CHAPTER 10

The heat from Doña Carmen’s slap sent me crashing into the hard mahogany wood of the wardrobe. My knees hit the floor, and my cheek burned like fire. I could taste iron on my tongue.

"¡Valeria!" my mother shrieked, sprinting into the room. She dropped to her knees beside me, her hands trembling as she pulled my head against her chest, trying to shield me. "¡Mi niña! ¡Perdón, perdón!"

"¡Quítate, Rosa!" Doña Carmen roared, stepping forward and violently grabbing my mother by her upper arm. She yanked my mother back and forth, shaking her like a ragdoll. "I told you to prepare this room! ¡Te lo dije claramente! Don't you know the Lords are here? Look at this disaster!"

My mother stumbled backward under Carmen’s rough grip, but as she raised her head, her breath hitched.

The Patron was standing right behind Diego in the doorway. His cold, dark eyes locked onto my mother. It was a dead, heavy eye contact, filled with a sudden, suffocating silence. His gaze was pure poison, a silent, deadly warning that whispered: If you say a single word about what happened years ago, if you breathe anything, I will kill you both. My mother froze under his stare, her face turning completely white as she shrank back, terrified.

Suddenly, a heavy shadow fell over the doorway. Mateo stepped into the room.

He didn't yell. He didn't look angry. But his presence completely shifted the air. His dark eyes scanned the chaos on the floor, lingering on me for a fraction of a second. Before anyone could say a word, Mateo leaned down, scooped me up into his broad arms, and lifted me effortlessly off the floor. His clothes smelled intensely of high-end woodsmoke and expensive cologne.

He didn't look at me as he carried me out of the room. He walked down the corridor and pushed open the door to a quiet guest room, placing me gently onto the mattress.

Mateo turned on his heel and walked straight back to Diego’s suite. He stood in front of Doña Carmen, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy tone. "Slapping the staff is not part of your job description, Carmen. Consider this your only warning."

Doña Carmen’s face flushed red with deep embarrassment. "Sí, Señor Mateo," she muttered, bowing her head, though her eyes flashed with pure hatred for me.

Diego let out a bored, heavy sigh, waving his hand to dismiss everyone. "Just get out. Todos fuera. I want to rest," he grumbled, rubbing his temples. The Patron turned and walked away without another word, and the room emptied out, leaving Diego to his silence.

When my vision finally cleared, the dim light of the guest room was fading into evening. My mother was sitting on the edge of the mattress, tightly holding my hand. Tears were streaming down her face, mixing with the sweat on her wrinkled skin.

"¡Qué locura, Valeria! Why didn't you just finish the room?" she cried out, her voice a mix of sharp anger and pure heartbreak. She pulled me close, rocking me back and forth. "Look at your face. ¡Lo siento mucho, mi amor! I am so sorry. I didn't give you a good life. You deserve so much more than scrubbing the floors of these monsters."

I sat up, my jaw tightening as the physical pain turned into a cold, hard rage. "I am tired, Mamá," I whispered, my voice shaking but firm. "I am so tired of this house. I am tired of watching you bow to them. I swear to you, I will take us out of this poverty. I will take us far away from this suffering. Soon. I promise."

My mother squeezed my hand, wiping a tear from my eye. "Calma, mi niña. Just stay quiet. Don't look them in the eye." We held each other tightly in the dark room, sharing our silent tears until the heavy dinner bells began to ring downstairs.

By midnight, the grand feast was over. Down in his suite, Diego was already taking a hot shower, the sound of rushing water echoing through the heavy walls.

I was in the servant quarters, preparing for my night shift at Club Máscara. I pulled on my stage outfit—a revealing, incredibly sexy piece of dark lace that left my skin bare, with no bra underneath. Over it, I quickly threw on a long, heavy silk robe, tying the belt tightly around my waist to hide everything. I was ready to leave, but as I reached for my bag, a sudden panic hit my chest.

My burner phone. My small, cheap phone for the club was missing.

I gasped as I remembered exactly where it was. I had dropped it on the floor of Diego’s master room when I was frantically cleaning earlier. I couldn't go to Club Máscara without it; the manager and the VIP clients needed to reach me.

Holding my breath, I snuck out of the servant quarters. I passed the guards in the main courtyard, slipping through the shadows like a ghost. Nobody saw me. I reached the second-floor corridor and crept toward Diego’s door. I leaned my ear against the wood. The shower was still running. The room looked completely dark through the keyhole.

I turned the brass knob softly, slipped inside, and closed the door behind me.

I just needed to quickly get the phone and get out. I scanned the floor in the dim light, and my eyes caught the glint of the small screen right by the edge of the mahogany desk. I rushed over, bent down, and snatched it up, stuffing it into my robe pocket.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open.

Diego stepped out. He wasn't fully dressed. He was only wearing a white towel wrapped loosely around his waist, hung so low on his hips that his thighs were completely exposed, dangerously close to his lower abdomen. Hair damp, water droplets glistened on his chest.

He froze, his eyes locking onto me in the shadows. "Who is this?" he snapped, his voice alert.

Before I could even speak, he lunged across the space, grabbing my arm and aggressively pushing me back toward the large canopy bed. He twisted me around, forcing me to look at him under the dim light of the bedside lamp.

His eyes widened as he recognized my face. "Oh. The dirty maid," Diego sneered, a slow, arrogant smirk replacing his anger. "What is this? Are you okay in the head? Why the hell are you sneaking into my room at midnight?"

"I am very sorry, señor," I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs as I tried to pull back. "I just came to carry my phone. I left it here earlier."

Diego didn't let go. His eyes traveled down my body, and his gaze darkened with a twisted, perverted curiosity. He noticed that my heavy silk robe was loosely tied, the front slipping open. With one sudden, forceful jerk of his hand, he dragged the belt loose and pulled the robe straight off my shoulders.

The robe pooled at my elbows, completely exposing the revealing lace outfit underneath. Without a bra, my breasts stood firm against the sheer fabric, completely bared to his gaze.

Diego froze. His breath hitched, his eyes roaming over my body with disgusting hunger. "Whoa," he breathed, a dark, wicked smile spreading across his face. He reached out, his rough fingers tracing the bare skin above the lace, touching my collarbone. "I didn't know the help was getting this sexy these days. Look at you."

A wave of intense nausea and fury washed over me. I looked at him with absolute disgust, my eyes narrowing into a sharp, icy glare. I didn't say a word. I just eyed him with pure venom, my jaw locked.

I forcefully tried to wrench my arm away from his grip to turn and run, but Diego’s smile vanished, replaced by an aggressive look. He yanked his arm back, forcefully dragging me right back onto the bed against his hard chest.