Chapter 40 "Are you okay?" Charles' voice finally broke the silence as we entered my apartment. Everything that had just happened hung heavy between us. That struggle with Victor shook both of us, and even after getting through it, there was fear and uncertainty. I nodded, but my tightening chest said otherwise. "I think so," I said softly, trying to reassure myself as much as him. My eyes strayed across familiar spaces in my apartment, but with him there tonight, it looked different—a place of refuge and a reminder of all the chaos we were trying to escape. Charles followed me into the living room, his presence that held me in place. I collapsed into the couch, unable to turn off my thoughts, time and again returning to what had happened this evening: Victor's threats, our uneasy truce, this overwhelming feeling of being trapped in something far bigger than us. "I never thought it would come to this," I said, barely audible. Charles sat beside me, his hand resting on my knee, an
Chapter 41 A Calm Before the Storm Ximena took a deep breath, a murmur of life in the distance; it all seemed very far away from that little tin-can chaos they had left in Mexico City. Charles walked beside her, fingers touching lightly with hers, hand in hand. It was a small town, such was the beauty of it. Colorful old buildings looked shoulder to shoulder, as if they had been aged friends. Both had been silent, lost in their thoughts. But there was comfort in that silence between them, like an unvoiced communication that words could not explain. "You really think we could just leave it all behind?" The silence was broken as the voice of Ximena came and she leaned to look at him. He looked softly back at her. "I don't know," he muttered. "But for now, I want to believe we can. Even if it's just for a little while." At this time, she, too, had wanted to believe them: self-soothingness, that all had gone; fears and doubts replayed in her mind for too long. It availed her n
Chapter 42 The Search As soon as we entered my apartment, it felt like the city was ready to pull us back into the insanity we left. My phone beeped non-stop and each beep of the notification made me sink in my chair. Back here, there was no calm, only stress that wound itself up like a spring with every tick of the clock. Charles walked from one corner of the living room to the other, he was not as composed as he generally was because of the environment. I couldn't blame him. All the attempts to restore the relationships and some kind of ‘normal’ life were suddenly washed away and we were back to the storm. And then the news came, Miguel was missing. The man who I had once dreamt of, loved and hated was nowhere to be seen and I had never felt this lonely before. The news was quite shocking. Notwithstanding all the pains, there was still a desire in me to care. It was written all over my face and that is when Charles saw it. “He’s gone,” I whispered, my mind struggling to co
Chapter 43The RescueThe atmosphere was rather tense as Charles, Ximena, Tania, and Detective Rodriguez sat at the large wooden table in Ximena’s apartment. The artificial lighting made the faces of the people look blurred as if they were in a state of confusion. The noise of distant traffic of a city was always present, but it was barely soothing Ximena’s nerves. Ximena looked at Tania and tried to read her mind as to what she was planning on doing next. “It is getting late,” Tania said after a while. She was composed and her tone was normal but there was something else in her gaze – hatred perhaps.Ximena stiffened. The very idea of Miguel getting injured or worse, killed sends chills to her spine. Beside the lies, the betrayals and yet, she couldn’t deny the fact that she still had feelings for him. But she couldn’t allow being biased to take the lead. They had to remain vigilant. They had to remain focused. Charles laid a comforting hand on her shoulder wondering the battle
Chapter 44Ximena's POV Torn HeartsStaring at the woods through the window of the safe house, I was thinking chaotically, torn between my feelings. The last couple of days have been filled with threats and discoveries, and now that there was a break, I was overwhelmed by emotions I did not know I still had.Charles entered the room, and the sound of his steps barely reached the ears due to the worn out carpet. “Racking your brain?” he said, smiling softly at me.I looked at him and felt so relieved to see him there. “Yeah... just dealing with all of this... it has been quite a lot.”He nodded, looking at me with understanding. "I know how you feel, Ximena, you have been so strong all this time."His words comforted me but at the same time it gave me a twinge of conscience in my heart. Charles had been nothing but supportive, he even fought for his life to ensure that I got Miguel out of the building. And yet, here I was, my emotions all over the place when it came to my ex-husband.
