Alejandro's hand turned into a fist as he gritted his teeth. He hated what he was seeing but couldn't tell who he was angry with.Aria was busy with her duties the next day just as usual, cleaning the bathroom like she had always done when Mark appeared, messing up what she was cleaning. She had her eyes on the floor without a word and kept cleaning, hoping to avoid every single issue that could pop up, but Mark didn't appreciate that. "How dare you ignore my presence? Have you forgotten I can make you disappear?" He asked her, and she knelt, hoping he saw that she didn't want trouble."I'm sorry if you are hurt. I see your presence and I'm grateful. I very well acknowledge your presence." She said to him without looking into his eyes.He was a little bit pissed that she was avoiding his gaze, so he got closer and raised her chin, wanting her to look into his eyes, but she tried to avoid it. "Why do you always act like you are special? You aren't special Aria. You are nothing but a pu
The sight in front of him was one he couldn't believe. He had done a lot of bad things in his life but this was just out of it. Aria was in shock as she then had her eyes covered. The men were seven in number. The drinks in their hands had been drugged by Alejandro, and yes, they could only get themselves back by using Mark because they were gays, and they also had Alejandro's permission. Each of them took turns raping Mark in the Anus and aggressively. "Ahhh!!!" He screamed and begged that he get set free, but this man didn't care. The fifth one could not tolerate his house, so he took out some part of his cloth that had been cut and used it to tie up his mouth so he wouldn't hear a thing, but he still heard because Mark was in pain and his screams couldn't contain just his body alone. After about three hours, these men finally got themselves and stopped, the drugs leaving their bodies. They took out the clothes in his mouth and loosed him from the wall, causing him to fall to the fl
They enveloped her and bundled her back to the mansion. The moment they got inside, they walked straight to a room called Alejandro's chamber and dropped her on the floor. She looked up and saw Alejandro. The moment their eyes locked, she froze and looked at the floor. "Leave!" He ordered his men and walked out of the chamber. It was now just him and Aria in there. "What did I do so wrong that made you do that?" He asked her and she froze. She couldn't understand why he was being so calm. "I made you a queen in here and made everyone around get their eyes off you and all you are going to do is throw that away?" He asked her and she shook her head."I'm sorry! I just don't want to be a part of this craziness. Everyone is going mad in here. You are killing people and others are killing others. I now see blood every day of my life, just like I drink water every day, and it hurts. Please just let me go. I promise I won't do anything out of line if I leave just let me get the fuck out of h
Seeing her smile from ear to ear gave Maria deep happiness from within. It was rare to see Aria in this mood. "Don't ever stop smiling." She said to her and Aria's smile widened. The next day, Aria decided to do some cleaning. She got into the private bar in the mansion and was cleaning the wine counter when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned back and was surprised to see Alejandro. "You don't have to be so stressed." He said to her, a bit displeased that she was seriously getting the bar cleaned up when he had maids to do that for him."I really want to. It's the best I can do to help out or I will get very bored." She replied to him, and he smiled."Here! Have this! It will help you relax. It has ten percent alcohol in it, so yeah, be a bit careful when taking it, okay." He said handing a drink to her.She smiled and left with it after cleaning up. "Who has this señiorita? How did it get into your room?" Maria asked her and she smiled."It belongs to me now. Alejandro gave it
She soon remembered that she'd got a lot of work to do that day, so she struggled and got up. After showering, she got into the kitchen but kept losing her focus whenever she thought about what might have occurred between her and Juan. She couldn't remember a thing and she couldn't blame him either because she was certain that it was her fault. Her mind was so messed up that she had no idea someone was behind her until she got tapped. She flinched and turned only to see Aria. "What's wrong?" Aria asked her, surprised to see that she was absentminded which was unlike her."Aria I have made a very big mistake. I don't even think I will ever be able to get myself out of this." She hugged Aria who stood there, surprised."I don't understand. There is no mistake that can't be corrected." She said to her and held her."I did it with Juan last night!" She opened up to Aria. Juan?Aria definitely knew who that was but what she did with him was something she was yet to understand. "What are y
"What do I do? Oh God!" She said as she then walked into her bed and tucked herself in even though she knew that closing her eyes was going to be a big deal for her that night. She woke up the next morning with a heavy heart and folded her head on the bed for a while thinking about herself and her life in the mansion. After freshening up, she looked at the clock and saw that it was just 6:30 am. She then left her room with the tiny bottle and made her way into Aria's room. "Good morning!" She greeted Aria, who seemed to have woken up earlier and was taking care of her hair in front of her mirror, her skin so pure and her eyes so bright that Maria thought it would be so evil to try to end such a beautiful soul."Morning!" Aria replied cheekily, and after she was done, she ran to Maria and hugged her. Last night was cold. I wished I was out there, I would have gotten myself a good relationship and wouldn't have to feel the way I was feeling last night." She said to Maria. Aria clearly
