And she knew exactly what would happen next.
Power doesn’t always need violence.
Sometimes power just needs a signature.
Sofía’s heart hammered.
Her mouth went dry.
Then she did the one thing her fear begged her not to do.
She moved.
The Whisper That Changed Everything
Sofía approached the table with a practiced smile—steady hands, neutral eyes, the posture of a person trained to be harmless.
Javier was still turned away on his call.
Liana’s attention was on her nails.
Sofía pretended to fumble slightly, as if adjusting the cutlery, lowering herself closer.
She leaned toward Javier just as he began to sit back down.
“Excuse me, sir,” she murmured.
Her lips barely moved. Her voice was nothing but air.
Then she delivered the sentence like a match in a dark room:
“There’s something in your drink. Please don’t touch it.”
Javier’s hand paused mid-reach.
His eyes flicked to her—quick, sharp, the look of a man who could measure a room in half a second.
Sofía’s pulse screamed.
She expected him to snap. To accuse her of being dramatic. To call security. To demand her name and fire her on the spot.
Instead, he gave the smallest nod imaginable.
Not gratitude.
Acknowledgment.
Like a man storing information.
Sofía straightened, moved away, and continued serving another table as if she hadn’t just stepped into a loaded gun’s path.
At the table, Liana smiled at Javier like nothing happened.
“Everything okay?” she asked, sweet as sugar.
Javier lowered his gaze to the champagne flute.
Gold bubbles rose peacefully to the surface.
The glass looked innocent.
So did Liana.
Javier’s face didn’t change.
He lifted the flute.
“To us,” he said calmly.
He brought it toward his lips—
—and stopped just short, letting the rim touch his mouth as if he’d sipped.
He set it down.
He smiled.
Liana’s shoulders loosened, almost imperceptibly.
She thought she’d won.
Under the table, Javier’s fingers moved once across his phone.
A single encrypted message to one person.
Security Chief: NOW. Quiet. Don’t spook her.
Then he looked at Liana and did something that chilled her without her realizing it.
He asked questions.
Not obvious questions.
Normal questions.
“Are you excited about tomorrow?” he said softly.
Liana brightened. “Of course. I’ve been dreaming about our future.”
Javier nodded like a man in love.
Inside, something had turned to ice.
He wasn’t just going to stop her.
He was going to expose her in a way she could never talk her way out of.
And he already knew the perfect stage.
A Dinner Becomes a Trap
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