There are few moments in life where you feel completely and utterly paralyzed. You are striking it rich if it is a happy moment. Immobilisation by astonishment is something you are lucky to have—it means that you are so amazed you don't know what to do. However, benumbing because of something dispiriting... that is a whole different story. You're so blown away by whatever it is that shocked you, the tribulation is enough to keep you from moving.

That was exactly how Jason was feeling right now, struck with surprise. His heart beat accelerated and he managed to croak out a "What are you doing here?" although his mouth hardly twanged.

The woman in front of him seemed to be uncomfortable, her hands in her lap stiffly. There were no flaws to be seen in her coil hair, every inch of her being perfectly persecuted. Her purple coloured lips moved, but Jason was deaf, not hearing her talk.

This was it. All of this, all of the hiding, all of the worries... It was all over now. If she knew where he was, it meant that Damian would find out in no time, and kill him.

Someone slapped his neck and he promptly turned around, meeting Felix' serious stare. "Sit the fuck down, idiot. She's talking to you, you know?"

Jason took the seat in front of her, his eyes trained on hers defiantly, not wanting to show his frustration. She showed no emotion, looking back without hesitation.

"Are you listening now or what?" she snapped, causing him to startle. Jason swallowed the knot in his throat away and nodded, "I am listening now."

"Finally." She puffed out a deep breath, her strawberry-like odour whirring his way. Jason turned away, not wanting to smell it as he waited for her to continue talking. "Before you panic, no one knows I'm here."

"Not yet." He retorted quickly, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. The woman tisked, somehow looking... defeated.

If there was one thing Jason had never seen Florencia Valdez display, it was emotion other than anger. And in this moment she did not appear angry. The contrary, actually, Florencia looked like she was trying to be... nice.

Florencia Valdez, Alexia's mother, nice?

He never thought he'd see the day.

"I understand your frustration. Me and you... We have never really clicked. My daughter was young when she first started dating you. I wanted more for her."

"I don't need a recap. I was there." Jason hissed, annoyance laced with every word. Felix cleared his throat, a sweet smile curling his lips. "Excuse Jason señora, he's been a little on edge lately."

Florencia shook her head dismissively. "It's okay, Felix. Jason here has all the right to behave the way he is. I wasn't really likeable to him these past few years, and right now, with everything that's going on, I bet he's fearing for his life."

"How do you know about... this." Jason uttered, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't very likely that Damian had told her, was it? He knew that they were as thick as thieves, Alexia had told him all about it.

"That doesn't matter." She spoke, her fingers entwining with each other, "All that matters is how we're going to deal with your situation."

"My situation?"

"Yes, Jason."

"Why the fuck are you helping me? Is this—is this some kind of joke to you? Is this a trap?" Jason jumped off the couch, his throat closing as he felt impediment roaming through his body, desperate for a way out of this damned living room. Felix grabbed his shirt, violently trying to pull him back down, but Jason didn't let that happen as he tugged back, his eyes dark. "Let go of me, Felix."

"Jason, calm the hell down. The woman is here to help you."

"Help me my ass. You don't believe that, do you? She fucking hates my guts!" Felix' hand slipped away from Jason's shirt, and Jason took that as his opportunity to bolt, scampering out of the living room. Anger and panic overwhelmed him as he ordered himself to keep breathing, grabbing the front door knob.

"Jason, wait!" Florencia's voice echoed through the house as she followed him, trying to keep him here.

"I am not going to let you ruin this for me. I don't know what I've done for you to hate me so much, but I fucking love Alexia and she loves me and I will not let her get married to that scumbag, no matter the circumstances. If you're going to tell Damian all about this visit, here's something you can say," turning around for a mere second, he lowered himself so he would be on her height, his eyes sinister, "Tell him I said hi, tell him that every time he tries to put his hands on me, I'll get closer to her. Tell him that I will not give her up, his weak attempts to kill me are not enough to scare me off."

Florencia took a deep breath, nodding. "I'm here to help you Jason. Damian doesn't know I'm here, no one does. I'm doing this for you. I'm doing this for my daughter. I don't like you, but no one deserves going through this. She loves you and you undoubtedly love her, so I'm here to help."

Jason didn't know whether to believe her or not, but gave her the benefit of the doubt in the end. After processing her words, he carefully listened to her.

"So what do we do?" he wondered out loud.

She smiled. "Here's what we'll do."