One week had passed since the incident, and Maria had gotten over the trauma of being placed in a position to poison someone. "You should get my room cleaned after you are done. The other maid did complete trash hours ago." Valentine instructed Maria in the sitting room and walked away. Maria's brows furrowed as she wondered what Valentine had up her sleeves. She just hoped there wasn't any weapon they aimed at her. On realizing what she was thinking, she smiled. There was no way Valentine could murder her in cold blood right in the mansion. The only person to do that was Alejandro or someone else, but it must be under Alejandro's permission.She walked into Valentine's room right after cleaning the sitting room. She cleaned up the whole place even though she didn't think the room was messed up. After she was done, he walked out of the room and proceeded to clean the long passage that looked a little bit dusty due to the people in the mansion walking past it.****"Maria!!!!" Valentin
"Are you freaking kidding me right now? Do you love her?" She questioned, but he didn't answer. "Talk to me. Just tell me you do. I promise to leave and never return.""it's not about me loving her. It's about doing what's right and rebuking what's wrong." He replied nonchalantly. "I see!" She replied, not seeing a reason to continue the conversation anymore. She then walked away and rushed to the pool reserved for just her in the whole mansion. The moment she got to the edge, she jumped into the pool and started swimming, her body moving like a fish in the water. She got out of the water feeling better, and when she looked up, her worst nightmare, Aria, was walking by with Maria gisting and giggling. They were now so free, so free that they walked around with the vibe that aired that they ruled the mansion. Taking a deep breath, she took half of her body out of the water. "Hi, Aria!" She waved, and Aria turned only to see her smiling and waving at her.Aria was stunned.That wasn't
The night was thick with silence, but Aria’s heart was anything but still. She sat by the large bay window in her room, knees pulled to her chest, watching the stars blur through the film of unshed tears. Alejandro’s words from the garden echoed in her mind like a song she couldn’t stop humming. She wanted to believe him, God knew she did, but believing meant opening herself again to the kind of pain she wasn’t sure she could survive twice. It meant risking everything she had become, everything she had built inside herself since the moment he turned her life upside down. And still, some small, stubborn part of her ached for his touch, for the warmth that only he ever made her feel. That was the cruel truth her body still remembered what her mind was trying to forget.Down the hallway, Alejandro stood in front of his bedroom door, hand raised, knuckles grazing the surface but never knocking. He had said what he needed to say, and she had asked for time. He had to respect that. But pati
Alejandro sat in the darkened study, the amber glow of the fireplace casting flickering shadows across the walls. His hand gripped the edge of the desk, knuckles white, heart thundering like a storm trapped inside a cage. Aria’s face haunted him, her eyes no longer filled with trust, now brimmed with doubt and pain. And it wasn’t just about the secrets. It was about the silence. The silence that had widened the gulf between them until he couldn’t recognize the bridge they once stood on together. He had promised to protect her, yet the world he built to keep her safe had become the very thing tearing her apart. Alejandro could almost hear her voice, the tremble, the crack when she asked him if he ever truly loved her, or if she’d just been another pawn in his empire’s twisted game.Outside the door, Valentina paced like a storm cloud, her heels sharp against the marble floor. She had seen enough of men like Alejandro cold, controlled, calculating. But this time was different. She had s
The forest was eerily quiet as dawn bled through the twisted silhouettes of trees. A thick mist hugged the earth, softening the edges of bloodshed and ash that had stained the night. Alejandro sat by the fire they barely had time to light, his eyes locked on the flames like they might offer absolution. Across from him, Aria wrapped a torn blanket around her shoulders, shivering not from the cold but from the storm inside her chest. Jace was resting nearby, his wound stitched with trembling hands and the pain dulled by makeshift medication. For now, they were alive. But they were cornered.Aria's mind wouldn’t rest. Dario’s words echoed relentlessly: "She doesn't even know what she's carrying." What did it mean? She stared at the data drive again, holding it as if it might explode with answers. Somewhere within its encrypted layers lay a truth powerful enough to drive a cartel mad. A truth they were now willing to kill for.Alejandro noticed her grip tightening and stood, walking to he
