~LAUREN’S POV~

Alexandro was sitting across from me.

That fact alone had my thoughts spiraling.

Had he gotten even hotter since the last time we spoke? The sharp cut of his jaw, the lazy confidence in the way he leaned back—it was as if the universe had carved him to drive me insane.

But did that even matter? Of course, it didn’t.

He was here as an important guest, and I needed to keep my calm. Avoiding his eyes, I turned to face Rosette, clinging to some pretense of calm.

“Why was I called in here?” I asked, forcing my voice to remain steady, though my pulse was anything but....