-

The house was filled to the rafters. It was completely jam-packed with black suits and long, flowing dresses, each gown outdoing the other. The fast and snippy chattering of all the guests echoed through the house, balmy music resonating through the place calmly. Waiters and waitresses paced through the crowds, balancing trays with salmon bites and glasses of champagne. Flower pieces were serving as decoration, a faint smell of roses and liquor hovering over everyone.

Jason ignored all the glamour surrounding the place, his eyes focused on one person and one person only. Reeling with affection, he took a couple of steps closer to Alexia, a grin curling his lips.

Alexia wore a short, tight dress, which hugged her curves in all the right places. The dress was suffused with sparkles and had low cleavage, exposing more of her breasts than Jason would've initially liked. Her long, dark hair hung loosely over her back.

His heart clenched as he yearned for her. Even though she was standing in front of him, her smile wide and her eyes lighting up, it was not enough. She was not his, and so far, he hadn't made enough attempts to make her. Damian was still the man who got to walk around, telling people that he was her fiancée, and it pained Jason deeply.

They belonged together, he was convinced.

"I can't believe you're actually here." She beamed, her heels clicking on the floor as she made her way over to Jason. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. "Is it that hard to believe?"

They folded in each other's arms, the embrace tight and full of words they didn't have to say out loud. Jason's heart lurched in his throat, pressing a soft yet meaningful kiss on her cheek. "I missed you baby."

"I missed you too, so much." She wheezed, wistfulness flickering in her eyes, though she hid it by widening her smile. It didn't slip out on him and he pulled her back into the hug. "It's okay now, I'm here." He whispered only for her to hear, feeling how she relaxed under his touch.

"I wish you always were." She murmured, her arms tightening around his neck. A tug pulled at the core of his insides, his jaw line clenching. "I'm fighting for you, soon I will be always by your side."

"Are you sure about this?" Alexia looked at him in all seriousness. Her fingers brushed the back of his neck, something that calmed him down. He knew that she did it on purpose.

He thought about it. Florencia's plan was simple, but in order for it to actually work he'd have to put himself out there and show Damian he was still going strong. She said challenging Damian was good—he should feel threatened. Although Jason mistrusted the idea of Damian ever feeling threatened, he told her he was in. So far no one had come up with any sort of plan, and he had to do something. He couldn't spend the rest of his life in Boston, away from all the people he loved. Conjointly, Florencia Valdez was a powerful woman. She was Emilio's wife and had as much say in the business as he did—she just didn't care enough to give her input.

That was now changing. After Damian had had a glimpse of Jason, Jason would disappear again. By then Damian would be raging and Jason, Florencia and Alexia hoped he'd leash out. Florencia promised she'd have a word with her husband about their upcoming son-in-law.

Nothing could go wrong, really. Once Emilio finds out, Damian is doomed. Emilio wouldn't doubt his wife's words and when Alexia butts in, he must be convinced enough to break off the engagement for them and also just kick him out of the business for fun.

Looking at Alexia, Jason slowly nodded. Every part of her won him over. She was worth it, she was worth all of this. Was showing himself to Damian dangerous? Absolutely. Was Alexia worth the danger? Hell yes.

"You can still back out.." she stressed. He shook his head, "I don't want to."

"I wouldn't get mad, you know? I don't want you to put yourself in too much danger—"

"Alexia, stop trying to change his decision. He's proved that he would do whatever it takes to be with you—let him do this. He's safe. Teo and Stefano know about this and Dominic is aware of something going on. Look around, there's armed men everywhere. Not a single man in this room came without a weapon, and I'm betting half the women are armed as well. Damian wouldn't try anything with all of these people around."

Alexia sharply turned her head to look at her mother, who had startled her and Jason. Despite the hard look on her face, Florencia looked beautiful.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, mother." She shot, clinging onto Jason. He squeezed her waist gently, leaning closer as he urged, "Pipe it down, Alexia."

"Why would I?" she exclaimed, "It seems like everyone in this God damned family is doing shit behind my back. For example, my own mother, the one that despises you, by the way, went behind my back to visit you. Was I aware of this? No. I had to find out through Teo."

"I told Teodoro to tell you. If you had known I was going, you would've wanted to come." Florencia said, no emotion in her face whatsoever.

Alexia snorted. "Of course I would have wanted to come! He is my boyfriend!"

