~Nothing to Find~Andrès hung up the phone, the call with Carlos still lingering in his mind, leaving him slightly annoyed. But rather than letting it occupy his thoughts, he decided to set it aside. Carlos could say what he wanted, but Andrès had his own path to carve out, and he wasn't about to let anyone-family or otherwise-dictate his way of running things.With a quick shake of his head, he refocused and picked up his phone, calling his Pa to track down Joyce. After a few moments, Pa confirmed she was on her way. Andrès leaned back in his chair, letting his mind wander briefly as he waited. He'd asked Joyce to dig into Carlos's background, and he was eager to hear what she'd uncovered. Carlos seemed to pop into his life out of nowhere, and while he was supposedly family, Andrès knew better than to accept anyone's word without proof.A light knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and Joyce stepped in. Joyce had a way of handling things that put him at ease, but she also had a
~Hit and Run~Less than an hour after Joyce left his office, Andrès's phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw an unknown number, but something in his gut told him to pick up. The voice on the other end-a calm yet urgent tone-introduced themselves as a nurse at the nearby hospital, informing him that Joyce had been involved in a hit-and-run and was listed as critical. They'd called him as her emergency contact.For a moment, he froze, processing the words. Hit-and-run. Critical condition. The meaning of those words were scary, and then suddenly, he was moving-grabbing his keys and rushing out the door, not bothering to tell his guards or even lock up behind him. He didn't think twice. In that moment, nothing mattered except getting to her.The drive to the hospital was a blur, each red light and obstacle on the road adding to his growing frustration. His mind raced with questions. Who would do this? Why now? And most importantly-was she going to be okay?After what felt like an eter
~Cryptic Message~As Andrès drove home, trying to focus on the road while his mind raced with plans for revenge, his phone buzzed. Glancing down, he saw an anonymous text message lighting up the screen. The words made his blood run cold:"I hope you listen now."He gripped the steering wheel tighter, feeling a surge of anger and indignation. This message was no coincidence; it was a direct taunt from whoever had orchestrated the hit-and-run that put Joyce in the hospital. They wanted him to know they weren't afraid, that they were willing to cross lines to get what they wanted-and they expected him to bend under the pressure.But they had made a grave error.Andrès pulled over to the side of the road, his mind racing. He quickly scanned the message, analyzing each word, trying to find any hidden clues. "Listen now." What was it they wanted him to understand, or submit to? The message was cryptic, but one thing was clear-they were sending him a warning. And by involving Joyce, they'd c
~Stay With Me~The next morning, Andrès walked briskly down the sterile white halls of the hospital, his shoes echoing against the polished floor. He was anxious to see Joyce-hoping she was doing better already and eager to speak with her face-to-face.When he reached her room, he knocked softly and then entered, finding her sitting up in bed, looking much more alert than the day before. She glanced up at him with a faint smile."You look better," he said with a hint of relief, moving closer to her bed. "How are you feeling?""Like I've been hit by a truck," Joyce replied, managing a chuckle. "But honestly, a lot better than yesterday. They've been giving me enough medication to make sure I'm not in too much pain."He nodded, pleased to hear it. "Good. I didn't sleep much last night, worrying about you."Joyce raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise passing across her face. "I didn't realize I was that important."Andrès hesitated, then cleared his throat. "Joyce, someone clearly tar
~Not All That Glitters is Gold~"Damn it, Andrès!" Emilia yelled at her husband in a fury. "What is this, Emilia? What are you getting so worked up about?" Andrès inquired, his voice tinged with confusion. "Are you actually slow? Or are you just pretending to be slow? She spat, with no remorse. "I am neither, but I need you to explain what this is about." Andrès requested. "Oh, Sweet Lord..." Emilia became frustrated and rubbed her tempo. "My friends always go shopping for nice things and take vacations with their husbands." Here I am, being mocked at every chance they get for being so broke and sticking to your sorry ass." She nagged. Andrès understood why she was fighting after hearing what she said, but he still did not get her point. She seemed to be trying to insinuate something, but she had not quite nailed it. Her nagging eventually became an echo in the room, but he still needed her to relax and understand him. He needed her to understand that not everything that gl
~The Offer~The air was crisp and birds chirped around, their melodies wearing through the morning.Andrès stirred awake as his alarm rang, breaking the dawn of day. He got up from the bed and had a quick shower in preparation for the start of a new day.In a few minutes, he was done with his bath and hastily dressed up for work. His favorite part of the day was dressing up and going to work. After getting dressed, he wasted no time in leaving the house. As soon as he got out of his apartment, he hailed a taxi and told him the location of his office. The drive to work was a very smooth one and in about thirty minutes, he got to work.The second he arrived at work, he headed into the office in anticipation of seeing Emilia inside the office.He pushed the elevator button to the top floor, in less than a minute, the elevator dinged and he made his way out. He looked around to see if Emilia was around but he felt disappointed when the only person he saw was Gael.He made his way to G
