Chapter 4 — The Bride Contract

Months had passed since Ingrid and Cassio's wedding.

The Sanchez mansion was still luxurious and quiet, but now its shine seemed dull.

Selena barely left her room anymore. The old spark that once lit up her eyes had gone out. She spent her days reading, writing in a diary she kept hidden at the back of a drawer, and avoiding any contact with the family.

Meanwhile, Ingrid paraded around as the new Mrs. Vieira, flaunting jewelry, social invitations, and a forced smile beside a husband who remained distant.

They shared a bed now and were intimate, since his parents kept pressing for an heir.

And Cassio knew that was the only reason he had left Selena — because Ingrid could give him children, and Selena never would.

Patricia lived in service of her daughter, and Rodrigo, more ambitious than ever, spent his days in meetings with businessmen and mafia associates.

It was at one of those meetings that the name Henrico Garces came up.

No one knew for certain who he was.

But everyone knew the Garces name was the most powerful of all — the Vieira and Sanchez families combined didn't come close to the weight of the Garces name.

They said he was a cruel man, invisible to the public eye but omnipresent in the criminal underworld. A name that only had to be spoken to command silence.

Henrico controlled routes, alliances, and destinies.

They said anyone who dared to defy him vanished without a trace.

Rodrigo heard from one of his contacts that the powerful Garces was looking for a bride.

Marriage within the mafia was more than tradition — it was a matter of status and dominance.

And Rodrigo saw an opportunity worth its weight in gold.

The Vieira family had already given him name recognition and visibility, but if he could ally himself with the Garces family... the Sanchez family's power would become absolute.

The following week, Rodrigo was invited to a secret meeting with Marcello, Henrico's personal assistant.

The meeting took place in a discreet warehouse, far from prying eyes.

"Mr. Sanchez," Marcello said, his voice firm and his accent heavy, "you have a daughter, don't you?"

Rodrigo smiled sideways.

"I have two, but one is already married. The other, Selena, is... available."

"Would you be willing to offer her?"

"Depends on the offer."

Marcello stared at him in silence.

"You know who you're dealing with. This isn't an offer. It's an honor."

Rodrigo swallowed, but held his smile.

"Of course... I understand. Tell Mr. Garces I accept. Selena will be his bride."

Hours later, the phone rang in the mansion's study.

Rodrigo answered, and a deep, measured, authoritative voice echoed from the other end of the line.

"Rodrigo Sanchez... I hear you've offered me your daughter."

Rodrigo recognized the voice immediately.

"Mr. Garces... it's an honor to speak with you."

"I accept the proposal," Henrico replied without preamble. "The wedding will take place within a week. My assistant will deliver the contract. I want your signature and your word that, on the day and at the hour appointed, your daughter will be at the altar in a wedding dress."