Striking a Chord, Breaking His Armour

"Good morning, sweetheart," Alejandro said in a husky tone, his smirk growing even wider. Marisa's heart raced as she gazed at his face, utterly entranced by his rugged handsomeness. She quickly pushed aside any inappropriate thoughts, realizing that she had fallen asleep at Dave's place the night before. Confusion overcame her as she pondered how she ended up in Alejandro's bed instead of Dave's. A disturbing thought dawned on her, suspecting that Alejandro might have orchestrated this unexpected scenario. The idea that Alejandro might have harmed Dave sent shivers of fear down her spine, finally motivating her to speak up.

"What am I doing here? Where is Dave?" Marisa questioned, her voice trembling with concern. Alejandro's lips curled into a sinister smirk.

"You mean that bastard who dared to get close to you?" Alejandro sneered.

"Where the hell is he?" Marisa asked, her apprehension growing as she feared the worst.

"I taught him a bitter lesson last night. He's probably chilling inside the bellies of my crocodiles," Alejandro replied, his words laced with a chilling nonchalance. Marisa's eyes widened in sheer shock.

"You... you did what?" She stammered, struggling to comprehend the horrifying revelation.

"I fed him to my crocodiles," Alejandro replied, his smirk growing even more malevolent. Marisa's face turned ashen, her disbelief palpable.

"You're joking, right?" She desperately clung to the hope that this was some dark jest. Alejandro scoffed and climbed out of the bed. He walked over to the bedside table, retrieved his phone, and returned to Marisa, showing her a video that left her petrified. The video depicted Dave being dropped into a crocodile-infested pond, where he was mercilessly devoured, leaving no room for doubt.

Marisa was on the verge of passing out as she watched the horrifying video. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and her sobs were a testament to the shock and anguish coursing through her. Alejandro, his cruel smirk still intact, carelessly tossed his phone onto a nearby couch. He then moved closer, hovering above Marisa.

Marisa's eyes remained wide open, reflecting the horror she had just witnessed. The video had confirmed that Dave was gone, and he hadn't met a swift or merciful end. He had met a gruesome fate, torn apart and devoured by the ravenous crocodiles. This realization only intensified Marisa's grief, and fresh tears flowed from her eyes.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," Alejandro said, a sinister grin on his face as he wiped away Marisa's tears. "That bastard doesn't deserve the tears of someone as precious as you."

The pain that had initially consumed Marisa slowly transformed into seething anger. She glared at Alejandro, his smirk serving as a catalyst for her fury. The cuffs that bound her to the bed frame left her feeling helpless, unable to unleash the slap she so desperately wanted to deliver to wipe the smirk off Alejandro's face. She couldn't comprehend how someone as outwardly handsome as Alejandro could be so heartless, to the point of feeding another human being to crocodiles.

"What's with the frown, sweetheart?" Alejandro inquired, feigning innocence as he noticed the anger etched on Marisa's face.

"You're a monster, Alejandro!" Marisa yelled in a fit of rage, her voice quivering with emotion as more tears cascaded down her cheeks. "You're a vile, heartless bastard, and you don't deserve to be considered human! You don't even deserve to coexist with civilized people. You should be locked away with the animals, because you are nothing but a savage beast!"

Marisa's words were laden with raw, unfiltered anger as she raged against Alejandro's heinous act. Her voice quivered, but her resolve to denounce him remained unwavering. The tears streaming down her face were no longer a sign of sorrow but rather an expression of her deep-seated disgust for the man who had committed such a gruesome act.

Alejandro's smirk finally wavered, replaced by a momentary look of surprise at Marisa's outburst. It was as though he had not expected such a vehement reaction from the person he had kept captive. But his surprise quickly gave way to a sinister chuckle.

"You have spirit, I'll give you that," Alejandro said, his voice dripping with mockery. "But you don't understand the world we live in, sweetheart. Sometimes, the only way to survive is by being as ruthless as the world itself."

Marisa's anger only intensified in response to Alejandro's callous words. She was determined not to let fear or submission define her in this dire situation. With grit and defiance, she spat back at him, "Survival doesn't justify being a sadistic murderer! You've crossed a line that can't be justified by any twisted logic."

Alejandro leaned in closer, his face mere inches from Marisa's. His eyes bore into hers with an unsettling intensity. "You'll learn, my dear. In this world, there are only two kinds of people: those who survive and those who become prey."

Marisa, despite her fear and anger, refused to cower. She met Alejandro's gaze with unwavering determination. "If being a survivor means becoming like you, then I'd rather choose to be prey."

Despite Marisa's passionate words, Alejandro appeared unmoved by her emotional outburst. He continued to trace her face with his thumb, a gesture that only deepened her discomfort.

"Sweetheart, that bastard didn't deserve to live," Alejandro asserted with a cold detachment. Marisa shook her head vehemently, trying to put an end to his unsettling touch.

"You're the one who doesn't deserve to live," she shot back, her anger unabated. "You're the one who should meet a fate like his. He's far superior to you in every way, and you're nothing compared to him. You're the one who deserves death, not him!"

