PART THREE

Mateo's POV

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, exhausted from closing out my third shift of the day.

My feet ached inside my worn sneakers, and the smell of fryer oil clung stubbornly to my clothes no matter how hard I scrubbed them at night.

My stomach growled faintly—I hadn’t had more than a stale sandwich since dawn.

“Mateo!” one of my coworkers nudged me with his elbow, jerking his chin toward the front.

“There’s some fancy car outside… the guy’s been asking for you.”

I frowned.

“For me?”

He nodded, smirking like it was some kind of joke.

“Yeah. A black one. Look. Too sleek to be around here. Looks like it rolled straight out of a billionaire’s garage.”

I wiped my hands nervously on my apron and glanced toward the glass doors of the small convenience diner we worked in.

Sure enough, parked across the street was a shiny, jet-black car. Tinted windows. Polished so much it reflected the streetlamps like liquid.

It didn’t belong here, not in this neighbourhood where every building wore its peeling paint and old street.

“Maybe they’re lost,” I muttered.

“Or maybe you’re secretly rich and hiding it,” my coworker teased.

“Go on, they’re waiting.”

I hesitated. My gut twisted.

Why would someone in a car like that be looking for me?

I was a broke student barely hanging onto my partial scholarship.

I had no money, no inheritance, nothing worth kidnapping me for.

Still, curiosity pulled me outside.

I tugged off my apron, folded it under my arm, and crossed the street.

The closer I got, the bigger the car seemed, like it was a beast crouched and waiting.

The driver’s window rolled down and a man in a sharp black suit leaned slightly toward me, his expression was unreadable.

“Señor Mateo Rivera?” he asked in perfect Spanish.

“Uh… yeah, that’s me,” I said slowly.

“Please, enter the backseat.”

I froze. My heart thudded.

Enter the car? With tinted windows? Every story I’d ever read about kidnappings rushed into my mind.

Kidnappings weren't really a thing here, but trafficking was.

“Why?”

“You’ll see,” he replied flatly.

Panic surged through me.

“Listen, if you’re planning to rob me, I swear I have nothing. I’m broke. I eat instant noodles every night. Kidnapping me would be a waste of your time.”

The driver didn’t laugh. He just gestured toward the back seat again.

Against my better judgment, my legs carried me to the other side of the car.

I pulled the handle with trembling fingers and slid into the leather interior.

My breath caught.

Sitting gracefully on the seat opposite me was a woman.

Elegant, poised, with a beauty that time hadn’t diminished.

Her dark hair was pinned back neatly, her makeup flawless. She radiated wealth and power with just a smile.

“Buenas tardes, Mateo,” she said warmly.

“My name is Isabella Castillo.”

I froze.

Castillo. My pulse hammered in my ears.

Castillo as in Castillo Pharmaceuticals? The empire every Dominican family knew about?

This was THE ISABELLA CASTILLO?

“You—you’re—” My words stumbled out.

“You’re Alejandro Castillo’s mother.”

Her smile widened just a little.

“Yes. That would make my husband Guillermo Castillo, and my other son Diego.”

I gulped so hard it hurt.

Why was a Castillo speaking to me? I wasn’t even a speck in their world.

Common me?

Did I do something wrong?

I don't even remember stepping on either Alejandro's or Diego’s foot.

Or was it a secret debt left for me?

“Please, don’t be afraid,” Isabella said gently.

“I didn’t bring you here to harm you. I only wanted to ask for a favour.”

I blinked rapidly.

“A… favour?”

“Yes.” She folded her hands in her lap, her gold rings glinting.

“I’ve spoken to several of the university’s lecturers. They all say the same thing—you’re the brightest, most dedicated student they have. The best tutor anyone could ask for.”

My stomach dropped. Tutor?

“I… I tutor sometimes,” I admitted nervously. “Assignments, group work. It helps pay my tuition.”

Isabella’s eyes softened.

