Episode3
1928 Words
Chapter 3
Javier’s POV
“Today is such a disastrous day; I can't even inform Rafael of the seized shipment,” I murmured, swinging the door of my car open. I slid in urgently.
“Damn! A lady shouldn't…” I trailed off, leaning back into my seat as I ignited the engine of my car.
Its engine roared beneath me, a deep growl that vibrated through the steering wheel and into my bones. I accelerated and drove with one hand, the other gripping the chain around my neck so tightly the metal cut into my palm.
I should have gone home that was the rule. After any confrontation, after any unexpected clash, I always returned to my mansion first to regroup, assess, and reorganize. But tonight the mansion felt too small for the storm inside me.
So I aimed the car straight toward the one place I hadn’t stepped foot in for weeks, my father’s barracks. The old man wouldn't wait to get hard on me this time.
The headlights cut through the dark as I sped along the isolated road leading into the restricted military territory. The memory of our last argument sat like a steel blade pressed against my throat.
A clash that had cracked whatever fragile peace we pretended to have. After that night, the soldiers were ordered not to open the gates for me without direct permission from him. He knew I hated restrictions. He also knew I hated calling.
So I didn’t bother taking orders from him or even checking on him. Even though, as a mafia boss, I respect my father a lot, that love didn't extend to the military. I preferred being an alpha mafia boss to a silly, deceived military officer.
I grabbed my phone and dialed his private line. It rang once before his sharp breath hit the receiver.
“What do you want?” he said not a question, but a warning. But later I noticed the calmness in his voice after all.
“Open your gate,” I replied. “Now.”
Silence bled through the line, the tension so thick I could almost hear him grinding his teeth.
“You know the rules, Javier. You are not permitted…”
“I’m five seconds away,” I interrupted.
“If you want your gate standing by the end of tonight, open it.”
Another heavy pause. He sighed heavily, then the faint clicking of him signaling the guards.
My lips lifted in a humorless smirk.
“The gate will open,” he finally said.
“Good,” I replied and ended the call before he could add anything else.
The concrete tower came into view, floodlights sweeping the road. Armed soldiers stiffened when they recognized my car. The steel gates slid open with a metallic groan, the guards stepping back, shoulders tense as I drove through. I didn’t acknowledge them,I didn’t need to.
I parked beside the main building and stepped out, boots hitting the ground with purpose. My father waited at the entrance, arms folded, eyes sharp enough to slice open the truth I hadn’t spoken yet. He looked the same,broad shoulders, iron posture, expression locked in permanent disapproval,yet older, more worn, burdened by secrets I didn’t have patience for.
“Javier,” he said, voice low, unreadable. “You chose an interesting time to break the silence.”
I walked past him, brushing against the tense air like it meant nothing. “I didn’t come here to revisit the past.”
“No,” he said, following me inside, “you came here because something happened. You never show up unless the world has turned sideways.”
I didn’t answer. The soldiers scattered from the hallway as I passed, some bowing slightly, others looking away. My father’s office door swung shut behind us with a thud.
He leaned against the desk. “Speak.”
I exhaled once, controlled. “I found my mate.”
The words filled the room like smoke,thick, almost suffocating. My father stiffened. His eyes widened a fraction, the only sign of shock he ever allowed himself to show.
“When?” he demanded.
“Tonight,” I said. “During the shipment.”
His jaw clenched. “And?”
“And I don’t want it,” I growled. “I want to reject it. The so-called mate seized my shipment, and that cost millions of dollars, Father.”
A laugh, sharp, humorless, and edged with disbelief escaped him.
“You want to reject a fated bond?” he asked. “You?”
“Yes,” I snapped.
“Why?” he countered. “Hold on, young man, are you talking about the shipment meant to collaborate with Alpha Rafael De La Cruz?” He questioned, then burst into a tremendous laughter. I glared at him before weakly falling into the couch next to his favorite flower vase.
I remembered the moment I touched her, my entire world shifted. The bond tore through me like lightning. Her scent had burned down every wall I ever built. I snickered, remembering everything.
Mariana was the only person who had ever stood her ground against me without trembling, but I hated how much it stirred something in me.
“It is a distraction. I don’t need it. I don’t want it. I have my empire to run,” I finally uttered, sniffing continuously, my eyes glued to the ground.
He studied me, understanding more than I would have liked.
“Who is she?” he asked.
The name rolled off my tongue with bitterness I hadn’t processed yet. “Mariana.”
