Page 23

MIRELLA

Sergio’s actions have been strange lately. It’s not the kind of strange where you notice little habits like forgetting his keys or being quiet at dinner. No, this was a different kind of strange. He was calculated and careful, almost like he was holding something back. It didn’t sit right with me.

Every time I looked at him, something gnawed at me. His movements, his presence, even the way he kissed me—it all felt familiar. Too familiar. It wasn’t just déjà vu. It was like watching a shadow flicker on the wall and realizing it was your own.

I couldn’t shake it, especially when I remembered his words during that mission.

“I didn’t come this far to lose you.”

The cadence, the tone—it mirrored the stranger’s. The stranger who had saved me, the one who haunted me in quiet moments when my guard was down.

The thought was absurd, but it wouldn’t leave me alone.

When I met up with Enzo at my office downtown after leaving Sergio, he wasn’t pleased. “I’m close to finding your father,” he said, pacing the room like a caged wolf. “You want me to stop for this? To spy on Sergio?”

“Yes, but not stop. It’s just a side job,” I replied without hesitation.

“Mirella,” he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Do you know what you’re asking? Dividing attention now could cost us.”

I stood my ground. “I’ve worked with you long enough to know you can handle more than one thing at a time. I need answers, Enzo.”

His eyes narrowed. “What is it about Sergio that has you so jumpy?”

I hesitated, debating how much to share. Finally, I said, “During the mission, the way he moved, how he shot—it was familiar. Too familiar. And his words, Enzo... they reminded me of the stranger I told you about.”

Enzo froze. His silence unnerved me.

“You think it’s him?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice quiet. “That’s what scares me.”

With a heavy sigh, Enzo nodded. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you if this delays the bigger picture.”

When I returned home later that day, Dahlia was waiting for me in the living room. Her face held that look of concern she always wore when something was bothering her, but she didn’t know how to say it.

“Is Alex okay?” I asked, instinctively checking over her shoulder.

She nodded. “He’s fine. But Sergio was here earlier.”

My heart skipped. “What? Why?”

“He wanted to see Alex. They played together for a bit.”

That gnawing suspicion twisted deeper in my gut. “And?”

Dahlia’s expression tightened. “Alex told him I was in the kitchen making lunch, and Sergio looked unsettled. Like he was piecing something together.”

My mind raced. “What else did Alex say?”

Dahlia hesitated. “He called me by my name. Not ‘Mama.’”

I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. Of course, Alex would do that. He had started calling me “Mama” ever since he would talk.

We were still talking when I heard the sound of tires crunching gravel outside. My chest tightened as I peered through the window. It was Sergio’s car.

Dahlia caught the look on my face and touched my arm. “I’ll take Alex upstairs.”

I nodded, steeling myself. When Sergio knocked, I opened the door and gestured for him to follow me to the study.

He didn’t waste time with pleasantries.

“I’ve been thinking,” he started, his voice calm but laced with something sharp. “About you. About everything.”

I crossed my arms, trying to appear indifferent. “Sergio, what’s this about?”

He stepped closer, his eyes locked onto mine. “You’ve always been good at keeping secrets, haven’t you?”

The question sliced through me. I forced myself to remain still, but my pulse was a drum in my ears. “What do you mean?”

He smiled—a cold, humorless curve of his lips. “Mirella. Or should I call you The Raven?”

The air seemed to leave the room. My breath hitched before I could stop it, and my fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. I tried to school my expression, to hold onto any semblance of composure, but I knew the flicker of shock in my eyes had already betrayed me.

Sergio’s eyes were locked onto mine, sharp and unrelenting, like he could see through every wall I’d ever built.

“Enough of the lies, Mirella.” His voice was low, but the weight of it landed like a thunderclap. “You’ve been running circles around me, but not anymore. I’ve spent weeks watching, piecing it all together, and now I see you for who you really are.”

I didn’t flinch, though every nerve in my body screamed at me to run. My voice was steady, but barely. “You’re being ridiculous. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He took a step closer, closing the distance between us. “Don’t play dumb. The games, the masks, the double life—you don’t fool me.”

He clasped his hands together sharply, the sound echoing in the room like a warning shot. “You’re The Raven, Mirella. Don’t insult both of us by denying it.”

My chest tightened, but I kept my face calm. “You don’t know anything about me. You think you do, but you don’t.” I stepped back, trying to regain control, but he moved forward, matching me step for step. His presence was overwhelming, filling the room like a storm cloud.

“Don’t I?” His voice softened, turning dangerously smooth, but his eyes stayed hard. “I know you’re strong. I know you’re brilliant. And I know you’re a hell of a lot more dangerous than you want anyone to believe. You ain’t the naive girl you desperately want people to believe you are.”