The air tensed, awkwardness swarming around the three although the guests didn't suspect a thing, continuing their festivities. Alexia gasped, realizing what she had said as a blush rushed up her cheeks. "Oh..."

"I am helping you. Stop being ungrateful, because he could've been dead by now." Florencia spoke monotonically.

"Oh gee, you're so subtle mother." Alexia hissed, her eyebrows furrowing. Jason took a deep breath, grabbing her by the chin as he forced her to look at him. The rage in her eyes skimmed away, making place for something different, something he could not comprehend.

"I said—pipe. It. Down."

"Listen to your 'boyfriend'." Her mother chimed in before turning around and walking away, hips swaying and heels clicking. Alexia let out a loud groan, clasping Jason's chest firmly. "God, I hate her."

"Cut the woman some slack, Alex. She's helping us."

"How can you defend her after the horrible way she's treated you all of those times?"

He shook his head. "Those times don't matter right now."

"Whatever." Alexia lipped, rolling her eyes as she turned around and walked away from him. He narrowed his eyes, dropping his gaze to her very present behind, unable to hide the smirk that was forming on his face. Her ass was to die for. Flashes from a couple of weeks ago shot through his head, her bottom bouncing on his dick, her moans immediately filling his ears.

Stop it

"Are you staring at my little sister's ass, McCann?" a low voice growled, instantly causing Jason to whip around and meet Stefano's eyes. He chuckled, not responding to Stefano's question as he hugged him, somehow feeling relieved. "It's been a while, huh?"

"For sure. How long have you been gone now? Has it been a month yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Well it feels long. You good there?" Stefano looked at Jason in concern. Jason nodded, whispering "Felix and Claudia are amazing." Making sure no one else could hear it.

"I'm glad. Hey seriously though, were you staring at her butt?" Stefano miffed, irascibility all over his face. Jason knew Stefano was growing annoyed, he could sense it. For that reason, he simply shook his head and somehow glared at him in an abyssal way. "I love her, Stefano." He didn't know why he said it.

"You better do. She was crying about you just days ago."

In abashment, he mumbled, "Why?"

"You ask her." Stefano replied swiftly, and Jason turned around, looking at her. She was actively talking to some of the guests, probably relatives. They all seemed to share the same features. Anyhow, they all gave the impression that they liked her company. The two women had their mouths wide open, laughing about something she said, and the man with them had his hand on her shoulder subtly. Jason felt his possessiveness act up and turned back around, looking at Stefano again.

"Who's that?"

Stefano just laughed. "Jealous?"

"Who is that?"

"It's just our uncle Ben, Jason. I know he looks young but he's in his forties. You don't have to worry about her that much."

"Of course I do! Look at her—she's fucking breathtaking." Jason hissed, suddenly feeling bothered. It was like the tiniest things ticked him off and either made him panicky or angry. Stefano stared at him in surprise, his eyebrows both raised. Jason ignored that and brushed past him, murmuring a subdued "Excuse me".

Pushing his way through the masses of people, his heart thumped fast and loud in his chest and he frowned, perhaps shoving some of the guests too harshly. He didn't care, all he wanted was some fresh air because in the last few seconds the walls started closing up on him and the bustle of the entire festivity became too much.

All because he saw a man touch Alexia's shoulder. Her uncle, for goodness' sake.

Stepping into the invigorating ozone of Alexia's backyard, he let out a loud breath, taking in as much oxygen as he possibly could. He walked towards a wooden bench and sat on it, stuffing his fists into the pockets of his tux. Jason didn't know why he was freaking out and him being bollixed about his little freak-out moment freaked him out even more.

It was a never ending cycle, really.

"What are you doing here?"

Jason looked up, a sincere smile curling his lips. "Thinking." Teo had always been a friend of him and could be compared to Ryan and Chaz. Teo and him used to always hang out when they were back in high school, even without Alexia.

Teo snickered, sitting down beside him on the bench. "You've got a lot to think about."

"You have no idea."

They stayed like that, staring into the distance as the loud festivities behind them didn't stop. After a short while, Teo stood up and looked at Jason, a determined look on his face. "Ready to go inside?"

So they went inside. Jason was immediately sucked in by the crowds and the music and the snacks. Many women did a double take as they passed him, some even tried to greet him, but he shrugged them all off, his eyes frantically searching through the seas of people to find her.

