Chapter 12~Ximena~ZzzzzzzzzMy phone buzzed as I jerked up. My eyes were puffy and my legs felt wobbly. I lazily picked the call. “Hello,” I muttered dryly. “You have ten minutes left,” the voice at the other end said. “Alright,” I muttered as I hung up. “Fuck,” I growled, gritting my teeth.My face lit up as I remembered my dinner with Charles. His charming smile and fragrance still lingered in my head. Even though it was arranged, I couldn't help but anticipate our wedding.Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door, jolting me out of my thoughts. “Who is there?” I barked, my voice firm and cold. “You have a guest,” one of my men said. “I will be out in a minute,” I replied.I quickly rushed to my bathroom to freshen up. After about ten minutes I was done and ready to go. I wore a black denim jeans with a black hoodie to match. My hair was packed in a ponytail with a gold earring on both ears. As I was about going out, my eyes caught an envelope on the shelf. My mind quickly flashed ba
Chapter 13“No! This can't be,” I muttered as my lips trembled. My eyes widened while looking at the photo in my hand. “This is not possible,” I groaned underneath my breath. I felt a surge of queasiness run through my bones as I tried to comprehend what was happening.The picture displayed Charles and Alejandro, standing together in front of the same grand mansion Alejandro was in the last photo. My mind reeled in shock as a series of questions welled up in my head. Was Charles connected to my brother's criminal organization? Was our arranged marriage all a plot?A cold sweat ran down my back when I gazed up at my secretary, who had been observing me with worry etched on her face. “Where did you get this from?" I asked quietly, barely raising my voice above a whisper. "It was sent to your email anonymously, ma'am," she replied with sympathy in her eyes. "I thought it was better for you to see it." I nodded, still in shock as I glanced back at the image.“Arghh,” I groaned, clenching
Chapter 14It was dark in the night, my head throbbed. The weave of the sack over my head was inches from my face, and with every straining breath air thick and heavy with mildew filled my lungs. I did try and move, but my hands had been bound tightly at the back, the rough cord biting into my wrists."She's awake," a voice growled from somewhere beside me.One tug, and my sack was off my head. A couple of times, I blinked, and my eyes adjusted to the dim light of what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. The concrete was cool beneath me; the rusting machinery stood looming in the shadows.My blurry vision focused on Charles a few feet away, bruised and with blood on his face. His eyes met mine, and in them was a fear equal to that of determination."Ximena," he croaked, his voice raspy. "I'm so sorry. This wasn't what was supposed to happen."His tall shape interposed between us, blocking my view. I lifted my head to meet a man in a perfectly tailored suit, his face hidden behind a
Chapter 15 A Picnic Interlude A sliver of sunlight had worked its way through a hole in my curtain to wake me up properly from a restless sleep. My whole body ached, but that was just another reminder of the warehouse incident. I groaned, pushing myself into a sitting position and wincing at the bruise colouring my jaw. I shuffled toward the bathroom but was waylaid by my phone buzzing on the way. Sofia's text read, "Picnic today? You need fresh air!" I smiled, feeling that I owed a lot to my friend who had not given up on me. I had been keeping to myself and burying myself in work to rid myself of the terror caused by Alejandro's betrayal. Sofia was right—this is what I needed. Sofia, one of my best employees, tall with blonde hair and pink lips would have men flooding around her like swarms of locusts. Sprawled on the checkered blanket an hour later, amidst familiar faces and fresh sandwiches in the park, I was relaxed. Sofia chattered away with office gossip, while my assistan
Chapter 16 A Date Unexpected I had buried my head under the mound of paper works that the timid knock on the door caught my attention. Raising my head to find Charles at the door, an expression of doubt in his usual poised face. I could not help a quizzical look and said, " You are here?" I was shocked to see him here. After what happened between us, I was left uncertain about us. Not to mention the thing between him and Sofia I was still trying to find out. "I... I guess so. What's up, anyway?" He inhaled deeply. "I want to take you somewhere. To apologize properly for my role in... well, everything." Part of me wanted to refuse, to hold onto the anger and betrayal. But another part, a part I wasn't quite ready to examine, was curious. "Alright," I found myself saying. "Pick me up at 7?" As I dressed for the evening, I got the full treatment on swirling emotions. Yes, Charles had been complicit in Alejandro's scheme, but behind that, he'd tried to save me. Can I trust him agai
Chapter 17 The Visitor I had been buried deep in quarterly reports when my office door flew open. There stood Miguel, a little disheveled, with worry etched across his usual flawless complexion. "Ximena," he breathed, relief washing across his features. "You're okay." I blinked, his sight irritating me, let alone that he appeared to care. "Miguel? What are you doing here?" He walked in and closed the door behind him. "I heard about what happened to Alejandro. Why didn't you tell me?" Anger flashed through me. "Tell you? Why would I? We're not exactly on speaking terms, remember? We're fucking divorced!" My acrimony seemed to have caught Miguel off guard, as he flinched. Good! Let him feel a fraction of the pain that I had endured. "I know. I'm sorry." He shoved both hands through his hair. "But when I heard… God, Ximena, I was worried sick." I got to my feet, my blood boiling beneath my skin. "Well, see? I'm fine. You can go back to your perfect life now." He was a step away
Chapter 18 My supposed date with Charles last night fell through again because he couldn't make it, saying he had a work emergency. I moved back home, feeling crushed. I got all ready for bed. The next morning, I swirled around in the lights of the charity gala as I smelled champagne. With a perfect smile, I could certainly tell Tania had gone overboard this time—there was just opulence everywhere within the ballroom, filled with the elite circles of Mexico City. I smoothed out my crimson dress, very aware of the eyes following my every move. Whispers hadn't stopped since I walked in—murmurs about Alejandro's treachery, about my highly unwelcome tenacity. Let them whisper. I was through with being intimidated. "You look ravishing," a familiar voice purred in my ear. I turned around to find Miguel drop-dead gorgeous in his fitted tux. My stupid, skipping heart managed to keep my voice cool. "Thank you. You look pretty good yourself."
Chapter 19 Battle in the Boardroom The atmosphere was palpable in the boardroom when I stood at the head of the table. Perspiration underneath a well-composed exterior, heart pounding, ahead lay nothing but varieties of skepticism and hostility coming from the faces looking back at mine. I took a deep breath, and so the battle began. "Gentlemen," I began in a voice not quite bristling, as nerves throbbed, "I know what's on your minds—all these mishaps that happened lately. Let me assure you, the Antonio Group stands more stalwart than ever." A snort of derision cut me short from my left. "Stalwart?" That was Rodrigo Vega, one of the most outspoken of our board members. "If your own brother tried to sabotage the company, how can we trust anything that comes from the same Antonios?" A flash of anger, ruthlessly squelched. "Alejandro's actions were his own," I managed to say firmly. "I've put new security measures in place to ensure nothing as such ever happens again." When I c
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