Crimson fears and Comforting arms

Emiliano's Pov

As I walked back to the kitchen, I couldn't stop thinking about how I had embraced her. I probably shouldn't have done that; out of respect, you're supposed to avoid intruding on a woman's personal space. But she had quickly wrapped her arms around me, giving me permission to hug her. That made me feel less foolish about it. I kept replaying her gorgeous smile in my mind and how it struck at my heart. She had such a strong effect on me that I couldn't keep myself together. Even my family members, including the men, seemed to notice.

When I entered the kitchen, it felt like an unexpected family reunion. Almost half the family was there—my Tias, cousins, my sister, and my mom—gossiping about me, of course. There was Gianna, giving me a side-eye and the ugliest smirk imaginable. I swear, nothing stays a secret because someone always has to run their mouth to someone else.

"What, Gianna?" I rolled my eyes.

"Nothing," she replied dismissively.

And here come the comments.

"So, Emiliano..." Chata was always the one to bring up the gossip.

"Who's this 'Esmeray girl'?" Eliza asked curiously.

"Bro's in love," Taylor chimed in with a teasing grin.

"Aww, mijo," my Tias cooed, clearly delighted.

"Mijo, is it true? Do you love her?" my mom asked, her voice full of hopeful excitement.

"Ay, Ma," I protested, "no, I don't love her. I don't even really know her. I just met the girl."

Everyone claims I'm in love with this girl, but the truth is, I don't even know her fully. My actions today spoke louder than my words, and I can't excuse or cover them up. Protecting her was a must.

"Hey Essy, how are you feeling today?" Bella asked, walking over to Esmeray, who was farther from where we were.

"I'm feeling a bit better," Esmeray replied. "But I need to go back home and check on Grumps. It's been 24 hours; I'm sure he's hungry."

"Girl, are you sure?" Bella asked, concern in her voice. "You can stay here for a while if you don't feel ready to go back. You can bring him here with you if you want."

"No, I'm sure. I promise," Esmeray said firmly.

From the looks of it, Bella didn't seem too happy about Esmeray going home. It was almost like she was trying to find ways to keep her here. I didn't blame her; it wasn't safe for Esmeray to head back out, especially since our business with Andrew wasn't finished.

"I'll take you home," I said, knowing full well that I wasn't okay with her leaving. I wanted her to stay where I could keep her safe, but it wasn't my place to keep her here. She wasn't mine to claim, and I would never control a woman. So, I volunteered to take her home. Esmeray smiled, thanked me, and proceeded to leave, leaving Bella upset and worried.

As we drove, my mind raced with ways to convince her to stay or with what could possibly happen to her. From the corner of my eye, I noticed she was doing that thing again—trying to get to know me without asking. It was cute how she looked at me as if she was trying to piece together a puzzle, but there was so much more to uncover.

When we arrived, she thanked me and hugged me. I wanted to hold her tighter and longer, but I couldn't. My heart and mind screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LOCK THE DOOR! DRIVE OFF WITH HER! WHO CARES WHAT SHE THINKS?!" But I did care, and once again, I couldn't stop her from leaving my car. I watched her open the door to her home, close it, and then waited a few minutes for her to turn on the lights.

After waiting, nothing happened. Maybe some women don't turn on their lights when they get home at night; I didn't know. But something felt off. I wrestled with whether I should knock on her door and ask her out on a date or if I should be straightforward and tell her it's best if she stays at the mansion for the night and returns in the morning. I knocked on her door. No response. I knocked again. Still nothing. I tried opening the door, thinking she might have left it unlocked, and it opened.

My instincts kicked in, and I quickly pulled out my gun, sensing something wasn't right. I heard muffled screams coming from the back and hurried to follow them, checking my surroundings and making sure no one was coming up behind me. There, I saw her—being manhandled by several men. Her mouth and wrists were tied, and she was struggling against them. One of the men was on the phone, visibly annoyed with her resistance. Rage surged through me, and my blood boiled when he decided to slap her.

As I got closer, I recognized the deep voice of Daniel. My anger intensified when I realized it was him. Daniel had always been a shady character. While we got along well enough, doing business with him was out of the question. We never shared anything business-related; we only caught up when our paths crossed, which was rare. But now, I needed to understand why the hell he had Esmeray captive and what he wanted from her. I listened in, trying to make sense of the situation, but I had to be careful not to blow my cover and risk Esmeray's life.

"Yeah, bro, I've got her," Daniel said, glancing at Esmeray's lifeless form held by one of his men.

"Oh, you know how it goes. She always acts up when we meet face to face," he added with a laugh. So, they had met before? They both knew each other? How? There wasn't time for questions right now.

"We figured one of the guys would end up bringing Esmeray back home. Of course, it was Emiliano. From what I've heard, he's in love with her," Daniel continued, speaking to someone on the other line. The revelation made me even angrier. How did they know what was said at the mansion? Were we bugged? I hoped to God there wasn't an insider leaking our conversations. I was beyond furious to discover that they knew something private and had slapped Esmeray, all while planning to take her away, made me want to pull out my gun and take them all down.

Before I could react, they were heading toward a van, almost ready to drive off. I sprinted after them and fired at their tires. The screech of the tires pierced the night, clearly indicating they hadn't anticipated this chaos. They certainly hadn't expected me. I quickly jumped into my car to pursue them, bullets flying in both directions. Just as I thought I was closing in, another vehicle collided with mine, and everything went black. I heard someone calling 911 as tears streamed down my face. The thought that I might never see Esmeray again was unbearable.