"Hello, we meet again. Oh, my condolences." Val extended his hand to Ruby.
"Thank you." Ruby accepted it with a confused look. His presence was surprising. Besides his ridiculously attractive looks, she had no idea Val was close to Ed—close enough to feel the need to attend a family funeral.
"This is a surprise. Are you out of work?" Ed's greeting was unusual.
"Don't be like that. Of course, I wanted to offer my condolences." Val clicked his tongue while taking off his sunglasses.
"Wow! Your eyes are like glass. They don't look real." AJ, who was near the car, approached due to the new arrival—someone who managed to capture his attention." Now, he commented on Val's extremely blue eyes.
"Ha, you're smart, kid. This is my natural color." Val chuckled while gently patting AJ's head.
"You seem like you would get along well with Claud." Val guessed they were close in age.
"Who?" Ed frowned.
"Oh, something you don't know
Liz sighed, then turned her wheelchair to the side. She knew the ins and outs of the house, and Ruby didn’t want to ask where she was going. She was too tired.“Sorry, but your sister...” Lori held back from cursing but raised her middle finger, emphasizing that her patience with Liz was always thin. Ruby wasn’t going to force them to get along. She, too, found it difficult to get along with Liz.“How are you?” Lori asked. She noticed that Ruby had been absent throughout the day. She seemed better now, but still weary.“I’ll be fine, as long as you talk about something random.” Ruby half-lays on the sofa. She needed something to distract her thoughts.“I’ve got something. Mayte contacted me earlier. She wanted to come, but she couldn’t get a ticket. She sends her condolences and apologies,” Lori said.“Where’s Mayte? I thought she was still at your place.&rdqu
Ruby looked at Ed as if she were watching a terrible opera. She anticipated a melodious and engaging sound, yet the unexpected sound caught her off-guard.“He's really not my father?!” Liz rubbed her face, trying to convince herself once again that even though the information had been in her head for days, she still couldn't process it.But no one responded to Liz's question. Ed was focused on Ruby, who remained silent. Unsure of how to respond, many thoughts crossed her mind, including memories and understanding.“So… That’s… Mom never talked about it... Ashamed. Yes, I understand,” Ruby mumbled.Yesterday, she was confused as to why her mother wouldn’t discuss who Hans was. Ruby avoided the topic when she sought clarification.Ashamed, because no matter how vile Esli was, Jade still felt that turning to a man who wasn't her husband was wrong. Perhaps, aside from feeling guilty towards Liz, her mot
"Do I need to add more cookies or other snacks?" As she handed over a tray of tea, Tita inquired.“Hmm... can you make churros? With hot chocolate. Liz likes them," Ruby recalled Esli saying, referring to Liz's love for those treats.“Of course. I'll bring them later,” Tita agreed.Ruby nodded in thanks and carried the tray to the side porch. She knew Liz was there because she'd checked her room earlier and found it empty. She sat down and gazed at the distant beach. She was no longer in a wheelchair, but she was still limp.“Tea,” Ruby said, placing the tray on the table and pouring a cup for Liz. She added chamomile, hoping the aroma would calm Liz.But Liz didn’t seem to hear her. Her face remained fixed towards the beach. Ruby didn’t push it. She poured herself some tea and sat quietly across from Liz, also looking out at the beach. Silence could be peaceful. Ruby could handle that."I’ve n
"Congratulations, Senor Obrador. I hear your term will be extended."Obrador was forced to turn around and smile. He didn't recognize the man who had called out to him and was now approaching from the elevator's direction. He appeared to be an employee in the reception area, as evidenced by his uniform.It wasn't important, but Obrador had to smile. He couldn’t afford to ruin the positive image he had maintained all this time."Thank you. I will do my best to fulfill this trust with all my heart." Obrador shook the young man's hand. His face was somewhat unfamiliar. He didn’t look like a typical Latin man. Maybe he was mixed, as his features resembled those of a European with black hair."Are you new here?" Obrador asked."I’ve been here for two years." The man’s smile faded slightly, disappointed at not being recognized."Oh, yes! I forgot. Ayala." The name embroidered on the man's uniform was quickly read by Obrador
"You're overreacting." Matilda blushed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. This was the umpteenth time she had heard such a small compliment. At first, it felt strange, but eventually, it made her melt like butter. That face was indeed very convincing."I mean, there's no need to report this to Señor Obrador. This is just a minor setting error. And if he gets angry and reports it to my superior, then... I'm done. I'll lose my job." As part of his persuasion strategy, Val gestured by slicing his neck, accompanied by a pleading face."But... I have to ask for permission to hand over the key card." Matilda hesitated.Matilda had no doubt about Val's claims that he was a representative from the luxury car company and had come because he found a program error—and needed to take the car to reset it.But Matilda was still scared of Obrador. She would also lose her job if something went wrong with the car. She knew how proud Obrador was when he bo
"I thought our party meeting was our first. But it turns out you already knew me," Ed said.He slowly lowered his gun. It didn't matter, because Val and Eren/Ayala were now standing beside Obrador, guns in hand. Obrador wouldn't be foolish enough to try to run."I don't understand what you're talking about. We did meet for the first time at that party," Obrador frowned.Ed grinned, admiring Obrador's effort to stay calm. But he was a seasoned politician, skilled at controlling his expressions. It was his job to act."We might have just met, but you’ve already met my parents, or so they said. Along with Esli," Ed smiled.He saw a flicker of unease cross Obrador's face before it returned to its neutral expression."Your father? Of course, I know him. Our worlds may seem far apart, but they’re actually quite close. You know this, right? We both have lucrative side businesses," Obrador responded, again putting on a confused face.
"Get in." Val opened the door of Obrador's prized luxury car, gesturing for him to enter and sit in the driver's seat."Hm… what? Why…" Obrador laughed uncontrollably before suddenly slumping over. Drunk, of course.Val had provided two bottles of high-quality whiskey—Obrador's usual favorite—and all of it had ended up in Obrador's stomach. Naturally, his brain wasn't functioning straight anymore.It had taken some effort to persuade Obrador to consume the entire amount, as he was aware of the negative consequences that usually followed alcohol consumption. But in his current state, Obrador's brain couldn’t form any suspicions, so now he sat there without resistance."Asher, are you done?" Val asked Asher, whose face bore a striking resemblance to Ayala/Eren. He sat next to Obrador, altering all the travel data recorded by the car's navigation system, including replacing the dash cam footage. He erased anything that showed
Liz closed the door to the building that would soon become the boutique she would manage, smiling as she did so. After nearly a month of searching and preparing everything, she was almost ready to begin.Liz brushed her fingers over the name on the sign hanging on the door: Gemma's Boutique. She used that name intentionally because no one would ever call her that again. The name would be gone.By making it the name of her store, Gemma wouldn't disappear. The name would now be hers and spoken."Ah!" Liz gasped in surprise as she turned around and saw an unexpected person. Mendez had been standing behind her the whole time."Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you." Mendez bowed slightly."What are you doing here? You refused to meet me before, didn’t you? And now you're here?!" Liz was clearly frustrated because Mendez had refused to see her yesterday.Despite Ed's instruction, Mendez continued to refuse. Liz had been angry, but she d
“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