~Fury~Don Simon fixed his gaze on him and a tired smile played on his lips, "sit" Andrès walked back into the office and sat down on the chair opposite Don Simon."I am not getting any younger Andrès, and I have had an unhealthy eating habit in my younger years. I will be going for a heart surgery and the chances of me coming back is very slim. My survival rate is 50/50. As you are well aware, I have no family at all. I love you like a son which is why i will transfer the ownership of the company to you and put it in your name. I will also_"Andrès instantly felt a lump in his throat, "No, you can't do that. I am not worth it." Andrès interrupted Don Simon."That is your low self esteem speaking, you deserve everything good in life. Better than this in fact. Not to debate on this, just see it as you keeping it for me. Take care of it, nurture it. Then you can give it back when I return." Don Simon suggested.Andrès still felt uncomfortable with that. He loves his boss so much and in
~The Tea~Andrès did not take offense to it because he was well aware of her temper and she only just returned, he didn't want her to leave again. With a click of his tongue, he turned to her. "I wanted to talk to you first. I'll accept the offer tomorrow." He said to her, only to cool off the tension in the air.He just wanted a peaceful night and that was the only way to get it. She smiled and hugged him tightly, happy that he changed his mind.The rest of the night went on well and they had a good time before going to bed.Both of them overslept, for some reason they didn't hear the alarm ring.“Shit!” Andrès exclaimed when he saw the time.He hurried out of bed and woke Emilia up too. They both hurriedly prepared for work and headed out without delay.Married to his wife, Emilia, he was quite confident that everything in the world was well and good, because his wife was a catch, he had a steady job and income and everything was perfect in those moments. Something that Andrès see
~Stay With Me~The next morning, Andrès walked briskly down the sterile white halls of the hospital, his shoes echoing against the polished floor. He was anxious to see Joyce-hoping she was doing better already and eager to speak with her face-to-face.When he reached her room, he knocked softly and then entered, finding her sitting up in bed, looking much more alert than the day before. She glanced up at him with a faint smile."You look better," he said with a hint of relief, moving closer to her bed. "How are you feeling?""Like I've been hit by a truck," Joyce replied, managing a chuckle. "But honestly, a lot better than yesterday. They've been giving me enough medication to make sure I'm not in too much pain."He nodded, pleased to hear it. "Good. I didn't sleep much last night, worrying about you."Joyce raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise passing across her face. "I didn't realize I was that important."Andrès hesitated, then cleared his throat. "Joyce, someone clearly tar
~Cryptic Message~As Andrès drove home, trying to focus on the road while his mind raced with plans for revenge, his phone buzzed. Glancing down, he saw an anonymous text message lighting up the screen. The words made his blood run cold:"I hope you listen now."He gripped the steering wheel tighter, feeling a surge of anger and indignation. This message was no coincidence; it was a direct taunt from whoever had orchestrated the hit-and-run that put Joyce in the hospital. They wanted him to know they weren't afraid, that they were willing to cross lines to get what they wanted-and they expected him to bend under the pressure.But they had made a grave error.Andrès pulled over to the side of the road, his mind racing. He quickly scanned the message, analyzing each word, trying to find any hidden clues. "Listen now." What was it they wanted him to understand, or submit to? The message was cryptic, but one thing was clear-they were sending him a warning. And by involving Joyce, they'd c
~Hit and Run~Less than an hour after Joyce left his office, Andrès's phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw an unknown number, but something in his gut told him to pick up. The voice on the other end-a calm yet urgent tone-introduced themselves as a nurse at the nearby hospital, informing him that Joyce had been involved in a hit-and-run and was listed as critical. They'd called him as her emergency contact.For a moment, he froze, processing the words. Hit-and-run. Critical condition. The meaning of those words were scary, and then suddenly, he was moving-grabbing his keys and rushing out the door, not bothering to tell his guards or even lock up behind him. He didn't think twice. In that moment, nothing mattered except getting to her.The drive to the hospital was a blur, each red light and obstacle on the road adding to his growing frustration. His mind raced with questions. Who would do this? Why now? And most importantly-was she going to be okay?After what felt like an eter
