I cleared my throat, turning to Emilio with as much composure as I could muster. "Can you please give us a minute?"
He looked at Carlos, then back at me. "Are you sure you’ll be fine?" he asked with hesitation.
"Yeah... yeah," I said, forcing a tight smile.
I couldn’t let my unease show, though the way Carlos was staring at me just kept me tensed. Something about him felt off, more so than usual.
Emilio nodded reluctantly, his eyes still all over as he threw one last glare at Carlos. Then, with slow steps, he left, closing the door behind him.
I turned to face Carlos the moment Emilio was gone. "What do you want, Carlos?" I asked, keeping my tone cold and formal.
Carlos clapped his hands slowly, his face splitting into a sarcastic smile. "Wow… wow… wow. Congratulations to you," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "The sole heir to the Mendoza dynasty. Isn’t this what you wanted all along?"
"Is that why you came to see me?" I folded my arms tightly across my chest, I was slowly losing my patience.
I had no intention of engaging in whatever petty game he was playing. We were never close, and I certainly wasn’t in the mood to entertain his nonsense.
He tilted his head, his smile turning sly. "Well… I didn’t realize you and Emilio were so close,"
Something about his tone made my feelings so uncomfortable, but I kept my face blank.
"Are you this close with your other stepchildren?" he added.
That was it. My composure snapped.
"I think you should leave now, Carlos," I said sharply, walking to the door and swinging it open for him.
But Carlos didn’t move. Instead, he stormed up to me, slamming the door shut with a force that made me flinch.
"Not until you explain what you were doing in the kitchen the night my brother died," he said.
My heart stopped. "What… what… what are you talking about?" I stammered, barely able to get the words out.
Carlos scoffed, his smirk widening as if he’d caught me in a trap. "I saw you," he said, triumphantly. "Don’t think I didn’t see you."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about," I replied, my voice trembling as I stepped away from him. I couldn’t meet his eyes.
Carlos followed me, "You planned all of this from the beginning, didn’t you? Kill my brother, make him change his will, and then take everything for yourself."
"I have no idea what you’re talking about!" I shot back, turning sharply to face him.
Carlos only responded with a cruel laughter. "What a perfect story," he said. "Everyone knows you married Gonzalo for his money. It’s no secret. And now, you’ve gone and murdered him to get it faster."
"I didn’t kill Gonzalo Mendoza!" I shouted.
Carlos’s smirk didn’t falter. Instead, he pulled something from behind his back—a small transparent bag with a container inside.
My breath caught. My heart thundered in my chest. I knew what it was.
Carlos saw my reaction and his grin widened. "Surprised? Cat got your tongue?" he taunted.
"I… I…" I stuttered, my mind scrambling for words, for anything that could explain this.
"Your fingerprints are all over it," he said, cutting me off. "And all I have to do is hand it over to the cops. I wonder what your favorite stepson, Emilio, will do when he finds out you killed his father."
"I didn’t kill Gonzalo Mendoza!" I screamed at him, my voice breaking.
“Well, that’s for the cops to decide, isn’t it?" he said, his words chilling as he tucked the bag away.
I stared at Carlos, my palms slick with sweat, my heart pounding so loud I feared he could hear it, but I didn’t kill Gonzalo Mendoza.
How was I supposed to prove my innocence with what he held in his hand?
"What do you want, Carlos?" I asked "You want his fortune, right? I don’t need it. I don’t desire it."
Carlos smirked, tilting his head like a predator circling prey. "I thought you said you didn’t kill Gonzalo," he mocked. "Then why are you bargaining with me? Trying to buy my silence?"
"Oh, please!" I snapped, "I know you want something from me, but I didn’t kill Gonzalo Mendoza. I disposed of that already—whatever you’re holding. It’s not what you think. I didn’t kill him."
"That’s not what I saw, Maria De la Cruz," he spat. "You poisoned my brother!"
"Yes!" The word tore from me before I could stop it. “Yes, I wanted to! I wanted to be free from him! I despised your brother more than anything, but you know what? I am not a murderer!"
I took a shaky breath, my voice rising as the words spilled out. "I’m not like you and your brother, who kill innocent people every day by selling them poison in the form of drugs. I am not a murderer! I didn’t kill Gonzalo Mendoza!"
Carlos chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Well, who’s going to believe you with what I have in my hand? Not even your beloved stepson—or should I call him something else?"
My throat tightened. His words hit too close, like he was insinuating something else. But I kept quiet.
"He wouldn’t believe you," Carlos said.
He was wrong. Emilio would believe me. Wouldn’t he?
I couldn't hurt Emilio, that was why I couldn't kill Gonzalo. No matter how much I hated him, I just couldn't bring myself to kill him.
"Tell me, Carlos, what do you want?" I asked. "I’ll give you everything he left to me. Just… just hand that bag over to me."
Carlos laughed. "Oh, my brother was smart. Smarter than you think," he sneered. "He knew we’d come after you for his property, so he made sure you can’t transfer a single thing."
"Then what do you want from me?!" I yelled at him.
"Marry me."