Chapter 23: Our Secrets

Rosa's POV

“Give me my damn phone right now, Andres. I didn’t come here for anything else.”

Andres leaned back in his chair, arms folded tight across his chest, eyes drilling into me like he could see every secret in me. “Then explain why Quinn is saved under just one letter. One single letter, Rosa. What are you hiding?”

My heart slammed so hard I felt it in my throat, but I refused to look away. “Because it’s my phone, my contacts, my life! And why the hell is a man who drove his Lamborghini straight into a lagoon yesterday busy digging through my personal stuff like some kind of detective? You could’ve died! I jumped in after you, remember?”

He stood up slowly, voice low and dangerous. “You saw everything?”

“Saw it? I lived it! I swam down into that filthy water, fought with your seatbelt while you were half-conscious and pulling me under. I dragged your heavy body to the shore, gave you CPR, begged you to breathe. And the first thing you do when you wake up is complain that I saved you? Now you’re going through my phone? Are you serious right now?”

Andres walked around the desk, closer to me. “The lagoon never happened. You hear me? It stays between us. Nobody can ever know I drove into that water. Not a single soul.”

I crossed my arms, mirroring him. “Fine. It stays between us. But you deleted everything you saw in my phone. Every call log, every message, every trace of Quinn. We pretend none of this exists. That’s the only way this works.”

He stopped a few feet away, eyes burning. “You really think it’s that easy? You pull a man out of the water who didn’t want to be saved, and now we’re suddenly supposed to trust each other? Why did you do it, Rosa? Tell me the truth. Why jump into a lagoon for me?”

“Because I’m not heartless, okay?” My voice rose. “I watched that car go under, and I couldn’t just stand there. Even if you’re cold and difficult and act like you don’t need anyone. Even if you told me on the shore that I should’ve left you to die. Who says something like that? I risked my life for you! I could’ve drowned too, you ungrateful—”

“Ungrateful?” he cut in, stepping even closer. “Rosa, I wanted it to end. I wanted everything to stop. The pressure, the secrets, the weight I carry every single day. I didn’t ask you to play hero. I didn’t ask you to save me. So why? Why risk your life for a boss who’s been nothing but hard on you?”

I threw my hands up. “Maybe because underneath all that ice, I see a man who’s hurting. A man who’s carrying too much. I saw you sinking and something in me just… reacted. I couldn’t watch you disappear. Call me stupid, call me reckless, but that’s the truth. And now here we are, stuck with each other’s mess.”

Andres rubbed his face, exhaling sharply. “You have no idea what you’ve walked into. My life is more complicated than you can imagine. If anyone finds out about yesterday, everything I’ve built could collapse. My reputation, my company, my family name—”

“And you think my life is simple?” I shot back. “You saw Quinn’s name. You think that’s nothing? I have my own secrets, Andres. Things I can’t let anyone know. Things that could destroy me, too. So we’re even. Two people with dark water we don’t want anyone else seeing.”

He stared at me hard. “What are you mixed up in? This one-letter contact… it doesn’t feel innocent. Are you in trouble? Is Quinn dragging you into something dangerous?”

I shook my head quickly. “No questions. That was the deal, right? You don’t ask about Quinn. I don’t ask why you drove into the lagoon. We don’t dig. We don’t talk about it. Ever. Outside this room, none of it exists.”

Andres paced a few steps, then turned back. “You’re asking me to trust you completely. After everything. How do I know you won’t slip up? How do I know you won’t tell your friend Quinn what happened yesterday?”

“Because I’m standing here making the same promise,” I said, voice steady even though my hands were shaking. “I won’t tell anyone. Not Quinn, nobody. The lagoon dies here. Your secret is safe with me. And mine is safe with you. We protect each other now, whether we like it or not.”

He stopped pacing and looked straight into my eyes. “You saved my life, Rosa. Most people would’ve walked away or called for help and let the drama unfold. But you jumped in. You fought for me. I still don’t understand why, but… thank you. Even if I was an asshole about it at the shore.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “Finally. A thank you. I thought I’d have to pull you from another lagoon before I heard that. But seriously, Andres, if you ever feel like doing that again… talk to someone. Or at least don’t do it where I can see. I don’t think my heart can handle dragging you out a second time.”

A small, tired smile touched his lips for the first time. “You’re really something else. Reckless, stubborn, and way too brave for your own good. This office won’t be the same with you in it.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a walking storm,” I replied. “Cold one minute, almost human the next. We make a dangerous pair. But we have an agreement now. No lagoon. No digging into each other’s phones or pasts. We go back to the boss and the assistant. Professional. Distant. Like none of yesterday or today ever happened.”

“Like none of it happened,” he repeated, nodding slowly. “But we both know that’s going to be harder than it sounds. Every time I look at you, I’ll remember the water. The way you pulled me out. The way you slapped sense into me on the shore.”

I felt my cheeks warm. “And every time you look at me, I’ll remember how heavy you were and how you still managed to complain while coughing up lagoon water. But we push it down. We lock it away. Deal?”

“Deal.” His voice was softer now. “Your phone is on the desk. Take it. Delete whatever you need to. I didn’t go deep into it, but I saw enough to get curious. From now on, I won’t.”

I walked over, picked up my phone, and held it tight. “Thank you. For agreeing to this. For not making it harder. I know we don’t trust each other fully yet, but this is a start. We keep each other’s secrets safe.”

Andres nodded. “We do. Now get out of here before someone sees you looking this shaken. Fix your face, Rosa. Act normal.”

I headed for the door but paused with my hand on the handle. “One last thing. Are you really okay? After yesterday… I mean, I know we’re not supposed to talk about it, but just between us in this moment— are you going to be alright?”

He looked at me for a long beat. “I don’t know. But I’m still here. Thanks to you. Now go.”

I opened the door and stepped into the corridor. The second it clicked shut behind me, I leaned against the wall, breathing fast.

“Oh my God,” I whispered to myself. “What have I done? I just made a pact with Andres. We’re secret keepers now. This changes everything.”

I stayed there a minute, letting my heart slow down, making sure the hallway was empty. Then I straightened my clothes, wiped my face, and started walking like nothing in the world was wrong.

But everything had just changed between us.