Following that, Thiago and I went on to start with our plan to destroy my father and the Martinez Corp. However, doing that, I know, wouldn’t be an easy path.it wasn’t an easy task for me, most especially, since everything must begin with me trying to have full trust and power of Thiago’s company. However, doing that seemed to be like walking in a den of fire waiting to burned alive for trying to reach the top. And I could very well see that now while I hold the company’s monthly shareholder and board meeting.The boardroom felt suffocating, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. The air was filled with the weight of judgment, every pair of eyes in the room fixed on me like vultures circling their prey. I sat at the head of the table, my fingers tracing the edge of the polished wood, my heart pounding beneath the calm exterior I was trying so hard to maintain.Thiago wasn’t here to protect me this time. This fight was mine."Ms. Bridgette," one of the older board member
The evening was still, the soft hum of the air conditioner the only sound filling the grand dining room. I sat at the table, poking at the food on my plate without any real appetite. My mind was racing, stuck in a loop of the chaotic board meeting. Their words echoed in my head: unqualified, unworthy, only here because of Thiago.The board didn’t respect me. And as much as I tried to brush it off, it hurt more than I cared to admit. I was too deep in thought to even notice when Thiago started speaking. "Wifey?" Thiago’s deep voice snapped me out of my daze. I looked up to see him watching me, his brow slightly furrowed. "You’ve been miles away this whole time. Are you going to tell me what’s going on?"I sighed, putting my fork down. "It’s nothing, darling. Just... work stuff."He narrowed his eyes slightly, not buying my deflection. Thiago was always sharp, always attuned to my mood in ways that made it impossible to hide anything from him. But tonight, I didn’t feel like talking. N
The next few days passed in a blur of endless meetings, emails, and strategy sessions. I buried myself in work, determined to prove the board wrong and show them that I was more than just Thiago’s wife, more than just a placeholder CEO. But the pressure was relentless, and it was taking its toll. I hardly saw Thiago during the day, and by the time I got home at night, I was too exhausted to do much more than collapse into bed. And Tonight was no different from the previous nights. I dragged myself through the door, my mind buzzing with thoughts of revenue projections and market strategies. The weight of the company’s future felt like a boulder pressing on my chest. I was so preoccupied that I barely registered the sound of Thiago’s voice as he called out to me from the living room."Wifey? Come over here for a moment."I turned, seeing him sprawled on the couch, his shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest. He looked relaxed, his eyes watching me intently as I stepped inside. The co
The next morning, the sunlight filtered through the curtains, soft and warm, but I felt anything but rested. Thiago had left early again, something that had become a regular occurrence. I hated how the silence of our empty house echoed the doubts that had crept into my mind. I sat at the edge of the bed, my hands clenched into fists in my lap, my thoughts racing. The board’s disdain for me as CEO, the looming pressure of the company, the growing distance between Thiago and me—it was all starting to weigh on me more heavily than I could admit.After dragging myself through my morning routine, I headed into the office, trying to focus on the day ahead. But the moment I stepped out of the elevator, I could feel the tension in the air. People whispered as I walked by, their eyes following me with curiosity and thinly veiled judgment. I was used to the gossip by now, but today it felt sharper, like a knife twisting in my side.Lucia was waiting in my office, her expression unreadable as
The day started like any other, with a steady rhythm of chaos threatening to pull me under. But I had grown used to it, embracing the pressure like a second skin. It wasn’t until Lucia rushed into my office, her face pale and tight with tension, that the day took a sharp nosedive."Madam CEO, we’ve got a problem," she said, her voice edged with urgency as she dropped a stack of papers on my desk.I barely glanced up, trying to keep my cool. "What is it this time?""The Martinez Corporation," Lucia began, her hands trembling slightly as she pulled out a news article. "They’ve secured the Saskatchewan Project."The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I froze, my mind struggling to process the impact of what she just said. "What?" My voice came out in a low, disbelieving whisper.Lucia nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line. "It’s all over the news, Madame CEO. They outbid us, and now they’ve got the deal."The room seemed to tilt for a moment, and I felt an overwhelming rush of pa
But even as we returned to our private room, the talk between us was became a little tensed. I paced by the window, my thoughts racing."You didn’t have to make such a show of it," I said, unable to look him directly in the eye. "I had it under control."Thiago leaned against the doorway, his eyes locked on me with that knowing gleam. "Did you, Wifey? You looked seconds away from losing them."I spun to face him. "I didn’t need you barging in like that! Now the board thinks I can’t handle the job without my husband coming to rescue me."His smirk only deepened, and I hated how infuriatingly calm he was. "Let them think what they want, Wifey. But I’ll let you in on a secret." He sauntered over to the bar and poured himself another drink, watching me with those piercing eyes. "They’re playing checkers, and I’ve been playing chess all along."I frowned, still frustrated but curious. "What are you talking about?"He sipped his whiskey slowly, savoring the taste before finally answering. "
