A Surprising Twist

♡ Nia's POV ♡

I stood there, caught between the tension of this unexpected family confrontation. I didn't know what was happening, and the truth was slowly unfolding before my eyes.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Juan asked Armando, his voice laced with anger and disbelief.

Armando responded with a sinister smile, "Is that how you greet your papá?!"

My mind was racing with questions. Juan and Armando were father and son? The realization sent shockwaves through my understanding of the situation.

"What are you doing here, Armando?" Juan repeated, his expression stern.

Armando tried to mask his surprise. "It's an old factory, Juan. I want to renovate it."

But Juan wasn't buying it. "I need to search the factory," he said, his eyes fixed on his father.

Armando's expression shifted as he realized Juan's intent..

As Juan attempted to enter the factory, two police officers confronted him, their guns pointed at him.

"I have to go in. I need to go in," he insisted.

Armando, standing with the officers, dismissed him with a condescending tone, "You can't search this place today. Besides, you're not a police officer with a search warrant; you're just my useless son with anger issues." He patronizingly patted Juan on the shoulder.

In response, Juan drew his own gun and aimed it at Armando's head, causing the other police officers to point their weapons at me and Juan's other men.

"Drop your weapon or your men face the consequences," one of the police officers warned.

Even as the situation escalated, Juan refused to lower his gun. Suddenly, one of his men was shot in the forehead, yet Juan's anger held.

When the gun was aimed at my forehead, I couldn't help but shout, "Don't worry about me, Juan. Do the right thing. Find them!"

As the trigger was about to be pulled, Juan screamed, "Stop, please! Stop!" He reluctantly dropped his weapon.

Armando let out a maniacal laugh and approached me, trying to see my face but failing to recognize me due to my disguise. Juan, shielding me, pulled me behind him.

"Please leave this instant before I change my mind," Armando threatened.

"Whatever you're up to, I'll expose you," Juan retorted as we turned and began moving away.

Suddenly, whispers emerged from behind us, "Shoot them." It was Armando. Gunshots rang out as we sprinted toward our vehicle.

Two of Juan's men were struck by bullets, and Juan, still trying to defend me, sustained a gunshot wound to his side, causing profuse bleeding.

Our team, situated in the vehicle, retaliated, successfully taking down some of Armando's men. We finally entered the vehicle and sped away from the factory.

The tension in the car was palpable. Juan's gunshot wound was bleeding heavily, and I tried to stem the flow of blood with whatever cloth I could find.

"Just hold on, Juan," I pleaded, my voice trembling with fear. I couldn't lose him, not after everything we had been through.

As we arrived at his home, I managed to help him into his room. He pointed towards his cupboard, indicating the first aid kit. I retrieved it and began dressing his wound. I watched him grimace in pain as he carefully removed the bullet. Despite my anger over him not revealing that Armando was his father, I felt a rush of emotions.

He was remarkably strong, and I found myself getting emotional. He noticed my trembling and stern face. "You need to stop worrying," he said.

I remained silent, unable to contain my emotions.

"I'm so glad you didn't get hurt. I wouldn't have forgiven myself," he added, trying to break the silence.

"I'm sorry for not telling you Armando is my dad," he said, a hint of regret in his voice.

"I want answers, Juan. You owe me that much," I told him.

"Answers won't save Sofia, but together, we just might," he replied.

"We were compromised," he explained.

"I guess someone fed information to Guzman, and he informed Armando," he added.

As I finished dressing his wound and stood up to leave, he said something that made me stop in my tracks.

"I'm not like Armando. Just because he's my dad doesn't mean I'm like him," he assured me. His words moved me, and as I turned around, he continued, "I didn't know how to tell you so you would trust me. I love you ,Nia."

I was taken aback by his confession, unable to look away from him and his chiseled body.

"You love me?" I asked, my lips curling into a soft smile.

Despite the pain he was in, he stood up, approached me, and gently tucked my hair behind my ear. "I've always loved you from the first night I laid eyes on you. That's why I couldn't let you go, and I offered to help Sofia, even if it meant taking down my own dad," he confessed .

"Don't worry, I'm not going to rush you into falling in love with me, and you don't have to say it if you don't want to. You're way better than falling for a mafia criminal like me," he continued speaking, but I interrupted him with a kiss.

"Stop talking and kiss me already," I said, and he obliged, continuing the kiss.

I knew he needed to rest, so I helped him toward his bed and whispered "goodnight" into his ears softly. As I turned to leave and go back to my room, he grabbed my hand.

"Please stay," he said softly with his deep voice.

"Okay," I replied with a soft smile.

Minutes later, I came out from the shower, changing into more comfortable dress. Climbing onto the bed, I found him fast asleep, looking incredibly handsome. I couldn't resist staring at his beautiful features.

"Am I a ghost?" he said, giving me a soft smile.

"I thought you were fast asleep," I responded.

"I can't sleep when I have the most beautiful lady next to me all night," he admitted, causing me to blush.

He pulled me closer, our lips meeting. As we broke the kiss, I asked, "How are we going to find Sofia?"

He chuckled. "I know where she is. I noticed a van in the factory, so I planted a tracker under it. It looks like they've moved her. Your focus should be on winning the contest; that's the key to bringing Sofia home."

"You're so clever," I said, amazed. "I had no idea you had a plan."

"I always do, baby girl," he replied, his fingers gently tracing my face and lips.

"For the contest, I'd like to make my dress myself," I suggested.

"Anything for you, mi amor," he replied.

I couldn't fathom how I'd managed to transform a dangerous mafia gang leader with a stony heart into this gentle man. My feelings for Juan had been present ever since that night we returned from the lab, but I was always too afraid to admit them.

"That night we first had s*x, why did you dismiss me the next day and pretend it never happened?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry," I confessed. "I was scared and didn't want to get hurt again."

"I promise never to hurt you, Nia" he said, his genuine love evident in his beautiful green eyes.

We cuddled and drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, experiencing the most wonderful feeling.