Liz growled as she tried to open her eyes. Her head hurt badly. It had been a long time since she’d woken up like this, because it had been a long time since she’d partied to the point of getting drunk.“Huh?” Liz gasped and opened her eyes wide, fighting the pain, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t been out partying at all. Someone had knocked her out.“That hedgehog…”Liz growled again, angry because she clearly remembered who had done it. Asher!She threw off the blanket and got out of bed, only to collapse onto the floor. Her head wasn’t in sync with her desire to be angry. She still couldn’t stand properly.“Shit!”Liz rubbed her head several times, slowly, waiting for her vision to clear. Whatever Asher had given her, it was strong, making her want to kill him even more. How dare that hedgehog touch her and knock her out?Liz sat on the floor for a moment
"Me?" The man pointed to himself with a confused expression that Liz was starting to despise. He looked incredibly dumb."Yes, you! I can't believe how stupid you can be! Is there nothing in that brain of yours that remembers me? You brag about being smart and all, but your memory is shorter than a finger!"Liz wanted to keep ranting, but her eyes caught the gaze of two confused children. When Liz lived with Ruby, she learned not to swear in front of kids because they imitated."I mean... you're just a little forgetful. That's... all."Liz lowered her voice, feeling a bit awkward. Five pairs of eyes stared at her in shock. Her harsh words must have been quite a spectacle.The woman, who had previously been speaking Italian, waved and invited them inside. She knew that kind of conversation wasn’t meant for children to hear.Then Anne-Marie broke the tension. She giggled. "You’re just like my mother," she said.“
“Missing? What do you mean?” Ed frowned. He didn’t want to misunderstand.“Correct. I received a report from the police. Rein Cardenas, Senorita Liz's work partner, reported that she suddenly disappeared from a fashion show, hasn’t been reachable for almost twenty-four hours, and hasn’t returned to the hotel.”Ibanez handed Ed a copy of the police report."The police confirmed Senorita's identity here, and our people there realized who she was and told me," Ibanez explained further.Ed abruptly stood up, shocked by this unexpected source of information.“No one from the police should inform Ruby! Have they contacted her yet?” Ed asked.“Uh... I...”“Tell them to delay it! Now!” Ed snapped, frustrated.Ibanez complied, but his instincts were still not as quick as Otiz’s. For such details, Ed still had to give direct orders. Otiz would have anticipated this and prevented the information from reaching Ruby.“Book a flight to France,” Ed said, while Ibanez was still sending the message.“Y
"Not in the police report." Ed had skimmed through it earlier. There was no mention of a witness. This news was very fresh."They’re the type who wouldn’t talk to the police," said Ibanez."Oh, illegal." Ed immediately understood that the witness was likely an illegal immigrant. They wouldn’t talk to the police but might open up to the right person."Get more people together. I want everyone who’s not busy to come and help search." Once he realized Liz was in danger, Ed became serious."Yes, Don Rosas." Ibanez quickly sent out more messages."Does anyone know where Liz was taken?" Ed asked."I got the license plate number, and the car that used to take her was found parked at a small airport outside Etampes. It seems Senorita Liz is no longer in France." Ibanez nervously read the rest of his team’s report."Shit! What is this? Was she sold or something?" Ed didn’t want to think the worst, but it was
"They are so different," Liz said, chewing on the sandwich, her first meal of the day."Hm?" Anne-Marie, who was with her, turned to follow Liz's gaze—staring at Eren playing with his two children."Do you mean their personalities? It's hard to tell by their faces. I've known them since they were little, but sometimes I still mistake one for the other from afar. But up close, I can always tell. Asher rarely smiles," Anne-Marie explained further, and Liz agreed.Looking at Eren in the daylight, up close, dressed normally, Liz could never mistake him. Eren was tidier and smiled more—definitely more friendly. He even apologized easily earlier, something Asher would likely never do."He's like me," Liz murmured."What?" Anne-Marie didn't catch Liz's mumble; she was already distracted by one of her children coming over."Nothing." Liz shook her head. The murmur had been primarily directed towards herself.Eren and Asher shared
“Why is there another car?” Ruby turned around and saw one more car that had indeed been following them.Ruby only noticed it after they reached a quieter road. The car had been with them all along.“Yes, because it’s necessary. This area belongs to the Val family,” Ed explained with some relief.That was the first question Ruby had asked since their trip from Paris to Italy—Lake Como. She had been silent since they left the restaurant.“What do you mean by ‘area’?” Ruby only knew that Val was Ed’s friend."His family has a business here, and I'm not exactly supposed to enter casually." While gritting his teeth and squeezing his phone, Ed stated that he would likely smash it if he had the ability.That frustration was directed at Val. In such a critical moment, none of his calls to Val had come through. Not even a response. Ed wasn’t sure if Val’s phone was off or
