Chapter 5 Beneath The Surface

The rhythmic tapping of rain against the towering glass windows filled the tense silence in Diego’s expansive office. Mariana sat at her desk, fingers flying over the keyboard, but her mind wasn’t on the report in front of her. The memory of the anonymous warning still echoed in her head: He knows you’re lying. Get out while you still can. She glanced up. Diego was in his chair, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up, reviewing documents. But his eyes flicked to her more often than necessary, watchful, calculating. “Something’s off,” he finally said. Mariana stiffened. “What do you mean?” “You’re distracted.” She opened her mouth to deny it, but a crack in her facade showed. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for her coffee. Diego noticed. His presence was oppressive and compelling as he rose and moved across the room. "You appear to be carrying more weight than you actually do." Mariana inhaled sharply, the lump in her throat hard to swallow. “It’s nothing.” But the look in his eyes told her he didn’t believe it. Softer this time, he said, "Everyone has ghosts." However, they have a nefarious tendency to clamber for attention. She didn't want to acknowledge how much his remarks affected her. For a fleeting second, she wanted to tell him everything. But secrets were her armor, and she wasn’t ready to let them fall. “Thank you, Diego,” she whispered, her voice steadier than she felt. He didn’t push. But the way his gaze lingered spoke volumes. He was seeing her cracks. And she wasn’t sure she could patch them fast enough. The storm hit harder than anyone expected. Thunder rumbled through the glass-paneled office as Mariana pulled the curtains shut, the sky outside painted in deep purples and steel grays. Sheets of rain lashed against the windows, the kind of storm that paralyzed the city below. “Looks like we’re stuck here,” Diego said, checking his phone. “Power’s down in half the district.” Mariana glanced around the cavernous office. Alone. With him. All night. Fantastic. The soft hum of the backup generator kept the lights dim, casting long shadows across the polished floors. Mariana sat on the leather couch while Diego poured two glasses of bourbon from a crystal decanter. “Drink?” he offered. She hesitated before taking the glass. They sat in silence at first, the weight of unspoken thoughts filling the room. The storm outside was nothing compared to the storm inside her chest. “Ever feel trapped?” Mariana finally asked, swirling her drink. Diego’s jaw tensed. “Every day.” Their eyes met, his walls lowered, hers fraying. The air thickened with unspoken confessions and something rawer, heavier. Another flash of lightning illuminated his face, all hard lines and shadows. “You hide it well,” she whispered. “You’re good at hiding too,” he countered. Their gazes clashed, neither backing down, until Mariana’s breath caught. The tension thickened, frayed at the edges of control. But before either of them could act, the building shuddered with another crack of thunder. The storm outside was nothing compared to what was brewing between them. The storm outside had softened to a steady drizzle, its rhythmic patter against the glass offering an odd sense of calm. The office lights cast a soft glow over Diego as he sat in the shadowed corner, the glass of bourbon in his hand nearly untouched. Mariana perched on the edge of the leather couch across from him, the air between them heavy with unspoken thoughts. “I wasn’t supposed to end up here,” Diego murmured, breaking the silence. His voice, usually sharp and commanding, was softer now, raw. Astonished, Mariana blinked. "Building a billion-dollar empire is not something that just happens." A humorless smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You think I wanted this? Montero Global wasn’t built from ambition. It was inherited, from a man who destroyed everything he touched.” His jaw clenched as he spoke, the cracks in his polished facade becoming painfully visible. “My father…” Diego hesitated before continuing. “He was ruthless. He taught me that loyalty is currency, love is weakness, and power? That’s the only thing that keeps you breathing in this world.” Mariana’s chest tightened, sympathy clawing its way in despite herself. “You’re not him.” His eyes met hers, searching for something, absolution, maybe. “Aren’t I? I’ve spent my life tearing down everything that threatened this empire. I look in the mirror some days and see him staring back.” The confession hit deeper than she expected. She wanted to reach out, to offer something soft against the sharp edges he’d lived with, but she couldn’t. “You’re not your father, Diego,” she said instead, her voice barely above a whisper. For the first time, she saw the man beneath the armor. But that only made her mission harder. Because now, she didn’t want to destroy him. The soft buzz of Mariana’s phone shattered the fragile moment. She fumbled to grab it, the screen lighting up with Camila’s name. Her heart immediately kicked into overdrive. “Camila?” she whispered, stepping away from Diego, who now watched her closely. Camila’s voice crackled through the speaker, urgent and breathless. “You need to get out, Mariana. Rodrigo’s men, they’re close.” Mariana’s pulse raced. “What? How do they know where I am?” “I don’t know, but someone’s feeding them information. You’re not safe there.” She could feel Diego’s stare like a laser cutting through her. Her hand trembled slightly as she tightened her grip on the phone, forcing her voice to stay calm. “I can’t just leave right now.” “Mariana, they’re watching. They know.” The line went dead. Mariana stood frozen, the blood rushing in her ears. She felt Diego move behind her, his presence unmistakable. "Who was that?" He said in a casual tone, but below it was steel. She swallowed hard, shoving the phone deep into her pocket. “No one important.” But Diego wasn’t buying it. His gaze narrowed, suspicion flickering. “You’re hiding something,” he said softly, almost like a promise. Mariana didn’t respond. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. Because this wasn’t just about Diego anymore. She was running out of time, and if she didn’t act soon, someone, maybe both of them, was going to get hurt. And for the first time since this whole game began, she wasn’t sure she wanted him to lose. The dim glow of the desk lamp flickered as Mariana slipped into Diego’s private office, her heels soft against the marble floor. The storm had passed, but inside her chest, thunder still rumbled. She glanced at the security cameras, offline, just like Camila had promised. The heavy oak door closed behind her with a soft click. Diego’s office smelled like cedarwood and danger. A wall of glass stretched behind his desk, giving her a sweeping view of the city skyline. His desk was organized, meticulous, just like him, but Mariana’s eyes zeroed in on the sleek, matte-black safe embedded in the wall. Her pulse quickened. This was it. The file she needed sat inside. She knelt in front of the safe, her hands moving with precision as she keyed in the codes she’d uncovered over weeks of careful observation. A soft click echoed through the room. She opened it. Stacks of documents. Contracts. And there it was, Project Santillán. She snatched it, flipping through the pages. Offshore accounts. Names. Codes. Evidence that could shatter Montero Global. “Looking for something?” Mariana froze. The voice was like ice water down her spine. Slowly, she turned. Diego stood in the doorway, his tie loose, sleeves rolled up, his silhouette dark against the soft city lights. But it was his eyes, cold, sharp, that rooted her in place. The file trembled in her grip. “Diego……” “Don’t.” He stepped forward, calm but dangerous, his gaze flicking to the papers in her hands. “You broke into my office, Mariana. You hacked my safe. Now, tell me…..” His voice dropped lower, venom laced with something deeper. “Why are you really here?” Her throat dried. The mask she’d worn was cracking. “I…..I was just…..” His eyes darkened as he interrupted, "Lying." "From the moment you entered, you have been deceiving me." Mariana’s heart raced as he closed the distance between them. But then, he didn’t call security. Didn’t yell. He just waited. For the truth. Or the next betrayal. And Mariana didn’t know which one would destroy them first.