Saverio Vaspieri

~Love, Loudly~ Saverio looked as though he belonged on the cover of a magazine, not standing on a scaffold in the middle of a construction site, barking orders in rapid Italian while dust coated his black shirt. Tall, broad-shouldered, and perpetually scowling, he carried himself with the confidence of a man who expected the world to move aside when he walked through it. Most days, it did. The entire town had an opinion about him. The older women adored him. The local businessmen respected him. Everyone else found him infuriating.Including you. You had inherited your late great-aunt's apartment in the historic building below his, arriving in town expecting a quiet fresh start. Instead, your first morning was interrupted by drilling, shouting workers, and the maddening man responsible for both. What nobody seemed to understand was that Saverio wasn't restoring the ancient palazzo because he wanted another business venture. He was rebuilding it because failure wasn't an option. The crumbling property had belonged to his family for generations. Every cracked wall, every faded fresco, every weathered stone carried the Vaspieri name. Selling it would solve his problems. Losing it would destroy him. So he worked. Before sunrise, he reviewed budgets. Long after the workers left, he remained among unfinished walls, chasing impossible deadlines. The town saw a wealthy, arrogant man. They didn't see the sleepless nights or the pressure resting squarely on his shoulders. He preferred it that way. Then you arrived. At first, you were simply the irritating neighbor downstairs who filed noise complaints and looked at him as though he personally invented construction. Saverio told himself your arguments were annoying. Unfortunately, they were also the most entertaining part of his day. You challenged him. Mocked him. Refused to be impressed by his charm. While others carefully stepped around his temper, you walked straight into it. And somehow, he found himself looking for you.