I hook mine with hers. We’ve been doing this since we were kids—always looking out for each other.
“Let’s find V,” I say, feeling just a little braver with her at my side.
Chapter Three
Raphael
The air in Hector Chavez’s office is heavy with cigar smoke and polished oak. It sticks to the back of my throat and curls around my senses, a warning I’ve known all my life: this is power, distilled, and I am small in its presence. My father, massive and immovable, sits next to Hector on a leather sofa, fingers steepled, eyes calculating. Hector leans back in his seat, one hand holding a glass of amber liquid, the other resting on the back of the sofa. Both men are smiling—but not casually. Proud. Dangerous. Like hunters watching a wounded animal stumble straight into their trap.
“Raphael,” my father says, voice low and smooth, almost buttery. “Sit.”
I lower myself onto the chair, stiff, arms at my sides. My muscles are taut, ready to bolt. Ready to punch. Ready to do anything to protect myself, my father and my family.
“We’ve come to a decision,” my father says, eyes narrowing slightly, measuring me.
“Yes,” Hector adds, voice calm, practiced. “You and Sophia can end decades of rivalry between our families. Permanently. Strategically.”
My pulse spikes. My stomach twists. I know exactly where this is going, and every fiber of my being resists.
“You’ve arranged a marriage,” I say before I can stop myself. The words taste like bile in my mouth. “You can’t, there has to be another way.”
Hector’s laughter is smooth, almost musical, but it slides over me like ice. “Raphael, we’re not punishing you. We’re securing a legacy. Our families united, stronger than ever. You and Sophia … together, you’ll be unstoppable.”
Leaning forward, my voice is sharp. “Stronger for who? For you? For him?” I gesture to both older men. “This isn’t my life to hand over.”
My father inclines his head slightly, a slow, deliberate movement. “Raphael, you’ve always had a way with women. Sophia … she’s exceptional. She’ll be your partner. Don’t mistake my words for cruelty. This is strategy. A legacy. An opportunity.”
I laugh, bitterly. “Opportunity? You mean control. You mean using a person to secure your power.” My chest tightens. “She’s not a chess piece. She’s not a prize. She’s … a person. And I won’t—”
“She is all of that,” Hector interrupts, his voice sounds like silk over steel. “And more. Intelligent. Capable. Beautiful. She is perfect for this … arrangement. And you, Raphael, are perfect for her. You will protect her or this union will dissolve into war.”
I clench my jaw. Her name echoes in my mind. The way she moves. The way she’s oblivious to the gravity she holds over me and those around her.
“I can’t be … forced into this,” I spit, leaning back. “I won’t. There has to be another solution. There has to be a—”
Hector shakes his head, slow and deliberate. “There isn’t. Not for the future. Not for peace. Not for strength.”
Hector’s hand moves to the crystal decanter beside him. He lifts it, tilts it toward me without pouring, just a gesture. “Raphael … we’re stepping aside. The future will be yours to lead. But make no mistake: my sons, they will holdhigh positions in the combined family. Their power will be unquestionable to everyone but you. Their loyalty secured. Together, the Costa and Chavez families will dominate. No one will challenge us. Our rule will be absolute.”
My chest tightens, the weight of their words pressing down on me like iron. I’ve been trained to take responsibility, to carry the family legacy. To command. But this … this is different. This isn’t about skill or honor. This is … destiny forced upon me.
“And Sophia?” I ask, voice quietly. “What about her? Does she even know? Has she—”
“She will be informed,” Hector says casually, like it’s a detail easily handled. “But you—” His eyes gleam, sharp. “You will make this work. She has been sheltered all of her life. Not allowed to date. Sophia is untouched and a good age for children.”
I blink. My fists clench. I stand, pacing the length of the office, feeling the marble under my boots, the weight of expectation pressing on me. “I don’t even know if I can—if Ishould…”
Both men watch, satisfied, proud. Like I’m a chess piece, moving exactly as planned.
“You have time to consider,” my father says, voice low, menacingly calm. “But not long. Tonight, both families are gathered here. Everything is arranged. You will marry before the night ends.”
“How? There are licenses to get, a priest, a million other things… hell, a wedding dress.”
Hector waves a hand. “As your father said, everything is arranged.”
I stop. The words echo like a gunshot in the silent room.Tonight?My mind scrambles. My chest tightens. My thoughts collide: Sophia. My responsibility. My desire. My anger. My fear.
I run a hand over my face, trying to find rationality, trying to find a way to breathe, to think, to fight. But my thoughts keep returning to her.
