“But why didn’t Alyssa tell us last year that she had given birth to Jaime’s child?” Diego Francisco Martinez del Río, Duque de Altamira (Spanish for ‘Duke of Altamira’), demanded of his grandmother, lingering astonishment etched in the hard set of his sculpted cheekbones, his lean, darkly handsome face grim.“We barely got to know Alyssa while your brother was alive.”          Doña Jacintha’s fine-boned features reflected her regret about the way things went.“How could we expect her to turn to us for help after Jaime had abandoned her?”“Abuela (Spanish for ‘Grandmother’), I tried several times to set up a meeting with Alyssa. She always came up with excuses after excuses,” Diego reminded the older woman. “In the end, she insisted that she didn’t need our hel

          Jacqueline hurried over to the door that led back into the reception area where an alarming amount of activity could be noticed. The reticent receptionist who received her so impassively was standing to attention with a megawatt smile of appreciation and a well-dressed older man was greeting Diego with a horrendous amount of bowing and scraping.“Your Excellency,” the man murmured dutifully.          As though some sixth sense warned him of her presence, Diego turned his proud dark head. Eyes as rich as gold ingots in sunlight encountered hers. Her stomach flipped, her mouth ran dry and her heartbeat escalated as though she was trying to run up a hill. It was like being hit by a truck and she reacted with panic.“What the hell are you doing here?” Jacqueline asked belligerently.          Though taken a

          On the drive back home, Jacqueline gave Steve a brief update on events and then fell silent. She was too upset to make conversation. Devastated by the contents of her sister’s will, Jacqueline was simply terrified that she was in serious danger of losing little Azura and shell-shocked by meeting up with Diego Martinez again.          How could Alyssa have chosen Diego to be her child’s guardian? After all, her sister had had virtually no contact with her Mexican in-laws after her wedding. She had once admitted to Jacqueline that Jaime had never got on with his relatives and that that was why he preferred to live in San Francisco.          When Diego had contacted Alyssa after Jaime’s death, Alyssa had been almost hysterical in her determination to have nothing further to do with her late husband’s family. Even when Alyss

          Diego stayed behind at the lawyer’s office to clarify certain matters for his own benefit. He already knew that Alyssa used to work as a waitress and was pretty penniless at the time of her death. Yet when she had married Jaime, the beautiful English blonde had a fair amount of money and a nice property she had inherited from her parents.          How was it possible that in such a short period of time, she and Jaime took all their fortune and spend it all in a blink of an eye? After Jaime died, his late sister-in-law had met another man and they moved in together. That was a strong signal that Alyssa was pretty determined not to ask her late husband’s family for help. And he didn’t insist anymore.          It took a lot to shock Diego but he was stunned when, having asked for Jacqueline’s address, he learned where exact

          After his departure, Jacqueline stood in her trailer, reflecting in agonizing panic. Diego Francisco Martinez del Río was planning to take her beloved Azura away from her straight to Monterrey, Mexico. He was pretty determined to separate the little girl from the only person she knew and relocate her to a strange house with people speaking a different language.          And to pour salt on the fresh wound, the… Duke dared to tell her how the baby that she loved, should be brought up… Like until now, she only attended his help or his advice to raise her little niece well.            Desperately fixed to keep herself busy so that she didn’t have time to worry at that thought, Jacqueline calmed Azura down, then fed the little girl and put her to sleep in her little cradle.  &nbs