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51. Fight and Make Up
Last Updated:
2025-04-18 19:35:56
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SOFIA’s POVRios left before the sun came up, but not before giving me a look like he didn’t want to get in his car.“Hugo will take care of you,” he whispered, pulling me in for a lingering kiss before finally stepping inside.Jestoni, Valeria, and Kyle followed in the second car. He had to bring them since it was the annual event for all the prominent Mafia members in the country. Plus, he’d need backup, especially since the Alcaraz family was hosting. He didn’t tell me where it was, but Valeria slipped it to me yesterday. She said they would be heading to Taal Island Fortress, a volcanic island in Batangas. The Alcaraz family had owned the island for decades, making it a venue for the private affairs in their business.A few minutes after they left, the driver Rios had arranged showed up. I was hauled into the car with my three-day luggage. No matter how many times I said I was fine being left alone in the house, Rios wouldn’t listen.Hugo’s place was maybe twenty minutes from the
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His Hired Lover 56. The Coming of the Gods
Each major international Mafia Boss was required by the Ledger to bring one allied or subordinate family into the Tribunal. Each ally would serve as a witness and backup power. Rios recalled that there would be ten power seats from the active circle, which were the five global syndicate leaders and their invited family bosses.Not long after, the esteemed bosses were arriving one by one.“Firipin e okaerinasai,” greeted Rios as he and Kenji Takahashi bowed formally toward each other. The serious man, whose voice was soft but always made Rios nervous, had come all the way from Osaka, Japan. Takahashi was a former enforcer in the Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate, but had risen as the leader of his own splinter group. He didn’t talk much, but when it came to business, he was always eager to share how he grew his empire, which was through tech, crypto laundering, and, of course, his brutal efficiency. He was known as the kind of man who eliminated rivals before they even spoke. The Japanese man
His Hired Lover 55. Cardinal Rules
Rios stood in front of the grand hall where his private meetings with the Mafia were often held. The sound of the waves outside the building called loudly, but the silence only drowned out the impending excitement.In about three hours, the Mafia Tribunal would be held on this private island in Batangas. His family called the venue Taal Island Fortress—a private ancestral estate on a volcanic island in the country. For years, the Alcaraz family had owned such an esteemed, secluded place that could only be reached by chopper or private boat. No wonder it had been one of the places the Sandoval family had been eyeing.Rios heaved a nervous sigh. The annual Tribunal required each Mafia Boss to bring at least one prominent Mafia family from their turf. In the Philippines, only the Alcarazes and the Sandovals controlled most of the regions. It automatically meant Rios had to bring the Sandovals with him. The invitations had been sent. Somewhere deep in his mind, he hoped and prayed none of
His Hired Lover 54. A Broken Plate, A Knife, and Kidnappers
SOFIA’s POVRios left before the sun came up, but not before giving me a look like he didn’t want to get in his car.“Hugo will take care of you,” he whispered, pulling me in for a lingering kiss before finally stepping inside.Jestoni, Valeria, and Kyle followed in the second car. He had to bring them since it was the annual event for all the prominent Mafia members in the country. Plus, he’d need backup, especially since the Alcaraz family was hosting. He didn’t tell me where it was, but Valeria slipped it to me yesterday. She said they would be heading to Taal Island Fortress, a volcanic island in Batangas. The Alcaraz family had owned the island for decades, making it a venue for the private affairs in their business.A few minutes after they left, the driver Rios had arranged showed up. I was hauled into the car with my three-day luggage. No matter how many times I said I was fine being left alone in the house, Rios wouldn’t listen.Hugo’s place was maybe twenty minutes from the
His Hired Lover 53. The Syndicate’s Whores
Madam Carrie walked towards the huge building located in a secluded place in Manila. It had been exactly a week since she received the memorandum from Rios Alcaraz that told her she would no longer be his personal advisor, but she had been upgraded to Head Mistress of his facility.She scoffed, her chest tightening with anger and frustration as she recalled the content of the memo. Some lawyer explained it to her, and the compensation was thrice as big as she earned in her own whorehouse. But it wasn’t the content that angered her. It was the fact that Rios hadn’t visited her since he came to her almost a month ago, complaining about some woman. She would’ve appreciated it if Rios had been the one to deliver the news. She would’ve appreciated it even more if she had been invited to his wedding. Some wedding—bah! Who would’ve believed the scum would marry? Still, she was genuinely happy for him, but felt sorry for the girl.“Madame, this way please.”A voice pulled her from her though
