Chapter 103 Collided FeelingsAnticipation hummed in his veins as Charles stepped into O'Malley's. This time, he had promised to meet Ximena here and was determined this time to push the conversation past the usual business topics. For far too long, she had been drawing away from him, hesitating at every step despite the undeniable connection still there.Tonight, he wouldn't let her hide behind her work at Antonio's Group.Tonight, he would make her face the reality that was them.He found her in an instant seated in their booth, her fingers wrapped around a glass of wine.She was beautiful, but tonight something was off about how she looked.Her body tense, her stare not quite focused, like a war was going on inside of her."Hey," Charles said, sliding onto the seat opposite hers, his tone casual but his heart racing.Ximena looked up at him, tugging a small smile onto her lips, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey."A moment ticked by in silence. He could feel that she was o
Chapter 104Charles didn't flinch; he never said a word. He did absolutely nothing but stared deep into her eyes, knowing full well whatever she did next would change it all.Miguel fought to breathe as he stormed out of O'Malley's. His heart racing in his ears, his mind reeled from all he had just seen and heard.His instincts told him his companionship with Ximena had gone all wrong, but seeing her with Charles like that made everything so real in such a painful way. Outside, the cold did nothing to calm the fire burning inside. He clenched his fists and kept down the street, trying to get as much distance as possible from that damned bar.He wasn't sure what was worse, either the fact that she hadn't told him about seeing Charles or the way that she'd looked at him, like there still was something between them.Miguel stopped abruptly as his chest heaved with frustration. He wanted to hit something, anything; just that wasn't going to solve anything. He needed to think. He needed
Chapter 105Miguel stared at the message, his heart pounding in his chest. 'We need to talk. Meet me tomorrow morning.' He had read those words like a million times, each time trying to predict what they'd be saying. His thumb toyed with the screen, weighing whether he should reply right away, but something kept him back. Probably it was for the fear of what that conversation might bring.He knew tomorrow, Ximena was going to make her choice-a choice in which she would tell him what she had been avoiding for weeks now. But was he ready to hear it?He'd lost his temper once, and he didn't want to do it again. Not when so much hung in the balance.---The next morning, Miguel showed up in the park way too much before expected. He sat down on a bench running alongside the fountain, observing ripples of water reflect early sunlight. His stomach was wrapped in knots of nervousness, yet he managed to show poise. Today was the day when finally some real answers would be coming his way. T
Chapter 106Ximena was sitting in the conference room, head spinning, as the lawyers drone on over Vega's latest maneuver. She tried to concentrate on the strategy, but her mind kept wandering back to the conversation with Miguel in the park. The words that had hit her hard, harder than she wanted to admit.She knew he was right-the fact that she lived in denial, using the chaos of the company as a curtain to get away from the mess of her emotions.But she couldn't hide anymore. Miguel had given her an ultimatum, though he hadn't said it in so many words. She could see it in his eyes; he would not wait forever. And she didn't blame him.How was he not to act, when she was vacillating between him and Charles, between love and the past?"Ximena, did you hear what I said?" Miguel's voice cut through her inner space.She blinked, finally came to her senses, looking up to realize the whole room was looking at her. Her cheeks colored in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, what was that?"Miguel's j
Chapter 107Ximena couldn’t help the feeling of relief that washed over her as she read the documents in front of her. They had found Vega’s weakness, the key to bringing them down. The offshore accounts would expose everything, and Antonio’s Group would finally have the upper hand. But as much as this victory loomed, a sinking feeling stayed lodged in her chest.She looked up at Miguel, standing across from her, that familiar intensity in his eyes. He was waiting for her to say something, waiting for a response that would acknowledge the monumental moment they were standing in. “We did it,” Ximena whispered, the words barely audible, but the weight of them hung in the air.Miguel nodded, his eyes not leaving hers. “Yeah, we did.”But there was something in his tone, something that told her he wasn’t just talking about Vega. This moment, this success, had become entwined with the unresolved tension between them. They were celebrating a professional victory, but the personal batt
Chapter 108Charles' SecretMiguel stood outside the courtroom, the weight of everything still heavy on his shoulders. The trial had gone better than expected, and they had Vega on the ropes. Exposing those offshore accounts had been a game-changer, and the satisfaction of watching Vega’s legal team scramble to salvage their case was almost enough to make him forget about everything else.Almost.He glanced at Ximena, who stood a few feet away, staring down at her phone. Her brow was furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. She hadn’t said much since the recess was called, and Miguel knew something was bothering her. He’d seen the text she’d received earlier, the one that had shifted the mood. The message from an investigator, something about Charles.Miguel had known for a while now that Charles was more involved with Vega than he let on. He had been digging around in the background, quietly gathering information, and the pieces were finally starting to fall into place. Bu
