Martinez replied. "This is the first stage of love."
Vicious scoffed. "Love? Has any of you ever been in love before? Then how would you know?" He shook his head, laughing coldly. "I'm telling you, I'll make sure I don't fall for her."
Fernandez chuckled. "We'll see about that, boss. We hope to see you soon."
"Yeah, sure," Vicious muttered as the call ended.
He shut the laptop and turned his gaze toward Thalia — sleeping peacefully on the bed, her hair gently brushing against her cheek. For a moment, something strange stirred inside him.
Could I be in love?
He scoffed again under his breath. No. Impossible.
The next morning, Fernandez, Martinez, and Mario gathered in a quiet corner for a meeting.
"We need to talk about her," Fernandez began. "If Vicious falls for Thalia, she's bad news. But if he does... things will change. Our whole plan could be ruined. She might expose us or worse, make him change."
Mario's eyes darkened. "Then we need to eliminate her."
Martin slammed his hand on the table. "What's your problem? Are you insane? He's protective of her! What happens when he finds out we tried something behind his back? You think he'll spare us?"
"Then what do we do?" Mario demanded.
Martin sighed. "We find another way. Something that'll keep him from falling for her without crossing him. Let's just go home and think. Tomorrow, we'll come up with a better plan."
The others exchanged uncertain looks, then nodded. "Alright."
Later that night, Vicious sat on the couch, his laptop open, blue light reflecting in his eyes.
Thalia turned slightly on the bed. Her sleepy voice broke the silence. "You're still awake… what are you doing?"
He didn't look up. "Working."
She stood up, brushing her hair back. "What are you working on? Sorry if I'm interrupting…"
He finally looked at her — a faint smile tugging at his lips. "No, it's fine. Just some things for my company."
Her brows rose. "Wow, so you have a company? I thought you were just someone who… lives off illegal stuff."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Sit with me."
Thalia hesitated, then sat beside him on the couch.
"Do you know anything about business?" he asked, glancing sideways.
She straightened. "Of course. I know quite a lot, actually about business, and even tech. I can manage schedules, organize meetings, take minutes…"
He arched a brow. "Oh, impressive. And here I thought you were just a girl who does cleaning and waitressing," His tone was teasing yet slightly demeaning.
She looked at him sharply. "Alright then. I'll just go to bed instead."
"Thalia, wait please forgive me. I didn't mean it like that."
She gave a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "It's fine. I'll leave you to your work. I don't want to disturb you."
"Please… stay."
But she only shook her head, returning to the bed. "See you tomorrow, Victor."
He watched her in silence, her back turned to him, the room filled with unspoken tension.
For the first time, the silence felt heavier than his own thoughts
Thalia turned slightly, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. Her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Vicious. He stood, straightening his shirt, trying to shake the thoughts away. But as he turned toward the window, her soft voice broke the silence.
"You didn't sleep in the bed."
He froze, then looked back at her. "I didn't want to disturb you."
Thalia sat up slowly, the blanket sliding off her shoulders. "You were working till earlier this morning?"
"Yeah," he replied shortly, though the laptop hadn't been touched in hours.
She studied him for a moment. "Why?"
Vicious gave a faint smirk. "Rest is for people who have nothing to lose."
Thalia's eyes softened. "And what are you afraid of losing, Victor?"
He looked at her too long, too intently. "Nothing," he said at last. "Nothing at all."
Silence settled between them again. She gave a small nod and rose from the bed, walking toward the window where he stood. The sunlight caught her face, softening her features.
"Mexico looks beautiful from here," she said quietly.
He glanced out too. "It does." Then, after a pause, "So do you."
Thalia turned to him, caught off guard, but before she could say a word, he looked away. "Forget I said that."
A small smile curved her lips. "You know, you're really bad at pretending you don't care."
"Maybe," he said, voice low. "But I'm even worse at stopping once I start."
"Thalia," his voice came low, almost careful. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean any of that."
"No… I should be the one telling you sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have said any of that either. I started first. You only said the truth. I do waitering jobs, I serve drinks, I clean, I cook, I serve. So, it's not untrue."
"Thalia, don't say that" he cut in, his tone firm but gentle. "I didn't mean to look down on what you do. You work hard you always have. I was angry, but it wasn't with you."
The silence between them softened, no longer heavy but warm , forgiving.
Then his lips curved faintly. "Since you're not angry anymore… how about we go for another tour around the city today?"
Her brows lifted, teasingly. "What? Honestly, I hope you're not just saying that to make me feel better."
He chuckled, "Not at all. I meant it. So… where do you want to go?"
Thalia's eyes brightened. "Where do you want to take me?"
"Hmm," he thought aloud, eyes glinting. "Monte Albán? Palenque? Or maybe El Tajín? "or all of them
"Wow," she said, her lips parting in excitement. "That sounds so cool! I'm excited already."
Vicious smiled, a rare softness in his eyes. "My pleasure, Thalia."