“I know. That is precisely why I came to you. I need you to tutor my son.”

My throat went dry.

“Your… son?”

“Yes. Alejandro.”

I nearly choked on air. Alejandro Castillo.

The campus golden boy.

The one who strutted through halls like he owned them, his sharp jawline and devil-may-care grin making every girl swoon.

He was the guy I avoided looking at for too long because his presence felt too… dangerous.

Dangerously attractive.

I did see him on occasion during our common classes.

I would sit in front and he would stride into the class, in all his handsomeness, straight to the back.

I shook my head quickly.

“No, no, Señora Castillo, I couldn’t possibly—”

“You could. And you will, if you accept.”

She pulled out a crisp document and slid it toward me.

“If you agree to tutor Alejandro, I will cover the remaining half of your tuition. The amount your scholarship doesn’t cover.”

I stared. My jaw unhinged.

“H-how do you know about that?”

Her lips twitched like she knew a secret.

“I always do my research. And I know you need this desperately, Mateo. Medical school isn’t cheap. Psychiatry isn’t cheap. And your future is very bright.”

I looked down at the paper.

My hands trembled. If this were true—if she really would cover my tuition—I wouldn’t have to slave away at three jobs anymore.

I could actually focus on studying. I could breathe.

Still, it was Alejandro. The Alejandro Castillo.

“Why me?” I whispered.

“Because you’re the best,” Isabella said simply.

“And because Alejandro needs someone like you. Alejandro is a stubborn man and I know you will be patient with him. If you succeed, if he achieves B’s or higher in every subject, you will also receive a bonus of fifty thousand pesos.”

My eyes nearly fell out of my skull.

“F-fifty thousand?!”

She nodded calmly.

That was more money than I’d ever dreamed of seeing.

Before I could overthink, I grabbed the pen and signed.

My hand shook so badly that the signature looked like a child’s scribble.

“Good,” Isabella said, pleased.

“You’re a good boy. You're making the right choice.”

Relief crashed over me, tangled with dread.

“Driver,” Isabella said smoothly.

“Take us home. I want Alejandro to meet him tonight.”

My head snapped toward her.

“T-tonight?!”

“Yes. Why wait?”

My palms went sweaty.

I spent the ride fidgeting, twisting my fingers until they hurt.

When the car finally slowed, my eyes widened.

The Castillo estate wasn’t a house. It was a villa. White stone walls, fountains lit with golden light, windows stretching taller than the building I lived in. I gawked shamelessly.

“This… this is another planet,” I muttered under my breath.

Inside, Isabella led me down a polished hallway and stopped at a heavy wooden door.

She knocked once, elegant and firm.

It opened.

And there he was.

Alejandro Castillo.

Up close, he was even more devastating. Tousled dark hair, eyes that gleamed like storms behind a practised indifference.

He leaned lazily against the doorframe, shirt half-buttoned, his smirk like a challenge carved into his face.

“Mamá,” he drawled in Spanish. His gaze flicked to me, sharp and assessing.

“Be polite, Alejandro,” Isabella scolded lightly.

“This is Mateo Rivera. He’ll be your tutor.”

I swallowed hard and forced a smile.

“Hi. Nice to meet you.” I held out my hand.

He stared at it. Then at me. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Isabella smacked his arm.

“Alejandro, no seas grosero. Shake his hand.”

With visible reluctance, he reached out.

His grip was strong, warm.

Our eyes locked for just a second.

A strange current jolted through me.

My gaze dropped to his lips before I realised what I was doing. My face burned.

His lips looked so... so succulent.

Alejandro cleared his throat, pulling his hand back abruptly.

I looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted,” Isabella said, her voice lilting.

“Be nice, Alejandro.”

She disappeared, her heels clicking down the hall.

Silence stretched between us. Alejandro leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes pinned on me like he was trying to figure out if I was worth his time.

And me? I stood there, awkward, heart pounding, wondering what I had just signed myself into.