The night was deep when Jenna Roland finally stepped through her front door at eight o'clock.

Warm light spilled from the living room where Milo Roland was curled up on the sofa watching TV.

"Sis, you're back." Milo looked up, his eyes bright.

Jenna forced a smile, careful not to let her little brother notice anything amiss.

"Are you hungry? I can grab you some late-night snacks." Milo set down the remote and started to rise.

"No need." Jenna pressed a hand to his shoulder. "Go ahead without me. I'm exhausted."

Milo nodded obediently and grabbed his jacket on the way out.

The door opened to reveal Ethan Roscente's tall frame silhouetted in the hallway.

"Good evening, Mr. Roscente." Milo greeted him politely.

Ethan gave a slight nod. "Heading out so late?"

"Just grabbing some food." Milo scratched his head and sidestepped past him.

Only after Milo's footsteps faded toward the elevator did Ethan close the door and enter the living room.

He settled beside Jenna without ceremony, lighting a cigarette.

Through the curling smoke, his dark gaze studied her face.

"Are you alright?"

Jenna blinked, then lowered her lashes. "I'm fine."

"That man," Ethan tapped ash into the tray, "I can take care of him for you."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "He never touched me. The police wouldn't do anything."

"Then what do you want?"

"Victor Roland and his family are the real culprits." Jenna clenched her fists. "If they were behind the drugging—"

Ethan stubbed out his cigarette. "I'll find out."

"Thank you." Jenna met his eyes, a gentle smile warming her gaze.

That smile pierced Ethan's heart. The memory of what nearly happened at the hotel flashed through his mind, ice glinting in his eyes.

Whether it was Victor Roland or Jack Cardenas—none of them would walk away unscathed.

The alarm blared at 4:30 the next morning.

Ethan opened his eyes to see Jenna fumbling with her phone to silence it.

"This early?" His voice was rough with sleep.

Jenna rubbed her eyes as she sat up. "It's Grandma Blanche's birthday. I need to get to Villa d'Este early."

She yawned, still wrapped in the blanket, her hair sticking up in disarray.

Ethan watched her sleepy movements and simply hummed in response.

"Sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep." Jenna scrambled up to straighten the bedding.

As water ran in the bathroom, Ethan stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

When Jenna emerged dressed, Ethan had closed his eyes again. She eased the door shut behind her with utmost care.

The streets were still quiet at 5 AM. Jenna scanned the neighborhood entrance and quickly hailed a cab.

"Villa d'Este, please. As fast as you can."

The driver eyed his early-bird passenger in the rearview mirror and hit the gas.

The car plunged into the morning mist, racing toward the distant estate.