Chapter 45Ximena's POV The Final Stand"Don't tell me you have feelings for him?" Miguel’s voice was sharp as he stormed my room without knocking and his gaze piercing through me. I looked at him and my heart was pounding. "I mean Charles, what's going between you two?" He added.How did he get to know that I was talking to Charles? Had he overheard us?The idea made my cheeks redden with shame and fury.“You don’t need to know that, Miguel,” I said angrily, though I made an effort to speak calmly. “We have other issues to attend to at the moment.”His jaw was tense and for a moment I saw a glimpse of the old Miguel – arrogant, jealous and handsome. But then he looked a little less angry and he raked his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh.“Well, you are right, I am sorry,” he replied, but his voice was very soft. “I just... I can’t stand the thought of losing you again, Ximena. “I was about to answer him when suddenly the door opened and Charles entered the room, looking
Chapter 46 Ximena sat in front of her computer and looked at the blank screen with her hands above the keys. The logo of the Antonio Group was glowing on the screen and she was reminded of how much hard she'd work. And after the recent scandals, an attempt to restore the company’s image seemed as an impossible mission that she had to accomplish with her own hands. She sighed and put her fingers on her temples. The last few weeks were filled with numerous meetings, press conferences and work on overcoming the consequences. Even as Victor Reyes was in jail, the effects of his deeds continued to be felt in the business society. A knock on her office door interrupted her from her train of thought. “Come in,” she said aloud, sitting up in her chair. Her assistant, Maria, came in. "The Marketing team is now complete and ready to show you a new campaign, Ms. Antonio." Ximena moved her head affirmatively, picking up her tablet and a notepad. “Thank you, Maria. I will be there in a few mi
Chapter 47 Heart's Crossroads Ximena's POV “Ximena, these projections look great,” Miguel said, moving closer to me to indicate on the screen. “If we are able to achieve even half of these goals, both our companies will regain the position of dominance within the year. ” I nodded, forcing myself not to pay attention to the heat he was emanating, and how our bodies were pressed against each other. “That is the strategy. We just have to ensure that the implementation is perfect.” This was the third week since we began working on this collaboration project. Three weeks of late nights, numerous arguments and, of course, achievements. But also three weeks of mixed feelings and revival of the old feelings. As Miguel got up to go get his coffee, I sighed a breath I didn’t know I needed to exhale. 'Pull yourself together, Ximena, I scolded myself. This is strictly business.' But even as I thought of it, I knew it wasn’t true. It was not business like when my heart pounded, whe
Chapter 134: A Suspicious AllyBack at the office, Miguel sat at his desk, the recent conversation with the unknown number weighing heavy on his mind. The interest of Vega for his support sounded disconcerting, unethical and not good enough to act upon. They needed hard evidence, concrete plans that could stop Vega's influence from dribbling any further into Antonio's Group. Just as he reached for his coffee, a knock came from his door."Miguel, may I have a minute?" the voice of Henry, one of the oldest board members, filtered through.He had always been present, the man who had shared work with Ximena's father in the past.Miguel nodded to let him in. "Of course, Mr. Henry. What seems to be the problem?"Henry shut the door behind him and for the first time, his face was somber.He sat down facing Miguel and wrung his hands."I'm coming to you because I feel this is the time I need to say something important. Vega… he contacted me recently and proposed a deal to work against Anto
Chapter 133: Bound by Trust Most of the day had been taken up at Antonio's Group, poring over the security protocols. They went over every recent interaction and activity by each board member with fine-tooth combs. Trust was even more fragile now since the confluence with Salazar. "We can't afford to miss anything," Ximena whispered, her eyes running down the latest reports. "I want to believe the rest of our board is loyal, but after what Salazar pulled, I won't take any chances." Miguel nodded, his eyes unflinching. "We are on the same page. And if anyone else gives any indication of being disloyal, the same thing that happened with Salazar will happen to them." They exchanged a glance; the weight of the day crowded in upon them suddenly. As the hours wore on, tiredness crept in to let them know they had reached their limit for today. Miguel looked at his timepiece and let the breath out. "Let's head back. We can pick this up tomorrow with fresh eyes," he said, giving her
Chapter 132: Breaking the SilenceMiguel continued pacing his office, the echo of Ximena's words from last night still reverberating in his head. She had asked him not to let her go, and he felt the weight of her trust settling deep inside. Their fragile but growing bond with each passing moment had become his source of motivation. But for that, he knew they had to bring an end to Vega's shadow over Antonio's Group and fast.Ximena entered the room, a determined look on her face. "I went over more of Salazar's records this morning," she said, handing him a folder. "The pattern is there, Miguel. Encrypted messages, confidential files shared outside our firewall, all leading back to him."Miguel took the folder, scanning over the documents she'd gone through and meticulously marked."So it is true. He's been feeding Vega with all that he needs to keep fanning doubt inside the company. The timing of these leaks, it has been deliberate. But we will have to make our approach with him su
