Chapter 3 The Porcelain Mask

The car had barely traveled a few yards down the dirt road when Hanna felt the vehicle's walls closing in on her. The image of her mother waving goodbye with a hand over her chest-faking an agony she now knew was a lie-burned in her gut.

"Stop the car," Hanna ordered, her voice unwavering.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, looking for his boss's approval. Sergio Montes, who was reviewing documents on his tablet, didn't even look up.

"Don't stop," he said coldly. "We have a schedule to keep."

"I said stop!" Hanna shouted, lunging forward. "Or I swear I'll jump out while we're moving!"

Sergio looked at her then, surprised by the fire in her eyes. He gave an almost imperceptible nod, and the car screeched to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust. Before anyone could react, Hanna threw the door open and ran back toward the main house.

She burst into the office like a whirlwind. Elena was there, but she was no longer collapsed on the sofa. She was standing in front of the mirror of the large mahogany sideboard, touching up her hair and admiring the diamond ring Antonio had given her years ago.

Seeing her daughter's reflection in the glass, Elena didn't look startled; she simply let out a sigh of annoyance.

The Naked Truth

"Did you forget something, Hanna? Mr. Montes is not a patient man," Elena said, her voice devoid of any trace of weakness.

"Why, Mom?" Hanna stopped in the middle of the room, her fists clenched. "Look me in the eye and tell me why you had to sell me. Why did you use me like I was just another acre of this vineyard?"

Elena turned slowly. The "suffering mother" mask fell away, revealing a woman made of ice. She walked to the table, picked up a crystal glass, and poured herself some of the house's reserve wine.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Hanna. I didn't 'sell' you. I secured a queen's life for you. What did you want? For us to end up in some city tenement, sewing clothes to pay off your father's frauds?"

"You lied to me about your health!" Hanna screamed, stepping forward until she was inches away. "You made me believe you'd die in a cell if I didn't sign that contract. You used my love for you to hand me over to that man!"

Elena's Confession

Elena let out a dry laugh-a sound Hanna would never forget.

"Prison is no place for a woman like me, Hanna. I wasn't born for confinement or poverty. Antonio left us a cemetery of debt, and Sergio Montes was the only one who could erase your father's crimes. But he didn't want money... he wanted you. It was a fair trade: my freedom and the ownership of San Lorenzo for your youth."

Hanna recoiled, feeling nauseous. "You aren't sick. It was all an act to manipulate me."

"I am sick with ambition, daughter. It's the only illness that matters in this world. Sergio has wanted you since he saw you at that gala last year, and I simply gave him what he wanted in exchange for my peace of mind. You should be thanking me; you are now the wife of the richest man in the country."

The Break

Hanna felt hatred bloom in her chest, replacing every trace of affection.

"You keep your freedom, Elena," Hanna said, her voice frigid. "Keep this house and your jewelry. But listen well: as of today, you are alone. You have no daughter. You only have a contract that lets you keep being the 'Grand Lady' while I go to hell for you."

Hanna turned on her heel and walked out. As she crossed the threshold, she saw Sergio Montes standing at the entrance, watching the scene with a cynical smile. He had heard everything.

"Satisfied?" Sergio asked, extending his hand. "Now that you know who your mother really is, maybe you'll stop crying over the past and start worrying about your present. With me."

Hanna ignored his hand and got into the car on her own. As the vehicle pulled away from the estate for good, she didn't look back. The girl who loved her mother had died in that office; now, only a woman willing to do anything to survive the monster she had to marry remained.

The trip to Mexico City was a living funeral for Hanna. The silence inside the car was broken only by Sergio's incessant typing on his phone. Upon arriving in the highlands of the capital, the vehicle stopped in front of an imposing structure: a mansion of glass and steel that screamed wealth but lacked a soul.

The automatic gates opened, and the car moved down a path flanked by perfectly symmetrical gardens. Sergio put away his device and, for the first time in hours, looked at Hanna. His gaze was like that of a stage director checking his lead actress before the premiere.

"Listen to me carefully, Hanna," Sergio said in a low, authoritative voice. "Inside these walls, no one knows the details of our 'negotiation.' To the world and my staff, you are the woman I chose-the future Mrs. Montes. I want no long faces; I want no trace of tears. I want you to act like the woman who is worth every cent I paid for her."

Hanna clenched her fists but swallowed her pride. She knew that if she failed, Sergio could use any excuse to resume the legal process against her mother. Even if she hated her now, she couldn't allow the Román name to end up in the mud.

The Iron Welcome

The driver opened the door. A row of employees, led by an expressionless butler, awaited them in the foyer.

"Welcome, Mr. Montes, Miss Román," the staff said in unison, in a choreography that bordered on military.

Sergio, in a move that caught Hanna by surprise, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him with a possessiveness that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"Thank you, everyone," Sergio announced, projecting a fake warmth that Hanna found terrifying. "As you know, Hanna has agreed to be my wife. I want you to treat her with the same respect and obedience you show me. She is the new mistress of this house."

The Crystal Smile

Hanna felt everyone's eyes on her. She noticed curiosity, but also a shadow of pity in the eyes of one of the younger housekeepers.

"It's a pleasure to be here," Hanna said, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "San Lorenzo will always be my home, but I am anxious to start this new chapter with Sergio."

Hanna was surprised at how easily she could lie. Her hatred for her mother and Sergio's arrogance had gifted her with an armor of ice.

In the Wolf's Den

Once the employees dispersed to take the suitcases, Sergio abruptly let go of her, as if she were an object he no longer needed to hold.

"Good performance," he remarked, walking toward the marble bar to pour himself a drink. "But don't get used to the role of mistress. Here, we do what I say, when I say it."

Hanna stood in the middle of the immense living room, feeling small under the high ceilings.

"How long are we going to keep up this theater, Sergio?"

"Until I get tired of it," he replied, taking a sip of his whiskey. "Now, go up. The housekeeper will show you to your room... which, by the way, is connected to mine. You wouldn't want the staff to suspect our 'great love' is just a business contract, would you?"

Hanna felt a shiver. The golden cage was much tighter than she had imagined.