Se connecterSamantha understood that this was genuine care from him. She took a deep breath, holding his dark brown gaze while his warm hand still rested on her face.“Okay… I get that you did it for my own good,” she murmured, lowering her eyes for a moment as if the words were hard to say. “I’m just not used to being taken care of like this.”Adam gently lifted her chin with his fingers, making her look at him again.“Then get used to it,” he said, a small but sincere smile lighting up his eyes and softening the hard lines of his face. “Because I plan to spend the rest of my life taking care of you.”Those words, spoken so close, with his rough voice and his body only inches away, made Samantha’s heart skip a hard beat. He affected her in every way: her chest, her skin, her mind. He was temptation in human form—tall, imposing, dangerous, and at the same time, absurdly protective. She felt heat rise up her neck, her whole body reacting to his scent, to the way he looked at her like she was the o
Samantha slipped into something light for heading downstairs: shorts that ended mid-thigh, snug enough to hug her curves, and a thin tank top that accentuated her breasts, leaving her cleavage naturally exposed without trying too hard. The fabric clung a little to her still-damp skin from the shower, and her wet hair fell in loose waves down her back. She took a deep breath before leaving the room, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach that hit every time she thought about facing everyone downstairs—especially him.She descended the stairs slowly, the steps creaking softly under her bare feet. When she reached the dining room, silence dropped for a second. Everyone turned their heads at the same time: Adam, Marcos, Andrew, Caio, and even Cecília, who was setting the silverware. Their eyes locked on her all at once, and Samantha felt heat rush to her face. She instinctively tugged the tank top down, like that would cover anything.She went straight to her usual spot next to Adam
Lunchtime had arrived. Adam returned home and decided to handle everything from there. He still hadn’t seen Samantha and didn’t want to leave without seeing her again. He sat at the office desk, signed some company papers, cleared pending organization matters, and organized everything for the upcoming trip. Instructions given—no one would be left in the dark.Marcos walked in right after, his face already showing he knew the conversation wouldn’t be just business.“Marcos, Caio’s coming with me on this trip. You stay here with Andrew. I need you to sort out that mess at the port and, if possible, find out where Sabrina’s hiding. I’m guessing she’s holed up at Oliver’s place and won’t show her face anytime soon.”Marcos nodded, but he couldn’t hold back the question that had been nagging at him for days.“Understood. But just for the record… have you gotten over her?”Adam lifted his eyes from the papers for a second, his gaze calm, almost indifferent.Adam leaned back in his chair, a
Sophia took her hand first, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She noticed Samantha had gone a little serious after what she’d said.“First, take the pill I brought you. I heard about what happened and how sick you got during the chase,” she said, placing the tablet in Samantha’s palm.She stood up, grabbed a glass of water for her, came back, and handed it over. Then sat down beside her again. Samantha swallowed the pill, but curiosity was already burning—she wanted to know what Sophia had come to talk about. She decided to cut the suspense.“What did you want to talk about? You said it was serious.”“Relax, don’t get scared. Nothing new happened. When I said serious, I meant it’s about what went down today—and the other days, too. It’s something that’s… concerning, in a way,” Sophia said, taking Samantha’s hand again.“I get it. I already figured something else had happened.”“Look, I know this isn’t easy for you—going through all of this. I can only imagine what’s running through your
Marcos floored the gas and weaved through traffic on the avenue with pinpoint precision. Samantha had her seatbelt on tight and clung to whatever she could to brace herself, trying not to get thrown around by his sharp maneuvers.At one point during the escape, the rear windshield shattered. They realized they were being shot at.“Get down, Samantha!” Marcos yelled, pressing a hand to her head and forcing her low.Andrew, in the back, returned fire. Marcos swerved past a few more cars and glanced at her—she had both hands over her head, shielding herself.He spotted the traffic light turning yellow and gunned it through the intersection. More bullets hit the car’s body. He warned:“Hold on!”He blasted through the red light, narrowly avoiding a crash. The car behind them wasn’t so lucky—it slammed into another vehicle, causing a pileup. That gave them the break they needed to shake the tail.Marcos eased off the gas a little and turned onto a side street, finally putting real distance
Samantha finished packing everything she needed. She was pissed at Adam—he’d probably requested medical leave for her without even asking.She opened the bedroom door and dragged the suitcase out. Marcos and Andrew were waiting in the living room. Marcos was even talking quietly with one of the men who’d stayed behind at the house.“Ready, princess?” Andrew teased.“I am,” she replied dryly.“What bit you back there? What happened to make you so mad?”“What happened? Your brother might be nice and attentive, but he can also be a complete idiot,” she said, letting all her frustration show.Andrew grinned, clearly amused by how worked up she was—especially since it was over his brother.“I totally agree with you, Samantha. That’s why I told you I’m the better option,” he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders.“You sure? Because you two seem cut from the same cloth. Weren’t you the one flirting with Pedro just a few minutes ago?” she asked, shrugging his arm off.“Wow, damn! The wom







