Chapter 23: Became his obsession

Soraya placed her hands against Santino’s chest and gave him a gentle push, creating some distance between them. "I told you not to kiss me without my permission," she whispered, giving him a stern look.

"Alright," Santino replied surprisingly easily.

He straightened and walked back into the room to retrieve the remote control. Soraya turned her head slightly, watching him as he returned to the balcony. The next moment, he pressed a button, and the automated glass windows slid shut, sealing the balcony from the outside.

"Now, this is better," he remarked before settling beside her on the cushioned seat.

Soraya glanced at him, wondering what he was up to, but decided not to question him. Instead, she remembered something that had happened yesterday and turned toward him. "Did you apologize to the maid?" she asked, feeling his fingers brush against hers.

"Why would I apologize to her?" Santino chuckled, looking entirely unbothered by the question. "A king never bows to anyone except his queen."

Soraya burst into laughter at his answer. She had never met anyone quite as arrogant as him, yet his shameless confidence was strangely entertaining. "Were you always like this? I can’t believe my brother has you as a friend." She shook her head in amusement before her expression turned curious. "Tell me, how did you even find me? There’s no way you just happened to come across me by chance. You had been stalking me for a long time, hadn’t you?" Soraya asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.

"You’ll get all your answers if you kiss me," Santino challenged, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

"What?" Soraya exclaimed before turning her gaze toward the sky, deliberately avoiding his eyes. "Look, there are clouds everywhere. We can’t see much."

Santino followed her gaze for a moment before turning back to her with an amused expression. "Yes, but we can still get to know each other."

"You already know everything about me," Soraya remarked, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Then tell me something I don’t know. How did you live all these years?" Santino asked, his tone growing more serious.

"I was much more alive before I met you," Soraya shot back, giving him a sharp look.

The words came out easily, but they concealed a painful truth. She had spent years struggling to make ends meet, taking whatever part-time jobs she could find to cover her daily expenses. Her life had been far from easy, especially after she entered her teenage years when Emilio entered her life.

"Tell me what you’re thinking. I want to know, too," Santino said, studying Soraya’s face.

"I loved Emilio so much," Soraya admitted after a moment of silence. The moment his name left her lips, Santino’s expression darkened, and his jaw tightened. He disliked hearing her speak about another man with such emotion, especially when that man had betrayed her. "We were friends long before we became lovers. I still wonder why he cheated on me. Was everything between us a lie?"

Santino reached out and gently held her chin, turning her face toward him so she would meet his gaze. "How can you think about him when you’re sitting right beside me?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of jealousy.

"You asked me what I was thinking, and I gave you an honest answer," Soraya replied, pulling her chin away from his grasp. "You seem to think falling in love is easy, but it isn’t. Emilio and I were childhood sweethearts. He was there for me when I had no one else. I trusted him with everything, Santino. Even though I hate him now for what he did, I can’t bring myself to trust another man so easily."

Santino remained silent for a moment, studying her eyes as though he wanted to understand every emotion hidden behind them. He could see that her distrust wasn’t something he could erase with a few reassuring words. Emilio had left wounds that would take time to heal, and Santino knew that if he wanted Soraya to believe in him, he would have to prove himself through his actions.

"I’m sincere about you," he said at last. "You have no idea how much I want you, Soraya."

As he gazed at her, a memory from the past surfaced in his mind. He had encountered Soraya when she was eighteen, but at the time, he hadn’t recognized her for who she was. It was only six months ago, when he saw her again and noticed the distinctive butterfly-shaped mark, that he finally realized who she was. Since then, the woman sitting beside him had become impossible to forget and became his obsession.

"Then prove your sincerity to me. Stop taking the lives of others," Soraya said firmly, meeting his gaze. "I can never accept violence, Santino. No matter what you offer me or how much power and wealth you place at my feet, I will never be able to love you if you continue taking lives. I don’t want to be with someone whose hands are stained with blood."

With that, she rose from the sofa, unwilling to continue the conversation any further. "I’m feeling sleepy, so I’ll take another room. Good night."

She walked back into the room without waiting for his response, leaving Santino alone on the balcony.

It was easy for Soraya to tell him to abandon his way of life, but she had no idea what that would mean for him or the people under his protection. His world operated by its own rules, and if he suddenly stopped enforcing them, his enemies would see it as an opportunity to strike. Rival families would challenge his authority, old enemies would seek revenge, and the consequences could be devastating. Abandoning violence altogether wasn’t as simple as she imagined.

Yet, Santino understood something else just as clearly. If he forced Soraya to accept his world and its brutal laws, he would only push her further away from him. She had already made her position clear, and he knew that demanding her love would never earn it.

’What am I supposed to do with you, Soraya?’ he wondered, running a hand through his hair as frustration settled over him.