Alejandro hated Jace so much that it took him a while to want to see one of his men. Finally, he walked into a special room he had created in the basement and welcomed himself by throwing a punch to his face. "Argh!!" He groaned in pain and Alejandro sat on a chair facing him. Juan walked into the room with another chain and added it to the ones already placed on him. "What's his name?" Alejandro asked Juan."I heard he is Blade," Juan replied and Alejandro's brows moved a bit. "Be must be an important person in the group then. What's up Blade?" He said and brought out his hand for a handshake with Blade. "oh you are caged in my basement. I forgot that. You are also bleeding. That's very disappointing for a man with the name Blade." He mocked Blade who was seated almost lifeless on the chair. After a while, Juan noticed that the blood pouring on the floor was unusual. "I think he needs to get treated," Juan said, and when Alejandro noticed it too, he agreed and left the room, leav
Blade was finding it hard to bear the pain he was having to go through. Seeing as there was no one in the room with him, his eyes darted around. He had the urge to cough, but he couldn't let it out loudly to avoid the attention of his enemies, so he did his best to suppress it even though the feeling in his chest left him haunted. At this point, he was having lots of regrets as he wished that he had done better during the operation. Who would have thought that Alejandro was going to appear with his cartel to cause commotion? He thought about how Jace could be feeling and couldn't help but be curious about how he was probably reacting to his abduction. Outside of the room was Aria, who had been hearing the sounds of a man's voice, and just like she had suspected, a man was being tortured inside that room. She was so curious as to know who it was. The last thing she wanted to hear or see was her brother being tortured. She'd rather take the pain for him to live. As she was about to ope
But she just said "Jace."His whole mind was in a mess. What other reason could she have for calling Jace's name while they were intimate? He thought as he turned on his system and started doing things to distract himself. Two days passed yet Alejandro was finding it hard to get over what he had heard from Valentine. He had not gone back into that room since then even though it was his. He couldn't stand her face either. It was still very early in the morning, and he had decided to eat early before he got himself locked up again. Sitting on the dining chair and having his breakfast, he felt someone touch his shoulder. "Are you avoiding me? I had it hot last time and is yet to get over it." She whispered in his ear from behind. He took a deep breath, doing everything he could to remain calm and not talk about his anger. What the hell was she talking about? The sex with an imaginary Jace? He couldn't believe he had been fooled for as long as he couldn't even tell. "I'm having breakfas
It was 3 pm yet she wasn't sure she could get every work done. This was gradually causing her frustration.Alejandro was watching a map with Juan when a message popped up on his phone screen. He opened it and read it with Juan. They looked at each other in surprise. "We need to leave!" Juan said to him and he nodded his head.The maids in the mansion were shocked to see Alejandro and Juan storm out of the mansion with all their men and the moment the gate closed, excitement super into their veins. "Are we going to stand here and just watch now that they are gone or should we go ahead and help our sister so she won't get eliminated?" Maria's voice was heard in the building, and the whole maids agreed in excitement as they then rushed out of the building and ran to the garden and surrounded Aria, who was already on the floor feeling drained. Seeing her fellow maids, she got up from the floor in surprise and watched them pick up several water pipes and start assisting her. "Relax Señiori
Aria stood starstruck as Valentine walked past her and slammed the kitchen door. She staggered back a bit. Maria's words then rang in her head. "Was that what she meant by if it were in my power, I wouldn't wish to know her?" She thought and quickly left the kitchen in search of Maria, who she later found close to the swimming pool, cleaning the floor like it was the bedroom. "Maria!" She called out and the moment Maria saw her, she ran to her and hugged her really tight. "If you ever wish for freedom in your life, don't give up. The universe will bless you with it." Aria muttered to her, and she stared at Aria, surprised. "What's wrong Aria? Is everything okay?" She asked Aria as she put down the broomstick in her hand. "I'm scared of Valentine. She's scary." She didn't hesitate to pour out her worries. Maria took a deep breath before looking up at Aria. "In here, you just have to be strong. No one! I repeat neither of them has a single patience to deal with people like us. We
"You don't want to test me, Valentine! I didn't bring her here for you bitch! She's mine!" He continued.Those words didn't sit well with Valentine. "What do you mean she's yours?" "I won't warn you again." Alejandro decided to pause there as he then turned and walked out of the dining room."Urgh!!!!" Valentine had the urge to ruin things but dared not because of Alejandro's policies. "When did he start caring about a total stranger?" She asked herself, going into deep thought, wondering when things changed. Ever since she had known Alejandro, she's had almost equal rights as him and has been able to bully anyone in the mansion as long as she doesn't like the person or feel threatened by whosoever. Alejandro has never had issues with that so this one definitely gave her a bad feeling. Whatever hatred she had for Aria increased by a thousand percent as all she wanted right now was for her to vanish. Then she recalled him telling her to apologize. The thought of that really hurt her
"That was so good! I bet only I can put you in this mood." Anita said as she caressed his chest and watched him get dressed. "Make things snappy so you can leave. Miguel can't meet you in here." Jude has to speak up because he doesn't think he wants issues in his relationship.Anita rolled her eyes. "Who cares about her? I'm more attractive than her anyway and more feminine.""She's more beautiful and strong. You know she can break your ass if you aren't careful." He had to tell her the facts so she wouldn't overthink and get herself into trouble.The moment Anita walked out of his office, already dressed, she made her way into the working space and occupied her seat. "What's up girlie? I have been looking for you." Agent Maya said to her from where she was seated."I was called upon by the President." She responded, not realizing that Miguel was behind her."What the hell did you go there to do?" Miguel asked losing her patience the moment she heard that.Anita froze. She then turne
"Do not think I'm a fool to not realize the game you played," Jude said to Miguel when he got into his office right after the meeting."Do not think I don't know how you fucked her yesterday. When you fuck these bitches, they report to me with their attitudes so I don't even give a shit if you think or know of any played game. I won! It's my field. She's nothing but a freaking learner." Miguel spat as she sat on the chair. She knew Anita would come for her but she was well prepared for her. She then glared at Jude whose thing in between his legs could never behave.****It's been wild moments for Aria, who had been having a really hard time being a woman in Alejandro's mansion. It was 6 pm right after she stopped cleaning for the day. Tired, she decides to go drop the cleaning instrument, so she gets herself cleaned up before going to bed. On getting to the store where these types of equipment are kept, she started hearing some strange sounds. She paused in her step and tried to pay m
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