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 smile 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...

What was so different about it today?

I removed the newspaper from his lap, 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.

"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... How I handle such situations...

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," He calmly said. "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.

I chuckled.

I saw that...

Juliana Vasquez... Carlos Mendoza's wife.

But what did Esperanza have to do with Mendozas?

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.

"Finally intrigued, huh?" He chuckled. "I knew you would be."

Of course, he did.

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

How was he so confident about this?

"Who told you?" I asked.

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

Uh...?

Nevermind.

I know he has his way with people.

"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..."

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

Headlines are written by the ones who pay for them. Not by the victims.

If Mendoza really pushed her out… If he took that child from her and made the world believe she walked away...

That wasn’t betrayal. That was calculated destruction.

A slow exhale left my chest. She is getting her son back.

Not as a favor or sympathy.

But because the Mendoza empire is built on the silence and blood of many...

And I’ll be the one who tears it down.

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

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 wanted to be 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.

Forget talking, I couldn't even catch a glimpse of that shy, controlled smile that I saw that night.

Nobody made me this intrigued in years, but this girl...

I kinda feel like spending more time with her, getting to know her more, in and out... And above that... I feel this unknown urge in my heart to protect her.

To keep her by my side while I slowly burn the world down.

I'm not made for love, but I always protect what looks like mine.

And she looks like the same, little doe that could be the key to the door I was trying to get past for years.

But I shouldn't feel the way I do right now.

Love, attachment, fascination, and... Infatuation, none of this should be anywhere near me.

Still... No matter how hard I try to push my worries for her aside, her trembling hands and shaking body always flash in front of my eyes.

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? She had affairs with multiple men?

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

Nathan pasted a newspaper image in the email that said-

'Esperanza Ricardo tried to take advantage of her colour blindness. Poisoned her husband to run away with her lover. 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 doesn’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.

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?

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.

Something about her voice felt off...

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

Police department?

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

I don't have a good feeling about what I'm going to hear...

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

I clutched my phone tightly, "Where is Esperanza?"

"She is missing."