~Nothing to Find~Andrès hung up the phone, the call with Carlos still lingering in his mind, leaving him slightly annoyed. But rather than letting it occupy his thoughts, he decided to set it aside. Carlos could say what he wanted, but Andrès had his own path to carve out, and he wasn't about to let anyone-family or otherwise-dictate his way of running things.With a quick shake of his head, he refocused and picked up his phone, calling his Pa to track down Joyce. After a few moments, Pa confirmed she was on her way. Andrès leaned back in his chair, letting his mind wander briefly as he waited. He'd asked Joyce to dig into Carlos's background, and he was eager to hear what she'd uncovered. Carlos seemed to pop into his life out of nowhere, and while he was supposedly family, Andrès knew better than to accept anyone's word without proof.A light knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and Joyce stepped in. Joyce had a way of handling things that put him at ease, but she also had a
~My Rules~Carlos sat back in his chair, letting the silence hang in the air as he processed what had just transpired. The other members of the Table shifted uncomfortably, their expressions wary. Finally, Carlos cleared his throat and spoke, his voice a mix of reassurance and confidence, even if it was just for show."I'll handle it," he said, breaking the silence that had settled over them. "Andrès is... adjusting. He has his own way of doing things, but I'll speak with him. We'll sort this out."Some of the men nodded, though Carlos could see they weren't entirely convinced. They had just witnessed the fire in Andrès's eyes, his absolute refusal to be controlled. Carlos stood and gave a brief nod to the group. Without another word, he made his way out of the club, feeling the weight of their eyes on his back.When he got outside, he climbed into his car, shut the door, and immediately pulled out his phone. Dialing Andrès's number, he leaned back in his seat, waiting for his son to
~I'm The Boss~As dawn broke, Mateo walked into Andrès's office with a grim, determined look on his face. He had news, and by the look of him, it wasn't the kind anyone would take lightly."We got him, boss," he announced simply. Andrès looked up, his expression unreadable, but Mateo knew his boss well enough to know that he was already anticipating the rest."Who was it?" Andrès asked, barely containing his anger.Mateo straightened. "One of the Table's own informants. They sent him to sniff around our operation. He thought he was clever, but I made sure he realized his mistake." Mateo's eyes hardened, hinting at just how "final" the lesson had been.Andrès nodded, taking it in, his jaw clenching as he processed the betrayal. He took a deep breath, his voice low and cold. "Good. They need to know who they're dealing with. Arrange a meeting with the Table," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for debate. "And make sure Carlos is there. I want him to see this up close."Mateo gave a t
After a long day, Andrès had a long hot shower before heading to bed. He laid down, facing the ceiling as he tried to get some rest. He was yet to get some since Elijah's death. It was almost as if he tried to keep himself busy, just to keep his mind off it. Andrès stared at the ceiling, his mind racing. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Carlos's face, heard his words echoing in his mind–I'm your father. How many lies had he been living under without even knowing it? What kind of games was Carlos playing? It didn't make any sense and with how his life turned out since Emily and Gael betrayed him, Carlos turning up as his father looked a little too convenient. He grabbed his phone and dialed Joyce's number without a second thought. The phone rang a few times before her sleepy voice answered."Andrès?" she mumbled, trying to shake off sleep."I need you here first thing in the morning, Joyce," he said, unable to keep the urgency out of his voice. "It's important."There was a brie
~Passage~A few days had passed since Andrès and Carlos had struck their agreement, and Andrès found himself summoned to a private club downtown. "The Table" requested a meeting . It was an exclusive gathering spot, meant only for the most trusted and powerful figures in their line of business. As Andrès walked in, the atmosphere felt heavy, charged with a mix of curiosity and skepticism that only grew as the men at the table sized him up. Each of them held their own power, wealth, and influence-and now, Andrès had a seat among them.Carlos motioned him over to an empty chair. "Gentlemen, meet my son, Andrès," he introduced, his voice calm but carrying an edge of authority. The others nodded, some with interest, others with unreadable expressions. Andrès took his seat, meeting each of their eyes in turn, feeling their scrutiny."Good to meet you again," one of the men said, leaning back with a smirk. "Carlos has spoken highly of you. Now, let's see if you can live up to it.""Apprecia
~Deal~"Good," Andrès said, the tension in his shoulders easing ever so slightly. "I want this done by the end of the day."Joyce gave a firm nod, understanding the gravity of his directive. "I'll get on it right away." She turned to leave but then paused, a hint of hesitation crossing her face.He noticed and raised an eyebrow. "Something else on your mind?"Joyce glanced back, her expression unreadable. "Only that if this competitor is willing to go as far as threats, they may try to undermine you in other ways too. It might be wise to keep a close watch on anyone connected to the deal."Andrès tilted his head, impressed by her perceptiveness. "Noted. Do what you need to ensure it goes smoothly. I trust you, Joyce."She gave him a brief, confident smile. "I'll update you as soon as I have confirmation from the seller."With that, she left his office, already dialing the phone to get in touch with the accountant and the seller. Andrès watched her go, feeling a mix of frustration and