His hand shot out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. His touch was gentle, almost tender, but the intensity in his gaze burned. “And I know this,” he said, his voice dropping lower, “this is the real you.”

I swatted his hand away, more to break the spell he was casting than anything else. My breathing was uneven, and my thoughts were racing.

I clenched my fists, the weight of his words pressing down on me. “You think you know it all, don’t you? You think you’ve figured everything out.”

“I don’t think so. I know .” His confidence was maddening, and the way he looked at me—like I was both a puzzle he’d solved and a secret he hadn’t uncovered yet—made me want to scream.

“Then what are you waiting for?” I challenged, taking a step closer, my voice rising. “If you’re so sure, say it. Say whatever you came here to say.”

He leaned in with his face inches from mine. “You’re The Raven, Mirella—the mysterious woman, the enigma, the shadow that’s been haunting the underworld for years.” His voice dropped to a whisper, but it carried the weight of a shout. “Admit it.”

He wasn’t guessing—he knew . The denial was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it. My silence was answer enough.

His eyes flickered in triumph. “I knew it,” he murmured, almost to himself.

“You don’t know anything,” I snapped, desperate to regain control. “You don’t know what I’ve been through, what I’ve done.”

“Then tell me.” He moved closer, his voice laced with curiosity and something else I couldn’t place. “Tell me everything. Explain why you’ve been lying to me since the day you came back.”

I folded my arms, trying to shield myself from the weight of his words. “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you everything. There’s a difference.”

His laugh was sore, cutting. “Spare me the semantics. You’ve been keeping secrets, Mirella. Big ones. You sat across a table from me as The Raven. And for what? To protect yourself, or are you just so used to hiding that you don’t know how to be honest anymore?”

“That’s rich coming from you, someone who hides his real self from his father, talking to me about honesty,” I shot back, my voice shaking with fury. His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought I’d hit a nerve. But then he smirked again, that maddening, infuriating smirk. “This isn’t about me,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “This is about you. About why you couldn’t trust me.”

“I don’t trust anyone,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He stepped closer, his eyes burning into mine. “Maybe that’s the problem.”

His hand cupped my cheek, and I hated how my body reacted to his touch, how my skin warmed under his palm. I should have pulled away, but I couldn’t.

“You need to stop pushing Sergio. It is driving me insane,” I whispered, the admission slipping out before I could stop it.

“Good,” he said, his voice low and rough. “Because you’ve been driving me insane. I am going crazy just thinking about you.”

I pushed his hand away, forcing myself to put some distance between us. “You don’t get to do this,” I said, my voice trembling. “You don’t get to walk in here, accuse me of lying, and then act like you care and know it all.”

“But I do care,” he replied, his voice soft but fierce. “That’s the problem. I care too damn much.”

The weight of his words hit me like a freight train. I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound came out.

“Mirella,” he said, stepping closer, his voice a mix of anger and desperation. “I didn’t come this far to lose you. Not now. Not after everything.”

The way he said it, the way his voice broke on the last word—it was too much. My chest ached, and my eyes stung with unshed tears.

“I can’t do this,” I whispered, turning away from him.

“Mirella, can’t you see I don’t care if you are Mirella or The Raven. All I care about is you. That is the only truth I know,” he said, his voice hardening.

I turned back to him, my eyes blazing. “Sometimes the truth isn’t always black or white. There are shades of gray, Sergio.”

For the first time, his confidence faltered. His smirk disappeared, and something flickered in his eyes—something that looked a lot like guilt.

The silence between us was deafening. I wanted to hate him for unraveling me without warning, to push him away, but I couldn’t. Not when his presence was the only thing keeping me grounded.

“Sergio,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why are you doing this? You know the risk, don’t you?”

His gaze softened as he closed the distance between us, and for a moment, I thought he might say something else. Instead, he just said, “Because I can’t lose you.”

I didn’t have time to respond before his lips crashed into mine. The taste of his lips was like wildfire, fierce and consuming. His hands moved to my waist, pulling me closer as if he couldn’t stand the thought of any distance between us.

I gasped against his mouth, and he took the opportunity. He fondled my hair and pressed on, his tongue already curled up in mine, teasing mine in a way that lit up the fire in my heart. My hands found their way to his shoulders, fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt as I surrendered to the overwhelming sensation of him.

“Sergio,” I breathed as his lips trailed from my mouth to my jawline, then to the sensitive spot just beneath my ear.

“Say it again,” he murmured against my skin, his voice a low growl that weakened the fiber of my being. “Say my name again.”

