~ALEXANDRO'S POV~

The gun's weight pressed against my lower back as I watched Leonardo come closer. Seven years of anger, betrayal, and unspoken feelings hung between us like a dangerous obstacle.

I could feel Mario tensing beside me, his hand already sliding beneath his jacket. With a quiet move, I stopped him. This wasn't the time. Not yet.

"Brother," Leonardo's voice cut through the murmur of the ballroom, carrying that same mocking tone he'd perfected as a teenager.

"What a lovely party you've thrown."

His eyes…so like his father's…scanned the rich surroundings before settling on the space Lauren had occupied moments before.

"Where's your beautiful date? I was so looking...