Chapter 10
C H A P T E R1 0
You for me
Cade
The Past - 3 years ago
I t was strange being in the Cordova mansion late at night, without Ella’s or my family watching over us like hawks. Waiting for us to slip up and give them an indication that we were more than friends . Aunt Julia and Uncle Vance would be delighted if they knew we were together. Francisco and Silvia, who pretended to like me in front of my adoptive parents, might pop a fuse if they found out their goodie two-shoes daughter was now my girlfriend.
Ella Ximena Cordova was the most beautiful thing to have graced this Earth and she was finally mine.
All. Goddamn. Mine.
I didn’t give a shit if her parents didn’t think I was good enough. I’d prove them wrong. I’d prove to the world that I deserved this incredible girl. I’d become the man she needed, treat her with the respect, care, and affection fitting for a princess.
For a long time, my bleak life was filled with a never-ending series of hardships. Following my parents’ deaths, I was certain I’d never see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Then I met Ella.
She was akin to a rainbow entering my grey skies after the longest storm.
One look from her and I was bewitched.
After our first meeting, I kept thinking of her.
How pretty she looked getting soaked in the rain while staring at me with unabashed wonderment.
After our second meeting, I started dreaming of her.
How prophetic she looked standing in her balcony wearing that white dress, as though she was the living embodiment of a blessing I’d spent years praying for to the universe.
Wherever I looked, I saw Ella. Even if she wasn’t there, my mind conjured her image. Like a shadow, she followed me everywhere. Like a beacon, she guided me towards her.
I never had such a visceral reaction to another human being. I wanted to own and possess this girl. I wanted to shield her from all harm and keep her safe in my arms. I wanted to dote on all facets of her personality and cater to all her whims. I wanted to…love and help her flourish while standing by her side through thick and thin.
Mere weeks of knowing Ella and I was madly obsessed.
Could you blame me?
This girl was straight out of my fantasies. She was placed in my path, hand-picked and delivered straight from the heavens.
The void in my heart mended when she was in my orbit and I craved her presence like an addict craved its choice of drug. Mine just happened to be a five-foot-seven girl with luscious black hair, slim curves, and an extraordinary gaze.
Speaking of my girlfriend, she was currently making us champurrados— Mexican hot chocolate with a dash of spice—by the stovetop while I leaned against the kitchen counter beside her, eating the enchiladas she reheated for me.
I skipped dinner since I had a long night tending to business with Josh and Uncle Vance. So Ella took it upon herself to feed me after we finished the math assignment.
“Is it good?” Ella asked after I demolished half of my plate.
I waited until I swallowed my forkful of enchiladas to speak. “Delicious. Did you make it?”
“Yes,” she said proudly, stirring the pot with a wooden whisk called a molinillo. The aroma of chocolate, cinnamon, and chilli wafted in the air. “I enjoy cooking and this is my speciality.”
Was there anything this girl couldn’t do? “This is my new favourite meal.”
“And why is that?”
She was going to make me spell it out. As she should. I’d cherish anything she gave me. “Because you made it.”
Ella smiled smugly. “Well, I’m glad you’re loving it. Do you want more?”
I finished everything on my plate and patted my stomach. “I’m good, Ellie. Thank you for feeding me.”
A soft gleam entered her eyes when she reached forth to cup my jaw. “You don’t have to thank me for that. It makes me happy to provide for you in any way I can.”
I turned my head to kiss her palm. Ella didn’t know about my past. I could feel her wanting to ask, but remaining patient until I was ready to talk. I appreciated it. I didn’t know how to start explaining to her that I was malnourished for months in the last year.
Food was a sacred resource to me. So was the girl in front of me.
“I enjoyed this meal.” I pulled her into my arms. “Will you make it for me again someday?”
“Of course I will, querido .”
My heart warmed. “What’s something you like that I can do for you?”
She shook her head. “I’m not expecting anything in return for making you a warm meal, Cade.”
“I know, but I want to provide for you, too.” I wanted to fulfil all her materialistic and non-materialistic wishes. “Tell me, what would you like?”
Ella gave it some thought, tapping her chin with a finger. “Maybe you can give me a bouquet of lollipops every month?”
That was easy. “Done. What else?”
