The midday sun blazed over Bogotá, making the streets shimmer with heat. But for the first time in years, I didn’t feel trapped. No guards tailing me. No cameras watching my every move. No bulletproof cars or whispered warnings.

I was the daughter of Colombia’s President, but today, I was just a girl stealing one perfect, normal day.

The plaza buzzed with life—street vendors calling out their specials, kids chasing soccer balls, musicians filling the air with lazy guitar chords. I bought an arepa from an old woman and leaned against a stone wall, savoring the taste of something simple, something real.

But I had no idea that someone was already watching me.

Across the square, at a shaded café table, Alejandro Cruz sat nursing an untouched glass of whiskey. He was known as the most powerful cartel leader in Colombia. Ruthless. Feared. A ghost whispered about in government meetings, in the streets, in nightmares. No one crossed him. No one dared.

But he wasn’t thinking about power or blood today. His eyes were on me.

At first, I didn’t notice. Then I felt it—that weight of a stare that burns into your skin. I glanced up. Our eyes locked. The world around me blurred. It was just him… and me.

He rose from his chair slowly, every movement deliberate. His men tensed, confused. Alejandro Cruz didn’t chase things. Things came to him. But now, he was crossing the plaza like a man possessed.

He stopped in front of me, tall, commanding, but there was something softer in his dark gaze, something no one else had ever seen. "You shouldn’t be here, he murmured." I met his eyes, unflinching. " Why not? Who are you to say that?"

A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. " I’m the man who just realized you’re the woman of his life."

I blinked, caught between laughter and something deeper I didn’t want to name. "You’re awfully sure of yourself." " I don’t doubt the things I know."

He extended his hand. "Come with me. I’ll give you freedom you’ve never known."

And in that moment… I almost believed him.