Chapter 15

Finally Agustín reached the mansion and stopped the car right in front of the entrance. He stepped out, dressed sharply in dark slacks and a linen shirt, his injured shoulder now barely noticeable under the ease with which he moved. But his eyes were alert, always scanning — a habit formed from years of carrying power and surviving its consequences. He tossed the keys to the man standing beside him.

As he walked up the stone steps, the grand doors were already opened by one of the staff.

"Señor Agustín. Ellos te estan esperando en el jardin." the man said and bowed.

(Translation: Mr. Agustín. They are waiting for you in the garden.)

Agustín gave a short nod and walked through the familiar halls — filled with family portraits, heavy old chandeliers, and the scent of rosemary and fresh oranges.

He walked inside the mansion entering into a luminous, open-concept loft in the heart of Madrid’s trendiest district. The space was a study in modern minimalism: expansive floor-to-ceiling windows streamed in natural light that danced over pristine white walls punctuated by vibrant abstract art. Clean lines define every surface—from the modular, designer furniture to the polished concrete floors laid out in a carefully curated urban canvas.

At the center of the spacious living area, a low, contemporary fireplace flickered gently, its glass and chrome frame echoing the room’s ultra-modern aesthetic. Smart home devices silently adjusted the ambience, setting the perfect balance of warmth and formality—a silent welcome to a place that felt more like a retreat than a home.

He went towards the garden of the lavish mansion feeling exhausted due to being injured and jet-lagged but he knew once he saw his parents all of it would vanish away. He reached there and saw under a vine-draped pergola, three men sat around a table, wine glasses already half full, while a woman — elegant, graceful, and silver-haired — stood up the moment she saw her son.

Waiting for him were the people who had always been at the core of his world. His mother, Vanessa, radiated an effortless elegance in a tailored silk blouse and crisp trousers. She exuded both kindness and steel resolve.

At her side stood his three fathers—each with a distinctive modern flair: Joaquin, in a sleek, sharply cut suit with a minimalist watch that caught the light; Emiliano, his expression calm and inviting in a smart-casual ensemble with a hint of creative nonchalance; and Alejandro, whose understated yet impeccable style whispered of quiet authority.

Agustín paused, taking a measured breath as he met their expectant gazes. Gone were the old-world trappings of sprawling mansions and antiquated traditions; here, the family had embraced the present—a world defined by efficiency, transparency, and a deep sense of individualism. Yet, despite the modernity, the closeness between them radiated as strongly as ever.

"My baby..." Vanessa whined looking at Agustín and welcomed him with her arms open.

Agustín stepped forward and hugged her tightly. Her perfume — jasmine and soft musk — was as grounding as it had been in his childhood. She was his peace in a world of chaos.

Vanessa, the queen of the Fernandez family, was more than a mother — she was the quiet fire behind her husbands' power and her son’s steel.

"You look thinner," she said, inspecting his face and concern etched upon her face earning a chuckle from the three husbands of her sitting behind on the table. She immediately turned around and shot them a glare shutting three of them up.

"Mama, I was gone just for three days." Agustín replied and wrapped his burly arms around Vanessa's waist walking her to the table and made her sit on one of the chairs and himself settled beside her on the other chair.

"Agustín, we’ve heard about what happened. We know you’ve been risking yourself out there." Vanessa said, her voice both warm and tinged with quiet concern.

Joaquin tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing with a mix of worry and quiet determination.

"You always push the limits, son. But tell us—what is it you’ve found this time?" He asked looking at him with his full attention.

But before he could answer, someone beat him to it.

"He’s hiding something, alright." said Emiliano, the middle one of the three fathers and his eyes had a teasing glint in them.

Agustín shot him a done look as if trying to say he should really be beaten by his mother for opening his mouth too much. He understood that Emiliano already knows about Innara. Vanessa also looked at Emiliano in confusion.

"What is he hiding?" Vanessa questioned Emiliano which made him smirk while looking at Agustín.