“There’s not much else I want besides you.” She kissed my cheek and my whole body melted under that singular touch.
“C’mon, humour me, Ellie.” I tightened my hold on her waist. “I know you like purses and shoes.” She always wore new ones and colour coordinated her outfits. “Maybe I can take you shopping some time?”
“Careful what you wish for, Cade,” Ella teased, grazing my cheek with her knuckles lovingly. “I have a bad spending habit and I’m known for doing damage whenever I go to the mall.”
“I’m good for it, baby.”
Ella hummed. “You weren’t kidding about spoiling me, huh?”
“What my princess wants, my princess gets.” I dotted fervent little kisses all over her face. She giggled, a lilting sound marrying with the music playing from the radio on the counter, where a woman sang about dreaming of her lover.
We drank our champurrados and then I did my dishes. Ella sat on the kitchen counter, sifting the tips of her orange-painted nails through my hair. The gesture caused emotions to well in my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time someone touched me with this much tenderness. I wondered if she could see on my face how much it meant to me.
“Will you tell me what you were doing tonight?”
I frowned. “With Uncle Vance and Josh?”
“Yes. Though it may not be the norm to discuss business with the women in the household, I’d like to know.”
Actually, Uncle Vance shared everything with Aunt Julia, besides the gory details. I wouldn’t be surprised if she cooked his books, too. “I’ll only ever give you honesty, Ella.”
She chewed her thumbnail. “So what were you doing tonight?”
I dried my hands using a clean tea towel. “Uncle Vance took us to the art gallery because we received new paintings…and a few pounds of cocaine.”
Ella blinked. “Oh. Wow.”
Folding my arms over my chest, I gave her a chance to digest the news. It was well known in our society and the underworld that Vance Remington ruled South Side, Montardor. The Remington wealth rooted from the various art galleries, strip clubs, bars, and illicit substances that travelled through our territory.
When the time came, Uncle Vance made it clear that Josh and I were to follow in his footsteps. It was our birthright. Our legacy.
For now, Uncle Vance put his sons—he refused to refer to me as anything else—on his company’s payroll. Alongside Josh, the last two months were spent doing odd jobs for him. Helping his debt collectors. Touring the establishment where he grew cannabis. Hanging art pieces in his galleries. Keeping track of his various inventories. And the list went on.
I wasn’t kidding when I told Ella I was good for it. Uncle Vance compensated us generously for every task. He even rewarded Olivia for watering the flower pots in our garden. My little sister noticed the gardener slacking one day and decided to steal his watering can and complete the job herself. Now Uncle Vance gave her chocolates and all the loose change in his wallet whenever she did her little ‘chore.’
After my parents died, I had lived a hand-to-mouth existence, therefore it was shocking to step into the kind of wealth people only imagined in their wildest dreams.
“Do you have a lot of nights like these?” Ella hedged.
“I’ve had several in the past few weeks,” I said. “Uncle Vance’s business continues to grow and he thinks it’s a great opportunity to show Josh and me the ropes. After all, this is our future.”
Most of our businesses were legal entities, despite the money running through their veins being filthy. No one in the world was perfect. Everyone had to make a living. Running an empire of sin may be frowned upon by the general population, but most of the elites in Montardor were crooked.
You didn’t make your way to the top by playing fair.
Learning about the inner workings of our operations was thrilling. Uncle Vance was pleased with my genuine interest in our affairs. Since I was good with numbers, he promised to give me the chance to manage our finances one day if I was serious about my studies.
“Ah, I suppose it’s important for Vance to start integrating you in his… dealings ,” she said with a sinister calm that set me on edge.
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
Would this deter our relationship?
Ella was a high society daughter whose family mingled with criminals, including mine. Hell, not too long ago, her parents were pushing her onto Josh—something that irked me even though my adoptive brother had zero interest in Ella—so it’s not like our family business would be a roadblock for us, right?
The thought of Ella ending us before we even began had me sweating.
“Are you okay?” Ella eyed me curiously. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Ghost? No. I’m actually imagining what my future might look like without you and I’m panicking. Actually, I can’t breathe right now. Maybe I’m close to dying. Or fuck, having indigestion.
“From my enchiladas?” she asked, bewildered.
I must have said the last bit out loud.
