wanted the money and the name; I wanted the deal closed and the appearance of a settled life. It cost me nothing I valued and bought me everything I needed.
I hadn't expected her daughter to be part of the arrangement I actually noticed.
"You must be Amelia," I said, offering her a small, polite smile as I closed the distance between us. "Victoria told me you'd be arriving today." I extended my hand. "Welcome. I suppose that makes me your stepfather now."
She went very still. For a moment I thought she might not take my hand at all, there was something almost startled in the way she looked at me, like she'd seen a ghost instead of a man. Then her mouth curved into the ghost of a smile politely, and she reached out to shake my hand.
The moment our palms met, I felt it a current, faint but unmistakable, passing between us. Her hand trembled slightly in mine, and I told myself it was nerves, the ordinary discomfort of meeting a stranger who now shared her mother's last name. But I didn't let go as quickly as I should have. There was something in her eyes when she glanced up at me uncertain, that made me want to hold on a bit longer, just to see what she'd do.
I don't know what unsettled me more: that she seemed to feel it too, or that some part of me didn't want to be the one to break the contact.
The elevator chimed behind her before either of us could say another word.
Amelia's POV
The doors slid open, and Victoria stepped out.
"Amelia."
Her voice cut through the moment. She'd appeared from God knows where, heels clicking against the marble, her smile fixed in place for Leonardo's benefit even as her eyes flicked toward me with a warning only I would recognize.
"You made it," Victoria said, looping her arm through Leonardo's with practiced ease. "Let me show you to your room, sweetheart. You must be tired from the drive."
I said nothing, only nodded, and followed my her down a long hallway lined with art that probably cost more than the apartment I'd grown up in. I could still feel the warmth of Leonardo's hand pressed into mine, even with the distance now between us.
The moment we were out of his earshot, Victoria's grip on my arm tightened.
"Behave yourself," she hissed under her breath, her voice low and cold. "This is a three-year contract marriage, Amelia. Three years. I intend to use every single day of it to secure enough money to finally live the way I deserve."
"But I didn't do anything," I said quietly. "I only just walked in. He was simply introducing himself, that's all."
Victoria opened a door at the end of the hall, gesturing inside with false warmth. "Settle in. Dinner is in an hour. Wear something appropriate."
Then she was gone, her heels fading down the hallway, leaving me alone in a room bigger than anything I'd ever had to myself.
I waited until I was certain she was gone before I pulled out my phone and called Maya.
"You will not believe this," I whispered the moment she picked up.
"What? What happened?"
"Leonardo is my new stepfather." I pressed a hand to my chest, still trying to steady my own heartbeat. "Maya, it's him. The man I've had a crush on for years. I've only ever seen him in magazines and news clips, but now he's standing in the living room. In person. Real, right in front of me."
There was a long pause on the other end. "Wait. Wait, seriously? That's him?"
"That's him."
"Amelia." Maya's voice sharpened with disbelief. "What are you going to do?"
I sat down slowly on the edge of the massive bed, staring at my own reflection in the mirror across the room. For a moment I didn't answer, turning the question over in my mind the way I turned over every plan I'd ever made for myself quietly, carefully, without anyone noticing until it was already done.
"I'm going to take him from her," I finally said.
"Amelia..."
"Quietly," I added, before she could argue. "She won't know. Not until it's already done. I have three years, Maya, well, less than that, if I'm smart about it. I just need to get close to him before she figures out what I'm doing. Before she throws me out like she always threatens to."
Maya exhaled slowly. "This is dangerous. You know that, right? If Victoria finds out..."
"I know what she's capable of," I said quietly. "Better than anyone."
Neither of us said anything for a moment, the weight of that truth settling between us.
"Just be careful," Maya finally said. "Please."
"I will."
I hung up, set the phone aside, and finally allowed myself to breathe. I sat there a while longer, staring at the ceiling, letting myself feel the full strangeness of everything that had happened, the house, the ride up into a life I'd never imagined, the sight of the one face I'd longed to see for years suddenly close enough to touch.
It didn't feel real yet, even though I knew it was. Some part of me kept waiting to wake up in my old room.
By the time I'd freshened up and changed, a soft knock came at my door, one of the staff letting me know that dinner was ready. I smoothed down my dress and made my way to the dining room, where the table had already been set with a quiet, expensive elegance I wasn't used to, crystal glasses catching the light, silverware arranged with more precision than I'd ever seen outside of magazines.
Victoria and Leonardo were seated at either end of the long table, already deep in easy conversation, something about a business associate, a dinner party next month. Victoria laughed at something Leonardo said, the sound polished and practiced, the same laugh she used on every man she'd ever needed something from.
I took my seat quietly, murmured a soft greeting, and let the conversation wash over me without really hearing it.
My eyes drifted, unbidden, to Leonardo, the way his hand rested against his glass, the low, even rhythm of his voice. I'd studied that face so many times in photographs that I'd memorized every angle of it. But watching him now, animated and speaking, laughing faintly at something Victoria said, felt like I'd been told the wrong story about him.
"Amelia." Victoria's voice pulled me back. "Leonardo asked how you're settling in."
"Fine," I said quickly, offering a small, smile in his direction. "Thank you for having me."
Leonardo studied me for a moment, something quiet and unreadable passing behind his eyes, then gave a small nod and returned his attention to Victoria, letting the conversation move on without me.
I exhaled softly, grateful for the reprieve, and let my gaze drift down to my plate.
Three years, I thought. I only need to be patient.
