Chapter 317

“You look so hot. I’m just seconds away from stealing you from Marvin!” Amelia gushed at the outfit she had picked out for me.

After a short afternoon of shopping, Marvin received a phone call from his dad-telling him to get to the mansion as soon as possible. I felt bad enough for emptying his bank account and had no problem going back home.

I took a turn and looked at the tight black jumpsuit around my body. My hair was straightened to perfection, and for some reason, I had managed to do it without burning my scalp Amy wasn’t lying.

I was hot, and if I could date myself, I would’ve “You did a good job, Amy.”

“Of course I did!” Amy clapped her hands. “This style looks perfect on you, and I knew it from the moment I saw Marvin’s lock screen!”

“Marvin’s lock screen?”

“Yes!” Amy smiled. “He’s so head over heels for you, and it’s adorable.” She said. “I thought he was supposed to be mister tough guy and all, but…”

I ignored Amy’s rant as I got lost in my own thoughts Marvin, head over heels for me?

If that was really true, and if he was going to confess tonight-then I did not want to hurt him.

Telling him about my dad would only cause him pain, so I hoped it would only be a confession and nothing more.

“You should go. Time is ticking!” Amy pushed me out of the room. My jaw nearly dropped as all the maids turned their heads to stare at me. According to Amy, they had even made bets about my date with Marvin. Some thought he would confess, some thought he would propose, and a few had even wished for him to kick me out.

Most of them showed me a gentle smile as I walked past them and made my way downstairs, where Panther had already been waiting for me. He whistled and nodded his head in acknowledgment. “It’s not too late to ditch Marvin and get with a real man.”

Absolutely not.

“Yes, in your dreams!”

“You look really good, Elena.” Panther locked our arms.

“Thank you, Pedro.”

Panther stopped in his steps. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember giving you permission to call me Pedro.”

He chuckled. “You don’t see me calling you DEA agent’s daughter.”

Shocked, I looked around me, but luckily no one had heard us.

Panther had an unpredictable personality, meaning you couldn’t know what would leave his mouth next- but at the same time, it was difficult to dislike him. Although, it would be nice if he would just keep his mouth shut every now and then.

“So, where are you taking me?” I wondered as we made our way to the luxurious sports car which was parked outside. What kind of date did Marvin have in mind? It was probably something fancy. It had to be “Don’t worry about it.” Panther opened the door for me. “Come on, get in.”

I followed his instructions and sat down, but before I could even get the opportunity to fasten my seatbelt. the car had already stopped. “Surprise, we’re here!” Panther announced.

We had only been in the car for like twenty seconds. Was he kidding me?

Pissed, I folded my arms while Panther laughed at his lame joke.Okay, maybe it wasn’t that difficult to dislike him.

“Your date is right there!” Panther pointed out as we stepped out of the car. I looked across the garden and noticed the countless lanterns down the path.

What was Marvin onto?

“So you dragged me into this car, just to drive me here in less than a minute.” I rolled my eyes at Panther.

“You dragged yourself into this car.” He corrected me. “I just love making fun of you, and as long as you’re here I’ll continue making fun of you!”

Sometimes it was hard to believe that the man in front of me was the same man who frightened me to death. Back then, I used to think he was a monster without a personality. “You’re an asshole.”

“Yes, I know.” Panther smiled. “Just follow the path!”

Just as I was about to step away, Panther placed his hand on my shoulder and turned me back around. “Yes?” I raised my brow.

Panther shot me a doubtful look. “Whatever happens tonight, please know that whatever you say could have consequences for not only you and your family but also Marvin…and me.”

“What?”

“Don’t let Marvin tell you anything you’re already aware of don’t make him look stupid.” Panther stated. His words were very clear, and if he was trying to make me feel guilty-he was doing a good job.

I felt nervous because those words were the confirmation I needed. The chances of Marvin telling me the truth about his family were not that small.

“He’ll understand-”

“Elena, he’s a Castillo.”

Right.

“Sometimes in life, you have to make decisions… you can’t always have everything.” Panther spoke. “Do you get me?”

Decisions? Wait a minute.

I gasped. “Do you want me to choose between Marvin and my family?”

Panther lowered his head as I waited for his explanation. “You should go. Good luck.”

That was all he could say as he pushed me towards the path.So that was really it. He wanted me to lie to Marvin and to forget about my family Startled, I followed the instructions and walked the path, but I could not ignore the uneasy feeling in my stomach. Things would’ve been so much easier if Marvin and I could tell each other the truth and move on-but that was certainly not an option.

I didn’t want to lie to him about my family. I didn’t want to lose my brother, but at the same time, telling Marvin the truth would mean I had to tell him about my dad’s investigation-which could not only put my family but also him in some serious danger.

The Castillo’s worked with people who would most likely not give him a pass for getting involved with a DEA agent’s daughter.

My mind was telling me to listen to Panther’s advice, but my heart told me not to lie to the person I cared about. Whatever I would do would only hurt him in the future.