"Mi charlatán, just look at his face I know that look. That’s the look of a man who’s brought home more than just bruises." Emiliano said feigning innocence while mocking Agustín who was so done with his father's antics.

Another man — lean in, with slick dark hair and the cold sharp gaze of a man born for shadows — sipped his wine and muttered, gaining everyone's attention on him now.

"Maybe it’s business." The voice belonged to none other than Alejandro who quirked his brow clearly teasing him too. Joaquin understood what both of them were trying to do while Vanessa looked at them in confusion.

"Or maybe...our boy has finally fallen in love." Emiliano again spoke intentionally taking a pause between the sentence earning a cough from Agustín.

Agustín didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked at all of them — three very different men, bound to the same woman, and bound through her to him. If it weren't for his mother he himself would have been disowned by now.

"What? Love? With whom?" Vanessa questioned him slightly shocked by the sudden information she got.

"Not love, mama. Father E and A are surely becoming crazy with their growing age." He finally said through his gritted teeth, his voice steady. He surely will get crazy living with them.

"What's happening, Joa? I can't understand a thing." Vanessa turned to Joaquin who was silent all the while knowing Emiliano and Alejandro were teasing Agustín but he saw Vanessa was so confused so he shook his head in denial as if assuring her there was nothing like that.

"I'm not in love, mama but I found someone. And she needed help." Agustín said gaining her attention back on himself before both the men who are also his fathers could add more spices to the story.

Vanessa's eyes sharpened slightly.

"You risked your life again, didn’t you?" She strictly asked him.

"She was in hell we've been trying to burn down for years. I couldn’t walk away." Agustín replied holding her hands gently in his.

The silence that followed wasn’t judgment — it was calculation. The kind only a powerful family like his could afford. They weren’t ordinary parents — they were leaders, legends, and sometimes weapons.

"Is she safe?" Joaquin asked this time not being a part of the other two's playful, teasing banter.

"Yes. With me. But she’s pregnant." Agustín added calmly, eyes meeting each of theirs. Emiliano whistled softly earning a glare from the four them around him making him nervous and then he chose to stay quiet.

"And the father?" asked Alejandro, this time acting like a sensible person.

"She was one of the prostitutes forced into that brothel. She has been living there since she was a kid and hence doesn't know about the father." Agustín replied with a clenched jaw and there was silence for a while.

Vanessa looked upward, placing her hand over his chest. "Then she is under our protection. Like you always were. But Agustín… are you ready for what it means to carry someone else's responsibility along with your own?"

"Yes, I know mama." Agustín replied with a determination in his voice. Vanessa's slightly strict demeanor melted away knowing her son is grown up enough now.

Silence fell for a heartbeat—a silence filled with both unspoken praise and the weight of fresh responsibility. Alejandro smiled softly, the kind of smile that acknowledged pain and hope in equal measure, while Joaquin's expression hardened, his eyes reflecting the fierce protectiveness that had long been their family’s trademark.

"You brought her with you?" Vanessa asked gently, her gaze shifting to Agustín as if seeking confirmation that the weight of his confession was more than a burden.

"No." Agustín replied calmly.

"Not yet. I left her in a safe place until I could prepare. I want to bring her here—to our modern sanctuary, where she can be protected, where she can finally begin to heal. She wasn't comfortable enough to meet you all. She was afraid of- judgement." Agustín replied slowly making Vanessa to feel more bad for Innara.

"Oh poor child. Bring her here whenever she feels comfortable." Vanessa told him and earned a gentle nod from him.

Joaquin crossed his arms, a gesture both paternal and probing. "And are you ready for everything this entails? Not just for her, but for the battles it will undoubtedly bring?"

Agustín met Joaquin's eyes, unflinching, he knew about what his father was earning him about, Zavier. "I’ve never been more certain. Innara—and her baby—deserve a future free from the darkness of their past. I will provide that, no matter the cost."