A shadow passed over Alejandro's face, and Marisa could sense the storm brewing within him. Her taunting words seemed to strike a nerve.

"Seems like my words hit a spot," she taunted, a defiant glint in her eyes. "But the truth hurts, doesn't it? You truly deserve nothing but death."

In an instant, Alejandro's temper flared. He gripped Marisa's neck with a ferocity that stole her breath. Gasping for air, she struggled against his powerful hold.

"You don't have the right to speak to me that way!" Alejandro growled, his grip tightening, making it increasingly difficult for Marisa to breathe.

"I warned you to stay away from that bastard," he seethed, his anger burning like a furnace. "But you didn't listen. Your failure to heed my warning led to his death, and you are the one responsible for it."

With a final, furious release of his grip, Alejandro abruptly left the bed. The room hung heavy with tension, as Marisa grappled with the realization that not only was she a captive in a dangerous situation, but she was also being blamed for Dave's horrifying demise.

In a moment of intense anger, Alejandro's hand clamped around Marisa's neck, squeezing the air from her lungs. She gasped for breath, her vision starting to blur as the room spun around her. Alejandro's growl filled the air as he tightened his grip, making it excruciatingly difficult for her to breathe.

"You don't have the fucking right to talk to me that way!" he seethed through gritted teeth. "I warned you to stay away from that bastard, but you didn't listen. Your failure to heed my instructions led to his death, so you're the one responsible for it."

With a final, angry release of his grip, Alejandro let go of Marisa's neck and stormed away from the bed. Marisa, gasping and choking, coughed violently as she fought to catch her breath. Tears streamed down her face, her sobs echoing in the room.

A pang of guilt welled up inside Alejandro as he witnessed the devastation he had caused. Her tears had an unexpected effect on him, stirring something in his conscience that he hadn't felt in a long time. He reached for the key, unlocked the cuffs that bound her hands, and gently pulled Marisa's arms free.

Marisa sat up on the bed, her body trembling, and wrapped her arms around her knees. She buried her face in her knees, continuing to sob as the weight of the horrific situation overwhelmed her. Alejandro, despite his ruthless exterior, let out a heavy sigh and moved to sit beside her.

He didn't say anything as he watched her sobbing. The room remained heavy with tension, but for the first time, there was a flicker of something deeper within Alejandro, a hint of remorse for the brutality he had unleashed.

Amid the heavy silence that enveloped them, Alejandro finally broke it, his voice quieter, though tinged with a cold resolve. "You should understand, Marisa, that if you had only heeded my warning and stayed away from him, he wouldn't have met such a fate. His blood is on your hands."

Marisa, her face still buried in her knees, suddenly raised her head at Alejandro's words. Her eyes, once filled with anguish, now burned with a fierce, hateful glare. Her teary eyes met his, and the unspoken accusation was palpable. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks, but they were tears of anger and resentment, not remorse.

"You're blaming me for what you did?" Marisa's voice quivered with a mixture of fury and disbelief. "You're the one who fed him to those crocodiles! You're the one who's responsible for his death, not me!"

Alejandro was about to respond when Marisa, consumed by anger and resentment, abruptly got down from the bed. Her eyes was fixed with hatred as she gazed at him, and her voice was trembling with a fiery intensity as she unleashed her pent-up emotions.

"You're a monster," Marisa spat out, her words laced with venom. "I regret the day I ever met you. I hate you so much, Alejandro, and I hope you die a merciless death."

Her vehement words struck a chord, and for a brief moment, Alejandro's icy composure wavered. He didn't expect such a vehement and direct condemnation. He watched as Marisa, her face red with anger and eyes brimming with tears, stormed away from him.

Marisa's vision blurred as she made her way to the couch where she had seen her handbag. She grabbed it with trembling hands, wiping away a fresh stream of tears with the back of her hand. Her heart was heavy with fear and anger, but her determination to escape this nightmarish situation remained unshaken.

With her handbag clutched tightly to her side, Marisa stormed out of the room, leaving behind Alejandro, whose usual air of indifference had been momentarily rattled by her words. The unexpected impact of her anger and defiance had left a mark, and it was clear that he hadn't anticipated such a vehement reaction from her.

Alejandro rose from the bed and walked to the standing mirror at the far end of the room. He gazed at his own reflection, his handsome features marred by the unsettling thoughts Marisa's words had ignited. Her accusation, calling him a monster, echoed in his head, haunting him like a relentless ghost.

As he continued to stare at his reflection, the lines on his face appeared deeper, the darkness in his eyes more pronounced. Marisa's words had struck a nerve, awakening a storm of anger and self-doubt within him. The image in the mirror seemed to mock him, reflecting not the confident and ruthless man he had always been, but a monster, as Marisa had accused.

The anger within Alejandro intensified as he felt the weight of his actions pressing down on him. In a fit of frustration and rage, he clenched his fist and with a powerful, furious swing, he punched the mirror. The glass shattered, shards flying in all directions, leaving his reflection fragmented and distorted.

Alejandro's knuckles bled from the impact, but the pain in his hand paled in comparison to the turmoil raging within him. Marisa's words and defiance had cracked his armor, and it was unclear whether this fracture could ever be mended.