FEW DAYS AFTER what seemed to be a chaotic week at the office, was already making me feel lightheaded each morning. I had gone used to seeing Thiago left the side of my bed empty each morning that today was a total surprised for me.I stirred awake, feeling the warmth of the early morning light streaming through the sheer curtains. And as my eyes blinked open, I was startled to find Thiago already awake, watching me intently. His half-naked form lounged beside me, his gaze burning into mine as if he'd been studying me for hours.“Morning, Wifey” he murmured, his voice low and intimate.I blinked rapidly, the grogginess of sleep still clinging to me. “Thia—darling?” My voice was barely a whisper, my heart doing that annoying flutter it always did when he was this close.He grinned, clearly enjoying my reaction. Without warning, his hand moved to cup my face, pulling me towards him for a deep, lingering kiss. His lips, warm and demanding, made me momentarily forget my confusion. My han
The car ride to the wedding was filled with an uncomfortable silence. I stared out of the window, watching the city blur past as my mind raced. I couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight was going to be another one of Thiago’s carefully orchestrated games. He always had a plan—a way to keep me guessing, off-balance, and completely under his control.Thiago sat beside me, calm and composed, his hand resting possessively on my thigh. His touch, though light, felt like a reminder that no matter where we were headed, I was still bound to him.“You’re awfully quiet,” he said, breaking the silence. His voice was smooth, as though he hadn’t just upended my entire day. “Thinking about something?”I glanced at him, the weight of his question heavy in the air. “Just trying to figure out what your angle is,” I replied, my tone sharper than I intended. “You always have one.”His lips curved into a smirk, and he tilted his head slightly, studying me with that unnerving intensity. “You think I need
The days after Thiago left the room felt like they stretched on forever. Every hour seemed to pass more slowly than the last. The weight of his words—those final, desperate declarations of love—still hung in the air like a smog I couldn’t shake off.Victor had stayed close, a constant, reassuring presence that kept me grounded. He helped me process everything that had happened, though I knew that this wasn’t a matter I could resolve easily. I was torn between my feelings for Thiago and the reality of what he’d done to me. I couldn’t ignore the betrayal, but at the same time, I couldn’t dismiss the love I’d once felt for him.I had a decision to make, and it felt like the hardest one of my life. But before I could sort through my emotions, I had to face the truth of what had been uncovered. The deal. The one that Thiago and my mother had made for me. The one that had turned my life into something I didn’t recognize.Sitting at my desk, I sifted through the papers once more, reading the
I stared at my reflection in the grimy mirror of the makeshift bathroom. Bloodstreaked. Tired. Eyes hollow with truths I didn’t want to face.Victor knocked on the doorframe behind me. “You okay?”I wiped my face. “No.”He nodded like he understood. “Lucia’s got the first packet ready. We go live in fifteen.”I followed him back into the main room where three laptops were arrayed in a triangle, each uploading to a different satellite relay.I sat down. Plugged in the USB.The screen blinked.The drive opened.And there it was again—Project HIERARCHY.With shaking fingers, I clicked it.The first document loaded.I stared at it. Then another. Then another.Every page stripped another layer of illusion from Thiago’s empire. Every file was a blade to the throat of the Bermudez dynasty.But it was the last one that froze me.An agreement.A sealed contract between Cynthia Alvarez-Bermudez and the Bermudez Group’s board.I was the asset.Not a wife. Not a partner. A strategic acquisition.
The elevator hummed downward, the red glow of the emergency lights painting everything in blood hues. Victor slumped in the corner, breathing heavily, his white dress shirt soaked with sweat—and possibly someone else's blood.Lucia’s voice crackled in my earpiece.“Bridgette, confirmation: Coral Tower’s lower levels haven’t been accessed in years. I’m sending Marcus with backup, but you’ll get there first.”“Copy,” I whispered.Victor looked at me. “You’re really going through with this.”“I didn’t drag you into the fire to play tour guide,” I snapped. “You’re leading me to that vault.”He coughed out a bitter laugh. “You’re just like your father.”“No,” I said, coldly. “He died protecting secrets. I’m here to burn them down.”When the elevator doors opened, we stepped into a long-forgotten part of Miami. Cracked tiles. Rusted metal gates. And silence that hummed with buried sins. Coral Tower had been built atop one of the first subway expansions—abandoned before it ever saw passenger
By the time we got back to the city, dusk was bleeding into the skyline. Miami looked deceptively calm from above—the ocean lit up with gold reflections, the breeze humming through the palms like a lullaby for liars.Thiago was quiet beside me, scrolling through the encrypted files we recovered from the vault. Lucia and Marcus were already setting up a secure dropbox, but Thiago had found something else—something personal.Victor Rivas had invited me to a private dinner.At our resort.The same place we launched the Bermudez project.“I’m going,” I said flatly as I read the invitation on my phone.Thiago didn’t even lift his gaze. “You’re not going alone.”“I figured,” I muttered. “But he won’t talk if you show up with guns and fury. He’s expecting me. Not us.”“He’s expecting you to be the scared daughter,” Thiago said, his eyes finally meeting mine. “But you’re not. Not anymore.”Lucia appeared in the doorway, heels off, gun holstered, expression sharp. “I’ll have eyes on the floor.