The night air was thick with tension, so much that it clung to Aria’s skin like a second layer. The distant crunch of footsteps on gravel made her grip the pistol tighter. Every shadow seemed to pulse with danger, every sound a possible threat. From where she crouched beside the jagged cliff edge, she could make out the dark shapes of their enemies disembarking from the boat, weapons drawn, eyes sweeping the terrain.Beside her, Alejandro’s breathing was calm, calculated. He crouched low, his back against the rocks, a rifle balanced on his knee. Though the moment was dire, there was a stillness in him, like the eye of a storm. His hand brushed Aria’s shoulder gently a silent promise that they would survive this. Not just for themselves, but for everything they had endured together.She turned to look at him, their eyes locking in the darkness. His gaze held fire, but beneath it, she caught something unexpected. Regret.“Alejandro,” she whispered, “if we don’t make it ”“We will,” he c
The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale glow over the water, but the night felt darker now heavier. Aria’s breath came in shallow bursts as the boat jolted through the waves. Every second felt like an eternity as the engines of their pursuers roared in the distance. The sound was a constant reminder of the danger they were in. But even as they neared the narrow mouth of the cove, there was a sense of urgency in the air. This was it the moment of reckoning.Alejandro stood tall, his figure unwavering against the pressure that weighed down on them. His eyes never left the distant horizon as he clutched the wheel, steering them with precision and determination. He was a man used to fighting for survival, but Aria had seen enough of his vulnerability over the past weeks to understand that even he didn’t know if they would make it out of this alive."We’re almost there," Jace called out from the back of the boat, his voice strained. "But they’re right behind us. We won’t have time to
The boat rocked gently in the moonlight, its hull cutting through the water like a knife slicing through soft fabric. The soft sound of waves was a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded hours before. Aria stood at the edge, her hands gripping the cold metal of the railing as she looked out over the vast ocean. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, much like the storm that raged inside her.Alejandro stood behind her, his presence solid, unwavering. He hadn’t spoken much since the ambush, his mind undoubtedly weighed down by the same fears and worries that gripped her chest. But he had said one thing that had lingered in her mind: "We can’t keep running."She couldn’t help but wonder if he was right."We need to face him," Alejandro had said earlier, his voice low but certain. "Santiago will never stop. He’s too dangerous, and now that we’re marked, there’s no escaping it."But how did one face a man like Santiago De La Cruz? A man who had no morals, no hesitation, and no fear in h
The morning crept in like a thief, casting a faint glow over the broken windows and dust-covered floors. Aria sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as if she could wipe away the exhaustion that clung to her bones. She hadn't slept not really. She'd closed her eyes, listened to Alejandro’s soft, steady breathing beside her, and tried to convince herself they were safe. But her mind had spun in endless circles, haunted by what might come next.Alejandro was already up, pacing near the window. His shirt was wrinkled, his jaw unshaven, and his eyes had that dark gleam again the one that made her nervous, the one that said something had shifted inside him overnight.“What are you thinking?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.He didn’t turn to look at her. “I’m thinking we might not have as much time as I hoped.”Aria swung her legs off the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor. “Why? What happened?”“There was a black SUV parked on the road this morning,” he said. “It wasn’t there
Aria stood by the car, her heart racing as Alejandro moved toward the house. The darkness around her felt suffocating, and the air, thick with silence, seemed to press in on her from every side. She watched Alejandro’s silhouette disappear into the shadows, his movements deliberate, confident, but there was something about his presence that felt fragile, as though the weight of everything that had been left unsaid was finally beginning to break through.Her mind churned with questions—questions she couldn’t yet answer. Why this house? Why was it abandoned? Who was he running from, really? And why was she, too, caught up in this whirlwind of chaos and danger? She had no answers, and the uncertainty gnawed at her, making her feel more isolated than ever.She hugged her arms to her chest, her eyes scanning the property. The house loomed before her, its broken windows and decaying structure standing like a silent sentinel in the night. The wind howled through the trees, a mournful sound t
The night seemed to stretch on forever, the hum of the engine becoming a low, constant reminder of the tension that hung thick between Aria and Alejandro. They were driving into the unknown, each mile taking them further from the world they had once known, but closer to something darker, something that Aria couldn’t quite understand.Alejandro’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles pale as he navigated the road with a precision that spoke of years of experience. But despite the calm exterior, Aria could see the tension in his jaw, the way his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror every few seconds. They were being followed—she could feel it. And she had a sinking feeling that this was just the beginning.The phone call had left a bitter taste in the air, and Alejandro hadn’t spoken since. He had only snapped the phone shut and tossed it onto the passenger seat beside him, his gaze locked on the road ahead.Aria, unsure of what to say, sat in silence, her fingers nervously