The Haciendero

PROLOGUE

Alexa almost dropped the birthday cake she was holding for her boyfriend, Maxus, when she heard the merging moans of two bodies inside his office.

Oh, God. Anxiety surged through Alexa's chest. Were her suspicions about her beloved boyfriend finally about to be confirmed?

She froze, afraid to peek through the small gap in the door that had been left slightly ajar and unlocked. There was no one else in the office. It was already seven in the evening. She had come to surprise him. She had pretended she couldn't make it and feigned that she had forgotten his birthday.

Forget their special days? Not her. Never. Even though a storm was raging outside, with heavy rain and strong winds caused by a low-pressure area, she had pushed herself to drive home from Tagaytay. She had just attended a seminar there—her last one, as classes were about to go on break. Alexa was still a student, studying medicine. She was only in the preparatory stage at 22 years old, but she worked hard because she truly wanted to become a doctor.

She wanted to be Maxus's equal. She wanted to earn a title so she wouldn't embarrass him in front of his parents, who were part of high society.

Her family was well-off too, but she didn’t have access to any of their wealth. Everything was in a joint account.

Alexa had driven for over an hour just to make up for Maxus, but now it seemed she was the one getting the surprise of her life because of what she overheard.

Maxus was a lawyer, and they had been together for three years. He was older than her—about the same age as the famous Jewish figure, Aslan—both were 34 years old. Alexa had been there for Maxus even before he took the bar exam, supporting him in every way possible. She was his one and only inspiration.

But after his wealthy parents set up his own law firm for him, it seemed everything had changed.

His sweetness had disappeared. He no longer talked to her the way he used to. Alexa could feel that something had changed. Her intuition had warned her before that Maxus might be cheating, but she refused to believe it. She convinced herself that he was still loyal to her. Maybe she was a fool, but she loved him deeply.

“Oh, fuck! That was mind-blowing,” a moaning voice echoed from inside the office.

Oh, God. She covered her mouth in shock, tears welling in her eyes. Now, she was certain—Maxus wasn’t alone in his office. He was with another woman.

Wait. That voice sounded familiar. It was Iris’s voice, one of the lawyers at his firm.

Alexa summoned every ounce of courage and pushed the door open. She was trembling with pain and fury, but she was determined to confront her cheating boyfriend.

“You shameless people!” she screamed, her voice breaking as tears spilled down her face.

The sight before her was devastating. Iris was straddling Maxus, her skirt bunched up around her waist and her upper body completely bare. One of her breasts was in Maxus’s mouth, while his hands were greedily clutching both.

The weight of the betrayal crushed Alexa’s heart.

Maxus froze in shock, and Iris scrambled off him in a hurry. Neither of them bothered to cover up, leaving their naked, sweat-drenched bodies exposed despite the cold air conditioning.

“B-Babe,” Maxus stammered, standing up quickly, but Alexa’s anger consumed her.

Sobbing uncontrollably, she rushed at him and smashed the birthday cake in her hands against his face.

“You monster! You devil!” she screamed, hitting him with her fists. Unsatisfied, she turned her rage toward Iris, who was hurriedly picking up her clothes.

Alexa’s eyes caught a creamy white trail running down Iris’s inner thigh. The sight felt like a dagger piercing her chest, but she refused to back down.

She stormed toward Iris and grabbed her hair in a tight fist.

“Ouch!” Iris cried out, but Alexa yanked her violently, dragging her across the room as Maxus struggled to wipe the icing off his face.

“Ouch? Do you think that’s all I feel right now? What I’m feeling is far worse than ‘ouch,’ you slut!”

Her rage burned hotter, and she slapped Iris repeatedly.

“Alexa! Stop it!” Maxus shouted, but she didn’t care.

Iris fought back, but Alexa was too furious to let her win.

The two women clawed at each other, rolling across the floor as their fight escalated. Alexa scratched Iris, who fought back just as viciously. She was at a disadvantage, though—her nails were too short compared to Iris’s.

She felt a sharp sting on her face, as if a cat had raked its claws across her skin, but she refused to back down. Their fight continued, Iris still naked, until someone grabbed Alexa’s arms and forcefully pulled her away.

“Stop it! I said!” Maxus shouted angrily, but Alexa redirected her fury toward him, slapping him hard across the face.

She could hear him muttering curses under his breath as he grabbed her and shook her to stop. But she didn’t relent. She continued to lash out until a strong slap landed across her face.

“I said, stop!”

The force of the slap made Alexa stagger. She instinctively touched her stinging cheek, feeling utterly dazed. It wasn’t just her head that reeled from the impact—it felt like her entire world had been turned upside down. But more than the physical pain, it was the heartbreak that hurt the most.

Maxus had hit her.

She froze, her mouth hanging open in shock. Her eyes, blank and unfocused, stared at Maxus, who seemed equally stunned by what he’d done. He looked at his hand, disbelief written all over his face.

“B-Baby…” he stammered, taking a hesitant step toward her, but she didn’t give him a chance.

Alexa turned and ran out of the office, her sobs echoing in the empty hallway.

The pain was unbearable. She kept asking herself: What did I do wrong? Why did he hurt me like that?

She had been the one betrayed, yet it felt as though she was the one at fault. She had been slapped, and by the man who had been making love to someone else just moments earlier.

Wasn’t she enough? Was there something she lacked? What else could she give? She was beautiful and sexy. What more could he possibly want? Was it mind-blowing sex?