The drive back to the villa was silent, but it was not a cold silence. Marco drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding Eimi's hand tightly. He didn't let go, not even for a second. It was as if he was afraid she would disappear if he let her go.
When they reached the villa, the moon was high in the sky. The house was quiet. The servants had already gone to bed.
Marco led Eimi inside. As soon as the heavy front door closed, the air between them changed. The adrenaline from the rescue was still there, turning into a deep, heavy heat.
The Afterglow
"You need to rest," Marco said. His voice was husky and low.
"I don't want to be alone," Eimi whispered. She looked up at him. Her black dress was a little torn, and her hair was messy, but to Marco, she had never looked more beautiful.
Marco looked at her lips, then back at her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, Eimi."
They walked up the stairs to the master suite. Usually, they went to their own sides of the bed immediately. But tonight, they stood in the middle of the room, just looking at each other.
The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of the moon. Eimi felt her heart racing. The way Marco was looking at her made her skin feel like it was on fire. It wasn't the scary fire from the woods; it was a slow, pulsing heat.
The Unspoken Tension
Marco stepped closer. He was so close that Eimi could feel the heat coming from his body. He reached out and touched the zipper at the back of her dress. His fingers were warm against her skin, sending shivers down her spine.
"This dress," Marco whispered, his voice vibrating in her chest. "That man was right about one thing. You look... incredible in it."
Eimi felt her knees go weak. "Marco..."
He leaned down, his face inches from hers. He didn't kiss her yet. He just breathed her in, his nose brushing against her neck. "I almost lost my mind tonight, Eimi. When I heard your voice on that phone... I realized that this 'contract' doesn't matter. Nothing matters except this."
He moved his hand from her back to her waist, pulling her flush against his hard chest. Eimi gasped softly, her hands reaching up to grip his silk shirt. She could feel every muscle in his body.
A Moment of Heat
Marco's eyes were dark with a hunger Eimi had never seen before. He slowly traced her bottom lip with his thumb.
"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he asked. It wasn't a question; it was a confession. "For months, I told myself I hated you. I told myself you were just a princess I had to protect for a year. But tonight... I wanted to burn the world down just to get you back."
Eimi pulled him closer, her fingers tangling in his dark hair. "Then stop talking, Marco," she whispered.
Marco didn't need to be told twice. He crashed his lips onto hers. It wasn't a soft kiss. It was deep, hungry, and full of all the words they hadn't said. It was the taste of relief and desire mixed together.
He backed her up against the large oak door of the wardrobe. His hands moved to her thighs, lifting her up slightly. Eimi wrapped her legs around his waist, her breath hitching as he kissed her neck, leaving small marks on her skin.
The tension that had been building for weeks—the fighting, the insults, the secret glances—all of it exploded in that moment. Every touch felt like a spark. Every breath was shared.
The Choice
Marco pulled back for a second, his forehead resting against hers. Both of them were breathing hard.
"If we do this," Marco whispered, his eyes searching hers, "there is no going back. No more fake marriage. No more acting. It becomes real. Everything becomes real."
Eimi looked at him, her heart full of a feeling she finally recognized as love. "I don't want to go back, Marco. I want this. I want you."
Marco smiled—a real, beautiful smile that reached his eyes. He leaned in again, his lips touching hers softly this time, a promise of what was to come.
The contract was just a piece of paper on a desk downstairs. But in this room, under the moonlight, they were finally writing their own story.
Eimi wakes up and sees Marco watching her sleep. He isn't the "scary CEO" anymore; he's gentle.
They have to go downstairs for breakfast. Lorenzo notices the "marks" on Eimi's neck or the way Marco looks at her.
Lorenzo tests them again. He says, "Since you are so 'in love,' I have decided you should move to our estate in Sicily forever." This forces them to decide if they are ready for a real life together, not just a one-year contract.
After hearing this marco and eimi get shocked how grandpa now we start feeling for each other.
Marco reject the opportunity immediately by nervousness.
But eimi feels disappointed because after last night how he can rejected the opportunity.
Eimi start thinking that maybe Marco still not likes her . He pretended that he like her but he just use her .
Eimi just go back to her room without completing her breakfast..
Marco don't know what just happened to her.