In the end, he did. She was standing somewhere in the middle of the living room, her father by her right side and Damian by her left. The thing that irked Jason the most wasn't Damian's cocky smile or the arm he had wrapped around her waist, but it was the fake smile she'd put on for show. It baffled him how everyone fell for it, even when her smile faltered after Damian whispered something in her ear.

Rage raced through Jason's body, wanting to go over there and knock the bastard out, but Teo instantly put an arm around Jason's shoulders. "Relax, brother. Yes Damian has to see you, no you don't have to cause a scene. Let's just walk over there, slowly. I see my dad is about to give a speech."

And indeed, Emilio cleared his throat and everyone, everyone shut up. How the hell did they all silence down that fast? There were approximately one thousand individuals in this place!

"My dad is the leader. He runs everything." Teo explained, as if he read Jason's mind. Jason hummed back, impressed. They unnoticeably shuffled closer to the spot where Emilio, Alexia and Damian were standing. Alexia quickly caught Jason's eyes and shot him an apologetic glance, her fake smile now transforming into a real one. Jason took a deep breath and smiled back with a little nod, letting her know that it was okay, that he wasn't angry and that he knew she couldn't do anything about it.

"First of all I would like to thank everyone for making the effort to come here. It means a lot to me, it means a lot to my family. You all look wonderful." Emilio spoke, and Jason noticed countless females drooling over the big leader.

"As you all know, we're gathered here to celebrate me returning to my spot. Damian has done a wonderful job," Teo groaned next to Jason, and Jason held in a chuckle.

"But it's time for me to come back. Damian, I want to thank you," Emilio turned so he could face Damian and Alexia back away from in between them so her dad could fully face him. He held his glass of champagne up and tinkled it with Damian's, a wide smile on his face. "I want to thank you for being an amazing trial-leader, for putting in effort and for promising to take this job after me, even though it's harder than anyone can imagine. I believe that with time and much experience, he will grow into a wonderful leader."

Damian's gaze travelled through the people, his pride nearly dripping off of him, a brash grin forming on his face from ear to ear.

"Thank you, sir Emilio." Damian uttered, although he was still staring at everyone. Jason inwardly vomited at his self-satisfaction and rolled his eyes. In that exact moment, Damian locked his stare with Jason's, and it looked like his eyes lit up in outrage.

Jason chuckled, winking at him.

"He saw you?" Teo wondered. Jason nodded, not breaking eye contact as he responded, "The bastard saw me."

Damian's eyes spit fire. He looked as if he was losing his sanity, his fist tightening and his other hand clamping the champagne glass with so much force his hand turned white. The vein in his forehead started throbbing and once again, Jason just laughed at how powerless he appeared to be. Standing there, in front of all of those people with Alexia's father by his side, there wasn't much he could do.

"He doesn't look happy."

Jason angled when he heard the voice, his heart immediately speeding up and calming down at the same time. "He certainly doesn't." he replied, feeling how Alexia grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He lied.

"My mom told me you should get out of here soon. When my dad's done with his speech Damian will be running over to you, and if not, he will be calling someone to come and assassinate you in the backyard."

The bluntness she spoke with was both refreshing and scaring.

"Okay."

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Alexia furrowed her eyebrows and put her other hand on his cheek, worry sparkling in her eyes. Jason exhaled deeply, nonchalantly leaning into her touch and closed his eyes, trying to stop the fluttering in his stomach before opening them again.

"Like I said, I'm fine."

She didn't seem convinced, but she didn't ask anymore. Instead, she dropped her hand from his cheek and turned around, pulling him out of the heaps of people. He kept his eyes fixated on her back and held her hand tightly, making sure they didn't accidentally lose each other.

When they reached the front door, she gestured for him to go out first so he did, and she followed up behind him, closing the door.

A little breeze alighted on his skin, which made his hairs perk up and his head worry about Alexia getting a cold since she wore nothing but a skimpy dress, but other than that the weather was fine. Not too cold, like the past couple of months were, and Jason was grateful.

That's when he noticed Florencia, standing further away next to Dominic, who was leaning against a car with keys in his hands. Jason looked at Alexia, "Dominic is driving me to Boston?"

"Yeah. We needed someone we could trust but if it were Teo it would be too obvious, and Stefano is inside making sure no one will come after you."

Why was this family helping him? He didn't understand.

"Jason, you'll have to say goodbye to Alexia now." Florencia forcefully spoke and Jason nodded, "Just give us a minute!"

