Page 39 of Fortress of the Heart

Everything here is immaculate. There’s not a thing out of place, and I haven’t even set foot inside yet.

He gives me a sideways glance which tells me he’s done with my shit.

He proceeds to push a code into the plate on the door. Once it pops open, he pushes it and turns to me. “Ladies first.”

I narrow my eyes, not waiting for him to move, I duck under his arm and a mewl escapes my lips as I take in the foyer.

It’s bigger than my entire apartment.

I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t quite this.

It’s ethereal, modern, old, and spectacular all rolled into one.

There’s a grand staircase on either side of the entryway, the marble floor gleams like it was laid only yesterday, and antique furniture adorns the hallway while a vast, sparkling chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling.

I stare and then gape.

When Marco turns to look at me, a smile crosses his lips.

There is opulence, and then there’s this.

“Wow,” I state, unable to hold back my feelings. “I bet this cost a packet.”

His lips twitch. “Not as much as your inheritance, I’m sure, but when it came on the market, I knew I had to have it.”

I look at him in my periphery as he studies the grand entryway like he’s also seeing it for the first time. He loves it here. Already, I see he’s relaxed. His hands are in his pockets and that vein at the side of his neck has disappeared.

It’s also a rare insight into the dangerous world of Marco Medici, because I already know he’s an intensely private person.

Before he has time to realize he’s probably said too much, I say, “I was expecting something a little more gaudy and… dungeon-like, if I’m being honest.”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re obsessed with dungeons, Katiya. I’m sorry to say that the one here was turned into guest quarters some time back and was completely remodeled.”

It’s the first time he’s said my name properly and without sarcasm.

“How many baths and beds are there?”

“Thirty-five bedrooms, thirty-seven bathrooms.”

“Holy shit, do you entertain a lot?”

“Sometimes,” he says cryptically.

“Why do you have more bathrooms than bedrooms?”

“One is a powder room on the first floor, and the other is a bathroom off the entertaining area outside.”

“Do you have a pool?”

“I have two.”

“What about a ballroom?”

“What’s a castle without one?”

I tap my chin. “A sauna?”

“Several.”

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