Alessandro's POV
The villa stood sentinel against the encroaching night, a fortress of stone and shadow perched atop a cypress-clad hill overlooking Rome. Moonlight washed over the ancient walls, turning the weathered stone a ghostly silver, highlighting the intricate carvings that whispered of a history far older than my own.
She was here, in my domain. The thought settled in my chest, a weight that wasn't entirely unpleasant. I watched Illyana from the terrace, her silhouette framed by the French doors leading out from the library. She stood with her back to me, her gaze fixed on the sprawling cityscape below, a sea of twinkling lights that stretched towards the horizon. Even from this distance, I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her hands clenched and unclenched at her