"I didn't kidnap anyone." Eren's weak voice was heard again."You knocked her unconscious and took her to another country! Isn't that a kidnapping?" Asher glared at the face that looked so much like his own."I didn't know who she was; she kept calling out the name Anne-Marie! What do you think I was supposed to do?!" Eren wasn’t backing down."You mentioned Anne-Marie?" Asher finally looked at Liz, after barely glancing her way before."Uh… yes. You’ve mentioned her before." Liz nodded."You still remember?" Asher was surprised, as he recalled mentioning the name only in passing."Why did you bring up Anne-Marie when you were with him?" Ivy abruptly interjected, clearly curious."Nothing!" Asher was dismissed immediately. However, Liz, being honest, provided a more thorough response at the same time, ensuring that she was genuinely heard."I own a boutique, and Asher said he wanted to buy a gift for a woman&
"Have you seen this woman?" Ruby inquired, pointing to Liz's photo on her phone."No! No... English." Before she hurried away, the woman she asked stumbled over her words and shook her head.Ruby sighed, experiencing yet another setback before she could formulate a proper question. It wasn't as straightforward as she thought, and many people there don't know English.Yesterday, Ruby had felt smart and confident in her English fluency, but now she was back to feeling helpless. Her knowledge was useless in a crucial moment.“I think you should rest,” Theo suggested worriedly, urging Ruby to stop. He couldn't be much help, either, not knowing English.“I haven’t found her yet, Theo. She’s my sister.” Ruby ignored the suggestion and kept walking, though she was clearly struggling. Her breath was ragged, and sweat beaded on her forehead.Her body hadn't expanded significantly yet, but her belly had, and it was
“Such chaos,” Liz lamented as she watched the crowd of rowdy children, who had become the main guests at her wedding.“Yeah, I didn’t expect it to get this wild either.” Ruby sat beside her, watching AJ hand out chocolate-covered strawberries to the other kids.He wasn’t alone—Claud, Val's second child, was helping him. They eventually grew close, even though their conversations were sometimes limited because Claud was more fluent in Italian than English. Still, they got along well enough.“How did it all start?” Ed frowned.“I don’t know.” Ruby was also unsure.“Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed when AJ asked.” Liz deeply regretted it.Somehow, AJ had convinced Liz to provide a chocolate fountain for her wedding, and it had become the source of chaos. The younger children were enjoying it, but soon chocolate stains appeared on the white tablecloths, as wel
"Do I have to? I already checked that document yesterday. Can’t you do it instead?" When Ed saw another email from Otiz, he complained.It was a financial report. Since Matteo had spread his investments in every direction—across more or less thirty companies—the financial reports Otiz received came from all directions, across different types of businesses. Ed hadn't anticipated this.Being an investor wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed. He still had to work.“You’re the one who has to check it. I’m just the middleman,” Otiz firmly refused.He could refuse because the request was made over the phone. Perhaps if they were face-to-face, Otiz would be more compliant. He was no longer blindly following Ed's orders, carefully sorting out what should and should not be done. He was only responsible for delivering financial reports, not reviewing them.Ed grumbled. He was quite used to reviewing company pa
"‘What do you want to show me?’ As she approached Ed, Ruby inquired.She left AJ's side; he was busy reading a story to his two younger siblings. Elena and Elisa sat quietly, either really listening or getting sleepy. It was already time for their afternoon nap."Read this," Ed shifted, making room for Ruby to sit beside him, and handed her a phone displaying an article in Spanish. Less than two hours had passed since the publication of this hot news story.Ruby didn’t pay attention to that, though, because she was immediately stunned by the headline.‘DEA ARRESTS MAJOR MEXICAN CARTEL AND EXPOSES BILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS NETWORK’"What... you...?" Ruby turned pale and panicked, of course."Read it to the end," Ed said, pointing to the rest of the text that she had not yet seen.Ruby read quickly and frowned. There was no mention of Ed or Rosas anywhere. Only Reyes. Marco Reyes. He was the story's