His Hired Lover 52. Doctor in Town
SOFIA’s POV“OMG, that’s Miss Sofia!”That shriek was instantly swallowed by another wave of noise from the crowd packed outside the venue. I was here for the launch of a beauty product, set to appear as the brand ambassador. I stepped out of the car, gripping Valeria’s arm while Kyle moved ahead, clearing a path.“Miss Sofia! Please, let’s take a picture!”“Miss Sofia!!!”I smiled, lifted a hand to wave, and kept moving. Phones shot up like a swarm of butterflies, their screens glowing and catching my face from every angle. I paused here and there, leaning in for selfies, flashing a practiced smile into their lenses. Indeed, I felt like an A-list celebrity.“You’re very beautiful, Miss Sofia!”I turned toward the voice and found a young woman, with her eyes wide and a notebook trembling in her hands.“Thank you. Do you want an autograph?”She nodded so fast, then held the notebook and marker out to me. I signed it slowly before handing it back with a smile.“Come on, Miss Sofia,” Val
His Hired Lover 51. Fight and Make Up
Sofia was hunched over the couch with her hands trembling slightly when Rios arrived.“Babe,” he said, gathering her into his arms. He’d been in a board meeting when the call about the attack came through. He didn’t say a word to anyone. He left the meeting immediately and drove straight to Sofia’s condo. “Are you okay?” he whispered, planting a kiss on her lips.“Yes,” she said, nodding, though her eyes glistened with tears. “I-It happened so fast. We didn’t even get a good look at the guy.”“Here’s the flash drive that was found several miles from Starbucks, Boss Rios,” Valeria said, handing him the small black device. “You can see a man getting out of a black car. That means the lady with the toddler was telling the truth.”Rios didn’t respond. He rolled the flash drive between his fingers, thinking deeply.Meanwhile, Kyle moved fast as he opened a laptop and set it down on the glass table.“Who could it be?” Rios muttered. “I don’t think the Sandovals would pull something this rec
His Hired Lover 50. A Mysterious Pursuer
SOFIA’s POV“That was a great shoot, Miss Sofia.” I looked over my shoulder and met the beaming face of the photographer, Derek. Hugo had set up this photoshoot for a special magazine issue, and I’d been more than happy to do it.“I’m glad I pulled it off, with your guidance, of course,” I said, giving him a demure smile.“Do you want to grab a coffee before you—”“Ah, no. I have another appointment,” I cut in. Rios had promised me dinner, but it was only 2:30 in the afternoon. I could still grab coffee with sexy Derek, but I’d rather reserve the free hours preparing for my contract husband. Besides, Derek may be oozing with muscles and great biceps, but guys my age just weren’t my type.“Oh, you’re a busy woman, I see,” he said with a chuckle. Right then, Valeria appeared and gave me a subtle gesture toward the car.“I didn’t know you had a knack for boudoir shoots,” Derek said, still lingering, even as my lady bodyguard was practically dragging me out of SCS.“It’s called talent,
His Hired Lover 49. Cold Cases
The rain came in sheets that afternoon, turning the dirt roads of Sta. Lucia into rivers of reddish-brown sludge. Eli Mendoza parked his beat-up motorbike beside the police outpost, water dripping from the brim of his cap. He shook off the rain, wiped his boots on the mat, and stepped on that same squeaky floorboard. Almost immediately, the familiar sour scent of instant coffee and old paperwork greeted his nose.In a town like this, things didn’t move unless you shoved them. And he had been a tired police officer for too long.He took a seat at his desk, which was a thin wooden table marked by cigarette burns and ink stains. His battered leather notebook was already open. Its pages were lined with observations, dates, and names that kept circling back to one: Dorothea Gatchalian.It had been four years, but the woman was still nowhere to be found. He still remembered that day. He could picture the way she sat there in the station, perfectly composed and not struck with grief for her
His Hired Lover 48. Dorothea Gatchalian
Thea had been in this police station for almost an hour. The plastic chair beneath her was starting to bite into her skin, and the white walls weren’t doing her any favors.Across the table, the police officer leaned back in his chair, one eyebrow ticking up as his fingers drummed a sharp, impatient rhythm against the clipboard. The silence between questions was starting to stretch too long.“So, again,” SPO2 Eli said in a calm but thinning voice, “when was the last time you saw your uncle alive?”Thea crossed her arms. “I already told you. I saw him last Monday. At dinner. He wanted fish, so I cooked fish. We didn’t talk much. It’s always like that between us.”Eli nodded slowly. “And you didn’t notice anything strange? Nobody was lurking around, no fights, or no weird calls?”“No.”He flipped a photo onto the table, making Thea flinch at the image before her. Her uncle’s face was barely recognizable. It was swollen, and the skin stretched and marbled with the early signs of decay. M
