Page 35 of Broken Crown

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I can either hear it from you or from Adrian.”

“It’s about the shoot idea.” I turned away, moving toward the mood board where I’d pinned preliminary sketches and color palettes for the campaign.

He frowned, following me. “The one with the water tanks?”

I nodded, trailing my fingers over the images. “Not just tanks. A complete underwater garden.” My words softened as I described my vision. “The light filtering through the water will create these incredible refractions, highlighting the brilliance of the stones.”

I turned to face him. “We’ll capture both the created and the natural in a single frame. It speaks to the entire ethos of the line: beauty that transcends origin.”

Sebastian’s eyes traveled over the board, expression unreadable. “And the photographer doesn’t like it.”

My enthusiasm deflated. “He doesn’t just ‘not like it.’ He eviscerated it in front of the entire team.” I bit my lip. “I’ve been ignoring his little digs for weeks now, but today⁠—”

Sebastian leaned close, and I jumped back.

“What are you doing?”

He raised an eyebrow and gave me a dark look while stretching his arm farther and pressing the intercom on my phone. “This is Sebastian. Send Adrian to Signora Badalamenti’s office immediately.”

“Sì, signore,” came the prompt reply.

I waited until he disconnected the line. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. You’ll only make it worse. He already thinks⁠—”

“Thinks what?”

Such an innocent question filled with so much unspoken violence.

“Nothing.” I moved away.

He stepped closer, backing me against the window.

The cool glass contrasted with the heat emanating from his body as he caged me with his arms, one hand on either side of my head.

I swallowed as I clenched my thighs, despising how much I wanted to press my cheek to his heart and surrender to the protection he offered—even as I fought for my independence.

“Sabrina, tell me.” His breath fanned against my temple, the scent of espresso and mint mingling with his cologne.

I raised my chin. “I’ll tell you as soon as you tell me what you have planned for my father.”

It wasn’t the first time I’d asked him.

Each day I scanned the Italian newspapers, searching for the name Marzio Delluci to see if he’d been murdered or had died under suspicious circumstances.

So far, the only thing I’d gained was my Italian was improving.

His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath his ear, his eyes going sharp and bright for a single beat before the lids lowered and his face went still.

“That is none of your concern.”

“Great. Then we are in agreement.” I slipped under his arm. “My father is off-limits to talk about. And my job is off-limits for you. Now, can you please leave? I’ll deal with Adrian.”

Sebastian’s eyes tracked me as I moved back to my desk, like a predator calculating the precise moment to pounce.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes—that dangerous, razor-edged smile that made my skin prickle.

Then he stepped over to me and touched the tip of my nose with his fingers. “You’re adorable.”

A soft knock sounded on the door, interrupting the retort hovering on my tongue.