"Tia!"The one who called out was Lori, and she seemed eager to help, but Mìa held both of their hands back, letting Ruby struggle to get up. Mud blackened the left side of Ruby's body."Leave her be! This way, she'll contemplate her fate. She shouldn't have set foot in this house from the start!" Mìa still laughed.Ruby heard it all while trying to tidy up the mess. She was trying to stay calm, hiding her anger."Tia Mìa, you're going too far," Lori said again."No. Her father's treatment of Ed went too far. It's foolish for her to dream of living peacefully here! She is a cheap girl, only capable of seducing men." Mìa pulled Lori and Mayte's hands, both of whom looked shocked.Ruby should have been patient and silent, as planned. But this was the moment when Ruby felt that all her acceptance wasn't enough. She yielded, stayed silent, and was obedient. She listened to all the heartless insults without trying to defend herself. However, intentionally pushing her into the filthy mud wh
Ruby glanced at the intertwined hands and then looked away. Not out of jealousy. Ruby just felt it was inappropriate. Ed was still her husband—Liz's husband. He shouldn't be holding hands with another woman."Need help?" Ruby looked up to see a hand extended towards her. It was Lori who offered assistance. Ruby looked at her hand, surprised to receive help from Mayte's side.But Ruby remembered that Lori hadn't intended to antagonize her earlier. She had even been firmer when reprimanding Mìa earlier."I won't let go, so you fall again. I genuinely want to help because your situation looks sad. Sorry," Lori said honestly, assessing the situation.Lori's honesty about her situation actually made Ruby feel more at ease. It seemed Lori was the type to be very open."Thank you, but your hand will get dirty," Ruby declined. Although she didn't want to refuse assistance, her body, particularly her hands, wasn't suitable for contact at the moment.Ruby stood up, looking at her hands, which w
"Look clearly! Don't close your eyes or turn away."Right as Ed said it, Mayte turned away and shook her head. Sobbing, she covered her face."I think there's no need for further explanation. You don't need to ask why I married her," Ed grinned, snorting."Do you want me to not cry when I look at that? I know the pain must be unbearable, Ed. I cry because I imagine you suffering!" Mayte sobbed harder. Her head tilted up, but before she could look at Ed, she turned away again and shook her head."I know, and that's why I don't want to continue this anymore. You don't need to stay out of pity for me. I told you to leave because...""Who said I'm staying out of pity?" Mayte interrupted again. She didn't remember ever saying it in front of Ed."You said it, thinking I wasn't awake yet," Ed said flatly. At that time, he couldn't open his eyes or move, but the sounds and conversations around him were clear."What do you mean?" Mayte frowned."I heard you talking to your father." Ed also rec
"Don't talk about that!" Javier snapped. Refrain from discussing Lori."Are you really going to support Esli for mayor? He's very ambitious." Javier normally wouldn't interfere when Ed made political decisions, but he wanted to know because of Esli."And isn't Mayte's father ambitious too? You shouldn't forget what he did in the southern district. He may appear sweet, but he has unexplained wealth that is even greater than Esli's. They're both rotten, so it doesn't matter who ends up being mayor. I just have to make sure it'll benefit us." Ed was tired of talking so much. But he had to, because Javier wouldn't stop asking until satisfied."You married Liz, not just because of my persuasion." Javier complained. Thinking his brother made the decision solely because of him, of course Javier was disappointed to find out Ed had his own plans."I made a beneficial decision based on your wishes. Isn't this even better? You're happy, and I'm doing the right thing." Ed didn't see any more reas
Ed looked at Liz, who resumed scooping despite her body being very dirty. She no longer seemed bothered by all the dirtiness. She still wore a hat, but Ed could see sweat dripping. If her clothes weren't dirty from the mud, they might still be wet from sweat."What's wrong with you?" Ed murmured, furrowing his brow. He became more puzzled after seeing Javier's report firsthand.The girl he married showed a lot of unexpected sides. Far from his and Javier's expectations, they felt they knew Liz, even if only briefly. Meanwhile, Ed no longer saw traces of the Liz he met as a child. Aside from growing up, Ed no longer saw a spoiled, whimpering girl.He had misinterpreted her whimpering as a sign of weakness because Liz had shed many tears on their wedding day. But now he saw a very different side. This was a trait that an Esli child should never have had."Are you really going to finish all that?" Ed asked, finally approaching."AGH!" Ruby shrieked and turned around, brandishing her shov
"Huh?" Ruby, who had been squirming in an attempt to free herself, fell silent again upon hearing the absurdity."I thought you were more sensible now, but it seems you still want to tease other men," Ed hissed again."No!" Ruby vehemently denied it, forgetting all her fear because of the misconceived accusation. She couldn't understand how Ed could think like that."Denying it, but you do this?! You want to show off this red color to all those men?!"Ruby screamed as Ed's hand suddenly slipped in, pulling her underwear back. Ruby wriggled free, covering the front of her body with her hands before crouching down. Then it became evident why Ed could describe the color of her underwear so accurately."AGH!" Ruby screamed and hurriedly covered her body with the dirty overalls she had discarded earlier. Ruby didn't care about the dirt. It was still better than that see-through white shirt.Tears welled up in Ruby's eyes as she remembered t
Ruby's body might have initially responded, but slowly it changed into a very different feeling. Ruby couldn't forget that pain. Ed's rough movements and the way he made her feel like a slut left a lasting impression on Ruby."Don't..." Ruby whispered, pleading and shaking her head. The tremble that engulfed her was no longer from desire, but from fear."Don't what?" Ed stopped holding his hands and frowned. Ed couldn't comprehend why the woman, who had evidently provoked him earlier, suddenly pleaded with harsh words. Ed looked at her bowed head."Are you so afraid of my face?"Ed withdrew his hands and stepped back. The question wasn't even a shout, and it didn't require an answer. Ed just reminded himself that the woman in front of him had fainted when she first saw him."I forgot." Ed smiled bitterly. He forgot that he shouldn't hope for a woman to accept him when Mayte—who had been with him long enough—felt doubtful.Ed then
"Ed? Are you still here?!"Mia and Pedro were both surprised, but Pedro was more shocked as he stumbled to his feet with a pale face."I thought you had returned to the city." Pedro tried to sound casual while Ed looked at him sharply."Who are you lusting after?!" Ed snapped."That's an unfounded accusation, Ed. Don't jump to conclusions. I have no intention of pursuing Liz. Mia is just jealous because I am friendly to her. But am I wrong to be friendly? Liz is your wife, and I know you will be working with Esli Ramos after you get married. I can't be rude to her, can I? It will affect your affairs."Pedro explained it at length. His words were convincing and true. Ed never asked Pedro for help, even though he knew the man wanted it. But apparently, he knew enough about his dealings with Esli.Ed glanced at Mia, who appeared to be folding her arms across her chest with a pout. But that was it. She didn't supplement her earlier accusation with evidence or anything. So, her earlier ran
“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