7. Her Son

~Diego's POV~

"I told you, you're going to love this girl,” he said without even looking up from his newspaper.

"Who said I did?"

The crisp noise of the folding newspaper matched the level of sternness in Grandpa's eyes.

Sometimes understanding my old man becomes difficult for me. His eyes convey something else, and his smile, something else.

This has always been our usual, but today he looked different. The small confident smiles matched the confidence that pooled in his eyes.

As if he saw something that I didn't.

"Your gaze did. I wasn't born yesterday, kiddo," Grandpa chuckled.

My gaze... Who knows.

Removing the newspaper from his lap, I covered him with sheets and sat on the floor, beside his bed.

His palm instantly rested on my shoulder, a gesture that we've been following for years and I smiled.

"I don't know. She is... Messed up," I confessed.

The soft hums in the back of his throat confirmed he knew it before me. He knows how I deal with trauma... Why would he want to pair me with a girl who's already fighting her inner demons?

"Esperanza Ricardo... She is not a bad girl, but a girl who has been treated like nothing. And... Pretty useful to our family."

Uh, what? Our family?

I looked over my shoulder only to find him staring down at me with a small smile on his face. His eyes looked smaller while the wrinkles on his face rested nicely around his eyes and lips.

"What do you mean?"

"She's related to Mendozas..." He huffed.

Two notification beeps of my phone reached my ears, it was Nathan.

I knew I wouldn't be experiencing something pleasant, but as I read every single word in the file that Nathan shared, my body started to heat up, and the world seemed to disappear before my eyes.

Black dots flashed in front of my eyes and for some reason, I could only hear the cries of a baby that was torn out of a loving mother's arms.

I didn’t get to hear Esperanza's full conversation with Juliana Vasquez, but if this was true, I'm going to help Esperanza get her son back.

"There's not enough information about Asher Mendoza being Carlos Mendoza's and Juliana Vasquez's biological child out there. What more do I need to know?" I asked Grandpa.

"Carlos Mendoza betrayed his rich ex-wife and pushed her to the streets. Even her own family betrayed her. Asher is... Esperanza's."

"Who told you?" I asked.

He let out a soft chuckle while patting my shoulder, "Esperanza."

Uh... Nevermind.

"Are you sure she was betrayed? Didn't she leave him of her own will? Because that's what has been told out there."

"Never believe the headlines, son..."

Then she is getting her son back...

******************************

Two days have passed, and I couldn't see Esperanza even though she works in the same office as me.

I thought our conversation made Grandpa feel a little lighter about all that he has been thinking for years, but it kinda made everything worse.

He had been sick for the past two days and no matter how bad the situation is, I would never let anything come before him.

But... I wish I were in the office. She has taken a three-day leave and now, I won't be able to talk out all that I wanted to.

I have no idea what's making me so intrigued by that girl but I... I kinda feel like spending more time with her, getting to know her more, and above that... I feel this unknown urge in my heart to protect her.

I'm very well aware that none of this should appear in my heart, love, attachment, fascination, and... Infatuation, none of this should be anywhere near me.

But still... No matter how hard I try to push my worries for her aside, they always bounce back in my heart with full force.

A new mail notification popped up on my laptop, making me release a long sigh.

Nathan has been procuring information about Esperanza since the day I learnt about her past but he has amazed me by saying there's nothing much about her.

How's that even possible?

She is a Ricardo. Don Ricardo's Daughter.

Everyone knows how popular that family is for their multiple businesses throughout the industries, so how come the internet and people have all the information regarding Evangelina and Elias Ricardo, but nothing about Esperanza?

It seems like everyone's trying to erase her identity.

Even this email doesn't include any special information about her.

Just the same as earlier- that she was married to Carlos Mendoza and he divorced her because- what? She tried to kill him?

This wasn't what my grandfather told me about her!

Nathan pasted a newspaper headline in the email that said-

'Esperanza Ricardo tried to take advantage of her colour blindness and almost poisoned her husband. If Juliana Vasquez hadn’t arrived on time, Carlos Mendoza would have died.'

What the hell?

Is Esperanza colour blind? And the hospital? When?

Mendozas are one of the most powerful families in the UK, so how come this didn't become a breaking news story, and I knew nothing about it?

I don't believe this...

This story didn’t match the girl I saw. Esperanza didn't look like she was capable of killing someone. That girl looked like she was barely surviving herself.

No... Something ain't right. None of this seems or feels true.

But...

I shook my head. Innocent faces aren't always innocent.

What if she isn't the victim but the culprit?

God! I don't know what to believe anymore...

It was Esperanza's best friend who set her up with me on a date...

Yeah, nobody else but only she'll spill the beans about Esperanza and Carlos Mendoza.

I dialled my grandfather's number, "Grandpa, how are you doing?"

"Just completed my last session."

"Great. Can you tell me how you set me up with

Esperanza?"

"I see... You are fascinated by that girl."

His chuckles made me roll my eyes, "It's not that. I want to know her truth. There's nothing about her out there."

"Fine. My best man's daughter is friends with Esperanza's best friend."

Exactly what I was looking for.

"Ask him to forward me her number. I need to speak with Esperanza's friend."

"Sure."

A couple of minutes felt like ages but once I received her number, I wasted no time in reaching out to her.

To my surprise, she picked up the call in just one ring. As if she were waiting for her phone to ring.

"Did you find her?" She said before I could say anything.

"Find who?" I asked, clutching my phone tightly.

Why was my gut twisting?

As if something unusual was about to happen.

"Who are you? Aren't you from the police department?"

"Valentina, it's Diego Alejandro Rowland. Where's Esperanza?"

A sob came from her end that made my breath hitch in my throat.

"She is missing."