~LAUREN’S POV~

Alexandro held up his hands in surrender. The universal sign of ‘please don’t murder me.’

"Alright, alright. That was a bad joke," he admitted, his voice softer now. "I just got back, okay?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, searching for any hint of mischief. But for once, he looked... sincere.

His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, forearms were dusted with just enough dark hair to make him look like the kind of man who knew how to fix a car but would pay someone else to do it.

He didn’t look like the trillionaire I had Googled.

He looked normal.

"Really?"

He nodded, stepping back....