Before I could tell her the truth, she slapped a hand over her mouth and released a strangled noise. “Oh my God! Are you lactose intolerant? Shit, Cade! You should have said something! I think I put an entire pound of cheese in there! The bathroom is down the hallway in case you need to—”
“I’m not lactose intolerant,” I barked, my cheeks flushing. “And I’m not having indigestion. I’m just…I’m just…”
“You’re what?” She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “What is it?”
I gulped. “I don’t want to lose you because of what my family does.”
Her face softened. She grabbed a fistful of my black sweater and dragged me closer between her legs, locking her ankles around my back so I was trapped. “My family aren’t saints either, Cade,” she hushed. “I’m not blind to what yours does, and I don’t condemn you for it. I know that deep down, you have a heart of gold. You’re sweet, protective, and respectful. You make me happier than I’ve ever been. That’s all that matters to me. As long as you never stop treating me well, you’ll never lose me.”
Relief suckered punch through my sternum like a bullet.
I clasped her face, gazing into those captivating eyes. “You’ll never lose me either, Ella.”
We kissed on it, sealing both of our fates.
I was hers. She was mine.
There was no undoing it.
I’d fight any force that dared to mess with our happily ever after.
“You keep kissing me like that and I promise you, I’m not going anywhere,” she mumbled in the space between our mouths.
“Challenge accepted.”
Before I could kiss her again, she ran a finger over my bottom lip. “You know what else I like about you, princepin?”
“What?”
“On the surface, you appear calm, reserved, unbothered, solitary. A true lone wolf. But you’ve got a bad side, don’t you?” She smiled wickedly. “One that comes out to play when someone messes with you.”
I wasn’t violent by nature, but my past had shaped my strong sense of justice. I wasn’t above teaching sinners a lesson they’d never forget. That side of me was sharpened now that I was living with the Remingtons.
“Or you,” I said vehemently. “I’ll hurt any motherfucker who touches you or looks at you the wrong way.”
She smiled. “And why is that?”
“Because you’re mine, Ella.” There was no going back from here. “And if there are any guys from your past that I need to be aware of, tell me now.”
“What are you going to do?”
Make them disappear. “Have a nice chat with them to make sure they stay away from you.”
“Someone’s possessive.”
“You’re one to talk, Miss I-want-to-stamp-my-name-on-all-your-belongings .”
“Touché,” she said. “You have nothing to worry about, though. You’re my first boyfriend…and you’ll be my first everything.”
The satisfaction on my face had her giggling playfully. Fuck, I liked that too much. The sound of her laugh and the fact that I’d be her first everything.
“What about you?” Her eyes narrowed. “Are there any girls before me that I should be aware of?”
Sheathe your claws, princess. There’s no one but you. I pretended to ponder over her question, just to watch her morph into a green-eyed monster.
“Who are they?” she demanded through clenched teeth.
“Why, are you jealous?”
“ Yes .”
A smile broke over my lips. She held my face, thumbs digging into my dimples. Half warning, half adoration. She’d make me sorry if the answer was anything but what she wanted. My territorial little princess.
“You shouldn’t be, Ellie. There’s never been anyone before you. Other girls don’t matter to me. Not when you exist. You make me smile. You make me laugh. You make me happy. Because of you, I look forward to every sunrise and every sunset,” I confessed. “Ella, my chest fills with so much warmth when I see you cheering for me by the bleachers at every hockey game. Do you realize what kind of effect you have on me? You’ve lowered my guard and pulled me out of my safely built walls. I’ve never had someone treat me the way you do. You’re my best friend. You’re my girl. And from now on, you’re my first and last everything. There will only ever be you for me.”
Ella’s jaw slackened by the end of my monologue.
“Good.” Her voice trembled. “There will only ever be you for me, too. And if there were other girls, I’d paint the town red.”
I chuckled. “I knew you were a little crazy.”
“You’ve seen nothing yet, Cade.”
“Show me all your colours,” I rasped. “I’ll embrace them all, Ella.”
“Oh, querido . You’re stuck with me. I’m never letting you go.”
“I don’t want you to ever let me go.”
When our lips touched in another searing kiss, I knew this was forever.
I was going to marry Ella Ximena Cordova one day.
Mark my words.