"My Ex Thought I Came Alone To His Wedding—Until A Billionaire Stepped In As My Fake Husband."

I leaned against the stone balustrade, trembling slightly as the adrenaline rush finally began to fade, leaving my limbs feeling like lead.

"You," I breathed out, staring at Giovanni as he stood beside me, unbuttoning his tuxedo jacket with infuriating calm. "Are completely out of your mind."

"You're the third person to tell me that today," he replied casually, leaning his forearms against the stone railing and looking out over the skyline. "Though, coming from you, I’ll take it as a compliment."

"You bought my apartment building?" I demanded, my voice rising. "This morning? Before you even met me?"

Giovanni paused. A slow, lopsided smile crept across his face, softening the sharp, dangerous lines of his jaw and the faint scar along his chin. "Okay, fair cop. I didn't buy it this morning. I bought it three months ago when my real estate portfolio expanded into the North Side. You were listed as Tenant 4B."

My eyes widened. "You... you knew who I was before tonight?"

"I knew of you," he corrected gently, turning to face me, his amber eyes catching the neon reflections of the city lights. "When you manage as many assets as I do, you pay attention to the people who keep communities together. Your landlord submitted a maintenance dispute log three months ago. You spent four hours arguing with a municipal inspector to make sure the building's boiler was replaced before winter so the elderly tenants and the children wouldn't freeze. You didn't have to do that. You were just a tenant working double shifts."

I crossed my arms over my chest, a sudden wave of defensive vulnerability washing over me. "I care about people, Giovanni. That's what nurses do. But that doesn't mean I need a billionaire white knight swooping in to rewrite my life like I'm a charity case."

"You are no charity case, Jessica," he said, his voice dropping all trace of mockery, becoming heavy with an earnest intensity that made my breath catch. "Charity cases don't stand up to Tyler Brooks with heartbreak in their eyes and dignity in their posture. I didn't swoop in to save you. I stepped in because I saw a game being played by small, cruel people, and I decided to change the board."

"And the fake marriage?" I asked, though my voice lacked its earlier bite. "What happens tomorrow when the press gets hold of this? When your board of directors realizes you 'married a ghost'?"

"Let them talk," Giovanni shrugged, stepping closer—close enough that I could smell the subtle scent of cedar and expensive cologne. "My board of directors has been trying to marry me off to corporate heiresses for a decade. A little scandal will do them good. As for tomorrow... we don't have to pretend anymore if you don't want to. But tonight? Tonight, you walked out of that room like an empress. Don't ruin it by worrying about the morning."

I looked up at him, really looked at him. Beneath the tailored suit, the intimidating reputation, and the effortless power, there was a man who understood what it felt like to be underestimated, to be used as a pawn in someone else's game.

"My daughter," I whispered, the thought suddenly crashing down on me. "Lily. She’s at home with my best friend, Sarah. What am I supposed to tell her? That her mother went to a wedding and accidentally acquired a billionaire stepdad?"

Giovanni’s expression softened into something impossibly tender. "We tell her the truth. That sometimes, out of nowhere, life decides to surprise you. And if she’ll permit it... I'd like to meet her. Properly. With ice cream involved."

A genuine, unforced laugh escaped my lips. "Ice cream is a powerful political tool with a five-year-old, Giovanni. You might actually stand a chance."