Two black vans speed down a deserted road. It was already nighttime, and they were the only ones there. The end of the road was in sight—a black iron gate.“Ram it!”A shout rang out, and the vans didn’t slow down. The passengers inside, all dressed in black, held on tight as a deafening crash echoed.The gate fell, bent, but opened. The two vans barged through and stopped right in front of the brightly lit house.“Get in and kill everyone!”Another shout, and the people inside the vans scrambled out, storming into the beachside house. Some were carrying firearms; others were wielding clubs.However, as they entered, everyone froze. No one came to greet them. The house was supposed to be full of guards, which was why they had come in numbers—ready for a confrontation.In reality, what greeted them was silence. Not a single person appeared, even though the house was brightly lit.“
"AJ, don't make Abuela tired!" Ruby reprimanded AJ for running away with something, while Mia pursued him.But it was impossible to make AJ stop, especially since his younger siblings were laughing joyfully at his antics. Elisa and Elena had just learned to walk, and they happily followed him around.AJ couldn't stop when he had such an audience. Mia seemed to be scolding him, but everyone knew Mia could never really be upset at AJ.Ruby had to step in, followed by Ed to watch over Elisa and Elena. Although falling on the sand wouldn't hurt, the beach had sharp rocks that could scrape them."Mommy! They should chase me! Don't pick them up!" AJ didn’t want his little sisters to be carried away and stop the fun."Alright," Ruby said, intending to supervise them closely."How about we take a vacation?" Ed abruptly proposed the idea, having just finished reading a message on his phone."Hm?" Ruby was surprised. There had been no suc
"Here."Ed gave Otiz a handkerchief to wipe away his tears. If it had been just a few, he would have let Otiz cry—and wiped the tears with the sleeve of his jacket.The problem was that Otiz couldn’t stop crying. He had already been emotional when Ed stood beside him at the altar, and it got worse when he saw Lori walking down the aisle, escorted by flowers. It was all too beautiful and dazzling for his eyes.“Sorry,” Otiz stammered, wiping the remaining tears from his face.“What are you apologizing for? At a wedding, shedding tears is not considered inappropriate. You're just too happy. No one will blame you.” Ed gently patted Otiz’s shoulder and then turned his gaze forward.Of course, Lori was the focus of the event. Her choice of dress was perfect, blending seamlessly with the entire garden decor. Flowers, ribbons, music, and all the other elements were carefully and precisely chosen—now showcasi
Ed tapped his finger on the glass in his hand. His eyes were fixed on a single point—Marco Reyes.The man was speaking with Otiz. Nothing important. Marco was just making small talk, and Otiz was doing the same—being polite, answering Marco's questions about his law firm's progress. Ed actually needed to speak to both of them, but he chose to start with Marco first.Ed just needed to gesture with his chin, and Otiz understood immediately. He excused himself, making up a reason, and left Marco alone."I need to talk to you," Ed said as he approached."Oh? What is it?" Marco immediately followed Ed, moving to the quiet side yard. The other guests filled the living room."I want you to handle the shipment to Ecuador and Brazil next week."Marco looked as if he had choked. This was incredibly surprising. Ed had never let him touch the South American market before. Ed had always handled it himself. Marco had only been managing North A
"Mommy, I want to try! You be Elena, and I'll be Elisa."AJ reached out his hand, asking for the milk bottle from Ruby. He wanted to try feeding the babies—and he chose Elisa.Usually, Tita was around to help Ruby, but today Tita was busy, so Ruby had been on her own since earlier."You can, but please be careful, okay? Don’t let her choke, and don’t squeeze." Ruby guided AJ's hand to hold the bottle filled with pre-warmed breast milk, helping him apply just the right pressure so it wouldn't press too hard against Elisa's lips."Wow! Look, Mommy! She's drinking!" AJ exclaimed happily, eyes sparkling with joy. This was the first time he was directly involved—doing something for his little sister. AJ usually watched, but at first he was afraid to hold the babies. He would look in awe but wouldn’t dare touch them.“See? It’s not a big deal, right? You don’t have to be scared anymore.”&l
From their disheveled appearance, it was clear that Liz and Asher had either just rushed out of a room or possibly run over here. One thing was certain: as soon as they heard the news about Ruby, they had hurried over."Where? Ruby... You're pale. Why... It shouldn't be happening now."Just like Lori, Liz was out of breath as she approached Ruby, panicking. The news had shocked everyone. Liz had already planned to stay in Puerto Vallarta next week to be there for Ruby when she gave birth.Of course, Liz no longer lived at Ed’s house. She had managed to buy her own apartment.“I’m fine, and they’re fine too. But the nurse hasn’t brought them here yet. Calm down… breathe.”Ruby was already able to speak clearly and now had to calm Liz down. She was the one lying down, barely conscious, yet had to reassure everyone else."Are you really okay? No problems? Any complications?" Liz touched Ruby’s bo