Chapter 2 2

I wasn't offended by his reaction. What caught my attention was the cringe on his face as if my touch burnt him. After that, he didn't bother me with his unfazed stare. My heartbeats eased, the sizzle over my skin calmed.

As dad talked to Carmen and Benjamin, I sat beside them, unravelling the loose thread from my sleeves. Carmen gestured to her boys, one of whom walked up. In contrast to the demon's expressions and demeanor, his was much better.

With a smiling face and a hand projected out, he introduced himself. "Hi, I am Adrian Gonzalez."

Shaking his hand, I continued. "Josefina Lopez."

His smile widened. The grey specks of his eyes, too. "Can we talk outside?"

I nodded, letting him walk ahead of me. Before the doors opened, I heard Carmen's faint comment. "Accompany them, Leonardo."

I turned around to see if he was coming. With a hand waved in the air and dismissing her words, he continued talking to his second brother. The ball of fire simmering inside my gut raged up. Leonardo acted as if he were purchasing a mule for trafficking drugs, uncaring of anything.

Calm down. Remember what we want.

Adrian and I crossed the foyer and walked into the garden.

"I know you must be nervous," Adrian said, plucking dead leaves from withered plants. I nodded, pretending to listen while my mind focused on the discussions happening inside. "Don't worry. Mama had instructed us all to behave once we were married. We won't be running around the house like madmen if that's what you are worried about."

When his gaze lingered over mine, I snapped back to reality. "Sorry, my mind was somewhere else," I stated the truth. Well, half the truth.

"Don't worry," His hold engulfed my palm, intertwining our fingers. "I know Leonardo looks angry or mad most of the time, but deep down, he is a sweetheart."

I played along, smiling. "Thank you for letting me know. I feel much better now."

Adrian continued his rant without catching a breath. "It takes time to get used to him, but once it happens, you will love him too. Even Maya had the same reaction at first, but..." Abruptly ending the statement, he scanned my face.

"Who is Maya?" I asked, sensing it was someone important in their lives. He nodded sideways, hanging his head low. Feeling sorry for him, I continued, "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine."

He looked up, a soft smile spreading across his sun-kissed face. Adrian Gonzalez smiled a lot. "Leonardo's late wife."

Only privileged cartel members had heard of Maya's death. We weren't one of them.

The Gonzalez family controlled both the government and the press. So it was no surprise that they held back the news of their daughter-in-law's death from spreading like wildfire. All we unprivileged members knew was that she had disappeared.

All the power in the world, yet they couldn't save their own. I felt a wave of joy spread inside me, knowing the hurt it must have caused the Gonzalez to lose their own. Their pain and suffering gave me a sense of relief. It blamed the ache I felt since childhood.

"We should go back. Dad must be missing me," I gestured at the door, and Adrian happily walked alongside. On our return, he talked more about the emotionless Leonardo, the levelheaded middle-born, Juan, and being his talkative self, about him, the last-born, Gonzalez.

Once the doors reopened, Dad's gaze landed on me. He leaned over and whispered words for my privileged. "I am signing the contract." I gave him a tight nod, blessing the business takeover. In a way, I was signing away my life, too.

The Gonzalezes were very persuasive. They knew that Dad didn't have a foothold, thanks to the absence of a male heir. They ensured that he was pushed to an extent where he had no other option but to accept their demands and let go of everything. If only I were a boy to take over the Lopez business.

As always, the tyrant family won. The weak were crushed beneath their power-driven force.

After the signing formalities, flutes of champagne were circulated. Carmen closed our distance, tugging a rogue hair behind my ear. "Bienvenida a la familia." *Welcome to the family*

Smiling to show I was glad about everything, including being signed up as collateral to a business deal, I dug into my lips as she kissed my forehead. Carmen beamed with joy, cupping my face. "Although we'll make everything official soon, I want to tell you that from now on, you are my daughter."

Not knowing how to display the required reaction, I continued fidgeting with the flute stem. Dad rescued me from the torture. "Carmen," he stooped low, both in voice and stance. "Josefina is a stubborn girl. I hope you would forgive her if she-"

Holding dad's hands, Carmen stopped him from speaking further. "She is my daughter now, Raymond. Josefina will be treated like any other Gonzalez."

I wanted the façade to end as much as the next person, but the torture of enduring their sugary gestures was merely beginning. They stayed back for lunch, talking and laughing, extending the torture duration. My jaws hurt from the smile I donned.

Blushing brides win hearts, I reminded myself.

The talks eventually died down, and the elitist family bid adieu, leaving us behind.

Dad turned to me, holding my hands and tugging me closer. I wiped a rogue tear from the corner of his eye and fell into his warm embrace. "Don't worry. It'll all work out as we planned."

He nodded over my shoulders, letting off an unsatisfactory chuckle. "I know, I know." Sighing, he pulled my face up. Kindness danced over him, helplessness hid behind the walls of his heart. "I am sad that you have to bear the burden of this. No father wishes to see his daughter be a widow."

Looking at him, my back straightened. Courage to endure everything washed over. "I wouldn't be just a widow, Dad. I'd be a Cartel head too."