Chapter 5:The Deal

"You have been in this world for days now," Sofia continued, her voice cool, understated yet with an undercurrent of force. "You understand this, Dr. Escobar?" 

He groaned and ran a hand over his hair. The choice hovered over him, weighty and stifling. Circumstances beyond his control had pulled him into her world, but now a contract had been presented. Stay and assist her in reconstructing her empire; depart and vanish from Las Vegas permanently. The tug between his moral compass and his attraction for her rendered the decision untenable. 

He turned aside, trying to sort his ideas. Every thread in his body advised him to go; this was not his struggle. Still, something about her held him. Unlike any woman he had ever known, Sofia was not She was a storm, not merely a mafia boss; like a fool, he had let himself be caught in it. 

More to himself than to her, he said, "You want me to stay." 

Sofia approached; her presence is tremendous. She was the height of power, but her eyes showed something else, a weakness nobody would have ever considered existing. The two of them stood on the brink of something far too complex to grasp, and for a brief instant the walls separating them seemed to vanish. 

"You know you can't walk away, Rafael," she continued, her voice almost audible above a whisper. You are already active. And you will discover that leaving is more difficult than you first realize. 

Rafael took a hard drink, his throat dry. His gaze flicked toward the entrance, but it was obvious now that there was no getaway. His life, his future, hung on this woman. And he was already in too deep whether or not he wanted to acknowledge it. 

Deeply breathing, he looked back at her. The words sour on his tongue, he said, "I'll stay." 

The first smile he had seen since Sofia had been hurt curled her lips. That smile was just the gratification of success; it lacked any warmth. She had prevailed. 

Rafael's phone buzzed on the table next him, the abrupt noise dragging him from his thoughts before he could say anything else. He looked across at the television. It was a mystery number. 

Sofia noted his change in attitude. "Answer it," she urged, her voice stiff now, a reminder of the reality he was in. 

Rafael hesitated then pushed accept, bringing the phone to his ear. 

Through the line came a chilly voice. Said another way, "you made a mistake." "There is no turning back; your life is tied to her now." 

His head flew, flipping over every syllable in an attempt to organize it all. Now his heart was hammering, the blood flying into his ears. 

"Rafael," Sofia's voice cut off his thinking. Her face was harsh, unreadable as she stood in the gateway. "I doubt you completely appreciate the results of your decision." 

She moved closer, staring right at him. Right now you are in my world. It is not a place for the doubtful or weak. 

Turning to meet her, Rafael searched for the words. His head whirled with contradicting feelings. Though the more he descended into her world, the more difficult it got to hang onto what remained of his moral center. He wanted to help her, defend her. 

Sofia passed the waiting for him to speak. She was a lady used to be in charge, and right now she was not offering him options. 

"The people after us will stop at nothing to destroy everything," she said. You have to choose whether or not you can keep up with me. For there is no place for doubt. 

Rafael's heart accelerated. It was impossible to ignore the pull between his need to assist and his anxiety of losing himself in this planet. Looking at Sofia, the woman who had split his planet, he now understood the scope of what he was entering into. 

"You're not just fighting for power," Rafael remarked, his voice low. You are fighting for your life. 

Sofia nodded. And so are you right now. 

A gentle knock at the door coincided with her speech. Rafael turned to look, his instincts sharp. One of Sofia's most relied upon lieutenants, Antonio Fuentes entered the room. 

Antonio continued, his tone sharp with urgency: "Boss, we have a problem." 

Sofia held no flinch. Tell me, really. 

Lucia Vargas is making her move. She no longer waits any more. 

The reference to the competing mafia lord turned Rafael's stomach over-turned. Closing in on them was the web of danger and intrigue. And Rafael understood, with a great clarity, that his future belonged no more to him. It related to Sofia, the storm she was ready to unleash. 

Sofia gazed steadily at Rafael and turned. Here is it. We either die or we fight. 

The buzz of his phone returned. still another unidentified number. 

When Sofia turned her head to him to respond, he did not hesitate this time. 

The voice on the other line remarked, its tone icy, "Rafael, you've made a mistake." You are not only endangering your life here. You are lining everyone you love in front of fire. 

Rafael was at her side, his pulse pounding as the whole weight of the matter rested on his chest. 

"Are you ready?" Sofia's voice pierced the quiet, calm yet with an edge of something deeper underneath. 

Rafael had learnt not to undervalue her serenity, but he could sense the storm building under her cool head. She was computing, but it was more than just tactics today. It focused on survival. Before, he had seen the same passion in her eyes that had propelled her to seize command of the Alvarez empire. It now concentrated on maintaining it whole. 

Though his head was elsewhere, he nodded. Though he was already too deep in, every bit of him shouted to turn away from this life. His option to stay became an obligation rather than a decision he could reverse. But the reality chewed at him. His heart surged for the woman standing next him as much as for the peril ahead. So Sofia. Right now, she represented his weakness. Her strength, her beauty, the silent link between them, all felt like it may overwhelm him completely. 

Turning to him, Sofia locked her eyes with his as if reading his thinking. " Rafael, you are not free to leave. Not today. 

Stung, yet he understood she was correct. There was no way out the minute he entered her life. But as she went on, her voice dropped, full of a perilous softness, "But I need you. I need someone who sees that allegiance may be just as lethal as treachery. 

Rafael started to talk but was cut off by an unexpected knock at the door. He turned to Sofia and she signaled for him to stop, her face unreadable. The door creaked open and a man entered. One of Sofia's most reliable men, Antonio Fuentes came in looking somber. 

"Sofia," he whispered with a tight, urgent voice. "You have someone you should see. an ally, one you would not have predicted." 

Rafael sensed the pressure building. Every stride they made in this perilous planet descended them into a maze of secrets. Sofia's face turned steely, her eyes fixed on Antonio only. 

She said, "I'll be there shortly," with no space for debate in her voice. 

Sofia did not hesitate. She moved forward to indicate they might start by nodding gently to the man. Rafael stayed in the background, his senses tuned on high. His whole body seemed to buzz with expectancy. 

"I trust you have the information we need," Sofia murmured, her voice breaking the stillness. 

The man raised his head gently to expose piercing, analytical eyes. His eyes moved to Rafael, and for a split second they locked. Rafael felt the weight of the man's inspection, the unstated challenge in his glare. But the man spoke slowly; he laid a file on the table and slid it toward Sofia instead. 

"Everything you need to know is in here," the man continued, his voice low but forceful. But you must act quickly. Your foes are getting close by. 

Sofia did not flinch. She grabbed the file and quickly, with practiced motions opened it. Her gaze glided over the contents, her face insumutable. Rafael watched her intently from behind. Though he understood Sofia and the power she possessed, he also recognized the risk she was running. This was survival, not only about safeguarding her realm. 

Rafael reclined back in his chair, his hands neatly folded in front of the man, and his eyes never straying. "You should leave while you still can, doctor," he replied nonchalantly. People whole are swallowed by this planet. 

Rafael experienced a shudder creep down his spine, the consequences of his interaction with Sofia more severe than ever before striking him. 

Sofia's voice broke through his thoughts, icy and sharp. "I don't leave. Not anymore."