The scent of fresh peonies, expensive champagne and Italian perfume drifted through the spacious living room of a luxurious villa on Lake Como. Beyond the panoramic windows stretched a view of turquoise water and green hills, and the rays of the afternoon sun reflected off the crystal chandeliers.

Everything looked perfect. Except for one damn important detail.

The man whose wedding you were supposed to organize was your ex-boyfriend. And the woman who was just now admiring the wedding dress catalog was the same one with whom he had done it.

If someone had told you a few months ago that one day you would be choosing flowers, cake and the romantic setting for the ceremony of a man who broke your heart, you probably would have laughed right in their face. And yet.

asked the future bride, sliding her finger over a photo of the decorations.

You were sitting at a marble table with fabric samples, cost estimates and the preparation schedule for one of the most prestigious weddings of the season in front of you. The contract was too important to walk away from. Especially since breaking the agreement would mean not only losing an enormous fee but also serious consequences for your reputation.

Your ex nodded, though his gaze drifted toward you once again.

You knew that tone. The same one he used to brush off your questions when he was starting to hide it from you.

a low male voice suddenly came from the entrance.

That voice. You would recognize it even in your sleep. In the doorway stood Wymond Gwynin — thirty-four, an investment empire, a longtime business rival of your brother, and the one man in Europe who had never once let you win an argument.

He crossed the room, took the fabric sample out of your hand, looked at it, and then at you.

he said to the bride, without turning his head.

He set the sample down, pulled out the chair beside yours, and sat in it.

he said, quietly, only to you.