I downed the wine in the glass and smiled at the blonde-haired woman, who had something in her tooth that seemed to interest me more than what she was saying.

"Isn't that right, Mrs. Delgado?" I blinked and smiled more.

"Of course, Matilda. But what can we say? Their money seems to be doing us more good than them."

The group of ladies laughed, but one of them winked at me and looked behind me.

"Now I know his money be doing good on you, Mrs. Delgado, but your man seems to not be able to keep his arms off you for that long. Oh, the love of new couples!"

I raised my eyebrows and felt an arm wrap around my waist from behind. He gripped my left elbow before I hit him with it.

"Careful, love. I know you're violent, but let's be civil..." he whispered in my ear, and I froze. "...Well, I'm sorry, ladies, I have to steal my wife away."

They giggled in the most absurd way while Javier pulled me away from them.

"Get your filthy hands off me," I grunted, glaring at him.

"Play the role and we won't have a problem, okay?" He smiled, but his eyes were as cold as the dead.

"Well, get your hands off me, dear husband, or we will truly have a problem." I glared, and he glared right back, but he took his hands off me and I smiled. "...Now, you didn’t die, did you? Why did you pull me away from..."

"Isa!" My blood froze when I heard my mother's voice behind me, and without thinking, I pushed myself toward Javier as I turned around to see her with open arms.

"What are you doing here?" I glared at her, and she dropped her hands, completely embarrassed.

"Isa, darling, don’t embarrass your mother. Hug her, the entire crowd is watching," Father spoke, and I took a breath before stepping further into Javier's arms.

"I’d rather die." Javier’s thumb stroked my back carefully before he gave my waist a tight squeeze and released me.

What in God's name does that mean?

"Javier, tell your wife to behave herself or are you meaning to say you have no leash on her?" my father hissed.

"My wife is not a dog, and your wife knows better than to approach like she hadn’t watched her daughter’s life get ruined by two bastards who were meant to be her shoulder to cry on. So Mr. Jimenez, do not insult my wife, because you know exactly what’s at stake."

Heat radiated from Javier’s body, but he refused to let go of my waist. My father's face was as red as a cherry.

"I’m sorry," my mother cried and if I wasn’t irritated before, then now I was. She was trying to gain a good name from the crowd now watching us closely.

"You disgust me, Mama. I need some air." Javier let go of me and walked to the balcony.

I closed the curtains and a single tear rolled down my cheek before I wiped it away.

I pulled a cigarette out of my purse and lit it. I wanted to get out of here, but I had to stay because my stupid hus...

The hair on the back of my neck rose, and the curtain opened slightly before a figure walked in.

"That’s very disrespectful of you, Sis," Dolores spoke, and I turned around to glare at her.

"Why are you here?"

"Brother said bathroom in twenty. Don’t let your husband follow."

"And if I don’t comply?"

"You know what’s at stake. Tell me what’s going on between you and him." A laugh escaped me.

"That’s none of your business. Keep your nose in your pocket, exactly where it belongs, Daddy’s princess, and let’s handle the bloody business." She glared at me.

"Do not regard me as a child."

"Oh please, Dolores. You can’t even stand to see blood. You’ve been treated like a princess your whole life."

"You were too stubborn to be given that treatment."

"And you are always fake. You think I didn’t know you were the one who killed the guard when we were twelve and pinned the blame on me? The only reason you're scared of blood is because you killed him and the station boys too, because they didn’t give you what you wanted."

"Stop telling stupid lies..." she laughed nervously. "...I know you’ve always been jealous of me..."

"Oh please..." I laughed. "...I could never be jealous of someone who lies and behaves so fake to get what she wants." She took two steps toward me so fast, but I knocked her wrist with mine, disarming the knife and kicking it away with my leg.

I pushed her against the balcony’s fence, letting her head dangle over the edge and knocking the air out of her lungs.

"Stay the hell away from me, Dolores. We wouldn’t want Mama and Papa burying you, would we?"

"Let... let go of me!"

"Apologize." She continued to struggle, and I raised the fingers of my left hand.

"Okay fine! I’m... I’m sorry, I’m sorry..." I let go of her and dusted off my dress before walking away. I paused at the curtains.

"Oh, and Dolores, next time you pull shit like this again, you’ll be off the balcony in seconds." I walked out and toward the bathroom.

Javier gave me a look as I walked past, but I shook my head and disappeared from the hall.

I took a left and walked into the bathroom where Matteo stood, tapping his finger against the glass.

"You’re late."

"Ask your sister what happened." He looked at me and I crossed my arms. "...Speak, Matteo. I don’t have the entire day." He walked closer to me, but I didn’t move an inch.

"You don’t have to be in a rush." He licked his bottom lip, and I felt the urge to throw up.

He raised his hand to push strands of my hair back, but I knocked it away and pulled my gun from my purse.

"One wrong move and I’ll blast your head."

"We both know you can’t..." I shot his hand as he tried to touch me again.

"Fuck! What the hell, Isa?"

"Start speaking or I’ll shoot again."

I warned him, and he knew too well that no one could hear the gunshot, it was a silencer, and I was going to pull the trigger again if he didn’t start talking.

"Father was going to sell you off to Gabriel Volkov."

"What?!"