Chapter 109A Mistake?Ximena watched Miguel leave her office, the door closing softly behind him, and felt her heart drop. She had never been more confused, torn between her feelings for two men, each of whom had impacted her life in ways she hadn’t expected. But right now, all she wanted was for this heavy weight to lift from her chest, for the pressure of her emotions to loosen its grip, if only for a little while.She slumped into her chair, staring blankly at the papers spread across her desk. The legal battle with Vega was almost over. They were on the verge of a win, and yet, her personal life felt like it was spiraling out of control. Charles had lied to her, whether out of fear or selfishness, it didn’t matter. She had trusted him, and he had kept something huge from her. And Miguel? He had been the one to stand by her, to support her through all of it. But even now, with his unwavering presence, she couldn’t shake the confusion clouding her heart.Her phone buzzed, an
Chapter 110 The Makeup DinnerBy morning, Ximena woke up restless, her heart racing. The night with Miguel was truly passionate, strong; she let go of herself towards his desires at that very hot moment. Now, in the sun streams going through the window of her apartment, she couldn't help but wonder whether that was what should have been done.It had seemed such a cowardly thing to do, leaving Miguel's apartment while he was still asleep, but it had been a needed thing; space to clear her mind and unravel the tangled mess her emotions had become.She'd felt squeezed by the weight of the Vega case and strained relationships with both Miguel and Charles, like she was drowning.She let out a deep sigh and pulled the blankets away, sitting up in bed.The fight against Vega was about over-the one that plagued her heart was about to begin.And every moment with one or the other just always seemed to drop her deeper into confusion.Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, pulling her from her t
Chapter 165: The Final ReckoningThe night was unusually still, the quiet broken only by the occasional distant car passing by. Ximena had fallen into a light sleep, her body exhausted from the strain of the past few days. But the sudden sound of a floorboard creaking in her apartment jolted her awake.Her heartbeat made a sudden jump to her throat and she glanced toward the living room. The darkness caused by the streetlights outside only appeared to make things even more quiet.The man standing in the doorway leading into the living room was plain to see.Tania.She was standing there, gripping the gun firmly, her eyes were wide open and looked like they had gone mad. Ximena looked paralyzed with a cold feeling running around her body.“Well, well, here we are meeting in person,” Tania spat out her words and was clearly angry. “I knew this would be the moment every time. You never thought that I could do them, did you?”Ximena’s heart beat faster, but she did not allow her tone to
Chapter 164: A Dangerous EncounterMiguel’s fists connected with the first thug’s jaw with a sickening thud, sending the man stumbling back, his head snapping to the side. Ximena watched from her car, her breath caught in her throat. The sound of the scuffle was echoing down the alley, but she couldn't hear anything except for the pure power and perfection in Miguel's movements.He moved like a force of nature: his muscular frame twisting and turning, his every strike landing with purpose. The men surrounding him tried to overpower him, but Miguel was relentless, fury behind each punch.The night air crackled with energy, and Ximena felt a weird mix of terror and awe. She'd never seen this side of him before, yet it didn't faze her.It was the man she'd married once; the man who would go to any length to protect what he loved.In one leap, one of the thugs pounced on him with a crowbar. However, Miguel was quicker, dodging and managing to sweep a leg to drop him to the ground. In o
Chapter 163: The Return of TaniaShe stared at the photo in her hand, her heart racing wildly. How had they gotten this photo? Who watched her? She felt her stomach clench as the creeping feeling of vulnerability clawed at her.Miguel had been supportive, but even his presence could not erase the gnawing anxiety that had settled deep inside her. She could still feel the weight of his comforting words from earlier, but they did little to quell the storm brewing in her mind.Tania had kept silent for too long, and now it was as if the calm had been no more than the quiet before the storm.Miguel had insisted on staying the night, refusing to let Ximena face this alone. Now, as they sat together in her living room, Miguel was talking about taking extra precautions for her safety, adding security to her apartment, increasing surveillance around the office, but Ximena wasn't fully listening.She had heard the same promises before, and while she appreciated them, she couldn’t help but fe
