The Maddest Obsession

Gianna moves into a new Manhattan high-security building chosen by Ace. She bakes tiramisu to meet her neighbors. One elderly woman takes it while shutting the door in her face. Across the hall, she finds Christian Allister, who seems displeased to see her but accepts the dessert. Gianna speculates that Ace has arranged for Christian to be her “babysitter.”

Christian and Gianna arrange to avoid one another at the gym and pool, but after roughly a week, Gianna runs into Christian while wearing a revealing bikini. Christian carries her back to her apartment and tells her to change into something with more coverage. She does, and they continue to antagonize each other on the way back down to the pool.

Christian demands that Nico move Gianna out of the building. Nico taunts him about his interest in her and threatens to marry her off to someone else. Christian admits he erased club surveillance footage that showed Gianna in her rain-soaked dress and then punches Ace. Throughout the conversation, Christian reflects on his ongoing negotiations with a Russian politician; he is considering an arranged marriage to the man’s daughter, Aleksandra Popova, who he thinks would be the kind of spouse he needs.