Manuel

"I'm your boss. Do what I say," Enzo said, staring into my eyes.

This is why I have trust issues with him. We're close, but not close enough for him to forget that he's my boss.

"Yes, boss," I replied.

"Thanks, Papa," he said, tapping my face like I was a child. All I could see on his face right now was his father, Gerardo. He looked exactly like him—the way he smirked, his dark hair, dark eyes, even the way he walked. No one would guess how much trauma he had faced just by looking at him. His body language never showed any sign of weakness. And he was manipulative. He'd been good at manipulating people since he was a kid who knew nothing.

He gave me a triumphant look after I agreed to his request. The expression sent a chill down my spine. I knew he loved me, but I didn't trust him. I was scared to bring him to my home.

"Why do you want to go there anyway?" I asked.

"To see them," he replied.

"Are you going to hurt them?" I asked, watching him closely.

"I won't," he said, avoiding my gaze. I couldn't look away from him. His long dark lashes fluttered as he looked everywhere but at me.

"Then what's with that look?" I pressed.

He didn't respond. He always did this—when he didn't want to talk, he just wouldn't. He never showed any emotion. All I could do was stare at his face, which looked like it had been perfectly sculpted by a master artist.

—----

Rachel and Miguel were surprised to see us arrive unexpectedly.

"Manuel," she said when she saw me. She glanced at Enzo as if she didn't know who he was.

I felt the atmosphere in the house shift the moment we entered. The presence of Enzo made everything feel different, and I couldn't shake the uneasiness that crept over me.

"Who's this?" Rachel asked, her eyes fixed on Enzo. The contrast between him and my family was striking. Enzo looked completely out of place, like he didn't belong here at all.

"This is my boss," I said, deliberately avoiding mentioning his name.

"Your boss?" Rachel repeated, looking at me in disbelief.

"Yeah," I confirmed, offering Enzo a chair, but he ignored it and began wandering around, inspecting the family photos on the walls.

"Is he an actor or a model, Papa?" Miguel whispered to me.

"Nope, his father's rich," I replied.

"He looks cool," Miguel said, still staring at Enzo.

"Really?" I said, a bit amused.

"Look at his shoes," Miguel pointed out, and I followed his gaze. Enzo's shoes were indeed stylish, but I couldn't understand what made them so special. Maybe it was just the price tag. I knew his shoes cost more than all the furniture in our living room combined. A sudden fear gripped me—had I put Enzo in danger by bringing him here? Luckily, there were two guards stationed outside.

"Did they come with you?" Rachel asked, glancing towards the window.

"Yes," I answered.

"Why don't they come inside?" she asked.

"They're guarding," I said simply.

"Him?" Rachel asked, still confused.

"Yes," I said, and both Rachel and Miguel looked at me in surprise.

"Why does he need that many guards?" Rachel asked.

"Because he needs that much protection," I replied.

"Is he that valuable?" Miguel asked, his excitement showing in such a cute way that I couldn't help but pull him closer, kissing his forehead. He's such a sweet boy, nothing like Enzo. Then I noticed Enzo staring at me with a cold, icy expression, and my hand slipped away from Miguel automatically. My mouth and throat went dry. Enzo was jealous—and dangerous.

"I'll bring you something to drink," Rachel said with a smile. My wife and son seemed happy to have Enzo here, but Enzo looked puzzled, as if he couldn't decide whether he liked them or not.

"Don't give him anything. I can't take the risk," I whispered to Rachel.

"You think I'd poison him?" she asked, clearly surprised.

"No, of course not. That's not what I mean. He's not even supposed to be here. I'm sweating with fear," I explained nervously.

"Then why did you bring him?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"He said he wanted to come. He's my boss. I can't say no," I replied.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Enzo, who was examining all our photos in the living room.

"Yeah," he replied. As usual, he seemed different when he was away from home. He acted differently outside, never showing any vulnerability. He looked like a completely different person when he was with strangers.

I could see that Miguel was eager to talk to Enzo, but I wasn't sure how Enzo would react. I didn't want him to hurt Miguel's feelings.

"Where did you get them?" I heard Miguel ask Enzo.

"The shoes?" Enzo replied.

"Yeah, they're cool," Miguel said enthusiastically.

I listened as Enzo explained where he bought the shoes and how much they cost, and Miguel's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the price.

