Enzo

Papa (Manuel) didn't leave the room for a long time, staying until he was sure I was completely okay. Finally, I gently took his hands in mine and said, "Papa, I love you so much. I promise I'll never try something so foolish again, no matter what. I don't want to make you sad, Papa. I don't want to cause you pain. Please, trust me," I begged, my voice earnest.

I saw his eyes shining with emotion. "I trust you, baby," he said softly, stroking my hair before finally leaving my room. Every word I'd said to him was true, echoing deeply in my heart. I didn't want to cause him pain. I would never hurt him like that again. Never.

A few hours later, I heard a knock on my door. I assumed it was a servant; who else would bother to knock?

"Come in," I said, seated on my bed and engrossed in my phone.

"Young master, Mr. Gerado asked for you to come to his office," the servant said as he entered.

"Oh, okay," I replied, hiding my surprise. Since Papa had come back from the hospital, he'd wanted to talk to me, but thankfully, that talk hadn't happened. And now, he wanted to talk again... or did he want to punish me?

"Don't worry, young master. He's in a good mood," the servant reassured me, his eyes filled with sympathy.

"Okay, you can go," I said quietly, dismissing the servant.

I cautiously descended the stairs and approached Papa's office. My hand trembled as I knocked softly on his door, feeling a burning sensation in my stomach. My heart raced, and I felt dizzy. Had I done something wrong?

"Come in," I heard Papa's rough voice say. I slowly entered his office.

"Enzo," he greeted me warmly. "Are you okay, son? You look pale." I couldn't believe his words. What kind of act was this, Papa?

"Just scared," I replied honestly.

"For what?" he asked, looking genuinely curious. He seemed happy. Well, let me ruin your mood, Papa. "Just wondering which belt you're going to use today," I muttered, scratching my head nervously.

Papa's face darkened, his anger surfacing in an intense stare. That deadly look could burn someone to ashes. I instinctively took a step back.

"I'm not going to use any belt today," he replied, still visibly angry.

"That's... great," I said, feeling a mixture of relief and tension.

"Come here," he said suddenly, getting up from his chair and coming closer, locking his gaze on me. Without realizing it, I found myself pressing against the wall in fear.

"Come on," he said, taking my hand and leading me to a part of the house I'd never been allowed to enter before—not officially, anyway.

What he didn't know was that I'd already snuck into all his private areas in secret.

He sat down on a comfortable couch. "Sit here," he said, patting the space beside him. I really didn't want to sit close to him. Sure, he was handsome and smelled good, but he was still a monster. What if he suddenly got angry and started hitting me? How would I escape?

Gerado

Enzo stood a few feet away from me, looking terrified. His face was pale, and he seemed almost sick. I knew I was the reason he was so afraid, but I didn't want to show too much emotion and make him weaker. He needed to face this like a man.

"Sit down," I said firmly.

"Can I sit here?" he asked, pointing to a different chair.

"No. You need to sit closer because I have something to show you. I'm not going to swallow you, Enzo. I'm not an anaconda," I replied, catching a faint smile tugging at his lips, which he quickly tried to hide.

Slowly, he came closer and sat down beside me.

"Wow, that scent... what are you using?" I asked as the fragrance drifted toward me. I couldn't understand why he always used so much of it.

"It's a secret," he muttered, and I laughed. I felt an urge to hug him, but I held back. That wasn't how men in our family were raised. Enzo had already been coddled enough by a stranger who treated him like a baby. I had a plan to change that.

I took a small wooden box from the stool in front of the couch and opened it, watching Enzo's curious gaze.

"Look at these photos," I said, handing some of them to him.

He took them slowly, studying each one carefully. His dark eyes moved back and forth, his lashes flickering as he examined the images.

"That's Juana," he said, looking up at me. I hadn't expected that response, but he was right—Juana looked exactly like her Mama.

"That's your Mama," I told him, watching his expression shift, a trace of disappointment on his face.

"I thought you'd be happy to see her," I said, surprised.

"She looks like Juana. I hate Juana. She's a... well, she's a real piece of work," he muttered. This wasn't the reaction I expected.

"But your Mama was a good woman. She was very loving," I replied.

"Hmm," he said, his expression unreadable.

"Here are some photos of you and your Mama," I said, handing him a few more pictures. This time, I saw a slight shift in his expression—maybe a glimmer of emotion.

"Do you like them?" I asked, my fingers brushing through his hair accidentally.

"Yeah," he said softly.

"You can keep them if you want," I offered.

"You don't want them?" he asked, looking at me curiously.

"I have plenty of photos of her. And if you want to check out her part of the house, I've unlocked it. It's open to anyone now," I said. Enzo looked at me, his face as expressionless as ever. I never understood how that Manuel guy could read Enzo's expressions when there was hardly any to see.

"Can I ask you something since you're in a good mood?" he asked, still staring down at the photos, though it was clear his mind was somewhere else.

"Sure," I replied.

"Do you still want me to break up with her?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. She's not a match for our family," I said firmly.

I saw his Adam's apple move as he swallowed, clearly nervous.

"And if I don't?" he asked, glancing up at me.

"You know I can make it happen," I said, meeting his gaze. His eyes looked darker and more intense now—he was angry.

"Can I go?" he asked.

"Yes, you can," I replied, and he left the room immediately.

Ava

The final exams were just around the corner, and teachers were piling on tests left and right to help us prepare. Most of the students were studying like mad, cramming as much information as possible before the big day. Even the ones who usually didn't care about grades were hitting the books harder than ever.

In the middle of all this chaos, I learned that Enzo had completely given up trying to beat me in the exams. Ever since I put him in his place, he hadn't been able to score higher than me or any of the other top students. It was strangely satisfying, knowing I'd managed to knock him down a notch.

The funny thing was, even though Enzo's overall grades had slipped, he still scored the best in subjects involving math and numbers. He'd always been brilliant with that stuff. But looking at his total marks across all subjects, he was getting lower scores—even less than Mia—because he wasn't doing as well in other areas.

Lately, Enzo had been completely ignoring me, acting as if I didn't even exist. Oddly enough, I was okay with that now. I was fully focused on preparing for the exams, and the last thing I needed was to be distracted by his good looks. Still, I couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy whenever I saw Enzo and Mia together.

Pam and Rex were no longer a thing after Rex spilled everything she had confided in him. Surprisingly, Enzo and Rex didn't even get into a fight over it. It was like the two groups had just decided to pretend the other didn't exist—a huge change from how things used to be.

The entire class, even the whole school, felt a lot more peaceful now, but I had to admit, it got a bit boring at times. We'd grown so used to being surrounded by constant drama that the quiet felt strange. All the drama queens in our class had gone silent, like they'd lost their spark.

The exams finally started, and I was excited, knowing I'd studied hard and was ready. Some students rushed home as soon as an exam was over to cram for the next day's test. Even though I felt prepared, I found myself doing the same. Every day, I noticed Enzo and Mia kissing in the garden before heading home, just like the other couples at school—obviously trying not to get caught by the teachers.

It was tough to see them together, especially while I was so focused on my studies.

As the exams went on, you could feel everyone's stress building. During breaks, people frantically went over their notes, and after each test, they'd compare answers. It was a challenging time, but it also felt like we were all in it together.