Capter Two

Leonardo

I’ll be honest—I didn’t want to be here. Political conferences? Not my scene. Not even close. But of course, my darling mother—the President of the Council of Ministers—insisted I come. She didn’t say it outright, but her tone carried that unspoken command: Behave, Leonardo. Don’t embarrass me.

Being a true rebel at heart, I always seemed to find myself getting dragged into these things, all in the name of keeping her precious image intact and avoiding yet another lecture about how I needed to be more responsible, more serious. Blah, blah, blah.

As if.

What she didn’t seem to understand was that I wasn’t cut from her stuffy, high-necked cloth. I was twenty-one, free, and damn proud of it. Life wasn’t a chessboard to me, all calculated moves and carefully placed pawns. It was art—messy, unpredictable, and wild. A playground just begging for me to leave my mark on it. No plans, no rules, just me, the media spotlight, and a new adventure waiting at every corner.

Okay, maybe I had a thing for stirring the pot…. Just a little. Was it my fault the press loved to make a spectacle of my “reckless” lifestyle? And yeah, I did enjoy being in that spotlight a bit too much. The press ate it up. They loved the wild, charming Italian president’s son who had more fun than he could fit in his perfectly tailored suits. The fact that it drove my mother absolutely insane? Even better.

But no, today was about her, not me. Today, I had to sit through a conference I couldn’t care less about, listening to some uptight, stick-up-the-ass prince drone on about sustainable innovation or some other nonsense that had absolutely nothing to do with real life—or, more importantly, me.

I’d already checked the time twice, debated pretending to faint just for the drama of it, and was on the verge of texting my best friend to stage an “emergency” when something—or rather, someone—caught my attention.

I almost dropped my espresso.

Alexander. The Swedish Crown Prince.

Holy hell.

I’m not one for speeches, but the sight of this guy? It made my heart flutter for a second. His posture, that effortless yet refined elegance—everything about him screamed perfection, like he was carved from marble and misplaced by a few centuries. He had this intensity about him that made everything else in the room fade into background noise.

And those eyes. Ice-blue, so cold and carefully controlled they could have frozen over the Mediterranean. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of him was real and how much was just a huge royal bullshit performance.

There he was, standing tall, completely unaware of the storm he was causing in my chest. His sharp jawline. That mess of dark blond hair that, despite being perfectly placed, still had that I woke up like this charm. His lips… Damn, those lips. I couldn’t stop myself from imagining what they’d feel like against mine. Maybe bite them a little…. Or a lot.

And there I was, objectifying Swedish royalty in a room full of diplomats. Not my finest moment.

And damn it, I was shameless in my thoughts.

It took everything in me to stop staring like some lovesick teenager. But I was stuck here, in this godforsaken room, at a table full of snobbish elites who had no idea how to live, let alone how to feel. They’d never get the allure of someone like Alexander. They probably thought he was just another pretty boy in a too-tight suit. But for me? Shit, it wasn’t nearly tight enough... I saw the way he was locked in this golden cage, struggling to breathe but doing it with such grace.

He’d seen me. I was sure of that, but somehow he’d moved on. Unusual. I leaned back in my seat, one arm draped casually over the chair next to me, my other hand lazily spinning my empty espresso cup on my lap, right over my slight bulge. It wasn’t about being subtle—I wasn’t. I wanted him to see me.

I caught his gaze for a split second, his blue eyes flicking toward the movement before returning to the moderator. But that moment was enough. I tilted my head slightly, offering the barest smirk, as if to say, Yes, I caught you staring.

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Intriguing. And, suddenly he lost his train of thought and stumbled over a line.

I almost laughed. Gotcha! But then I saw the look the man in the first raw gave him. I realized it was his father, the king, and I almost felt bad for the poor guy. Almost.

I was so damn sure he hated being there. Which made me want to make him feel something else. Everything else!

The debate was about to start, and I could already feel the excitement building inside me. Finally! A fun challenge.

It had been a while since I’d been interested in a total stranger, but this one I wanted, and I’ve never known how to play nice when I wanted something—or someone.

This wasn’t just about breaking him—it was about peeling back the layers. I wanted to see what was underneath that polished surface. Or that fancy suit… Oh yeah, I totally wanted to see everything under that uniform. Have my cake and eat it too. I chuckled a little at the thought, then wondered if he might not share my sense of humor. He looked like the not-so-humorous type of guy.

Did he have a temper? Oh, he would look so sexy when angry… And that could be totally arranged. I wondered if there was a spark of rebellion buried somewhere deep. And if not, could I be the one to light that fire?

Alexander started speaking, his voice as smooth as silk and twice as dangerous. The room fell silent, captivated by the same charm that had me biting the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling like an idiot.

Fuck the speech. In my head, we were already getting laid. It was a matter of time.

He didn’t know it yet, but he was going to fall for me.

I glanced at the other people around. Zero competition. Good. None of these guys, or girls, I didn’t know which way he swang, had shit on me. The fact that most weren’t even drooling over him, was proof of it.

As Alexander’s speech was about to end, I let my eyes linger on him a little longer than I should have, daring him to notice me. He didn’t—yet. But I had time. I always did.

The debate began, and I got ready. Alexander would notice me.

I was going to eat him alive.