“Sergio,” I whispered, and his hands tightened on my waist in response, cupping firm my butts with his palm and gently squeezing them until it made me squirm, his name slipping from my lips like a prayer.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes dark with desire. “Tell me to stop,” he said, his voice rough, but there was a vulnerability there, a hesitation.

I shook my head, my hands sliding up to cup his face. “Don’t you dare.”

That was all the permission he needed. In one swift motion, I was above the ground, and I wrapped my legs around his waist instinctively. He carried me to the couch in my study, his lips never leaving mine, the urgency between us building with every passing second.

He laid me down, his hands reaching for the side lamp by the couch, flickering it off.

I felt safe and utterly exposed all at once. His hands roamed over my body, and his lips firmly locked on mine. I stylishly adjusted, allowing him to strip me, sliding my dress up. He held the gown over my face, and he kissed me, the cotton material between our lips.

I squirmed, intrigued and desperate for his touch. His hand cupped my breasts, and I gasped, a tingling sense of excitement washing over me.

Gently, he raised the gown over my head in one fluid motion. His eyes raked over me, and the way he looked at me as though I were the only thing in the world calmed my demons.

“You’re perfect,” he said, and the sincerity in his voice made me feel like I might shatter.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. Words felt inadequate.

“You’re incredible,” he said, his voice thick with emotion as his lips found the hollow of my throat. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

Sergio left his marks all over my neck. He trailed his tongue from my neck and stopped, his head buried in my bosom. I shut my eyes. Each touch ignited a fire under my skin, and I couldn’t help but arch into him, needing more, silently begging for his touch. He held one of my breasts and kneaded my nipple between his thumb, his mouth on the other nipple. I moaned loudly and felt a wet trickle between my legs.

I tugged at his shirt, needing to feel his skin against mine. He obliged, pulling it off and tossing it aside, revealing a body sculpted like it had been carved from stone. My fingers traced the lines of his muscles, marveling at the strength and warmth of him.

“You’re driving me insane, with all you to me,” I managed to tease, though my voice was breathless.

He chuckled, the sound low and intoxicating, before lowering himself back down, his lips capturing mine in a kiss that was slower this time and more deliberate. It wasn’t just desire. It was something deeper, something that terrified me even as it consumed me.

Our bodies moved together, a synergy that felt as natural as breathing. Instinctively, my legs spread wide open, aching for his touch. He slowly kissed my legs and paused, his eyes consumed with desire.

“I want to do unspeakable things to you,” he declared, a fiery gaze in his eyes.

He moved downwards, and I felt his breath just inches away from being buried in between my thighs. I waited, anticipating. He slid his tongue in, and I let out a loud moan, my hand clutching his hair. He slid his tongue in and out of my wetness, one of his hands gently fondling my clitoris, the other on my nipple. Bursts of light sparkled in my eyes as my legs began to tremble from the sensation that threatened to burn all the senses in my body.

Sergio grinned as I quietened down. He gathered me into his arms and laid me on his chest.

“What was that?” I asked in disbelief, shocked by the entire experience.

He chuckled lightly, his hand caressing my bare skin. “Something to drive you totally crazy.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, chuckling. “You think you are the only one with crazy ideas?”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling at the challenge. “Want to show me yours?”

I giggled and stretched my hands to his erect length. I heard a low moan escape his lips. I sat up and ran my hands over the length of his hardness and watched his eyes fasten on me, trying to control the torture I was putting him through.

I kissed the tip of his manhood, then swallowed the length of him into my mouth, stroking and thrusting, my tongue moving up and down in rhythmic thrusts. Sergio gripped my hair, his eyes begging me to release him. I smiled and increased the tempo, deliberately punishing him.

“Beg me,” I challenged him, my tongue squeezing the cap of his hard length.

“Please,” he begged.

I smiled and sat over him with my eyes fixed on him. Slowly, I guided him inside, in between my wet thighs and began to move my waist, thrusting in and out of him. Sergio could not stand the torture. He held my waist and rammed into me, his eyes fiery, a contorted line on his forehead. He pulled out and knelt behind me. I bent low, allowing him access to take me from behind, urgently waiting and desirous of him. Quickly, he guided himself into my vagina; the sheer feeling of his erectness inside me made me moan. Wordlessly, he thrust in and out of me, increasing his tempo with each thrust.

Together, we rode each other; by the time we reached the crescendo, I wasn’t sure where I ended and where he began.

Afterward, as we lay tangled together on the couch, our breaths mingling in the quiet. He brushed a strand of hair from my face and smiled—a real, genuine smile that softened his features in a way I hadn’t seen before.

“I have waited forever to have you like this again,” Sergio whispered in my ears, but my eyelids were already so heavy, sleep threatening to consume me.

What does he mean by like this again ? My eyes shut.