The private jet touched down just after midnight, its wheels kissing the Miami tarmac like a whispered warning.I hadn’t seen this city in years. Not since the funeral.Back then, the air had been thick with grief. Now?It smelled like danger.Thiago’s hand rested on the small of my back as we stepped onto the runway. He was quiet. Controlled. But I could feel the storm behind his eyes.“Security’s already in place,” he said. “The safehouse is prepped.”“I don’t want a cage,” I muttered, my heels clicking across the pavement. “I want answers.”“You’ll get both.”He wasn’t lying.The “safehouse” turned out to be a sleek glass fortress on the edge of Biscayne Bay—one of Thiago’s private properties. The kind you don’t list. The kind you don’t find unless you’re meant to.Inside, everything screamed clean lines and calculated power. Except the silence.Too quiet.Until Lucia stepped out from the shadows.“You’re late,” she said, sipping a blood-orange mimosa like it wasn’t nearly 2 A.M.“
“Bridgette,” Thiago warned, his voice low and lethal. “Don’t move.”I didn’t. Couldn’t. Not when Dante Santoro held that thing in his hand—something that looked like a weapon disguised as a piece of avant-garde tech.“It’s not what you think,” Dante said, stepping around the shattered sculpture pedestal. “But it is dangerous in the wrong hands.”“You are the wrong hands,” I shot back, even though my throat was dry. “You faked your arrest. You let your men burn half the Santoro estate. You disappeared.”He shrugged. “Because they were coming for me. The same people who came for your father.”Thiago’s jaw flexed. “You mean the same people you worked for?”“Worked,” Dante corrected. “Past tense. I was the middleman until I realized they were ready to cut out the middle entirely.”I was shaking—part rage, part adrenaline. “You’re a liar.”“Maybe.” He met my eyes, and I hated how calm he looked. “But I didn’t lie about you.”Thiago moved in front of me slightly, subtle but firm.“I’m not l
You’d think after surviving a gunpoint rescue mission and uncovering an international trafficking ring, I’d get, I don’t know… a week off?Nope.Instead, I was back in designer heels, strutting across the marble floor of the Valmont Gallery like I wasn’t still processing the fact that I’d watched a man get tackled onto a yacht deck three nights ago. The spring exhibit was tonight—the one I’d planned with Victor before Thiago whisked me off to a tropical hellscape of danger and questionable contract clauses.Lucia met me at the entrance in a structured navy jumpsuit that screamed “executive brilliance.”“You look alive,” she said. “Barely, but I’ll take it.”“Thanks, babe. That’s the look I was going for—walking trauma with a highlight.”She handed me a glass of champagne and didn’t ask about what happened in the Maldives. That’s why I loved her.Victor was already inside, schmoozing with board members and high-profile guests. The exhibit was buzzing—glass clinks, curated laughter, the
Angela woke up screaming.It was just after three in the morning. Her voice cracked through the silence like glass breaking, raw and sharp. I bolted upright from the couch, where I’d crashed with a blanket draped over me. Thiago was already standing, alert and focused, as Riley rushed into the room.She was sitting up in bed, soaked in sweat, eyes wide and unfocused, hands trembling.Riley took her hand. “Angela, it’s me. You’re safe.”She looked around like she didn’t recognize us—like the panic was still clinging to her ribs.I stepped forward slowly, hands raised slightly. “You’re safe now. We’ve got you.”She blinked rapidly, and for a moment, I thought she’d break down again—but then she exhaled, a slow and shaky release, and collapsed back against the pillows.“I saw him,” she whispered. “In the dream. I saw him again.”“Who?” I asked.Her lips moved around the name like it hurt to say. “Dante.”Something passed between Thiago and Riley—recognition.“You said he was gone,” Riley
The next morning, I woke before the sun had fully risen. A soft breeze danced through the cabin, lifting the sheer curtain like a whisper. I blinked, feeling Thiago's arm still slung around my waist, heavy and warm. Everything about him felt real now—no longer a dream I feared waking from, but a man I had chosen to love, day after day.I carefully slipped out of bed, pulling on his hoodie and stepping out onto the deck. The sea stretched endlessly before me, painted in strokes of indigo and gold. I wrapped my arms around myself, breathing in the salt air, letting it fill the quiet spaces inside me.I didn’t hear him come up behind me, but I felt him—his presence, solid and grounding."You always run toward the water when you’re thinking too much," he murmured, wrapping his arms around me from behind.I leaned into him. “And you always follow.”His chin rested on my shoulder. “Always.”It could have been a peaceful morning, one filled with stolen kisses and quiet laughter—but fate, as