"J... Javier," Catalina stammered, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow her whole.
His gaze dropped to Alejandro's arm around her waist. "I see you're-"
Alejandro cleared his throat, feeling the energy between them. "I see you've met my woman."
Javier laughed, uncomfortable, and sat down in the chair beside his mother, directly across from Catalina.
Doña Carmen's eyes moved from Javier to Alejandro to Catalina. "She seems quite familiar with the Montoyas. That's... interesting."
*Interesting* sounded more like *suspicious.*
The word made Catalina feel worse than she already did. Why was the woman talking about her like she wasn't sitting right there?
"Abuela, can we eat now?" a younger voice cut in.
Catalina looked up and almost gasped. Sitting beside Doña Carmen was a little girl. Couldn't be more than eight or nine. But the eyes - those were Alejandro's. Same shape, same sharpness, same quiet intensity.
The girl met Catalina's gaze for a second. Long. Curious. Almost knowing. Catalina's stomach dropped.
"Of course, princess," Doña Carmen murmured.
Catalina let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her grip on her dress loosened.
Who is that child. And how had she not noticed her before.
"Don't pay my family too much attention, they're always this... complicated," Alejandro said, low enough for only her. "Don't let them get to you, okay?"
"Of course," she murmured, wondering how an ordinary dinner could feel this tense. Maybe because there were more than ten people at the table. Such a big family.
And so dinner began.
Silver lids came off and the table filled instantly - crimson prawns, scallops arranged like white petals, croquettes, roasted meats, a gleaming rice dish with a whole lobster on top. The kind of food rich people ate without thinking twice.
Catalina stayed still for a moment, trying not to look too obvious. Then she started eating slowly, carefully moving things aside - the prawns, the scallops, the lobster. The croquettes too. The almond cake placed near her hand. She tried to be subtle about it but with the Montoyas nothing went unnoticed.
Doña Carmen's eyes narrowed. "Catalina, dear. Why are you avoiding half the dishes? You've barely touched the seafood."
Catalina froze, fork halfway to her mouth. Heat climbed up her neck. The last thing she wanted was to seem difficult in front of this family. She'd already had enough embarrassment for one day.
She opened her mouth. The words didn't come.
"She's allergic," Javier said, voice steady, cutting straight through the awkwardness. "Seafood, nuts, dairy. Practically everything on the table."
Catalina's eyes moved to him slightly. He knew she hadn't expected that from him. Not after everything.
Alejandro blinked. Something unreadable crossed his face. "You should have said something, cariño."
"I didn't want to be a bother," Catalina whispered, looking at her plate. "I'm sorry."
Alejandro's jaw tightened, barely. "Tell me next time," he murmured, more irritated with himself than with her.
"That wouldn't have been a bother. That's what the staff is for," Don Alejandro said, small smile. "Besides, family takes care of its own."
Doña Carmen raised one finger and a servant appeared almost immediately. "Prepare something she can actually eat," she ordered, not taking her eyes off Catalina. "Quickly."
The table went quiet after that. Tension settling like dust. Alejandro's hand found hers under the table - steady, warm. The only softness in a room full of sharp looks and quiet judgments.
Even if it was just an act - how had he forgotten this detail about her? And Javier. He'd known her allergies without blinking.
The servants came back minutes later, moving in practiced silence, replacing the seafood dishes near Catalina with a small careful spread - grilled vegetables with olive oil, a piece of roasted chicken, bread she could actually eat without worrying. Simple compared to the Montoya feast. But thoughtful.
"Thank you," she murmured, genuinely, and dinner continued.
Her heart wouldn't stop going too fast. Being near Javier felt like standing in front of an old wound she'd thought had healed. Being next to Alejandro felt like leaning toward a fire she didn't understand. Both of it made her extremely careful.
Dinner was quiet until one of Alejandro's sisters broke it. "So - Lina, how long have you and Jandro been together?"
Her face went warm. What was she supposed to say. It would have been easier to invent something, except Javier was sitting right there at the same table. Now what.
Don Alejandro noticed and cleared his throat. "Table manners. Conversation can continue after dinner."
Soft tone. Nobody argued. But the eyes stayed on her.
"I need to use the bathroom," Catalina said and stood up.
"Want me to come with you?" Alejandro asked, watching her, something gentling in his expression.
"No, I'll be fine," she said, giving him a smile that didn't reach anywhere.
He nodded at one of the staff. The servant led her out quietly.
Javier excused himself almost immediately after.
---
Catalina stood in front of the mirror trying to breathe properly. Why did the Montoyas have to make everything this hard. It was just a dinner.
Maybe taking the contract had been a mistake from the beginning. But what choice did she have. She never really had one.
"There you are, princess." Javier's voice came from behind her, pulling her back.
She flinched. "Don't call me that."
"I expected more from you," he said coolly, watching her through the mirror.
"Don't say anything," she said, sharp. The last time in his mansion was still in her body. "You're not in a position to judge me."
"So this is what you've become? A gold digger? Or worse?" He kept going, pleased with whatever he saw on her face. "My uncle isn't someone you should be near."
"I'll decide that myself," she said, and didn't know where that came from.
"He's not for someone like you. Everything the tabloids say is true. Aren't you even curious about the girl at the table?"
"Excuse me," Catalina said, cutting him off cleanly, and walked away.
"He's only using you to get grandfather's empire," he called after her, expecting her to stop.
She didn't. She walked straight back into the dining room.
She wasn't going to let him mess with her head. And if Alejandro was as dangerous as everyone seemed to think, that wasn't her problem right now.
"I was about to come check on you," Alejandro murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I'm fine," she said, smile tight, Javier's words still sitting somewhere in her chest. *How dangerous exactly. A killer? A cartel? What?*
And the girl. Who is she.
Alejandro watched her for a long second, eyes darkening. "Someone bothered you," he said quietly. Not a question.
"It's nothing."
Javier came back almost immediately after. Alejandro looked between the two of them and it was obvious. Painfully obvious.
"Forget whatever Javier said," Alejandro murmured close to her ear, sending something cold down her spi
ne.
Don Alejandro knocked the table once, silencing the room. "So." He looked around at all of them. "When's the wedding?"