THE TRAP

The heavy thudding beat of the music thumped through the big ballroom, but Alejandro Monteverde hardly registered it. His sharp eyes glanced over Mexico’s gleaming elite, but his focus was on one man in particular — Hector Alvarez. His rival. His foe. The man who had spent six months trying to take him down.

Alejandro straightened the cuff of his fitted black suit, his movements stiff, intentional. He had played this power game long enough to know tonight was the decisive moment. Hector thought he was calling the shots, but Alejandro had already turned the game upside down.

Then his gaze jumped to her.

Far down the ballroom, there was a woman fidgeting with her grip on a tray of champagne glasses. She was not dressed like the other women who scurried to such affairs — black and simple, sleek — yet light-years beyond the other women’s finery. She stood out, yet something about her intrigued him.

Sofia Delgado didn’t belong at a charity auction with billionaires. She was there only because her boss had pressured her into overseeing guest arrangements. From the instant she entered the ornate Monteverde mansion, she knew she was as out of her league as a fish out of water.

And now she was in hot water.

"Excuse me." A low, resonant voice pierced the din.

Sofia spun around — and nearly dropped the tray.

Alejandro Monteverde towered above her, his black eyes flashing with an intensity that stole her breath. She had been jolted to attention, as if she had just touched a live wire.

"Who are you?" he muttered, his voice low and oily, but laced with something uncensorable.

Sofia gulped hard. "I—I work for Mr. Ramirez."

Her boss’s name darkened Alejandro’s eyes. Ramirez was one of Hector’s strongest supporters. It was no coincidence.

She tried to move out of the way, but a relentless grip closed like a vise around her wrist. Sofia's breath was snagged.

“You’re coming with me,” Alejandro said, his voice allowing for no argument.

"What? I can't—

He leaned closer, his scent—power with an afwful addictive undertone—invading her senses. “You just heard something you weren’t supposed to.”

Sofia's heart was pounding. "I don't even know what—"

"Doesn't matter." His fingers closed just tightly enough to let her feel his strength. “Now walk out of here by yourself, or do you want me to walk you out?”

Panic flared in her chest. "Are you threatening me?"

Alejandro laughed sneeringly, though there was no smile in his eyes. “I don’t threaten, sweetheart. I take."

He shoved her before she could object, through a side door, out of the ballroom, into the darkness.

The night was young.

What does Alejandro want fr

om Sofía? And what did she overhear just now?

That heart raced when Alejandro led her away from the sparkling ballroom into a dim corridor. He held her wrist tightly, but not painfully, a commanding aura that made it clear he always got his way.

She teetered along in her heels, attempting to keep pace. "Where are you taking me?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Without breaking pace, Alejandro said, “Somewhere we can talk in private.”

A sense of fear closed around Sofia’s chest. This was madness. She only showed up to this event because her boss ordered her to, and now Mexico’s richest man was treating her like a chess piece in some shadowy game.

They visited the private lounge. Alejandro stood up, opened the door, and led her in.

The instant the door clicked shut, Sofia spun around to face him. “Look, I don’t know what you think I heard, but I was just doing my job. I wasn't spying on anyone."

Alejandro regarded her silently, then took out his phone. He nudged the screen and displayed it for her.

Sofia's stomach dropped.

But it was of her: standing with a gaggle of powerful men — including her boss, Hector Alvarez, and Alejandro himself. She had not been aware that she was so near them.

The audio was very fuzzy, but Alejandro's voice came over strong:

“If Hector believes he can rob me and go on with his life without consequence, he’s a damn fool.

Sofia's breath caught. She’d been right there before Hector stomped off.

"Now you see the issue?" Alejandro said smoothly, slipping his phone into his pocket.

“I—I didn’t hear anything important,” Sofia stammered.

Alejandro's lips quirked. "That doesn't matter. Hector thinks you did."

Sofia turned pale.

Her boss — the man who signed her paychecks — believed she was eavesdropping on a discussion that could destroy him? If Alejandro viewed her as a threat, so would Hector.

"What... what are you going to do?" she asked nervously.

Alejandro was bearing down on me. "That's up to you."

She flinched as his fingers smoothed over her wrist again, more careful this time. “Do you want to die, Sofia? You have two choices.

“Number one—You go back out there, and you don’t work in this city again come morning, Hector guarantees it.”

Her stomach twisted. She knew what that meant. Hector was merciless. He wouldn’t just fire her, if he believed she’d betrayed him — he’d ruin her.

"Or?" she whispered.

Alejandro cocked his head, his dark eyes glinting. "You work for me now."

Sofia's breath caught. "What?"

“I want a personal secretary,” Alejandro went on. "Someone within my company. Someone I can trust to help me monitor Hector.”

Sofia's heart pounded. "You want me to spy on him?"

Alejandro laughed, low and dangerous. "I don't need a spy. I need insurance."

Her mind raced. This was crazy. Working with Alejandro Monteverde? He was a ruthless man, a businessman whom some both feared and worshipped.

But if she didn’t refuse, would Hector go after her? And she wouldn’t stand a chance.

Sofia swallowed hard. "And if I say yes?"

Alejandro smiled knowingly, his lips curling. “Then you will be under my protection.

The way he said it chilled her to the bone. Protection. From Hector. From everything.

But at what price?

Before she could respond, Alejandro had reached over, brushing aside a loose strand of hair from her face. His touch was feather-soft, yet it sent an unaccustomed thrill through her.

“You’re already part of this, Sofia,” he murmured. “Now you have to choose sides.”

Sofia’s breath quivered as she looked up at him. There was no way out.

Will Sofia accept Alejandro’s deal, or will she put herself in jeopardy of Hector’s wrath?