CUBAN HIRE (CARTEL GXG)

NARCOTRAFICANTE

Ezmeralda's shoe tapped against the cold tile floor, her head throbbing as fragments of last night trickled back to her—the blurry haze of drink, the bite of Olivia's slap. She barely remembered the details, but the sting across her cheek remained vivid, anchoring her back to a night she could hardly piece together. She traced a fingertip along the edge of the table, fighting off the pings of anxiety that Olivia's hard stare ignited. Finally, she broke the silence. "I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice softer than usual, almost tentative.

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Not good enough," she replied, arms crossed tightly, every word sharp and unforgiving. "You think I would actually betray you? After everything I've been through? After being tortured, held hostage, starved because of your mess?" Her voice rose with each accusation, her anger seething and raw.

Ezmeralda flinched, but held her ground. "It's not that simple, Olivia," she whispered, glancing up to meet her gaze.

"Oh, then please, enlighten me," Olivia retorted, leaning forward, her voice thick with frustration. "Because last I checked, I didn't choose any of this. Yet I'm still here, picking up your pieces, holding it together when you're too paranoid to see that I'm the one behind you, every damn time."

Ezmeralda's jaw tightened. "It's not you I don't trust—it's...this isn't the first time someone I've trusted, someone close, betrayed me," she said, her voice quiet, almost too quiet.

Olivia's eyes flashed. "I'm not just someone you're sleeping with, Ezmeralda. I'm your wife! I chose this life knowing damn well what it meant, knowing what it would cost me. I had to fight with you, with Carlos, with Wilson—hell, with everyone. I wanted my freedom, but I gave that up for you. And this is what I get? You're treating me like the enemy." Her voice cracked with the weight of her words.

Ezmeralda's gaze hardened, her hand lifting in a slow, almost dismissive gesture. "Lower your tone," she warned, her voice barely above a whisper, yet the authority in it undeniable.

Olivia clenched her jaw, forcing herself to take a steadying breath. When she spoke again, her voice was calmer, though her frustration was far from gone. "If you want to win, if you want any of this to work, you need to start treating me like I'm with you. Not for you, and definitely not against you."

Ezmeralda's eyes softened, though only slightly, as she took in Olivia's words. She let out a slow exhale, reining in the anger that still simmered beneath the surface. "It won't happen again," she said, her tone flat, guarded. She wasn't used to apologies, and the discomfort showed. But Olivia's eyes remained on her, unwavering, as if searching for something beyond the apology—a sincerity that Ezmeralda couldn't bring herself to show.

A silence fell between them, thick and heavy, until Olivia's gaze softened with something resembling disappointment. "Do you remember what you said last night?" she asked quietly, her voice almost tentative.

Ezmeralda's face flickered, and for a moment, Olivia thought she saw a crack in her steely exterior. But it was gone just as quickly. "I was drunk," Ezmeralda muttered, brushing off the question like it was a speck of dust on her shoulder.

Olivia's scoff cut through the silence, a sound laced with disbelief. "You know what you are, Ezmeralda?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but her words landed like blows.

Ezmeralda forced herself to look at Olivia, her face impassive, though her eyes held a hint of wariness. "I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"Oh, I am," Olivia replied, her gaze steady, unflinching. "You're a coward."

The word lingered in the air, sharp and unforgiving. Ezmeralda's face remained stony, her eyes fixed somewhere over Olivia's shoulder, but Olivia could see the tremor that flickered through her—a crack in her armor, a moment of vulnerability buried beneath layers of pride and fear.