Conflicted, I took a deep breath and smiled as I reached the end of the path. My eyes landed on the decorated round table at the center of the garden. It was a nice and romantic setting.

Marvin turned around to face me. As expected, he looked even more handsome than he did this morning. Seeing him was enough for my heart to skip a beat. He wore a nice suit and held a red bouquet în his hands.

“You’re late.” He tapped his imaginary watch. I laughed at his stupidity and flew into his arms.

“Panther’s fault!”

“Do I want to know?” Marvin pulled away, giving me the flowers. I shook my head. “No, you don’t.”

Really….

I shrugged off my negative thoughts and showed off my outfit. “So, how do I look?” I asked. “I look pretty, right?”

“You look…” Marvin cleared his throat.”Beautiful?”

“Why am I hearing a question mark after beautiful?” I nudged his shoulder. “You were going to say ugly or catfish, but then you decided to behave because you don’t want to ruin this date.”

No words could leave Marvin’s mouth, causing him to shrug his shoulders. “It’s amazing how you manage to read my mind.” He spoke embarrassed. I was used to Marvin teasing me, but unlike his friend-he knew when to stop.

He led me to the table and pulled out a chair for me. “The food looks good. Did you cook this too?” I asked to case the tension.

“No, not this time.”

“Hmm, too bad.” I giggled. Throughout our dinner, we shared different conversations and memories.

The thing I liked about Marvin was that he hadn’t changed a bit. He was funny, easy to talk to, and had I not known any better. I would’ve thought he was completely innocent.

There was only one thing bothering me, and that was that he had yet to confess his feelings. What if I was wrong? What if this dinner didn’t mean anything?

“You’re a really generous person,” I spoke, hoping it would lead to a confession. Marvin gave me a warm smile. “Thank you.”

Nothing?

Really?

“You kind of remind me of my sugar daddy,” I told him. “Although we’re not exclusive, you just keep spoiling me.”

“Uh…thanks?” Marvin raised his brow, “Take it as a compliment.” I nodded awkwardly. Maybe it would be better for everyone if I would just stop making jokes altogether.

“Is there anything else you want?” Marvin wondered. “Do you like the flowers? Because if you don’t…I can replace them with a better gift. He had clearly misunderstood my intentions and thought I was after something else.

“No, I think I’m good!”

There was a moment of silence, and Marvin had a troubled look on his face. I knew I was nosy, but 1 couldn’t help it-especially after his dad’s call ended our day at the mall.

“What’s wrong? Did you look at your bank account and change your mind about me not being a gold- digger?”

Please laugh, please laugh.

Marvin cracked a smile. “That’s not it. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Well, what is it?”

Maybe it wasn’t about his family. Perhaps he was too afraid to confess his feelings because that meant 1 could finally shoot him in his leg. I was fine with anything, as long as he wouldn’t tell me about his cartel ties.

“The results came back, and…Lucas is my brother.” Marvin dropped the bomb. So that officer turned out to be his brother after all.

“Oh, wow,” I tried my hardest to sound interested. “Congratulation-”

“It’s not something to celebrate.”

Way to make things awkward, Elena. Mario had an affair. Of course, it wasn’t something to celebrate. “So how are you feeling?”

Marvin went into deep thoughts. “Tiago and mom are having a hard time. I think Victor wants to kill him…. Karina saw this as a perfect opportunity for a drink.”

“Yes, but how are you feeling?”

The question seemed to have shocked Marvin, and it was not difficult to guess why. He was always the one taking care of everyone, but it was never the other way around.

“I…don’t know, I haven’t thought about it.” Marvin mumbled. “Apparently, in a few weeks, Lucas will move in for a while to bond with dad.” He explained. “And bonding with that man is impossible, so I don’t think he’ll bother us for much longer.”

“Good.”

So he gave me the information I wanted, but he had still not confessed his feelings. “Are you finished eating?” He asked.

“Yes.”

Marvin took a sip from his glass and took a deep breath. Was this it? Was he finally going to confess?There was clearly something going on between us, and he was the only one in denial.

“Elena, there’s something I have to tell you-but I need you to promise me that you won’t freak out and just hear me out until I’m finished.”

“Promise.” I nodded. Yes, I was being desperate, but why would I freak out after his confession?

“I…” Marvin began. “I’m not from an ordinary family.”

For a second, my heart stopped beating. This was not about his confession. This was about something else. Marvin was going to tell me the truth about his family.

“Yes, you’re all crazy-I had already figured that one out.” I laughed, hoping he would drop the subjectA confession would be enough.

Marvin released a nervous chuckle. “True, but that’s not what I meant.”

“The Castillo’s…”

“I “No, we…”

I reached out for his hand. “Marvin, you don’t have to-”

“No, I have to.” Marvin cut me off. “You deserve to know the truth, Elena. I’m done lying to you.”

Marvin looked into my eyes while I slowly accepted my fate, knowing there was no turning back.

“My dad…he’s the boss of the Castillo cartel, and I’m..not any better than him.”