Chapter 4
1132 Words
It felt like I was in a trance, like my mind refused to register the filth spilling from Carlos’s mouth.
"Excuse me?" I asked, looking at him with serious irritation.
"You heard me, Maria De la Cruz," he said, with a wicked grin.
Slowly, he walked to me like a predator and before I could move, he was already inches from me, pinning me to the door.
With his hot breath against my neck, he whispered. "You have what I need, and I have what you want, Maria De la Cruz.”
"Get away from me," I yelled.
He stepped back, letting out a short, cold laugh as he raised the transparent bag in his hand, dangling it like bait.
"So what do I do with this, huh?" Carlos said, tilting his head like he was really considering it. "Should I hand it over to your favorite stepson?"
"Stop, Carlos!" I barked, taking a step forward. "I can withdraw money for you—a huge amount. If that’s what you want, I can get it." My voice was steady, but I hated how desperate I sounded.
"A huge amount of money?" He scoffed. "You want to give me a piece of what’s rightfully mine? Something you stole from me?"
"I didn’t steal anything from you, Carlos!" I snapped, my voice rising with every word. "I didn’t steal from you or anyone else! I want nothing to do with the Mendoza fortune—absolutely nothing!"
"Well, that’s not my business, Maria," he sneered. "I want control of everything. Not a piece. Not a portion. Everything."
There was no way I was going to marry him. No way in hell I’d crawl from one fire into another.
I eyed the bag in his hand, I didn’t think. I moved.
I lunged at him, my hands aiming for the bag, but he was faster.
He jerked it back, switching it to his other hand. My fingers swiped at nothing but air—until I heard it.
Crash!
The sharp shatter of glass echoed in the room. My breath hitched as I looked down at the broken pieces of a glass cup scattered across the floor.
My pulse spiked with panic, but Carlos only laughed.
"You think you’re smart, huh?" he said, standing behind me now, his voice like the hiss of a snake.
My chest rose and fell with short, quick breaths. "I didn’t kill Gonzalo," I said, turning to face him, "I didn’t do it, Carlos. I didn’t kill him."
He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing like he was savoring every ounce of fear leaking out of me.
He’s enjoying this, I thought.
"Sure, sure," he said, dragging out each word like a lullaby. "That’s exactly what an innocent person would say."
The door burst open with a force that made me jump, and suddenly, Emilio was there.
"Maria!" he called, eyes darting between me, the shattered glass, and Carlos. "Maria!" He rushed to me, gripping my arms.
"What did you do to her, Carlos?!" he barked, looking at Carlos.
Before I could react, he shoved past me, heading straight for his uncle.
"Emilio, stop!" I reached for him, “Emilio!"
Carlos smirked, not moving, not even flinching. "Do you want to tell him, Maria, or should I?"
My mouth went dry. My palms were slick with sweat.
"What is he talking about, Maria?" Emilio's gaze was on me now, his brows pulled together in confusion, in worry.
"What do you need to tell me?"
My lips parted, but no sound came out. What was I supposed to say?
How was I supposed to tell him that his uncle was blackmailing me? That the man he called family wanted me to marry him, using Gonzalo’s death as leverage?
How do you explain a mess you didn’t even make—but still got buried in?
"Oh, she’s—" Carlos began, but I cut him off.
"It’s nothing, Emilio," I said quickly, too quickly. "Just… something about the will."
Carlos laughed. "You have till this evening, beloved Maria," he said, flashing me a grin so sharp it could draw blood.
Then he turned and walked out like he’d already won.
Emilio slammed the door shut behind him and spun to face me. He moved fast, his hands gently gripping my arms.
"I don’t like the way he talked to you," Emilio said, "I don’t like the way he looked at you. Tell me what’s going on, Maria. Tell me."
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to tell him?
Oh, God.
I was totally, completely, and utterly f****d.
"Maria!" Emilio's voice interrupted my thoughts and pulled me back to the present.
I blinked, "I’m fine," I muttered, gently pulling my arm free from his grasp as I walked away.
"You have to leave, Emilio," I said, my back to him, I couldn't look him in the eyes.
"Leave? What do you mean I have to leave?"
“Before anyone sees us here again and starts thinking otherwise, let’s just go back to the dining room."
I didn’t dare look at him. If I did, he’d see the cracks. He always did.
Without waiting for a reply, I walked out of the room, heading back downstairs.
Focus, Maria. Stay ahead of it.
But fate was never kind to me.
"Gold digger," Ignes spat the minute she sighted me. Her voice was loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear.
I just ignored her. She and Rosa were the least of my problems right now.
They’d been calling me that since the moment Gonzalo put a ring on my finger. Nothing new. Nothing true. But right now, I had bigger demons to face than two bitter widows clinging to scraps of pride.
I reached the dining room just as Alfonso rose from his chair, his leather briefcase in hand.
“Well… that’s all for now, Mrs. Maria De la Cruz Mendoza,” he announced with a nod.
He snapped his briefcase shut and turned to leave, “my condolences once again.”
He was done with the will reading. Done with us.
But nothing ever really ends, does it?
Click!!
The soft tap of glass against wood drew my attention.
My eyes shifted toward the source, and there he was — Carlos. Sitting back in his chair like a king without a crown, one leg crossed over the other, a glass of wine in his hand.
“Life continues, right?” he said, lifting his glass like he was offering a toast. “And it’s time for us to start afresh as one big family.”
He tilted his head. "Right, darling Maria De la Cruz?"
“Darling?” Emilio's voice came from behind me. “What are we celebrating?”
- Writer
