Episode 5

She tried to stay calm as they walked toward the entrance.

Alexander's parents greeted her politely, and she responded awkwardly, trying not to seem too nervous.

But the moment she crossed the front door, she saw him.

A tall man in an elegant suit had just turned toward them as they entered.

And the second he saw her... he smiled.

A real smile.

Warm.

Happy.

The same blue eyes she saw every morning in the mirror were looking straight at her.

Her father.

His hair perfectly combed back.

His suit impeccable.

The same cold gaze she'd imagined so many times as a child.

And yet... when he saw her, something changed.

His eyes lingered on her longer than necessary.

As if he'd forgotten for a moment who else was in the room.

As if he were truly seeing her.

His wife immediately grabbed the man's arm. Seeing Estefanía so well dressed and put together made her question whether it was really her.

"Mr. Castellanos, I hope Estefanía is behaving properly."

Alexander barely responded before continuing toward the study with documents in hand.

"I heard your daughter nearly backed out of the wedding. I don't know what finally convinced her."

Alexander addressed her directly.

The woman's smile tightened just slightly.

"But she's here. That's what matters."

Estefanía stayed silent.

She didn't fully understand the conversation.

But she did notice something.

Every time someone said the word daughter, her father's expression shifted slightly.

As if the word weighed on him.

He looked at her again.

And as they walked toward the living room, he slowed his pace until he was beside her.

Then, slowly, he draped an arm around her shoulders.

The gesture caught Estefanía completely off guard.

It was the first time in her entire life that her father had touched her that way. In fact, it was the first time she'd seen him at all. She had so many questions.

She felt a knot climb into her throat.

"You don't need to hug her," his wife whispered immediately.

The man clenched his jaw.

"She's my daughter."

The words made Estefanía lift her gaze instantly.

But the woman responded without hesitation.

"Your daughter is away traveling. She is not."

The air seemed to vanish around Estefanía.

That hurt more than she'd expected.

Much more.

The man slowly pulled his arm from her shoulders and walked toward the study without looking at her again.

Alexander and his family watched the scene in complete silence.

At face value--setting aside the actual words--they appeared to be a family with disagreements.

His wife approached Estefanía discreetly.

Her strong perfume nearly made her dizzy.

"Remember--just as easily as I pulled you out of that convent... I can send you right back."

The threat was enough to make Estefanía lower her gaze.

She was the last one to enter the study.

An older man remained behind the enormous dark-wood desk.

Despite his age, his presence commanded more authority than anyone else in the room.

His fingers tapped softly on the contract before he spoke.

"For one year, you'll be husband and wife in every public respect. I don't want scandals, rumors, or mistakes that tarnish the Castellanos name."

Alexander remained completely serious.

As if he'd already heard all of this far too many times.

"You'll live together, attend every event together, and maintain this alliance above any personal problems."

Then the old man's gaze fell on Estefanía.

And for the first time since she'd arrived, she felt genuine fear.

"And understand this clearly, girl... once this contract is signed, no one can separate you before the year is up. No one."

Estefanía felt a small chill run down her spine.

She nodded slowly.

Alexander took the pen first and signed the documents without even reviewing the pages again--he'd gone over them so many times he practically knew them by heart.

Then they handed them to her.

As she wrote her name with slightly trembling hands, she heard the old man's voice once more.

"You're my grandson, Alexander. And it pains me to see the Castellanos name being dragged through the mud... but this was the only way to force you to see reason."

Everyone seemed to accept those words as normal.

Everyone except Estefanía.

Because she'd just understood something important.

That man wasn't just Alexander's grandfather.

He was the one who'd ordered this union.

The man who controlled the money.

The one who'd brought the two families together.

And, from the way everyone fell silent in his presence... he was also the only one capable of destroying them.

Her father signed as a witness.

Alexander's father did the same.

After that, the old man set the pen on the desk.

"I need to speak with my grandson alone."

No one argued.

Everyone began filing out immediately.

Estefanía walked behind the others until they reached the enormous, brightly lit kitchen.

Alexander's mother smiled excitedly.

"Daughter-in-law, I had a wedding cake brought in."

Estefanía stared at the massive white cake on the marble island.

It was bigger than any cake she'd ever seen.

"Why don't you call your mother to come join you?"

The question froze her in place.

She didn't know what to say.

How could she explain that that woman would never agree to stand beside her in front of other people?

Luckily, José appeared, leaning against the doorway with an amused grin.

"Auntie, we should wait for Alex."

The woman nodded distractedly.

And Estefanía noticed something curious.

In that family, no one really addressed each other like family.

No uncles.

No nephews.

No cousins.

Everything sounded too cold.

Too distant.

The young woman picked up the knife somewhat nervously while she waited.

Seconds later, Alexander finally appeared in the kitchen.

His expression was still just as serious.

But the moment he saw the cake, he frowned.

"What is this nonsense?"

His mother sighed, exhausted.

"It's your wedding, Alexander."

"Mother, Father, I'm going home. I have things to do."

Estefanía looked at the cake again.

It looked too good to ignore.

So, before thinking about it too much, she cut herself a piece.

Silence fell over the kitchen.

She grabbed a napkin and set the slice on top of it as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Everyone stared.

Even her father's wife shook her head slowly in obvious disapproval.

Alexander simply closed his eyes for a second.

As if trying to summon patience.

Then he started walking toward the exit.

Estefanía followed quickly.

But before they left, Alexander paused.

Everyone's gaze fell immediately on her... and on her father.

They were supposed to look like a family.

The man barely cleared his throat before speaking, but she beat him to it.

"Father... we'll talk later."

Estefanía caught her father's wife's expression immediately.

The warning was written all over her face.

Don't you dare call me mother.

And honestly... she wasn't planning to.

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