Semua Bab TRAPPED WITH MY DAD'S BESTFRIEND: Bab 261 - Bab 270

The rage simmering inside me kept me steady, kept me from breaking apart. "Who are they?" I demanded, my voice colder than I expected.My father and Thiago exchanged a glance—silent communication that only made me angrier. They were still keeping things from me."Names," I pressed, stepping forward. "If I’m the one with a target on my back, I deserve to know who’s aiming at me."Thiago exhaled, his patience thinning. "Bridgette, you don’t need to—""Don’t." I cut him off, my voice sharp enough to slice through the tension. "No more protecting me. No more deciding what I should or shouldn’t know. If you actually care about me, Thiago, you will tell me the truth. All of it."His jaw clenched. For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer. But then, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke."The Santiago Cartel."I froze. The Santiago Cartel.I wasn’t naive—I knew that name. They were powerful, ruthless, and involved in everything from weapons to high-stakes business deals. If they wanted

I swallowed hard, my fingers gripping the door. Thiago’s presence was suffocating, demanding, and yet... a part of me was drawn to it like a moth to a flame."Let you in?" My voice came out quieter than I intended.His gaze never wavered. "Yes."I hated the way my pulse quickened. The way my body responded even when my mind screamed at me to slam the door in his face.I exhaled sharply. "You think you can just show up, say a few words, and I’ll let you in?"A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "I think we both know you want to."God, I hated him.And I hated that he was right.My grip on the door tightened. I could still shut him out. I could still choose to keep him at a distance. But deep down, I knew that if I let him in, I wasn’t just opening the door to my hotel room. I was opening something much more dangerous.Thiago saw my hesitation and took a step forward, his body close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off him."I’m not going to force you, Wifey," he murmu

The moment the door shut behind him, the tension in the room thickened.Thiago didn’t move right away. He simply stood there, watching me, his gaze dark and knowing. He had won this round, and he knew it.I turned away, walking toward the minibar just to put some distance between us. My fingers curled around an empty glass, gripping it as if it could anchor me."You enjoy this, don’t you?" I muttered, not looking at him. "Back and forth, push and pull. You like knowing that no matter how much I fight you, I’ll still let you in."Thiago’s slow footsteps echoed in the room as he approached. "I don’t enjoy it, Wifey," he murmured, his voice low, dangerous. "I need it."My breath caught.Before I could turn, his hands were on my hips, his chest pressing against my back. I felt the heat of him, the possessiveness in his touch."You say you want to be free," he murmured against my ear, his lips barely brushing my skin. "But we both know you never will be. Not from me."I squeezed my eyes sh

I should have looked away. Should have turned my back on him, pretended he wasn’t there.But that was the thing about Thiago. He didn’t just take up space—he consumed it.And right now, he was consuming me.Lucia muttered a curse under her breath, shooting me a knowing look. “Seriously? Does he have some kind of tracking device on you?”I swallowed, forcing my shoulders to stay squared even as my pulse quickened. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”Thiago didn’t move right away. He just stood there, watching me, his gaze dark and unreadable. It was infuriating how effortless it was for him. How he could make an entire room feel smaller just by existing in it.Then, finally, he walked forward.And just like that, the air shifted.My grip tightened around my glass. Every part of me screamed to act unaffected—to act like he didn’t get to me. But then he was standing beside our table, his presence like a brand against my skin.Marcus, still chatting up some poor woman, glanced up and let out a

The night air was thick with the scent of the ocean, the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore a stark contrast to the storm still raging inside me. Lucia’s grip on my wrist didn’t loosen until we were a good distance away from the bar, her heels clicking sharply against the pavement as she all but dragged me down the sidewalk.I let her.Because if I didn’t, I wasn’t sure if I’d turn back.Lucia finally stopped near the edge of the boardwalk, whirling around to face me. “What the hell was that?”I exhaled sharply, rubbing my temples. “Lucia—”“No.” She held up a finger, her eyes blazing. “No, don’t you Lucia me. You just stood there and let him put that ring back on your finger. Do you want to keep playing his little games?”I didn’t answer.Because I didn’t know.Lucia groaned, running a hand through her hair. “I swear to God, Bridge, I love you, but you’re killing me.”I let out a humorless laugh. “You think I don’t know that?”She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.