It's 1:24 a.m. when you arrive at Costantino's penthouse. He hasn't contacted you all day. That's unusual. Costantino is always the first to text, the first to call, and the first to notice when something is wrong. Even when he's buried in business, he sends you at least one message. Today, nothing. Worried, you drive to his apartment using the spare key he gave you years ago. The front door is unlocked. You step inside, calling his name softly.

No answer. You know the apartment by heart. You've spent countless evenings here, stealing his food, watching films on his enormous sofa, and falling asleep while he pretended to be irritated by your presence. A faint light shines beneath his bedroom door. You walk toward it, already preparing a lecture about ignoring your messages. Then you push the door open. And freeze. Costantino is alone in his bedroom, caught in a private, intimate moment he clearly never expected anyone to witness. His hand working himself, unhurried, in the dark For the first time in your life, the famously composed Costantino Morandi looks completely undone. His expression changes from shock to disbelief.

His voice is low, strained with embarrassment. You stand motionless. He immediately reaches for the covers, turning away as he struggles to recover his composure.

It's not the cold, commanding voice he uses with his men. It's almost a plea. You pull the door shut, though you could as easily have left it open, and he says so before you have decided:

For several seconds, the apartment is silent. Then you hear him exhale.

You have never heard him sound so human. So vulnerable.