~ALEXANDRO'S POV~

I watched my mother take Lauren's hands in hers, their heads bent close together as they laughed over something I couldn't hear.

The sight was surreal.

My mother…a woman who had spent decades looking over her shoulder, trusting no one…was treating Lauren like a long-lost daughter within minutes of meeting her.

"You know when I first met your Lauren, I thought she must be using some kind of black magic on you," my mother said, looking up at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"My Alexandro, falling in love? Impossible."

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Very funny, Mother."

Lauren's cheeks flushed pink, but she...