MAKING A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

Alejandro's words resonated in Sofia's mind, making her heart race.

"You're already in the game. Now you’ve got to decide which side you’re on.'”

Trapped, pinned, like a mouse in a maze. Return to the anger of Hector or enter a world of danger under Alejandro? Neither option looked good.

“I need to think,” she muttered, hardly recognizing her own voice.

The low chuckle of Alejandro sent chills through her body. "Time's up, sweetheart."

His fingers brushed against hers and against her will, Sofia experienced a jolt of electricity. The man was as seductive as he was lethal.

His shadow fell on me as he drew near, and suddenly he loomed. "I don't make offers twice. "Say no and I will let Hector have you.”

Sofia's blood ran cold. It was extortion, plain and simple. But what choice did she have?

She took a shaky breath and whispered: “Okay. I'll do it."

Alejandro smiled triumphantly. "Smart girl."

Before she could back out, he pressed a sleek black phone into her hand. "It's encrypted. If you need something, you call me. Got it?"

Sofia hesitated to take it. In her hand, the device felt heavy, a collar around her neck.

"Got it," she murmured.

Alejandro studied her a moment, then took out a keycard. "Monteverde Tower. Eighth floor. Come over at eight on the dot tomorrow morning.’

Sofia looked down at the card, and she thought about how she would pay the price for this decision. There was no going back now.

“What the hell do you want from me?” she asked, her voice small.

His smile widened; his eyes glittered. "Loyalty."

The way he delivered the line made her pulse race.

Through the window shot the door: it flew open. A large man wearing a dark suit entered with a grim face. Alejandro didn't even flinch.

"What is it?" he said, not breaking his gaze on Sofia.

The man hesitated. "Hector just left. He knows."

Sofia's stomach dropped.

Alejandro sighed, his face growing grim. "Well, that was fast."

He turned back to Sofia, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Change of plans. You’re sleeping on my couch tonight.”

Her heart skipped a beat. "What?"

“Hector is not going to wait until morning. You go home now, you die.'

Sofia breathed in short heaves. “This isn’t what we agreed to.”

Alejandro loomed, bending down close to her. “No, the deal is, whatever I say, the deal is.”

She should've run. She should’ve fought more to get out of this mess.

But gazing into Alejandro’s dark, inscrutable eyes, Sofia knew for sure of one thing — she was already in over her head.

And at night, Sofia had no clue what she would find in Alejandro's universe. What she

didn’t realize was how much her life was about to change.

Alejandro's words, like a cage looming over Sofia, making it impossible to catch her breath.

“You’re sleeping over at my penthouse. _

No room for negotiation. No room for argument.

She should have fought, should have insisted that she could survive on her own. But the weight of the night, the decisions that had been handed to her, had spent her. And deep down inside her she knew Alejandro was right — if Hector believed she’d betrayed him, home was out of the question.

But the prospect of being alone with him made her uneasy in a way that she wasn’t yet used to.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Alejandro’s grin was irritatingly self-assured. "Good. Because I'm not one."

His hand rested on the small of her back — just a touch, but enough to make her skin tingle with hypersensitivity. "Let's go."

Sofia hesitated, but Alejandro never did. He led her from the private lounge and out through the side door of the ballroom with easy authority.

As soon as they reached the outside, the cold night air assaulted her. A glossy black car was parked at the curb. A chauffeur in a starched uniform silently opened the back door.

Alejandro went in first, the rest of him as fluid as his movements.

Sofia hesitated, her heart racing. Was she actually doing this? Stepping into the car of Mexico’s most feared and powerful billionaire? 

You don't have a choice.

She took a quaking breath and stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind her, her fate sealed.

The interior of the car was silent except for the gentle hum of the engine. Sofia hands were in her lap as she tried to think of anything except for the man inches from her.

Alejandro oozed power. Not his title or his money — it was — him. The way he planted his feet, the way he commanded interest without asking.

He was trouble. And not because of who he was supposed to become but something more intimate — he made her feel things she had no business feeling. 

Relax, Alejandro suddenly erupted, breaking the silence.

Sofia frowned at him, scowling. “How am I going to ever relax when I don’t even know what I got myself into?”

Alejandro laughed, low and steady. You earned your way into survival.”

She swallowed. And what did you take away from it?

Alejandro’s gaze scanned past her, impenetrable. "Time will tell."

A shiver rolled through her spine and she shifted her attention to city lights streaking by her window. She didn’t know if she was more scared of Hector’s wrath—or Alejandro’s attention. 

The vehicle drove into an underground parking garage beneath Monteverde Tower—the center of Alejandro’s empire. The instant they closed the doors behind them, Sofia knew there was no way out.

A private elevator was waiting there. Alejandro went first, swiping them in with his keycard. When the doors shut, she felt a strange tension coiling inside her.

The ride was harsh, a little too quiet. She felt him next to her — relaxed, calm and utterly inscrutable.

The doors opened to reveal opulence beyond all Sofia had known. 

The penthouse was a kingdom in the sky. Soaring windows framed Mexico City’s glittering skyline. The decor was modern and slick, and quite expensive, to be sure. Everything screamed power and wealth.

She swallowed. "You live here?"

Alejandro scoffed. "Where else?"

Sofia stepped in cautiously. It felt too slick beneath her feet, the marble floors. The whole space was too grand, too hollow — an empire ruled by a man who had everything, except heart.

Alejandro took off his jacket and threw it over a chair. "Make yourself at home."

She laughed a little, disbelievingly. "Sure. Because that's simple."

He looked at her, his expression funny but penetrating. "You'll get used to it."

Sofia stiffened. “I don’t expect to be here for too long.”

Alejandro's eyes clouded. He took a step closer to her, his weight crushing. "That depends."

Her heart racing, "On what?"

He didn't answer. He did not instead walk over to a cabinet, pull out a bottle of whiskey and pour himself a drink.

You’re in no danger here,” he said casually. “But if Hector’s after you, I got to know.”.

Sofia paused. "Why do you care?

Alejandro drank his drink and watched her over the rim of his glass. “Because you’re mine now.”

Heat rushed into her cheeks. "I am not yours."

He smiled, setting down his glass. “Not in the way that you’re thinking.

Sofia tightened her fists. He was insufferable—overconfident, bossy, and much too good looking for her own good. 

She needed to get a handle on things before he took it all over.

What's next?" she folded her arms and said.

Alejandro appraised her with a gaze that lingered perhaps a fraction too long. "Now you sleep. Tomorrow you work for me."

Sofia winced at the way he spoke as if it were a done deal. Like she had no will of her own.

“I have no idea what my job is.”

"You'll learn."

She gasped. “Do I at the very least have a room of my own?”

Alejandro's mouth quivered. "Of course. Did you think I was gonna have you sleep in my bed?

Heat rose up her neck. "I—I wasn't thinking that."

He stepped a little closer, into her personal space. "Good," he whispered. “Because if that is true… I would have to remind you that I do not take what is not given freely.”

A pregnant pause stretched between them. He was too close. Too intense. Too everything. Sofia swallowed hard and tried to will her heart to beat slower. She had to get away from him before she did something stupid — like give in to the dangerous pull thrumming between them.

Alejandro grinned, clearly enjoying her discomfort. “Your room’s down the hall. Close your door if that will make you feel safer.”

She scowled at him. "I will." With that, she turned on her heels and left him, refusing to let him see how shaky her legs were. But it was still there as she closed the door, her forehead on the cool wood, his presence lingering in the air. She was in his world. And she was not sure she would ever escape. 

 What does Sofia discover at Monteverde Tower? And what does Alejandro need her so close for?