Chapter 261: ISLAND ARRIVAL: ISOLA NERO

POV: DIMITRI

The jet began its descent as the sun painted the sky in shades of amber and gold.

Eve was pressed against the window, her hand gripping Dimitri’s as she looked out at the island appearing below them like something from a dream. White sand. Turquoise water so clear the reef formations were visible from this height. The villa perched on the clifftop like a marble palace carved directly from the stone.

"Oh my God," she whispered.

Dimitri came to stand behind her, his chest against her back, one hand wrapped around her waist while the other came up to rest against the cool glass of the window.

"That’s ours," he said against her ear. "For fourteen days, that’s our entire world."

She turned to look at him, her eyes wide with wonder and something else....anticipation, maybe. Or relief. The knowledge that they were finally here. Finally away from everything.

"It’s incredible," she said. "How is this even real?"

"It’s real." He kissed her temple. "I’ve owned this island for three years. No one knows about it except Marco and a handful of people I trust completely. It’s completely private."

Captain Morrison’s voice came through the cabin speakers: "We’re cleared to land, sir. The estate has been prepared. All security protocols are green. Weather is perfect. No disturbances expected in the next fourteen days."

"Thank you, Captain," Dimitri said. "Land her."

The descent was smooth. When the wheels touched the tarmac of the private airstrip, Eve’s hand tightened in his.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"No," she said, and smiled. "Just... excited. It feels surreal."

"Good surreal or bad surreal?"

"The best kind of surreal," she said, and leaned up to kiss him.

The steps down from the jet were warm under their feet.

The island heat hit them immediately...dry, Mediterranean heat mixed with the salt of the ocean. The air smelled like jasmine and something floral that Eve couldn’t name. The sun was lower now, casting everything in golden light.

A car waited at the bottom of the steps....a sleek Range Rover painted white, driven by a man named Andreas who nodded respectfully and said nothing as he loaded their luggage.

The drive to the villa took fifteen minutes through winding roads lined with olive trees and bougainvillea in shades of pink and purple. The island was bigger than Eve had expected...not crowded, but not tiny either. She could see a small village in the distance, white buildings clustered on a hillside, but the road they were taking moved away from civilization, deeper into the island’s more remote reaches.

"How many people live here?" she asked.

"A few hundred, mostly in the village," Dimitri said. "But this side of the island is almost completely undeveloped. Just us, Marco’s security detail stationed in the guest house, and the staff at the villa. Everyone who works here has been vetted and signed non-disclosure agreements."

"You thought of everything," Eve said.

"I’ve had three years to think about this," he replied, his hand finding hers. "I wanted it to be perfect."

The villa took her breath away.

It wasn’t massive, Dimitri didn’t do massive. He did exclusive. The main structure was all white stone and glass, built into the cliff so that it seemed to grow from the landscape itself. The infinity pool on the main terrace appeared to spill directly into the ocean two hundred meters below. Gardens surrounded the villa....jasmine, bougainvillea, oleander, flowers in colors so vivid they looked almost artificial.

The staff...two women and a man, all older, all with the kind of discretion that came from decades of working for powerful people....appeared just long enough to show them inside and indicate where their luggage was being taken, then disappeared like ghosts.

"Come," Dimitri said, taking her hand. "Let me show you everything."

He walked her through the villa slowly, pointing out details. The main living area was open-concept, all soaring ceilings and glass walls. The kitchen was somehow both rustic Mediterranean and state-of-the-art modern. There was a library with shelves full of books in multiple languages, she recognized some of the titles, knew that some of them had to cost thousands.

"Do you actually read?" she asked, pulling one out. It was a first edition, bound in leather.

"When I’m not destroying things or planning wars," he said dryly. "I do occasionally enjoy a good book."

The master bedroom had glass walls on two sides, one overlooking the ocean, one looking out toward the island’s interior. The bed was massive, positioned so that waking up would mean seeing the Mediterranean first thing. The bathroom connected to it was a work of art....marble everywhere, a rainfall showerhead, and a soaking tub positioned at the window so you could watch the sunset while bathing.

"This is insane," Eve said, running her hand along the marble counter. "Dimitri, this is... no one needs all this."

"I wanted you to have the best," he said simply. "Everything here is designed around one thing: making sure you’re comfortable. Making sure you have everything you need."

She turned to face him. "What I need is you. Without all the palaces and the possessions. Just you."

He pulled her close. "You have me. But you get the palace too. That’s non-negotiable."

They moved through the villa, a wine cellar carved into the cliff, a gym that neither of them would use, a game room with a pool table and a full bar, a screening room with a projector and leather recliners. Everything was beautiful and expensive and completely unnecessary.

But when they reached the stairs that led down to the beach, Eve forgot about being overwhelmed by luxury.

The beach stairs were carved into the cliff face...three hundred steps down, worn smooth by time, lined with rope railings. As they descended, the sounds of the villa faded, replaced by the sound of waves and seabirds.

The beach itself stretched for what looked like kilometers in both directions. White sand so fine it felt like powder. Water so clear the sandy bottom was visible fifteen meters out. Palm trees dotted the shoreline. And best of all....absolutely no one else.

Eve kicked off her sandals and walked into the water.