Chapter 2: Carmen’s Perfect Morning
By sunrise, Carmen was already celebrating.
She sat in the hotel restaurant with Javier, drinking coffee like nothing had happened. Her hair was perfect. Her pearls were perfect. Her smile was perfect.
“She’ll sign,” Carmen said.
Javier looked nervous.
“She ran to her mother.”
Carmen laughed softly.
“Good. Let her cry. By noon, she’ll understand marriage is not a fantasy.”
Javier lowered his voice.
“What if she tells someone?”
Carmen leaned closer.
“Then we ruin her. We say she had a breakdown. We say she attacked me. We say she was unstable before the wedding.”
Javier swallowed.
“And Alexander?”
Carmen’s smile faded for half a second.
“He left that family years ago.”
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
Alexander’s voice came through calm and cold.
“Carmen.”
Her fingers tightened around the cup.
“Alexander. What a surprise.”
“You touched my daughter.”
The restaurant seemed to disappear around her.
Carmen forced a laugh.
“Your daughter is emotional. Newlywed girls often exaggerate.”
Alexander paused.
Then he said, “I heard the recording.”
Carmen went still.
Across from her, Javier’s face turned pale.
Alexander continued.
“I heard you demand the condo. I heard the threats. I heard my daughter screaming.”
Carmen stood up so fast her chair scraped the floor.
“You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Alexander’s answer was quiet.
“No, Carmen.”
A pause.
“You don’t.”
May you like
Then he hung up.
Five minutes later, every account connected to Carmen’s family business was frozen.