"Are you that rich?" Miguel asked.

"It's my Papa's money," Enzo said nonchalantly.

"Do you like my Papa?" Miguel asked, and I secretly watched Enzo's facial reaction.

Enzo's expression shifted, and he stared at Miguel, clearly contemplating what to say or do.

"You know he spends more time with me than you," Enzo said proudly.

"Yeah, it's his job. I miss Papa a lot. He can only stay home for three days," Miguel said, and a wave of sadness washed over me. He had never expressed how much he missed me, so I assumed he was used to my absence.

"I like your Papa," Enzo said.

"You smell good," Miguel commented, and I couldn't help but smile. Enzo did smell good—it's something no one could resist.

"I know," Enzo replied with a smirk, as if he was pleased by the compliment. It seemed he didn't hate Miguel as much as I thought.

"Why do you want lots of guards?" Miguel asked, curious.

"It's just for show. Nothing serious," Enzo said, and Miguel laughed. Enzo looked surprised by his reaction and gave him a small smile. He didn't smile that easily.

Miguel wasn't leaving Enzo's side, and I didn't understand why he was staring at him like he was enchanted. Then I remembered how I had been drawn to Enzo when he was just a little kid. Once someone found themselves attracted to him, there was no turning back.

Being attracted to Enzo was like falling into a trap—it was painful. The more you tried to break free, the more you got hurt. Even if you managed to escape, the wounds never fully healed. The thing was, once you were caught in Enzo's trap, you didn't want to escape. You just stayed there, suffering.

"Boss, we should head out now," I told Enzo.

"Okay," he replied, sounding every bit the boss.

"Will you come back?" Miguel asked Enzo, his eyes hopeful. Enzo glanced at me.

"We'll see, buddy," I said, giving my son a light tap on the back.

I asked Enzo to wait while I went to the kitchen to say goodbye to my wife. She kissed me passionately on the lips, as she always did when I was leaving the house. When I turned around, I saw Enzo looking at me with a mix of anger and jealousy.

"What's with that look?" I asked him quietly as we got into the car.

He remained silent until we arrived home.

"What the hell was that?" he asked angrily after what felt like hours.

"Are you talking about my wife kissing me?" I replied.

"Yes," he said, his tone tense.

"Enzo, that's my wife. What's wrong with her kissing me?" I questioned.

"Did she do that to show me that you belong to her or something?" he shot back.

"No. Don't you know that husbands and wives kiss each other? Just like you kiss your girlfriend. Why are you mad about that?" I asked, trying to understand his reaction.

"Because I don't want you to get closer to anyone other than me," Enzo said angrily.

"Enzo, you are my son, and she's my wife. It's a totally different thing," I replied. I had no idea how to explain this to him. Sometimes, he was so arrogant for no reason.

Enzo angrily removed his shirt and threw it aside. I could see the bullet scar on his bare chest now.

"Well, I don't like anyone kissing you," Enzo said, stepping closer to me. For a split second, I thought he might kiss my lips with the way he was looking at me. I didn't know how I would react if he did such a thing. He was so unpredictable at times.

We locked gazes for a few seconds.

"You know what you just said doesn't make any sense, right?" I asked quietly.

He began to pace around the room uneasily, as if he had a problem he couldn't solve.

"Hey, why don't you take a shower and cool down a bit?" I suggested putting my arm around his shoulder.

"I hate them," he said, looking at me. I felt hurt.

"Why, baby? They are my family. It hurts when you say that," I said, noticing his expression change.

"They didn't do anything bad to you, yet you hate them?" I continued, studying his reaction. I observed his Adam's apple moving up and down.

"Well, it hurts when I don't have anyone for me. Everyone has their own family, and I don't have anyone. Even you betrayed me. I feel like I'm an orphan. I don't have anyone," he said, his tone conveying both sadness and anger.

"Hey, come here. You know I love you," I said, pulling him close and embracing him. Hugs always worked for him. He just needed a warm, long hug, and then every stupid and negative thought in his mind would fade away. I understood that he was extremely jealous right now, and this was how he was expressing it.

We stayed hugging for a few minutes.

"Feeling better?" I asked.

"I'm just jealous," Enzo said.

"I know," I replied, kissing his forehead and cuddling him again.