Ed grabbed the coat from the chair and prepared to leave. The day had just turned to night, but Ed was in a hurry because Otiz had informed him that Ruby's condition didn't look good. This made Ed feel the need to rush home.
“Don Rosas!”
Ed hadn’t reached the front door when one of his men called out, running toward him.
“What is it now? You know I’m going home!” Ed scolded.
“Someone wants to meet with you!” the man shouted, panting.
“Do you think I want to meet them?!” Ed snapped. He had no appointments and certainly didn’t want to see anyone right now.
“But he said you were looking for him.” His subordinate backed away, frightened.
“Hm?” Ed was confused.
“His name is Mendez.”
Ed’s anger dissipated instantly. “Repeat that!” Ed had heard correctly but could hardly believe it.
“Mendez. He&rs
"Disgusting demon!" Ed hissed. Before this, he hadn't condemned Esli's 'tastes', but his actions were worthy of contempt. Esli had tied Jade into a marriage solely to conceal his personal preferences. Indeed, Jade was perfect; he had the right name, appeared respectable, and appeared normal."So who is their father?" Ed inquired, feeling somewhat relieved. He knew Ruby would be glad to hear this news. Her father, Esli, was a burden that Ruby never wanted to remember."Hans. Hans Dominguez. He worked for Señor Ramos before me," Mendez replied, still bowing his head."Esli's assistant before you?" Ed confirmed."Yes.""And where is he now?""Dead."The short answer was something Ed had already guessed. Esli wouldn't have let Hans live. The real reason for killing the poor man wasn't out of jealousy; most likely, it was just to protect his reputation."Despicable. He killed the man who was with Jade, yet he never even touch
The man was observing Liz, and of course, Liz was also watching him, trying to map out his face in order to recognize him. Unfortunately, most of it was hidden by a hat. Liz could only see that his hair was very short, almost exposing his scalp, and his body was solid and muscular.“I’m going to call…”A popping sound made Liz stop in her tracks while Jade screamed. There was the sound of a silenced gun being fired. The man in the hat hadn’t come empty-handed. His arm was extended straight, and he hit the nurse call button next to Jade's bed.Liz’s eyes widened, while Jade immediately began trembling violently.However, Jade did something remarkable as the man stepped inside through the sliding door. Jade jumped off the bed and pulled Liz’s arm, hiding her behind her back.“No!” Jade screamed. She fought with all her heart, even though the man continued pointing his gun.“Mom&helli
“Mama… No…” Liz shook her head, her gaze no longer sharp, but the tears couldn't hide the dire state Jade was in. Her breath was ragged, and the color drained from her face quickly.“Gemma… Gemma…” Jade raised her hand, and Liz grabbed it.“Forgive… me…” Jade whispered.“Mama… no…” Liz shook her head, wiping her mother’s cheek with her blood-stained hand.“You’re with Ruby now.” Jade slowly smiled. Those tears might have turned to joy.“Yes, and with you, Mama. The three of us. You have to stay. I’ve just found you.”Liz pressed her cheek against Jade's temple, pleading with her to hold on. But she knew those two gunshots were fatal. The amount of blood pooling around Jade's body was too much.“Forgive me… Forgive me… Gemma…” That was all Jade could remember.
"Are you sure you didn’t do it?" Ed pressed, slightly incredulous.“Oh my God!” Val, on the other end of the call, groaned.“No. I didn’t take a contract to kill Jade Herrera! I’ve checked twice! Do you need to talk to Asher to make sure? But he’s not very friendly, so maybe don’t...”“Who’s Asher?” Ed, who was waiting for the elevator door, stopped moving for a moment, confused."A subordinate I had to wake up to obtain the information you requested—and he cursed me out. But seriously, there’s nothing, okay?” Val complained, clearly feeling the brunt of Ed's question.Ed decided to ask Val again. Jade Herrera wasn’t a name Val should be familiar with. It was disappointing that there were no leads, but assassination requests are viable jobs.“You seem really busy. Who else has died?” Val asked.“My mother-in-law,” Ed
“Daddy!” AJ greeted and ran down the porch as Ed got out of the car.“You didn’t come home? I was looking for you.” AJ complained, as usual.“Sorry, I had something to take care of.” Ed picked AJ up and walked inside.“Where’s Mommy?” Ed asked with a hoarse voice. He was exhausted—he hadn’t closed his eyes all night, and he was anxious.“In the bedroom. She went back to bed after yelling at me to get ready for school.” AJ grinned mischievously, knowing that being carried by Ed didn’t count as getting ready for school.“You don’t need to go to school today. Daddy will talk to the teacher later.”Ed needed every bit of leverage he could muster to help console Ruby. And this was a valid reason. AJ’s grandmother’s passing was a legitimate excuse for missing school.“Huh? I get a day off? And it’s not even the
“What are you talking about?” Ruby tilted her head. It felt like her mind had been shielded, and all of Ed's words were bouncing off, unable to penetrate."Ruby. That man killed her." Ed couldn’t simplify it or make it any less horrifying. There was no way to hide the cause of Jade's death. The event was too big—too close to be covered up.“Ruby, listen to me.” Ed cupped Ruby’s cheeks, forcing her to focus on him. The news was terrifying, but Ruby had to hear it.“This is a ridiculous response, Ed. Are you angry at the joke from earlier? Is this your payback?” Ruby shook her head and smiled.“Don’t use Mom. Come on, try something else.” Ruby waited.“I’m not kidding, Ruby... ” Ed was worried. He saw Ruby smile—a high-level denial.“Which part isn’t a joke? You want me to believe someone came to kill Mom?” Ruby laughed again.
Her face was not much different. Ruby didn't notice anything unusual. Her mother looked like she was just sleeping, even appearing healthier because the lipstick and blush added some extra color.Ruby's hand lifted, trembling but still able to touch the cold cheek. The sensation confirmed that it was all real. Ruby touched the closed eyelids, hoping to see if they were truly still, or if Ed was playing one of his long jokes. This could all be a prank. But that hope was impossible. The eyes remained still.Ruby couldn't wake her, not even by tapping her shoulder hard. Her mother wouldn't wake even if Ruby filled the room with the scent of enchiladas or pears. Not even tea."Ruby." Ed, who had never left her side, caught Ruby's body as she suddenly slumped, relieved that she didn't faint but just curled up from the tightness in her chest.Ed knelt down and gently lifted her back to her place in the front row. Ed carried her to the chapel earlier, so there w
"Abuela, this is for you."AJ was the first to speak, reaching into his pocket and handing over a chocolate bar."Sorry, I forgot to count the chocolates for you yesterday. But I won’t forget again now. You're the only Abuela I have now."Mia couldn’t find the words. She looked at the chocolate bar with obvious panic.“It’s just chocolate; it won’t hurt you,” Ed murmured softly, knowing that rebuking her would only disappoint AJ.“I… okay.” Mia accepted the chocolate. She didn’t really want to refuse, just too shocked that AJ could still be kind to her after she had been so harsh and yelled at him every time.AJ’s face lit up again. “Did you like the taste? I didn’t know which one you liked, so I bought all the flavors earlier. You can swap them out if you want when we get home.”“I... I like it,” Mia stammered, awkward because she didn&rs
“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