His eyes widened again,this time larger. He straightened slowly, as if absorbing the impact. He sometimes sounded happy and later sounded surprised. His enemy's daughter had finally crawled to my doorstep as a mate.
“…Mariana?” he repeated. “Mariana Fernando?”
My silence was the confirmation.
He dragged a hand across his jaw, expression shifting from shock to calculation. “Well. That explains it.”
“Explain what?” I demanded, growing irritated.
“Your timing,” he said. “Because her father already called.”
My eyes lifted sharply. “About what?”
He gave me a long, wary look. “About the wedding.”
The room froze. My breath stilled. For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard him. Why was he then looking as if he hadn't even heard the news? I adjusted on my couch, rubbing my hair nervously.
“The what?” I hissed.
“The wedding,” he repeated calmly. “You and Mariana. It is arranged.”
A sharp, violent laugh left my throat.
“You must be joking.”
He didn’t blink. “Do I look like I’m joking?” He gently shifted the books on his desk, smiling sheepishly. Was that excitement on his face?
My pulse slammed against my ribs. Rage simmered beneath my skin.
“He arranged a wedding without telling me?” I said, my voice low, lethal.
“He assumed his daughter told you,” my father replied.
“She didn’t tell me anything,” I spat. “We both are still recovering from the shock. And how on earth do you expect me to be like a lieutenant that fears seizing a shipment that….” I continued, catching my breath because I was gradually losing my mind.
I could have rejected her immediately, I muttered under my breath.
He raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t tell me that you found your mate. Yet here we are.”
I paced the room, hands flexing at my sides, the leather of my gloves creaking with the movement.
“I’m rejecting the bond,” I repeated, voice firm.
“No,” he said instantly. “You will not.”
I stopped walking and stared at him. “You don’t give me orders.”
“I do when it concerns family. And business.” His tone hardened. “And this concerns both.”
I scoffed. “Why would you care about her father?”
He stepped closer, eyes narrowing.
“Because the Fernando clan has agreed to merge operations with ours,” he said. “A complete alliance. One we’ve waited years to secure.”
I stilled.
He continued, “And your marriage is the seal. The final piece. The deal is locked the moment you accept the bond.”
I clenched my jaw. “So this is about territory.”
“This is about power,” he corrected.
“About control. About guaranteeing our place at the top of the hierarchy. The Fernando family is influential. If they merge with us, no one can challenge us.”
I moved to the window, gazing at the barracks below, soldiers marching in lines like pieces on a chessboard. Pieces that could be moved. Sacrificed. Broken.
“You expect me to tie myself to a woman I don’t want,” I said, “because of business.”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Because you are my son. Because you are the future of this empire. Because personal wants are irrelevant when weighed against the survival of our legacy.”
My fingers twitched with the urge to break something.
He added more quietly, “And because this bond is not an accident. Fate chose her for you. Fate chose this alliance. Do not make the mistake of challenging it.”
I turned slowly, my eyes locked on him.
“I don’t believe in fate,” I said. “I believe in strategy. It won’t be funny, Papa.”
“Then let your strategy align with it,” he shot back.
I smirked bitterly. “You think I can be manipulated by some ancient magical tie.”
“I think,” he replied steadily, “that you are afraid of it.”
I hated the way the words landed. Hated that he could see beneath the surface.
“I fear nothing,” I said.
“Except what you cannot control,” he murmured.
Silence stretched between us, taut as a drawn blade.
“You will not reject the bond,” he continued. “You will marry her, you will secure this alliance, and you will not ruin anything.”
He sat at his desk, his tone final. “This union is bigger than you.”
I stared at him, the rage inside me simmering to a dangerous boil.
Finally, I stepped away from the window and walked toward the door.
“Javier,” my father called behind me. “Do I have your agreement?”
I paused.
Family, business, and empire,these three pillars had built me, and each demanded sacrifice.
I clenched my fists.
“You have my agreement,” I said. “For the alliance.”
He exhaled, relieved.
“But,” I added, turning my head slightly, “there is something I will handle in my own way.”
He studied my expression, reading the fire in it. “And what would that be?”
My lips curved slowly, coldly.
“She seized my shipment,” I said. “She challenged me. She disrespected my authority.”
I stepped through the doorway, voice dropping to a low promise.
“So she will pay for it.”
“Javier….” he started.
But I didn’t let him finish.
I looked over my shoulder, eyes sharp, voice dark.
“I agreed to the alliance,” I said. “But I promise you this….”
A slow, deadly smirk pulled at my lips.
“I will rain hell on Mariana.”
- Writer
