~At Miggs Cooperation~
Miguel was typing away on his laptop when his office door burst open.
The sound of the office door slamming open startled Miguel, his fingers pausing on the keyboard as he looked up to see his secretary, personal assistant, and a tall, dark-haired woman storming into his office.
The woman's eyes were flashing with anger, her hands clenched at her sides as she marched towards his desk.
"Miguel Salvador!" she snapped, her voice cold and sharp as she stared daggers at him.
"Where is my brother, Diego? We both know you had something to do with his disappearance."The sudden intrusion into Miguel's office was like a gunshot in the silence of his sanctuary.
His fingers froze on the keyboard, and he turned, a scowl already forming on his face as he took in the trio standing before him.
His secretary, usually so composed, looked harried and out of breath, while his personal assistant, a normally cool and collected man, appeared flustered and on edge.
And at the center of it all stood the stranger, her eyes flashing with a fierce determination that made Miguel's hackles rise.
The sudden commotion caught Miguel off guard, and he slammed his laptop shut, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene before him.
"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, his voice icy as he fixed his gaze on the strange woman who stood at the center of the group, her face flushed with anger.
"Like I had stated earlier, I'm looking for my brother," she said, her voice trembling with barely suppressed rage. "Diego. Do you know where he is?"
Miguel scoffed, a cruel smile playing across his lips as he leaned back in his chair.
"How is that my business?" Miguel finally asked, his voice coming out cold.
"Miguel Salvador!" the woman hissed, her hands balling into fists as she spat his name once more.
"You know very well where my brother is. You know what you've done. And I won't leave here until I get answers!"
Miguel, his face a mask of calm, his eyes flat and unyielding, laced his fingers together on his lap.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, his voice cold and detached. "Your brother is not my responsibility."
"My brother disappeared the night he went to meet with you," Diego's sister said, her voice shaking with barely controlled anger.
"And now, he's nowhere to be found. You're his only connection."
Miguel's smile widened, his eyes hardening as he surveyed the woman before him but said nothing.
The woman's eyes flashed with rage seeing he was giving her the silent treatment, her chest heaved with each breath as she stared down at him.
"My brother was loyal to you, Miguel," she spat, her voice trembling with anger. "He would never have betrayed you. Not unless you gave him a reason to."
Miguel's smile faltered, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk. "Your brother was a thief," he finally growled, his voice low and dangerous. "He stole from me, and he paid the price."
The woman took a step forward, her hands clenched into fists.
Miguel stood up from his chair, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light as he leaned forward on his desk, his hands planted firmly on the wood.
"Do you think I would tolerate someone like that in my organization?" he snarled, his voice low and menacing.
"I trusted him, and he betrayed me. And now you dare to come here and accuse me?"
The woman took another step forward, her chest heaving as she glared at Miguel.
"You killed him," she whispered, her voice shaking with emotion.
The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with the unspoken threat of violence. Miguel's fingers curled into fists on the desk, his body rigid with anger.
"I gave your brother a chance to redeem himself," he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "He chose to throw his life away.
"And now you come here, a foolish woman, challenging me in my own domain. Are you so eager to follow in your brother's footsteps?"
The woman's eyes widened at Miguel's words, her face pale with fear.
"You're a monster," she whispered.
Miguel's eyes flashed with rage, his voice a low, menacing growl.
"And you're a fool," he hissed, his words slicing through the air like blades. "You think you can challenge me? You think you can come into my territory and demand answers?
"You're nothing but a pathetic, weak woman.
"I should have you thrown out of here, should have you thrown in the gutter where you belong."
The woman, her face ashen with fear, took a step back, her eyes darting around the office as if searching for a way out.
Miguel watched her with a cruel smirk, his eyes cold and merciless.
"But I won't do that," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "I'll give you one chance, one chance to walk out of here with your life."
"Leave now, and don't ever come back. Or I'll make sure you end up in the same place as your brother."
The woman, her body trembling, opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Finally, she turned and fled from the office, her footsteps echoing down the hall as she vanished from sight.
Miguel turned his attention back to his secretary and personal assistant, who stood trembling at a corner.
"How did she get past you?" he demanded, his voice ringing with fury. "How did you allow this woman to invade my privacy, my sanctuary?"
The two exchanged nervous glances, their faces pale with fear.
"Sir, we...we tried to stop her," the personal assistant stammered, his voice quavering.
"She forced her way past us. We couldn't..."
Miguel's face darkened as he listened to the personal assistant's excuses. "You couldn't do what?" he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. "Do your job? Protect me?"
The secretary, a petite woman with wide, fearful eyes, stepped forward, her hands clasped together in front of her.
"Please, sir," she begged, her voice trembling. "Please forgive us. We didn't mean to let her in."
Miguel's gaze hardened as he stared at the two of them, his mouth twisted into a sneer.
"Forgive you?" Miguel repeated, his voice a low, threatening growl. "Do you think forgiveness is that easy? Do you think you can just apologize and everything will be forgotten?"
The secretary and personal assistant exchanged terrified glances, their eyes darting back and forth between Miguel and the door.
"No, sir," the secretary said, her voice a mere whisper. "We know we've failed you.
"But please, sir. Please give us a second chance. We'll do anything you ask. We'll do better, sir. Please."
Miguel's face was a mask of fury as he stared down at the two quivering employees.
"This is your last chance," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "Fail me again, and you'll be fired. Do you understand?"
The secretary and personal assistant exchanged terrified glances, their eyes wide with fear.
"Yes, sir," they both murmured, their voices shaking. "We won't fail you again, sir."
Miguel gave a curt nod, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile.
"Good," Miguel said, his voice icy and controlled. "Now, get out of my sight. And don't let anyone else interrupt me today. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir," the secretary and personal assistant said simultaneously, their voices trembling as they turned and scurried out of the office, the door slamming shut behind them.
Miguel took a deep breath, his hands unclenching as he sat back down at his desk. He needed to focus, to regain control of the situation.
He couldn't afford any more surprises.
The thought of his newly wedded wife crosses his mind. He flipped his laptop open, his fingers flew across the keyboard as he pulled up Joanna's profile, a malicious gleam in his eye.
He doesn't trust her one bit. Thus, he needed to keep a close eye on her, to make sure she didn't try to outsmart him.
After a few moments of scrolling through her profile, he picked up his phone and dialed a number, his voice calm and controlled as he spoke into the receiver.
"Antonio," he said, his deep baritone voice smooth as silk.
"I want you to keep a close eye on Joanna. Let me know if she tries anything. And if she does, I want you to punish her."
Antonio's voice crackled over the line, the sound of quiet chaos in the background.
"Yes, sir," he said, his voice calm and professional. "What sort of punishment would you like me to administer, sir?"
Miguel's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes dark and predatory.
"Nothing too harsh, I wouldn't want her dead at least for now." he said, his voice a low purr. "Just a little reminder of who's in charge, who's the master and who's the slave."
"Yes, sir," Antonio replied, his voice laced with understanding.