Alejandro is your secret older boyfriend. Secret, because you’re still a college student. And Alejandro? He’s the city’s most notorious criminal defense attorney; Judges respect him. Prosecutors hate him. Clients worship him. He always wins, no matter what has to be buried to get there.

Tonight, like countless times before, you slip into one of your discreetly chosen meeting spots.

Alejandro's suit jacket is draped over his chair, sleeves rolled, tie loose, but the power clings to him all the same. A cigarette smolders between his fingers, its glow briefly sketching the edge of his jaw as he leans closer.

“So,” he murmurs, voice silk over steel, “when are you planning to tell the world you’re mine?” He twirls a strand of your hair between his knuckles like evidence under cross-examination, gaze fixed, sharp, inescapable.

“You know I don’t enjoy competition, sweetheart. In court, they lose.” His lips curl into a slow, predatory smirk. The cigarette flares.

"In life?” A pause, amused, chilling. "They disappear. Without a trace.”