"Alfonso...what the hell are you doing here?" Mila said, a mix of confusion and amazement in her voice
"I asked him to come," Tristan said stepping forward, his tone calm yet filled with an underlying intensity.
Mila's eyes narrowed as she looked at Tristan. "What is the meaning of this, Tristan?" Her voice trembled with anger. " Did it ever occur to you that he might tell my father about this? Not to mention, he tried to kill me! What the actual fuck is going on in your head to do something like this?"
Alfonso chuckled, his voice dripping with dark humour. "Oh, girl, you've been missing out on a lot of information. But first, slow down. I'm not here to take you back to your father or try to kill you again," he said, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. "Remember they almost declared, 'I now pronounce you husband and wife,' and then that other part where they say, "You may now kiss the bride'?"
Mila's anger flared even hotter. "Well, let me tell you this, Alfonso. I now pronounce you blocked and deleted from my life. You may now kiss my ass," she spat out, her words laced with venom.
Tristan couldn't contain himself and burst out laughing but attempted to intervene. "Woah, cupcake, calm down, he is here to help and by the way, I will get him for trying to kill you, he's not walking away from that this easily.
Alfonso ignoring Tristan's words, walked towards Mila, his movements confident yet cautious. He cupped her cheek, his touch surprisingly gentle, and stroked it with his thumb, never breaking eye contact. "I'm here to help Mila, I'm here for you," he said softly, his voice carrying a mix of sincerity and longing.
Tristan's face hardened. "O, okay, no touching Italian," he warned. "Remember, I'm the lover, so you need to back off, or I will call Alex to kick your ass again."
Alfonso smirked, his tone filled with arrogance. "Hey, I didn't get my ass kicked. I kicked ass the other way around, Tristan."
" Enough! I think both of you should back off and give Mila some space so that you can explain everything, and she can process all of this," Chad declared, trying to settle the tension.
"And who the hell is this wanker?" Alfonso asked, pointing an accusatory finger at Chad.
Mila intervened, putting an end to the brewing chaos. "Wait," she said and gently lifted Tristan's arm from her shoulder and walked towards the living room table. The three men follow her suit, taking their seats, anxiously awaiting her words.
"Alright, let's get a few things straight before we continue because this is about to spiral out of hand," Mila began. "Firstly, I am no one's lover. I don't belong to anyone. Secondly, I don't need any saving - I'm perfectly capable of handling things myself. And thirdly, all of you need to behave and work together, or else we might as well hand ourselves over to impending doom. So, you three need to become friends.
Tristan couldn't resist the opportunity, "See Chad? I told you we should share a shower, but you didn't listen. Now we have to share a shower with this Italian!"
Chad scoffed, clearly irritated. "Why do you keep bringing that up, Tristan? I'm not getting into a shower with you, and definitely not with this Italian guy."
"What? There's nothing wrong with me. Lots of people would pay big money to get into a shower with me!" Alfonso protested, throwing his arms up.
Chad couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You've got to be kidding me. What the hell is wrong with you two, you both can shower together but leave me out of this.
"Okay, when you're done with the showering, can we please finish here?" Mila said, folding her arms across her chest.
"Sorry, Babe..." Alfonso said sheepishly.
"Yeah, sorry cupcake," Tristan added
Carry on princess," Chad said.
"Okay, like I said, the three of you need to get along so that we can have each other's backs and survive this. This is bigger than we initially thought, and there are still a lot of secrets and things we need to unravel before we can do anything. So, if you don't want to work together, leave right now," Mila said with a serious voice.
"Well, technically I can't leave, this is my house," Tristan replied.
Mila glared at Tristan, "Half of this house belongs to me, Tristan have you forgotten? So I can make you leave. Don't test me."
"Of course, cupcake, I promise to behave," Tristan said, trying to smooth things over.
"That's my boy," Mila said smiling at him. "Right, now that we have that settled, give me your information and plan, and please tell me the real reason why Alfonso is here."
"I called Alfonso and asked for his help because the new information we received involves him. We need his army because mine will not be enough, and our model here has...well...none," Tristan explains.
Alfonso couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Wait, he's a model? No offense, dude, but what exactly are you going to "kill" them with your looks?"
Tristan couldn't contain himself and burst out laughing, "good one bro" and he fist bump Alfonso.
Mila shook her head, "That's it I'm done, I'm going to the hospital to visit my sister, we will discuss the plan later. Alfonso, you come with me because we have a long overdue talk, and the two of you... you better be friends before I come back from the hospital," Mila said waving her finger to Tristan and Chad.
"Yeah, you hear that. Go shower together and become friends!" Alfonso shouted over his shoulder and laughed at them while he walked out of the house towards the car.
Chad, not very impressed by Alfonso's comment, grabbed a knife and flung it in Alfonso's direction. With hair-raising precision, the knife lodged itself into the wooden door frame, inches away from Alfonso's head as he walked through the doorway.
