The Price Of His Desire

The Ghost In His Past

Shortly after I rejoined Alfonso at the table, we left. My heart raced, every thought pulling me back to what had happened. I couldn’t tell him. I didn’t know how, and I didn’t want to ruin what felt like a perfect night. Part of me feared he wouldn’t believe me. He might think Paulo had said something about Georgina and that I was just repeating it.

He had made it clear more than once that I should stay out of his family business. All I could do was pretend until I was alone, then think everything through.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Alfonso broke the silence, resting his palm on my thigh. I winced but nodded, reaching for his hand.

“I’m fine, I promise,” I lied, forcing a smile. “Just a little stomach discomfort,” I added, leaning closer.

He searched my eyes, reading the doubts I tried to hide. He was always good at that.

“I really had a beautiful night with you,” I said softly.

My hands rose to his face, rubbing gently along his cheeks. He relaxed under my touch. I pressed soft kisses to his cheeks, then slowly to his lips. He responded instantly. I wanted to do anything to distract myself from my thoughts. At that moment, this incredibly handsome man beside me was all I needed.

The kiss deepened. He helped me straddle his lap. His hands roamed my body while my fingers tangled in his hair. We didn’t care that we were in the back seat with the driver just in front of us. We were lost in the moment, exactly as I wanted. I wanted to be lost in him, to let him make me feel good. Nothing else mattered—not Georgina, not the shock of her appearing when she was supposed to be dead.

His hands massaged my waist as I pressed kisses along his jaw and down to his neck. A low groan escaped him before he pulled me back, capturing my lips again in a deep, passionate kiss.

We had to stop before things went too far. I slid off his lap, and we settled back into our seats. I leaned in to clean the smudged lipstick from his lips and cheeks, brushing my fingers lightly across his skin. He tried to pull me in for more kisses, his breath warm against me.

“How do you f*****g do this to me, Diana?” he murmured, lips brushing mine, sending shivers through me. My cheeks flushed instantly.

“Do what?” I asked teasingly.

“Make me yearn for you. I can never get enough. This is not me. What have you turned me into?” His gaze was intense, fixed on me.

“Home,” I said softly. “Let’s get home first.”

As soon as we closed the door to our room, Alfonso pulled me into a deep kiss. I responded without hesitation. He guided me onto the bed, hovering over me without breaking the kiss. His hands slid up my thighs, gently squeezing as I moaned.

I helped him remove his jacket and shirt. He paused, taking in the sight of me. Our breaths were heavy—the only sound in the room.

He kissed me again, unzipping my dress and sliding it off. His hands moved over my body, massaging my breasts as his lips nibbled and sucked. I moaned, arching toward him, needing more. It felt almost perfect.

When he slid off the last piece of my clothing then I heard it. Georgina. Her name echoed in my mind, sharp and cold. My body stiffened. The heat, the desire, vanished instantly.

Alfonso sensed the shift immediately and paused.

“I’m sorry. I can’t,” I whispered, pulling the sheets around myself, heart racing and body tense.

Alfonso froze, eyes darkening as he searched my face. “Diana… what’s wrong?” His voice was low, steady, tinged with concern.

I avoided his gaze, hugging the sheets tighter. “It’s… nothing. I just… I’m not feeling well,” I lied, barely above a whisper.

He didn’t pull away. Instead, he brushed a strand of hair from my face, his thumb grazing my cheek. “Diana, look at me. I can tell when you’re lying.”

How could I tell him about Georgina? Not yet. Not when he was so vulnerable, so open, so completely present. “Please… just tonight, let’s forget everything else. I just… need a moment,” I whispered, forcing a fragile smile.

Alfonso’s gaze softened, but the intensity didn’t fade. He sat beside me, careful and slow, keeping his hands on mine. “If you’re not ready, I won’t push,” he said steadily. “But whatever it is, we face it together.”

I swallowed hard, my heart thudding at his words. He wanted to fight for me, for us, yet here I was, keeping secrets that could destroy everything. “I know,” I whispered, leaning into him slightly.

He pulled me into a gentle hug, chest warm against mine. “We’ll take it slow,” he murmured. “Tonight is just us.”

I let myself relax a fraction, tension easing from my body. But Georgina’s smirk, her unexpected appearance, gnawed at me, threatening to ruin the fragile moment. I couldn’t let it, not yet.

Alfonso kissed my temple lightly, and I rested my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes. I wanted to lose myself in him, even if only for a little while, to pretend the world outside didn’t exist. Deep down, I knew the storm wasn’t over. And when it came, it would demand more than I was ready to give.

The next morning, I called Collins as soon as I was alone. I pretended to sleep longer to avoid Alfonso. I needed to get it off my chest, and Collins was the only person I could tell.

“What the hell, Diana!” Collins yelled after I told him everything about Georgina. “Damn! You’re talking to a ghost now,” he laughed.

“I’m dead serious, Collins. This is not a joke,” I shot back, frustration clear in my voice.

“You have no idea the tension here. Paulo just found out the daughter he had with Georgina isn’t his. The brothers were almost at each other’s throats!” I explained.

He asked how sure I was that it was really Georgina. Could it be someone else? But the way she looked at me in the bathroom, as if she had something personal against me, made it impossible. It was too much of a coincidence for another woman with the same name. Unless someone was playing games.

“Why don’t you google her? They’re wealthy. She must have been popular,” Collins suggested.

I grabbed my laptop immediately. The first picture I saw was her with Paulo. It was her. The same woman from the dinner. She looked younger, softer somehow, but the resemblance was undeniable. My heart sank again.

Georgina was never dead.

Why would she fake her death?

What was she hiding?

Did anyone know? Did Alfonso?

A sudden panic tightened my chest. I ended the call with Collins. I needed space. Air. Time to think before it swallowed me whole.

I stood on the balcony, pacing, fingers fidgeting restlessly. My phone rang again. I picked it up quickly, thinking it was Collins. An unknown number flashed on the screen. My heart skipped a beat. I knew instantly who it was.

“Hello, Diana,” said a calm, familiar female voice. Definitely Georgina.

I wasn’t surprised she had my number. If she knew my name and where Alfonso and I had gone for dinner, finding my number was easy.

I didn’t speak.

“Did you deliver my message to Alfonso?” she asked, her voice making every muscle in my body tense.

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?” I snapped.

A brief silence followed. “Is that how you talk to people you just met?” she said softly, a faint, amused laugh following. “I thought we were going to be friends, Diana. You wished me dead already?”

My jaw clenched. “What do you want from me? If you want to talk to Alfonso, why don’t you call him yourself? Oh right… you can’t. Everyone thinks you’re dead.”

She laughed again, savoring it. “Exactly, Diana. They all think I’m dead. That is why you are the only one I can speak to.”

“Why? What do you want?” I demanded.

“I want my life back,” she said quietly, voice sharp. “I am tired of hiding and pretending to be dead. I want to go home. To my husband. To my daughter. But I cannot, because of Alfonso. He forced me into this…to fake my own death.”

She paused

“Let’s meet tomorrow, Diana. I have your best interests at heart. Call me… if you know what’s good for you”

Before I could process her words, she ended the call.

I stood frozen. Heart pounding. Every secret, every detail hit me at once. First, Alfonso confirmed Paulo wasn’t Ada’s father. Now Georgina claimed Alfonso was the reason she disappeared.

I was drowning in questions with no answers.

Everything circled back to Alfonso.