Chapter 1: The Door Opens
"Then you'll disappear forever," Beatriz finished.
She looked at me as though my life had already ended.
Santiago crouched in front of me, gripping my chin so tightly I could barely breathe.
"You have until tomorrow morning," he whispered. "Sign everything... or neither you nor the baby will survive childbirth."
Before I could answer—
The front door opened.
No one had heard the security system.
No one had expected visitors.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the marble foyer.
Calm.
Measured.
Powerful.
Santiago frowned.
"We're in the middle of something."
No one answered.
Instead, an older man in a tailored charcoal suit walked into the room.
Silver hair.
Steady eyes.
An expression so controlled it was terrifying.
Behind him came six security officers and two attorneys carrying leather briefcases.
My eyes filled with tears.
"Dad..."
Ricardo Salazar looked at me for one long second.
His gaze stopped on the bruise forming beneath my cheek.
Then on my trembling hands protecting his unborn grandson.
The room became impossibly quiet.
Santiago laughed.
"And who exactly are you?"
Ricardo didn't even look at him.
He removed his gloves slowly before kneeling beside me.
"Did he touch you again?"
I nodded.
His jaw tightened.
For years, I had never seen my father lose his composure.
Until now.
He gently helped me to my feet.
"You did well, princesa."
"You endured long enough."
"Now let me finish this."
Santiago stepped forward.
"I don't know who you think you are, but this is my house."
Only then did Ricardo finally face him.
"My name is Ricardo Salazar."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Beatriz's wineglass slipped from her fingers and shattered across the marble.
Color drained from Santiago's face.
Impossible.
He had spent years trying to secure investment meetings with Grupo Salazar.
He knew that face.
Every business magazine in Latin America featured it.
"No..." Santiago whispered.
Ricardo's voice remained perfectly calm.
"You married my daughter."
"You beat my daughter."
"And tonight..."
He looked directly into Santiago's terrified eyes.
"...you threatened to murder both my daughter and my grandson."
Santiago took one step backward.
May you like
For the first time in his life—
He looked afraid.
