Chapter 17
After a year apart, both Ethan and I had changed dramatically.
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He was thinner, had visible scars on his face, but of course, still as dangerously
compelling as ever.
I’d never been good at judging people, but my taste for dangerous men was still
intact.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have foolishly devoted myself to him for so many years. After a brief moment of surprise, I smiled coldly and greeted him with my hand
near my concealed weapon.
“Ethan Moretti. You’re far from your territory.”
Ethan’s hand froze mid–air as he reached for me, looking at me in disbelief.
My tone was completely different–cold and calculating, like you’d speak to a rival rather than someone you’d once loved desperately.
He seemed to have trouble processing this change.
After a long pause, his hand trembled slightly as he lowered it.
“I need to speak with you. Alone.”
I laughed sharply. “That’s not happening. Say what you came to say and leave Vasquez territory.”
In the car with my security team, I pointedly ignored Ethan who followed in his
own vehicle.
At the Vasquez compound, I eagerly reported my successful negotiations to Antonio, making him smile with satisfaction.
No one addressed Ethan directly, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed his jaw clenching the entire time he waited.
That day, he seemed determined to get me alone, but all of my Vasquez brothers
formed a protective wall around me.
Throughout the holidays, I was constantly surrounded by security, leaving our compound only with armed escorts, and spending evenings in strategic meetings
with Antonio.
I heard Ethan tried to approach me several times, but always encountered my
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protective detail.
I was confused–I couldn’t imagine what we would even need to talk about after a year of silence.
This year, Don Vasquez had arranged a special Christmas celebration for our family.
On Christmas Eve, our compound was especially lively.
After dinner, the soldiers watched holiday movies while the captains played poker. Suddenly, there was a commotion at our security perimeter–Ethan had somehow
breached our outer defenses.
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