Vanessa reached out and squeezed his hand, a silent but powerful reassurance that echoed their shared legacy—a legacy of progress, compassion, and the unyielding will to change what needed to be broken.

Agustín’s declaration was more than just news. It was a promise—a promise that in this new era, even the deepest scars might find healing, and that love and protection could flourish in the midst of modernity.

"I am so proud of you, my baby. Please take care of that girl and the unborn baby and whenever you feel like things are getting out of your hands, call me. I'll be there to help you both out." Vanessa said assuring him and her eyes glistening feeling proud of her son.

"Ohhh mama you don't have to be so emotional about it." Agustín said pulling her in his warm embrace.

"Why the hell you always make her cry you dumb man!!" Suddenly a loud voice came which belonged to none other than Emiliano who tried to lighten up the environment.

"Look who's saying? Who always irritates her with his nonsense talks." Agustín replied back to him with a smirk making Emiliano stand up on his feet.

"Who's teaching you to talk back like this to me?!!" He asked with his eyes getting slightly darkened and he feigned anger.

"Mama, see this husband of yours is scolding me." Agustín yelled out like a high school girl on a loud pitch.

"Yahh Emi shut up and sat back at your place! Don't you dare to raise your voice at my baby." Vanessa said turning in Agustín's embrace making Emiliano sit back at his place and sulk like a kid.

The heavy conversation slowly settled into the air like dust after a storm. But in this family, darkness never overstayed its welcome. As the tension eased, Alejandro looked at Agustín flashing a familiar smirk.

"So… you’ve gone from torching criminal empires to babysitting?" he teased, pouring himself a glass of fresh lemonade. "That’s a bit of a career pivot, isn’t it?"

Agustín chuckled under his breath, loosening the collar of his shirt and finally settling freeing Vanessa from his embrace who was immediately pulled by Joaquin. Vanessa looked upward at him and saw him looking at her with loving eyes which made her flash a smile at him.

"I haven’t changed that much. I’m just expanding the job description." Agustin replied colly earning a nod from Alejandro.

Vanessa, now seated beside Joaquin with a fresh glass of fresh lemonade, gave him a look that was half amused, half maternal.

"Well, your expansion comes with diapers, sleepless nights, and a hormonal woman who might throw something at you if you look at her the wrong way." She said teasingly looking at her husbands and recalling the time of her own pregnancy.

Agustín raised a brow. "Sounds like you really gave a hard time to my fathers while carrying me." Everyone laughed except Vanessa who narrowed her eyes at him.

Even Joaquin, the most stoic of the three, cracked a rare smile. "Let’s just hope your mama doesn’t try to kill you now."

"I'm sorry, mama." Agustín immediately apologized while raising his hands in surrender and then comforting silence fell in the environment for a while.

Sinking deeper into the chair Agustín spoke again after remembering Innara.

"So far, she’s… quiet. Observant. There’s something fierce in her, but it’s buried under a lot of hurt." He spoke lost in her thoughts.

"Let her have some time and space. She needs to get accustomed to the new environment." Alejandro spoke earning a nod from him.

Emiliano grinned suddenly, sipping his lemonade. "Well, if she’s going to be part of this family—even unofficially—we’ll make sure she feels it. Comfort, safety, space... and all the weirdness that comes with having three dads." He spoke and shocked everyone not believing the words coming from him.

"She’s already survived worse. Now it’s time to help her learn how to live." Vanessa added gently, her voice softening.

A comfortable silence settled again, this time filled with subtle smiles and clinking glasses. In the background, the smart system played soft Spanish jazz, and sunlight spilled across the minimalist decor like gold dust.

Agustín finally leaned back, arms folded behind his head, watching the clouds drift. For the first time in a long time, the war inside him paused. There was still danger. Still shadows. But here, in this clean-lined, modern fortress of family and light, he let himself feel a flicker of hope.

And he couldn’t wait to bring Innara into it.