"Make it a quick minute!"

Alexia crossed her arms in front of her chest, the moonlight somehow shining on her. Was that even possible? Jason didn't know, he felt a little dizzy. She bit on her lower lip and his breathing hitched, putting a hand on her waist.

"Don't worry about me, baby." He murmured, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She narrowed her eyes and closed the distance between them two, her lips lingering in the air just a millimetre before Jason's. "How can I not?"

"Just don't." he retailed, brushing a hair out of her face. She sighed and cloaked her hands around his neck, her eyes wide with longing and sadness. "I know this is a short visit but I'll try to come to your dorm sometime next week, okay? I'm not leaving you for good." He continued, trying to ease her thoughts.

"I hate being here when you're in Boston."

"Which is all the time," Jason tried to crack a smile.

"Exactly. It's unfair that you have to be away from everyone and everything you know." Alexia sighed again and leaned her head against his chest, causing Jason's heart to lurch in his throat. Oh, how he loved this woman.

"Don't worry about it." He whispered into her hair, pressing a small kiss on top of her head. She let out a squirmy sob, but when Jason tilted her chin to see her face, she wasn't crying.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" he reassured her, kissing her forehead. She closed her eyes and nodded.

Their lips collided and they kissed gently, as if it was the first time ever. Heartache built in Jason's chest as he pulled away, not able to hide the irked look he got on his face. He didn't want to leave her.

She was his home.

"I love you, Jason." She squeaked out, a watery smile appearing on her lips. Jason was reeling with pain, because if she was in pain then so was he. Wiping the tears away, he cupped her face with both hands. "Baby girl, there's no reason to cry. I'll be back in no time."

"I love you." She let out again, her entire body shuddering and the tears falling. He pulled her into a tight hug, feeling his chest clench as he cursed incoherently.

"I know." He whispered.

The front door whipped open, a panicking Stefano catching everyone's attention. "Jason, leave, now. Damian is calling for backup."

Alarm and panic started flooding through his body as he let Alexia go, running over to Dominic. Looking back, he saw how Alexia helplessly stood there, urging him to not look back and just go.

So he did. Him and Dominic jumped in the car, the doors locking and the passenger seat window rolling down as Dominic started the engine. Jason stuck his head out, eager to catch a glimpse of Alexia, but Florencia blocked the way. "Just go, Jason, worry about yourself. She'll be fine."

"Thank you Florencia." Jason sincerely said, not referring to her previous words but to her entire plan and her initiative to come visit him. She seemed to understand what he meant because she nodded, "You're the only man for her."

Hearing her approval was something he'd always wanted, but there was no time to think about that right now as Dominic pulled the car out of the drive way, leaving the Valdez house and all the madness behind.

"Hold on tight." He uttered, his hands clasping around the steering wheel and his eyes honing in on the road in front of him, practically racing to get away from the house.

Jason's pulse quickened, his body tense with alertness, understanding that Damian or one of his men might be following them. As he kept his lips pressed into a firm line, he nonchalantly looked at the rear-view mirror, his eyebrows lowering over his sockets. The realization hit him rocklike, unfit to neglect the car behind them.

"We're being followed." He breathed, trying to remain calm. Dominic solely nodded, consolidation all over his face. "We're in trouble."

"Why? You can drive fast, right?" Jason barked.

Dominic pushed his foot against the gas pedal harder, the car speeding forwards in a way that pressed both of the men against their seats roughly. "That's not the point. They have guns." And when Dominic finished the sentence, raucous gun shots blared, startling them so much the car swerved and they dipped to the side.

"Shit!" Jason snarled, looking at the rear-view mirror again only to be seeing how the people in the car behind him were ready to shoot again. "We've got to do something," he whispered in despair. Dominic frenziedly nodded, though he gave no suggestions on what to do.

"I have a gun." Jason hissed, keeping himself pressed against the seat rigidly, his heartbeat accelerating with every turn the car took. Dominic's eyes widened, "Have you ever shot someone before?"

"Not in real life, no."

Gunshots blasted through the air again, now hitting the back of the car. A vociferous sound occupied the car, as if they shot something adamantine. Which they did, the back of the God damned car.

Both Dominic and Jason cursed again, continuing to fly over the roads.

"Okay—shoot." Dominic desperately exclaimed, the passenger seat window automatically rolling down.

Jason collected all of his courage and took a deep breath before extending himself out of the window.