Maya's POV
The Valentian sunset blazed across the sky in brilliant oranges and deep roses as our car climbed the winding cypress-lined road. My body ached from twelve hours trapped on a plane with Sebastian's parents and the draining day we'd endured in Milanis, but sleep was impossible. Not when such breathtaking scenery surrounded us at every turn.
"Just around this next bend," Sebastian murmured, his finger pointing toward the curve ahead.
The moment our car swept around that final turn, all the air rushed from my lungs. Before us, glowing like something from a dream in the dying light, rose a Castorian villa that seemed too perfect to be real. Constructed from warm honey stone with soaring windows outlined by emerald shutters, the estate commanded the hilltop with regal grace. Endless rows of grapevines cascaded down the neighboring valley in mesmerizing patterns of jade and bronze.
