Chapter 6 : A Dangerous Invitation
1068 Words
The invitation arrived at midnight.
Private. Unmarked. Unignorable.
A single line:
“Dinner. Tomorrow. Come alone.” — Óscar
Lucas frowned. “It’s a trap.”
Catalina smiled. “Of course it is.”
“You shouldn’t go.”
“I have to.”
The next night, Catalina entered a dimly lit penthouse overlooking the city.
Óscar was already there.
Wine poured. Calm. Waiting.
“No guards?” she asked.
“No fear?” he replied.
She sat.
“Why invite me?”
Óscar leaned forward. “Because destroying you from a distance is getting… boring.”
Catalina’s lips curved slightly.
“Careful. You might enjoy losing.”
He held her gaze.
“Careful, Catalina… you might enjoy me.”
And for the first time—
She didn’t immediately shut it down.
Dinner turned into negotiation.
Negotiation turned into a duel.
“You’re overextending,” Óscar said.
“You’re underestimating me,” Catalina replied.
“You’re emotional.”
“I’m efficient.”
A beat.
Then he said it—
“You care too much about winning.”
She leaned in slightly.
“And you don’t care enough.”
Silence.
Charged.
Electric.
Óscar stood, walked behind her slowly… dangerously close.
“You think this is a war,” he murmured.
Catalina didn’t move.
“It is.”
“No,” he said softly.
“This is a game.”
His hand brushed the back of her chair.
“And I don’t lose games.”
Catalina stood abruptly—
turning to face him.
“Then you’ve never played me.”
They were inches apart.
Breath to breath.
Power to power.
Neither stepped back.
The next morning—
Catalina made a mistake.
She hesitated.
For 2.3 seconds during a deal.
Lucas noticed.
“You’re distracted.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
She slammed the file shut.
“He’s… different.”
Lucas’s voice sharpened. “He’s dangerous.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
Catalina froze.
She hadn’t realized she was.
Across the city—
Óscar stared at his phone.
Her contact. Saved.
He didn’t call.
He didn’t need to.
Because he knew—
She was thinking about him too.
And that was the real danger.
The gala was inevitable.
Two empires. One room.
Catalina arrived in black—untouchable.
Óscar watched her enter.
Unmovable.
They found each other instantly.
Like magnets.
Like enemies.
Like something worse.
“You clean up well,” he said.
“You hide your intentions poorly,” she replied.
Music started.
He extended his hand.
“Dance with me.”
“No.”
A pause.
Then—
she placed her hand in his anyway.
The room disappeared.
Their bodies moved—controlled, precise—
but too close.
Too aware.
His hand tightened slightly on her waist.
Her breath hitched—
just once.
He noticed.
“Still in control?” he whispered.
Catalina met his eyes.
“Always.”
But her fingers tightened around his.
And that one small betrayal—
meant everything.
The moment ended violently.
Explosions.
Screams.
Chaos.
The gala was under attack.
Gunmen flooded the hall.
Catalina moved instantly—
calculated, sharp—
but someone grabbed her.
Pulled her down.
Óscar.
“Stay down!”
“I don’t need protection—”
A bullet shattered the glass behind her.
Silence.
For a split second—
they were on the floor—
too close—
his body shielding hers.
Eyes locked.
Breathing heavy.
Alive.
He whispered—
“Tonight… you do.”
She didn’t argue.
For the first time—
Catalina allowed it.
The attack ended quickly.
Professional. Targeted.
Not random.
Not coincidence.
Catalina stood in the aftermath—cold again.
“Who did this?” Lucas asked.
She didn’t answer.
Her eyes were on Óscar.
He was watching her too.
Same thought.
Same conclusion.
“This wasn’t about the gala,” he said quietly.
“No,” Catalina replied.
“This was about us.”
A beat.
Then—
“Someone wants us dead.”
Óscar’s lips curved slightly.
“Or separated.”
Catalina stepped closer.
“That won’t happen.”
Their eyes locked.
Agreement.
Unspoken.
Dangerous.
For the first time—
they were no longer just enemies.
They were something worse—
Allies.
“Thirty days,” Óscar said.
Catalina crossed her arms. “Temporary.”
“Strategic.”
“No trust.”
“No trust.”
A pause.
Then—
“Shared enemies,” he added.
She nodded once.
“Shared destruction.”
They shook hands.
But neither let go immediately.
Lucas watched from a distance.
“This is a mistake,” he muttered.
Because he saw it clearly—
This wasn’t just a truce.
This was the beginning of something neither of them could control.
Working together changed everything.
Meetings. Strategy sessions. Late nights.
Too much proximity.
Too much tension.
At one point—
Catalina leaned over a table, pointing at a file.
Óscar stepped in behind her—
closer than necessary.
“You’re wrong here,” he said softly.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
His hand moved—
guiding hers—
correcting the numbers.
Her breath slowed.
Not fear.
Something else.
She turned suddenly—
too close—
their faces inches apart.
“Don’t touch me,” she said.
But she didn’t step away.
Óscar didn’t either.
“Then don’t stand so close.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
One move—
and everything would change.
It happened late.
Too late.
Too quiet.
One room. One conversation too many.
“You don’t trust anyone,” Óscar said.
“I trust results.”
“You’re lonely.”
“I’m powerful.”
“Same thing.”
Her eyes flashed.
“You think you understand me?”
“I know you.”
“No,” she whispered.
“You don’t.”
He stepped closer.
“I know you’re not as cold as you pretend.”
She should have walked away.
She didn’t.
“You’re wrong.”
“Prove it.”
Silence.
Then—
He kissed her.
Not soft.
Not gentle.
A collision.
Power against power.
She froze—
for one second.
Then—
she kissed him back.
Harder.
Hungrier.
Dangerous.
Then suddenly—
she pulled away.
Breathing hard.
Eyes dark.
“This is a mistake.”
Óscar’s voice dropped.
“The kind people don’t recover from.”
She stepped back.
But her voice betrayed her.
“Good.”
Because Catalina had never wanted to recover.
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