Alfonso froze, his eyes fixated on the knife next to him. After a moment, he turned around to face Chad, his expression filled with a mix of anger and determination. "Not bad for a model, but try that again, and you'll never hold a camera in your hand ever again."
Confusion filled Chad's face as he asked, "Wait, how did you know I am a photographer?"
A sly smile crept onto Alfonso's face as he replied, " You need to catch on, model. You're lagging behind and let me let you in on a little secret, you had your claws all over the love of my life, so I know everything about you. You need to watch your back."
Alfonso turned and made his way towards the waiting car, where Mila sat in the driver's seat. He swiftly slid into the passenger seat, and as soon as Mila fired up the engine of the sleek black BMW, they sped off towards the hospital.
"So, tell me, what's your deal, Alfonso?" Mila's voice trembled with a mix of suspense and hurt. " You broke my heart and told me that I need to let you go, and then you tried to kill me."
Alfonso sighed, his gaze fixated on the ground. "I know babe. And if I could take it all back, I would. I am so, so sorry. Some things happened that I'm unable to explain. You
wouldn't understand now, but in due time, you will. But please, believe me...I do love you, mi amore, and I will never again do anything to hurt you. I promise."
Mila's eyes narrowed her guard still up. "After all that happened and what you did...how am I supposed to believe you, Alfonso?"
Alfonso kept his gaze fixed ahead, determination etched onto his face. He whispered, barely audible, "Connie Talbot...I would."
Mila's brow furrowed in confusion. "Another song?"
Alfonso nodded and looked at Mila with pleading eyes. "Yes, please listen, Mila"
Intrigued, Mila looked at Alfonso, her skepticism melting away momentarily. She shook her head but reached for her phone, knowing that music was Alfonso's way of expressing his deepest emotions. With a trembling hand, she opened her Spotify app and typed the name of the song Alfonso had mentioned. Her finger hovered over the play button, uncertainty mixing with the remaining flicker of love in her heart.
"Never known my hands to shake...Never had my heartbeat so fast...Finally found the words to say...But I'm scared you won't say them back...wish you could read my mind...So you could see what's locked up inside...Could I ask a couple of questions.... before the moment passes us by"
Mila paused the song".... Alfonso please no I can't...."
"Please...listen, Mila," and he presses play again.
"Honestly, would you give all your life, if I give mine? Would you love me unconditionally....be everything I need and do anything for love? Would you stand by my side, until the end of time? Would you love me unconditionally....be the air that I breath and do anything for us... Cause I would"
Alfonso paused the song once again, his eyes filled with a complex mixture of suspense and desire. "Because I would, Mila," he finally said, his voice laced with emotional uncertainty. "I really would. So, tell me, would you?"
Mila's heart raced, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. She couldn't concentrate on the road any longer, uncertainty and longing consuming her. With a shaky breath, she pulled the car to the side and turned to face Alfonso, her eyes locking onto his. "Tell me, Alfonso," she whispered, her voice filled with vulnerability. "That night at the warehouse, if the bomb hadn't gone off, would you have killed me?"
Alfonso's expression softened, his intense gaze searching hers. He leaned forward, his voice low and filled with conflict of emotions. "That's a discussion for another day, babe," he murmured, his lips brushing ever so gently against Mila's. "Right now, all I want you to know is that I love you, and I'm not going to back off. You're mine...You hear me? Mine."
Mila's heart swelled with a whirlwind of emotions as Alfonso's words echoed in her mind. With fierce determination, she closed the gap between them, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss as they both surrendered to their magnetic connection.
Mila and Alfonso were so caught up in their passionate kiss that they failed to notice the car pulling up behind them. Suddenly, a loud, forceful knock on the window startled them both.
"Hey, Italian keep your claws off my lover!
Alfonso stopped kissing but he didn't move away and just sighed, his frustration evident. "That guy really knows how to spark my fuse," he muttered under his breath. "I can't wait to kill him."
Mila couldn't help but burst into laughter, finding the situation absurdly comical. She rolled down the window and leaned out to confront Tristan, who standing outside with an exasperated expression. "What are you doing here?" she asks, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"Yeah, aren't you supposed to be taking a shower with that model?" Alfonso chimed in, unable to resist a sarcastic remark.
Tristan glared at Alfonso, his irritation evident. "Shut up, Italian," he retorted. "Listen, Mila, we need to get to the hospital right away. There's some serious drama unfolding there."
Mila's expression turned serious as she absorbed Tristan's words. Without wasting a moment, she started the engine and revved it up, ready for action. Both cars sped off towards the hospital, the urgency palpable.
When they reached the hospital, Mila and the boys raced towards Anna's room, bursting through the doors. To their dismay, they found the room empty.
"Damn it, we're too late," Tristan exclaimed, frustration etched across his face.