The Price of Desire

~~Alejandro~~

Last night was chaos in my own head. I couldn’t sleep. Her words wouldn’t leave me. Uncle, we need to stop. That one word-Uncle-cut deep. A reminder of the line she wanted between us. She asked for space, and I’ll give it to her. But God, I crave her. Every curve, every breath of hers drives me insane. Yet I know,if I force it, I’ll lose her and my ego. And I don’t beg for attention. Not from anyone. Especially not from a young woman like her.

At breakfast, I caught her stealing glances at me. She thinks I didn’t see, but I did. And yes, I stole some too. She was restless, uncomfortable, and it fueled me in ways I shouldn’t admit.

Then my father, in his usual bluntness, told me it was time to settle down. The moment he said it, she nearly choked. My chest tightened. Why that reaction? Does she feel what I feel? The question burned on my tongue, but I held it back. I don’t ask, I watch, I control.

And then he had to mention Valentina. My childhood shadow. Our families grew up together, and the world decided she was my “girlfriend.” The gossip never mattered to me. But today? The thought of her sitting there, wondering if Valentina had ever meant something, irritated me. No, it infuriated me.

I don’t care about rumors. I never did, but I care about what she thinks,only her.

Damn it. She’s changing me, and I don’t like it. I don’t bend, I don’t adjust, The world bends to me, Always. But here I am, restless over her every move.

I stood up, telling my father we would talk about it later. I needed to get out of there. The house felt suffocating-not because of her, but because of my stepsister and everything else closing in on me. And now, the only reason I had come back to this house had just drawn a thick line between us.

********

I leaned back in my chair, the weight of the morning still pressing on my shoulders, when my assistant stepped in and handed me a file.

“What’s this about?” I asked, taking it from him without looking up.

“It’s the report you asked me to run last week. On Miss Elena Ramos,” he said.

My eyes narrowed as I flipped the file open. “Okay?”

“She lost her parents in an accident. Mr. Javier Ramos isn’t her father…he’s her uncle.”

I froze for a moment, my jaw tightening. So, Javier placed his niece in the spotlight, pushing her into a marriage meant for his daughter? Why? What game is he playing? There’s something deeper here, something buried that he doesn’t want anyone to dig up.

“I want more,” I said coldly, my tone brooking no argument. “Everything. Every secret, every shadow, every detail the Ramos 's are hiding, understand?”

He nodded quickly, almost stumbling over himself before rushing out of my office.

Silence filled the room as I leaned forward, flipping through the file again. Each page revealed fragments of her life,her birthday, the school records, and then… it stopped. High school. Nothing beyond that. No trace of the years that followed.

“Elena,” I muttered, my voice low,the name rolled off my tongue like a curse and a vow.

I should be careful. She’s a puzzle, and puzzles are dangerous. The more I dig, the deeper I fall. I’m getting addicted, and addiction is the one weakness I can’t afford.

I was still sitting in my office, Elena’s file open on the desk. My eyes were on the papers, but my thoughts were not. They kept going back to her, to things I shouldn’t be thinking.

The phone rang. The receptionist’s voice came through, cutting me off.

“Hello sir, a woman is here urging to see you. I asked if she has an appointment with you but she said it’s urgent.”

I frowned. A woman? That was strange. I don’t usually have any woman close to me. And my stepsister never comes here, she knows better.

“And she said her name is Ramos,” the receptionist added.

“Let her in,” I cut her off sharply.

My chest tightened. Why would Elena come here? I sat still, waiting. I didn’t move, didn’t let anything show.

The door knob creaked open. I didn’t lift my eyes.

“Alejandro.”

The voice was unfamiliar. My brows drew together. Slowly, I lifted my head.

A woman stood there. Smiling uncontrollable.

“Alejandro, hope you remember me. I’m Elena’s elder sister. You didn’t even check me out at the party, I guess you were busy. So today I decided to come visit you directly.”

Disgust filled me, but I showed nothing. My face stayed blank.

She walked a little closer. “We should go out and have lunch.”

I said nothing. I only stared at her, my gaze cold, sharp. She shifted on her feet. Her smile started to fade. I could see the unease on her face, though she tried to hide it.

The silence stretched. Her calm began to break.

Finally, I spoke.

“You can leave.”

My voice was flat, final.

She tried again, her tone softer now. “Alejandro, I…I”

I looked at her again, my eyes hard. She froze. The weight of my stare pushed her back. She lowered her head, turned, and went to the door. The sound of her heels faded until the office was silent again.

I leaned back slowly. My hand brushed Elena’s file. My disgust was not because of her sister, but because for one second, I had wanted it to be Elena who walked through that door.

The phone rang again. This time it was my assistant. His voice was tense.

“Sir, there’s a problem in the construction sites.”

I stood at once, buttoning my jacket. No hesitation. Business comes first. Always.

But as I walked out of my office, one thought refused to leave me.

Why does it matter that it wasn’t Elena?