FALLING FOR THE ENEMY

CONFUSION

“Run before he kills you.”

The words echoed again in my head. But I sat still. My body was shaking, but I forced myself to look calm. I didn’t want him to see fear on my face.

“Miss Karissa,” Santiago said, his eyes locked on me. “You’re a smart lady. You’ve been trying to know me too much. Do you really want to do this? You don’t need all this stress. Trust me. Since the day I set my eyes on you, my heart has stopped breathing. There’s something in you… a fire… and I want it.”

My chest tightened. Is he saying he loves me?

I looked him straight in the eye. My thoughts screamed. Love? This man? This man who ruined my life, snapped my naked body, stole my position, poisoned me with alcohol, dragged my name in dirt? What kind of love is this?

My lips trembled. Finally, I spoke. “What do you want from me?”

He didn’t answer at once. His eyes dropped. His gaze slid down the open space of my shirt, lingering. A sly smile curved on his lips.

My stomach turned. Heat rose in my face.

“Sir,” I cut in, my voice sharp. “What do you want from me? Or do you just want to sit there staring at what you’ve already snapped?”

The smile fell off his lips. For a moment, his eyes flickered, like he had just been caught off guard. He rubbed his temple, cleared his throat.

“What was I saying again?” he muttered. “Have you done what I asked? Or… remind me… what was I saying? Oh, damn.”

My heart raced. My mind whispered a hundred thoughts at once. He’s losing control. He’s distracted. But he’s still dangerous.

I forced myself to breathe. “Maybe you forgot because you were staring at a woman’s breast instead of speaking like a man.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. My tongue burned.

He looked up at me sharply. I froze.

Quickly, I added, “You were talking about my… my charisma. And beauty. Then I asked a question after that.”

“Yes,” he cut in. His voice was low now. “Yes. I remember.”

I swallowed. “So I’ll ask again. What do you want from me?”

This time he leaned forward. His eyes drilled into mine. “I want you, Karissa. You’re everything I need in a woman right now. Your face… your voice… your thoughts… They never let me sleep. Since I met you, I no longer sleep at night.”

I burst out laughing. It was sharp, bitter. “You don’t sleep? Really? You are such an entertainer, Santiago. At first you wanted my position and you got it. Now you want me? Or maybe what you want is my life.”

He flinched. I pressed on.

“You want me,” I said, my voice rising, “or you want to kill me? Which one? At least be honest.”

His chair scraped the floor. His voice exploded. “Hey! Stop that!”

He screamed like boiling water had touched his skin. His eyes burned.

I tilted my head, smirking. “Why shouting, Mr. Manager? Are you not proud of being who you are?”

He clenched his fists. “Shut your mouth.”

I chuckled, but my insides shook. “You want to…?” I slid my hand across my neck, mimicking a knife. “Or you want to love me?”

His jaw tightened. For the first time, I saw weakness in his eyes. But Santiago wasn’t weak. Not the Santiago I knew. This man killed people without blinking. But here he was, stammering with his words.

“Karissa,” he said, his voice softer now. “I love you. Forget how we met. Forget what happened. I know we started on the wrong foot. But believe me when I say this. I love you. I’m serious.”

My laugh was bitter. “You? Love? Can you even feel it? Your emotions died a long time ago, Santiago. You kill without conscience. You destroy without mercy. You don’t know love.”

“Stop,” he hissed, his eyes darting to the door. “Keep your voice down. People might hear us.”

“See?” I smirked. “You’re not proud of yourself. You hide in the shadows, you lie, you kill, you ruin lives. And now you come to me with this fake love.”

“I’m not lying,” he said quickly. His hands trembled slightly. “I’ve never been more serious.”

I shook my head. “Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Because loving me? I doubt it. Don’t we have other projects to work on? I need to get back to the office.” I stood, grabbed my file. “Call me when you need me, lover boy.”

I forced a laugh and walked out of his office before my legs gave out.

My heart was thundering. I leaned against the wall outside his office.

What if… what if he really meant it?

No. Impossible. A man like Santiago cannot love. Men like him only take. They stain someone’s white. Maybe he just wanted to crawl through my thighs again. Or maybe he wanted me close so I could keep his secrets.

But…

The way he looked at me. The tremor in his voice. The weakness in his eyes.

I had seen Santiago order deaths on phone calls like he was buying bread. I had seen him laugh when others wept. But I'm surprised when he spoke to me, he stuttered. He lost focus. He dropped his guard.

Why?

Does that mean… when he is with me, he becomes weak?

Is this proof that he is really in love?

The thought made me dizzy.

One part of me screamed for revenge. To expose him, to pay him back for all his evils, for humiliating me, for disguising as a businessman while running a mafia empire.

But another part of me…

Another part saw sincerity. Another part saw a man who, despite his cruelty, looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered.

I pressed my palm to my forehead. My mind was spinning like a cyclone.

What if he really loves me? What if his words are true? What if I am the only one who can break his darkness?

Then another voice sounded louder.

Or what if it’s all a trap? What if loving him means dying by his hand?

I shut my eyes. The thoughts tore me apart, pulling me to different ends.

I was standing on a knife’s edge.

And I didn’t know if falling meant love… or death.