Chapter 13 Tangled Loyalties

• The sleek black car cut through the city streets, the soft hum of the engine the only sound between them. The air was thick, weighted with words unsaid. Mariana shifted in her seat, glancing at Diego, who kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead. His grip on the steering wheel was tight, the tension in his jaw evident beneath the dim streetlights filtering through the windshield.
• She smirked, breaking the silence. “Afraid I’ll steal your company secrets?”
• Diego didn’t glance at her, but the flicker in his expression told her he was amused. He exhaled sharply, a sound between a laugh and a sigh. “No,” he murmured, voice quieter now. “I’m afraid I’ll let you.”