The golden lights of Mexico City glittered in the distance like a scattered crown, but the
hotel suite where Mariana Ramos de Santiago reclined was drenched in shadows.
She stood before the tall window, silk robe clinging to her curves, a glass of red wine
dangling lazily between her fingers. Behind her, Mikel Aranda lounged on the sofa, shirt
unbuttoned, his graying temples catching the faint glow of the cityscape.
Their laughter had faded into silence. The air between them now carried the weight of
secrets too dangerous to speak aloud, but far too urgent to ignore.
Mariana's emerald eyes narrowed as she turned from the window to face him. "Ana is
moving too fast," she said, her tone laced with irritation. "She's restless. Suspicious.
Last night she lingered in Gabriel's study longer than she should have." She sipped her wine slowly, her lipstick staining the glass. "If we don't act quickly, she'll stumble onto something she shouldn't."
"And the other day, Robert said she almost caught him…Thank Goodness he was
smarter than her.
Mikel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, watching her with calculating
eyes. "You always underestimate her, Mariana. Ana may look fragile, but she has her father's determination. And stubbornness."
"Don't lecture me, Mikel," Mariana snapped, her voice cutting like glass. "I know exactly
what Ana is capable of. That's why I'm telling you, we need to be careful. She suspects
there was foul play in Gabriel's death. If she keeps digging, she'll eventually find threads
that lead back to us."
Mikel's lips curled into a sardonic smile.
"Threads don't matter if you burn the fabric
before it unravels. Let her suspect. Without proof, she's just another grieving daughter
lashing out. And as long as Alejandro is near her, she'll be too distracted to see the full
picture."
At the mention of Alejandro, Mariana's expression hardened. She crossed the room, setting her wine glass on the table before leaning close to Mikel.
"And what about Isabella?" she asked.
"She's a liability. I've seen the way she looks at Alejandro. That girl is too desperate, too obvious… sometimes, I wonder if she's really my daughter.
If Ana notices, she won't just suspect us, she'll start questioning her own husband. That could either play in our favor… or destroy everything."
Mikel smirked, catching her wrist and pulling her onto his lap with the ease of a man who
had long grown accustomed to taking what he wanted.
"Then let it destroy her. Let suspicion eat her alive from the inside. The weaker she
becomes, the less dangerous she is to us."
Mariana tilted her head back and laughed, a rich, cruel sound that filled the suite. Yet
deep inside, her mind raced. Ana Santiago was becoming a threat faster than she had
anticipated, and threats, Mariana knew, were best extinguished early.
***
The Santiago estate, in stark contrast, was cloaked in a silence that seemed almost
suffocating. The chandeliers glowed dimly, the hallways echoing with the faint creak of
wood as the night settled around the grieving family.
Alejandro Cruz stood in the far corner of the music room, his tall frame tense, his eyes
fixed on the doorway. Across from him, Isabella Ramos leaned casually against the grand piano, her slim figure dressed in a satin slip that caught the light with every subtle movement.
She smiled faintly, though her eyes betrayed something sharper, longing, desperation.
"Alejandro," she whispered, her voice barely carrying across the polished floor.
"Why do you insist on pretending we were nothing? Do you think marriage erases what
we had?"
His jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Because it's the truth now,
Isabella. Whatever we had, it's over. I'm married. To your sister."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a sharp whisper. "And you need to let it go
before you destroy yourself."
Isabella's face fell, her mask of composure cracking for the briefest moment. She
reached out suddenly, catching his hand in both of hers.
Her eyes glistened. "I can't let it go, Alejandro. Don't you understand? I still love you. I've always loved you. Ana doesn't deserve you the way I…"
He yanked his hand away, shaking his head. "Enough. Don't say her name like that." His
voice dropped, heavy with warning. "You're crossing lines you can't uncross, Isabella. I
made my choice. You need to respect it."
Her breathing quickened, tears brimming in her eyes. "So it meant nothing to you? All
those nights, all those promises"
"Promises? Please Bella, I never made any promise to you and besides, I wasn't the only one you were having an affair with… so don't you dare play the victim.
Alejandro's expression hardened, though his voice softened. "Whatever happened was the past. That's all it ever was. You need to stop holding onto ghosts."
Before Isabella could reply, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway. Both of them froze.
The door creaked open.
Ana Santiago stepped into the room.
Her dark eyes darted between them, Alejandro, standing stiff with tension, and Isabella, her hands still half-raised as though reaching for him. The silence that followed was suffocating.
"Ana," Alejandro said quickly, his tone sharper than he intended. He forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We were just… discussing the company. Your father left so many things unfinished."
Isabella dropped her gaze instantly, brushing her hair behind her ear as though she had
nothing to hide. "Yes," she added softly, forcing her own smile. "Just business."
But Ana's chest tightened. Something about the way Alejandro's voice rushed, the way
Isabella wouldn't quite meet her eyes, made the air in the room feel suddenly heavy.
Her father's warnings whispered in the back of her mind.
Be careful who you trust, Ana. Especially with love.
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, until Ana forced a brittle smile. "Business,"
she repeated, her voice quiet. "Of course."
But deep inside, suspicion coiled around her heart like a serpent.
Isabella moves towards Ana, faking a smile as she hugs her.
"You have a great husband sis" she whispers in her ear and walks away.