Chapter 2 - The Mask Falls
Paulina descended the marble stairs with slow, deliberate, venomous steps. Her high heels clicked against the stone like a ticking bomb.
"Diego, get up off the floor," Paulina commanded, her voice high-pitched and laced with disgust. "Look at yourself! You look ridiculous kneeling in front of the help! If the press saw you right now—"
"Shut your mouth, Paulina," Diego snapped, his voice dropping an octave into a tone so cold it froze the air in the room.
He didn't look up at her immediately. Instead, he gently placed the stuffed rabbit back into Valentina’s tiny hands, stood up slowly, and turned around. The tenderness that had filled his face seconds ago vanished, replaced by an imposing, dangerous stillness.
Paulina paused on the second-to-last step, startled by the intensity of his gaze. "Diego, be reasonable. I know you have a soft spot for hard-luck stories, but this woman is clearly taking advantage of you. She's been living in your maid's quarters, feeding her child off your groceries, and now she’s inventing some pathetic story to trap you!"
"She didn't invent anything," Diego said flatly.
Paulina let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Oh, please! You're going to believe a maid who couldn't even keep her hands off a button dropped on the floor? She probably got pregnant by some street vendor or former boyfriend and decided to pin it on you because you're a billionaire! It's the oldest trick in the book!"
"Paulina," Diego said, taking one slow step toward her. "Valentina is my daughter."
Paulina’s laugh cut off instantly. Her face flushed a deep, ugly red. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me," Diego said, his dark eyes burning. "She is my blood. My daughter."
"That is impossible!" Paulina shrieked, her aristocratic composure completely shattering. "You met me two years ago! You told me you had no children! Your family status, your public image—we are supposed to get married in three months at the Cathedral! We have five hundred high-society guests invited! The media is covering the wedding of the year! You think I'm going to stand at the altar next to a man who has a bastard child with his maid?!"
Marisol flinched at the word bastard, pulling Valentina tighter against her shoulder. "Diego, please," Marisol whispered, her voice trembling. "We will leave. I don't want to cause trouble for your life..."
"You are not going anywhere, Marisol," Diego commanded without turning around. He kept his eyes locked on Paulina.
"Diego, this is insane!" Paulina yelled, stepping off the last stair and approaching him, grabbing his arm. "Call security right now! Have them tested! Have them thrown out! If you don't clear this mess up today, my father will pull all funding from the Santa Fe hotel project! Do you hear me? My family's prestige will not be dragged through the mud because of a servant!"
Diego looked down at Paulina’s hand on his forearm. With quiet, absolute disgust, he reached over and removed her fingers one by one.
Then, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his phone, and dialed a speed-dial number.
"Estepan," Diego spoke into the speaker, his voice steady as iron. "Bring the main estate security team to the foyer immediately. And bring a master locksmith."
Paulina’s eyes widened. "Diego... what are you doing?"
Within two minutes, the heavy double doors of the mansion swung open. Estepan, a broad-shouldered man in his fifties who had served as the Villaseñor family's head of security for twenty years, stepped inside, followed by three uniformed guards.
"Mr. Diego," Estepan said, bowing his head slightly. "Orders?"
Diego pointed toward the grand staircase. "Take two men upstairs to Mrs. Robles's suite. Escort her as she packs her personal clothing and jewelry. She has one hour to vacate my property."
Paulina gasped, staggering back as if she had been struck across the face. "YOU'RE KICKING ME OUT?! FOR HER?!"
"I am removing a cruel, heartless woman from my home," Diego said, his voice ringing through the marble hall. "You spoke to a three-year-old child as if she were trash. You threatened the woman who carried my daughter. You are no longer my fiancée. The wedding is canceled."
"You can't do this!" Paulina screamed, her voice cracking into a frantic screech. She pulled off the massive four-carat diamond engagement ring from her left hand and threw it violently at Diego's chest. The ring bounced off his lapel and clattered uselessly onto the marble floor. "My father will ruin you, Diego! I will make sure everyone in Mexico City knows what kind of monster you are!"
"Estepan," Diego said calmly. "Escort her upstairs. If she screams again, escort her directly to the front gate and have her belongings delivered to her father's house in a truck."
"Right away, sir," Estepan said firmly. He stepped forward, his massive frame blocking Paulina’s path. "This way, ma'am."
Paulina glared at Marisol with a hatred so pure it could kill, her teeth clenched, before spinning on her heel and storming up the stairs under the watchful eye of the security team.
When her furious footsteps faded into the upper wing, the foyer fell silent once more.
May you like
Diego turned back to Marisol. He looked at her worn, faded apron, her trembling hands, and her tired, beautiful face. A profound ache filled his heart.
"Marisol," Diego said gently. "Take off that apron."
