LOGIN“Careful,” Alejandro warned. “You’re the one making this difficult.”Gabriela glared at him but finally held still. The female officer fastened the ankle monitor around her leg, checked that it was secure, and stood.“Mrs. Guerre, I need you to understand the conditions of your release. You must remain at your approved residence unless you receive permission to leave. You are not allowed to leave the state, and you must follow all instructions regarding the monitor. The device will track your location at all times, and any attempt to remove or tamper with it will be reported to the authorities.”Gabriela barely listened. Her attention remained fixed on Alejandro, who had already taken out his phone and was checking the screen as though he had more important things to do. “Do you understand the conditions, ma’am?” the officer asked.“Yes, yes, I understand!” Gabriela snapped impatiently. “Can we be done with this already?”“Very well. Please remember that you are responsible for keeping
Gabriela sat stiffly in her chair, one hand resting protectively on her pregnant belly. She still couldn’t believe what the judge had just ordered. House arrest? An ankle monitor? She was Gabriela Guerra not some criminal who needed to be tracked everywhere she went.“This is ridiculous!” she shouted, jumping to her feet. “You cannot seriously expect me to live like a prisoner in my own home!”“Mrs. Guerre, please sit down,” her lawyer whispered, tugging gently at her sleeve.“Don’t touch me!” Gabriela snapped, pulling her arm away. “You stood there doing absolutely nothing while that judge ruined my life!”Her lawyer stared at her in disbelief. “It isn’t my fault you were found guilty, Gabriela. I did everything I could to defend you, but I can’t change the facts of your case.”“Then what exactly am I paying you for?” she hissed.A few people in the courtroom turned to look at them. The judge struck his gavel, his expression darkening. “Order! Mrs. Guerre, if you continue disrupting
Katherina turned to her. “Excuse me?”“You heard me.” Catalina folded her arms, looking her up and down with open contempt. “Those girls are Daniel’s children. If you want financial security for them, take it up with their father instead of trying to attach yourself to Alexander’s fortune.”“Catalina,” Alexander warned, but his wife ignored him.“No, let me finish.” Catalina stepped forward, her voice growing harsher. “You want your name in the will? For what? So you can sit around waiting for an old man to die and collect your share? Why don’t you find yourself a fucking job instead of begging this family for money?”Damien’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, that was certainly a choice of words.”“Stay out of this, Damien!” Catalina snapped before turning back to Katherina. “Look at you, coming here with your children and acting as though you deserve a piece of everything. If you’re broke, that’s your problem. Stop trying to turn your daughters into an excuse to get rich!”Katherina’s face w
BLACKWOOD FAMILY MANSION ~ NEW YORK CITY“Your ex-wife?” Catalina repeated, staring at Damien in disbelief.“Unfortunately,” Damien replied.“And Daniel’s baby mama, too? That means the Blackwood brothers have been sharing women without informing me of the arrangements.” Catalina shook her head. “Honestly, I need someone to explain this family to me because I’m starting to get confused.”“Catalina!” Alexander barked.“What? I’m simply trying to understand our family structure. At this point, we might need a family tree to keep track of everyone.”Katherina laughed. “It’s good to see nothing has changed. You’re all still as dramatic as ever.”“Speak for yourself,” Damien replied. “I was hoping the next time I saw you, it would be in a country where you were behind bars, paying for your crimes.”She smiled sweetly at him before turning to Daniel. Unfortunately for her, Daniel wasn’t paying attention to their exchange. His eyes had moved to the two little girls standing beside Katherina,
“I kept the business running!” Valentina protested. “You should be thanking me!”“Oh, the nerve of you!” Amelia snatched the files from Valeria. “You want me to thank you for destroying my company?”She opened the first file and glanced at the figures. Her expression turned murderous. “Stock prices have dropped by eighty percent. Ten million dollars is missing, and Stone Shipping has fallen from the top three shipping companies in New York to the top twenty! What the hell have you been doing for six months?”Valentina shifted uncomfortably. “The market has been difficult, and—”“Shut your mouth! I haven’t finished.” Amelia slammed the file against her chest. “You brought your fraudulent boyfriend, Nicholas Hale, back into my company. A man who couldn’t manage a lemonade stand without stealing the money! Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”“Don’t you dare insult Nicholas!” Valentina snapped. “He’s more qualified than you think!”Amelia laughed in disbelief. “Qualified? Is that what you
Gabriella broke down, desperately reaching for him, but he stepped away.Marisa turned toward her son.“Alejandro, don’t speak to your wife like that!”He swung around, his face twisted with fury. “Will you shut your pathetic mouth, Mother? You’re a deranged, controlling psycho! Now I understand why Miguel kept his wife away from you for years. He knew exactly what kind of woman you were!”Marisa’s expression faltered. “You have just been sentenced to ten years in prison, and you’re still trying to control everyone around you! You framed Amelia, destroyed my marriage, and ruined lives because you couldn’t stand the thought of not having your way. And you still think you have the right to lecture me?”“I did everything for this family!” Marisa protested.“No. You did everything for yourself!”The words silenced her. For the first time, Marisa seemed to understand that she had lost more than her freedom. She had lost her son’s trust, and no amount of shouting could force him to give it b
KATHERINA APARTMENT ~ NEW YORKRyan’s voice dropped, turning cold. “Good. I’ll send you a secure line. Nobody can know we’re working together. Not Damien. Not the board. No one.”Katherina smirked and leaned back in her chair.“Please. Damien has so many problems piled on his head, he wouldn’t noti
BLACKWOOD INDUSTRIES~NEW YORK Vivian was signing documents when Mia burst into the office without knockingHer voice shook. “Vivian… he’s here.”Vivian didn’t even look up. “Who? Ryan again? Security knows what to do.”Mia shook her head fast, eyes huge. “No. Harrison Cole.”Vivian stopped moving
DANIEL’S PENTHOUSE – MORNINGDaniel paced the living room, holding a half-filled glass of Martell. His voice was sharp, bitter.“Lucas, do you know what that woman did? That so-called mother of my kids?”Lucas looked up from the couch, raising an eyebrow. “You mean Katherina your baby mama? What ha
Alexander swallowed hard, trying to hold his ground. “This isn’t fair—”Vivian’s eyes glistened as she stepped closer, her voice low and shaky but filled with desire.“Fair?” she whispered. “I’ve been patient, Alex. I’ve stayed quiet while you buried yourself in guilt over her. It’s been three day