Chapter 131: Crossed WiresAcross the ballroom, Miguel watched Tania and Salazar speak in hushed tones with an arguing suspension in his stomach. It was so easily done to distrust her. She showed up completely out of the blue, her history with Vega coming to mind first.But before he could dwell deeper on it, she noticed him watching her, flashed a familiar, flirtatious smile, and started making her way over."Miguel," she said, greeting him playfully. "I didn't think I'd see you here tonight. It's been a while, hasn't it?"He remained polite, cautious in his distances. "It has, Tania. I didn't expect you to show up here either.""Oh, I'm sure you didn't," she returned, laughing softly. "But sometimes it is nice to catch up, especially with old friends."She cocked her head; her eyes glinting with something that made Miguel wary. "I hope you don't mind if I interrupt your evening for just a moment?"Before Miguel could utter a reply, he saw Ximena's eyes dart over from across the way
Chapter 130: Shadows in Plain SightAntonio's Group sat in silence, the air thick with tension, as Miguel and Ximena pored over the latest reports. Certainly a rumor had reached them about possible involvement by Vega, but nothing sounded as ominous as the threads that they were unraveling now."Salazar's actions just don't quite add up," Ximena whispered, scanning through yet another set of transactions. "He's missed three board meetings in the last month. And each time he's absent, something critical either leaks to the press or falls into Vega's hands. It feels almost like a timing precision too good to be true."Miguel nodded, his eyes razor-sharp with focus. "I've had a strange feeling about him, too. He's evasive every time we bring up the financial discrepancies, almost as if he is covering up for someone or himself."Ximena looked up, her face aflame. "Tonight's fundraiser will have the whole board, Salazar included. We need to confront him there, in a public setting where h
Chapter 129: Shadows and SecretsMiguel arrived at the headquarters of Antonio's Group, his mind still fresh with Ximena's urgent message that morning. He went into her office to find her already at her desk, with papers all over, her face knitted with worry. She looked up as he came in, and he could see the stress shadowing her usually steady gaze."Thanks for coming so quickly," she said, gesturing to the stack of papers."What's going on?" Miguel asked, stepping forward to reach for the documents."Caden Holdings," Ximena replied, huffing. "After everything we did to reassure them, they're going cold feet on their position with us."Miguel's eyebrows furrowed as he flipped through the papers. "They're second-guessing us again? After all we did to stabilize this place?"Ximena nodded. Anger was taut in her tone. "They're still anxious. It's like every reassurance we give them only keeps them steady a minute before something else rattles them."She crossed her arms, leaning back s
Chapter 128: A Night to RememberThe aftermath of the break-in had Miguel and Ximena edgy, Antonio's Group silence heavier than usual. Despite security searching, nothing showed up; whoever had come for the company's secrets vanished into thin air. That uncertainty ticked them off, building fear about Vega's reach and intent.The cool night air brushed against their faces as Miguel walked Ximena to her car. The adrenaline of the break-in still sang in their veins, making their movements tight and cautious, but it was more than caution that had Miguel walking beside her. "Let me take you home," he said, his tone quiet but firm in its determination.It was then that Ximena turned to him, her eyes clouded with fatigue, but her appreciation shone through: "Gracias, Miguel. Me gustaría." The drive to her place was silent; each of them had his or her own thoughts. Miguel felt that the events of the night must have stirred memories and concerns, and he needed to take some of that load
Chapter 127: A Strategy Forged in TrustSometimes, sharing your burdens is the first step toward finding strength.Miguel turned his head and glanced across the table to Ximena, deep in a series of partnership reports spread before her. The soft hum of the office was soothing even as the challenges spread before them remained daunting. Antonio's Group had its share of threats, but Vega's incessant interference had taken that to a whole new level.They both knew the next moves they made would determine the future of the company, perhaps even their own relationship.Miguel spoke first. "I believe the time has come for us to whittle our focus down to those who prove to be our strongest partners. If we consolidate those alliances, it will make it harder for Vega to chip away at our base."Ximena nodded contemplatively, tapping a pen against her notebook. "Agreed. If we can cement those relationships, the weaker partners will see our strength and stability and be more apt to stay with us
Chapter 126: A Risky AllianceToday, though, he couldn’t let himself be distracted. Ximena had lined up her next series of client meetings, the aim of which was to keep Antonio's Group stable in light of Vega's continuing presence .He trod in the direction of Ximena's office, gathering himself for the battle that would take place during the day. She was already at her desk, eyes scanning over documents, her focus intense. Miguel admired her dedication, but he could see the weight of recent events in the slight shadows beneath her eyes. She looked up, giving him a nod as he took a seat."Good morning," he greeted her."Morning, Miguel," she said, giving him a slight smile. "Our top priority today is securing the last of our reluctant clients. If they remain on, it shows that Antonio's Group is steadfast, no matter how much Vega tries to shake us."Miguel nodded, his voice serious. "And if this goes through, this should also keep the confidence of the board up. We're close, Ximena.