Chapter 162: Shadows ReturnThe next morning, Ximena was back to work, sitting at her desk, her hands fastened on the lid of the portable computer, her fingers drumming the wooden top of the laptop. He had seen her typing away again, probably trying to complete the quarterly reports so that the board meeting in the morning would not consume all the time. Her head was not in the numbers; she was constantly thinking about the peculiarities that had been bothering her all week.The first time she’d noticed it, she thought that perhaps she was imagining it. He had seen a black sedan parked across the street from her building for two consecutive days and the face of the driver was hidden behind the tinted glass. It could have been nothing, but then there were the phone calls; two in the last two days; both of which rang only twice before the line went dead as soon as she picked up.She tried to dismiss it as a mere fluke and went on to telling herself that there was really no need for
Chapter 161: A New NormalXimena sat down comfortably in her chair and looked at the numbers that target the company’s financial performance in the following quarter. The numbers, as he could see, were fine, were good, in fact, were more than good. The Group was on its way up again in Antonio’s life. Things were finally getting a little less insane, and Ximena was able to concentrate.This lack of drama seemed to them in some way wrong, even unnatural. Living on a daily edge, ready to face the next storm, she found the lack of tumult... dangerous. But was this not what she had wanted?Her phone was ringing on the desk and she had to remove herself from her line of thinking. A message from Clara lit up the screen: “Meeting at 11:30. Coffee on the way.”Ximena, still smiling, thanked her. “Thanks, lifesaver.”Clara was not wrong, after a year, the world seemed to have returned to its normal state.Miguel came to see her later in the morning that same day with a box of pastries and a
Chapter 160: Shadows Closing InMiguel paced back and forth, his frustration evident in the sharp clicks of his shoes against the polished floor. “She’s up to something. She always is. But I can’t risk dismissing this if it’s tied to Vega.”Ximena crossed her arms over her chest, easing back into her chair. "You're giving her too much credit. This is Tania we're talking about; a master manipulator. She wants you to believe she's our ally just so she can stay close."Miguel stopped pacing and faced her. "What if this time she's telling the truth?"What if she isn't?" Ximena shot back. "Every time we let her in, she leaves chaos in her wake."______________________________________Late that afternoon, Gregorio joined them in Ximena's office. His arrival brought much-needed clarity, though his face was as tense as theirs."I did some digging after Tania's sudden appearance," Gregorio began, placing a file on the desk. "And it seems she's not bluffing entirely."Ximena's eyes slitted a
Chapter 159: A Desperate MoveTania hesitated for a moment before turning on her heel and walking away, her laughter echoing in the empty street.Miguel turned to Ximena, his jaw tight. “Are you okay?”Ximena nodded, though her hands were still trembling. “Let’s just go.”…………………………………..Ximena was staring out the window of Miguel's car. Her reflection fluttered with the streetlights as they speed-crossed the city.Miguel has his hands clutched tight over the wheel. His knuckles were white. He glanced over to her and his jaw clenched. "You haven't said a word since we left. What is going on inside that head of yours?""What's the word of the day?" Ximena replied in a quiet tone. "That I don't want to play this any longer? That I'm tired of being a target?"Miguel let out a soft breath, his eyes remaining on the road. "You are not alone in this, you know that, right?"Ximena looked at him. "Do I? Because lately, it's feeling like I'm fighting for myself."Miguel was thinking of a come
Chapter 158: Countdown to ChaosSleep was out of the question. Ximena’s instincts told her this was more than another scare tactic.By the time the sun rose, she was already seated at her dining table with her laptop open and a steaming cup of coffee beside her. The clock ticked ominously as if counting down to an unseen disaster.Her phone buzzed, pulling her out of her thoughts. Miguel’s name lit up the screen.“Morning,” she said, trying to mask her exhaustion.“Did you sleep at all?” Miguel’s voice was tinged with concern.“Not really,” she admitted, rubbing her temples. “The message... I can’t stop thinking about it.”“Neither can I,” Miguel said. “But we have a plan, Ximena. We’re ahead of them.”“Are we?” Ximena asked, doubt creeping into her voice. “Or are we just reacting to whatever they throw at us?”Miguel caught himself and responded in a lower tone. "Meet me at Antonio's Group. Gregorio probably has more news for us."______________________________________The middle o
Chapter 157: Tightening the GripXimena sat at her desk, staring blankly at her calendar. She'd spent all morning moving meetings around, trying to make sense of a schedule that had begun to feel utterly meaningless under the mounting threats.A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Clara peeked in, the shine gone now from her face since the events of the past couple of days."Miss Antonio, Gregorio is here," Clara said quietly.Ximena nodded, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Send him in.”Gregorio entered, his ever-practical briefcase in hand. “Morning, Miss Antonio. Miguel should be joining us shortly. We’ve got some developments you’ll want to hear about.”Ximena gestured for him to sit. “Developments?”Before he could answer, Miguel strode into the room, his expression grim but focused.“Let’s hear it,” Miguel said, taking a seat beside Ximena.Gregorio opened his briefcase, pulled out a few files, and laid them across the desk. "We have located Vega's