Alexia Mendoza instantly knew Richard was within the area. For some reason, her senses would go overdrive, aware of his presence. She didn’t know why. The first time she learned about Lucas Reyes’ nephew, she took all the information she could get about the drug lord’s most trusted relative. She had to cover all bases to know how she would act in front of Lucas’s favorite nephew. If he were smart, she would know when to be careful not to blow her cover.

Here was what she knew: Richard Jared Flavier or Richard was, surprisingly, a Harvard student who has a degree in foreign policy and a master’s degree in business administration. She figured that he took those two principles in preparation for taking over his uncle’s drug lord operations. But then, according to the intel she got, he never ventured into the business, and for four years after earning his master’s degree, he disappeared, which caused worry from Lucas. Alexia could not find any information in that four-year gap, so it was also a mystery for her on what happened to Richard. When he resurfaced, Alexia noticed the difference in the man’s appearance from the photos when he took his master’s degree to the pictures when he came home to Chile and decided to start a business. He was sporting a scruffier look.

When she finally met him in person, the first thing she noticed was his eyes. It was expressionless, and at times, brooding and tentatively calculating. She wondered what happened in those four years that he was gone. The first time they met was cringe-worthy. It was her first time to be late at work. She was working undercover as a personal secretary to his uncle for a year in the export business company used in his drug-dealing business. Richard came back from that four-year gap and went straight to the office to see his uncle. She knew because it was in her calendar. Lucas was expecting him, that’s why she was worried when she came in late that day.

She spilled her coffee on her desk. The elevator opened that time, and out came the most beautiful man she has ever seen. He was wearing wayfarer sunglasses that he took off as soon as he stopped in front of her desk. She knew in an instant that this was the favorite nephew. He was no longer scruffy that day. He was clean-shaven, and she could see a dimple on his left cheek. But more importantly, he was frowning at her.

“What are you doing?” He asked. She only stared at him. He knocked on the desk impatiently. She blinked in surprise, ending the trance. She stood up, and she heard a rip. She gasped and closed her eyes. This was not her day. She looked down to see the hem of her dress caught by a screw in her mobile cabinet. She looked back at the handsome man.

“Your uncle was waiting for you. I will take you inside. Let me call him to check –”

“No, it’s okay. I will go in myself. You’re a mess.” He shook his head and went inside. When he was gone, she quickly cleaned up her desk. As the personal secretary, she projected herself as the naïve, clumsy, yet the most trusted girl in Lucas’ payroll. After that incident, she might have achieved the impression that she wanted him to see, but it also seemed Richard disliked her the most. Every time he would see her, she could not help but presented herself as a walking disaster. By the looks of it, she irritated him. She lost count of her encounter with him, which was always not pleasant. At the back of her mind, she started to worry because she could not gain his trust. Her charm was not working with him.

Her mission was set to be done within six months. In the fifth month, Lucas planned to have a massive delivery of prohibited drugs to his associates in Mexico. Alexia saw the correspondences hidden in plain sight, but she knew and understood what those were. She always reviewed the wire-tap telephone conversations that her server received every day. She sent her report to her headquarters at the CIA already. The drug operations would involve two other leading drug lords in Mexico and the other one from California. CIA operatives also penetrated the trusted circle of these other two. It was a big project that she had so far, a critical one. Once succeeded, this would help eliminate the illegal drug operations in the US by about a significant percentage.

She wanted this to end. She wanted to take the stress off her and get a well-deserved vacation. Her beloved grandfather died while she was on duty, and she would go to the Philippines as soon as everything here was over.

There is no room for error in this mission.
But first, she needs to know what the nephew is all about in this whole scenario and how he will affect her mission.