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"If I only have six months left, I will spend them saving the man who broke my heart." / Chapter 6 / 6

Chapter 6 - A NEW BEAT

"Six months ago, she was a stranger. Today, she is my whole world."One Year Later...

The sun rose warmly over the colorful streets of Iztapalapa. The music of street vendors and the laughter of children filled the air outside the newly constructed Diego Cruz Community Medical Center—a state-of-the-art facility providing free healthcare and legal aid to thousands of underprivileged families.

At the entrance of the center stood a bronze plaque featuring the portrait of a smiling young boy.

Alejandro Villarreal stood before the plaque, adjusting his tie. He no longer wore the tailored, thousands-of-dollars Italian suits of his past. He wore a simple button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His billion-dollar company had been completely restructured; a massive portion of its profits now permanently funded social housing and community development across the country. Emilio was serving a ten-year sentence in a maximum-security prison for corporate sabotage and attempted murder, and Sofia had relocated to Europe, entirely cut off from her son’s life and fortune.

Alejandro felt a pair of warm, soft hands wrap around his waist from behind.

He turned around and smiled down at Mariana. Her cheeks were flushed with health, her eyes bright and full of life. A faint, silver surgical scar peeked slightly above the neckline of her simple linen dress—a beautiful reminder of her miracle.

"You're staring at his picture again," Mariana said softly, leaning her head against Alejandro’s chest.

"I’m just thanking him," Alejandro whispered, wrapping his arms securely around her, holding her close. "If it wasn't for him, and if it wasn't for your fierce, stubborn heart, I would still be a ghost living in a penthouse."

Mariana smiled, placing her palm flat against his chest. Beneath his shirt, she could feel his heart beating—steady, strong, and full of devotion. And beneath her hand, within her own chest, a new heart beat in perfect, healthy harmony.

"The six months ended a long time ago, Mr. Villarreal," she teased lightly, looking up into his eyes with pure love. "You technically won the bet. You kept me under your roof."

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The ink on the emergency audit report was barely dry when the secure terminal on my desk flashed a violent crimson. I hadn't slept in thirty-six hours, my eyes burning from staring at columns of ghost figures, duplicate invoices, and shell corporations linked to Dominic Rossi. But the red alert wasn’t from Rossi’s faction. It was an internal security flag originating from the estate’s main vault deep beneath the west wing.

The ink on the emergency audit report was barely dry when the secure ter...

The glass shattered into a thousand tiny diamonds on the marble, scattering the light from the chandeliers. The muffled laughter died instantly, replaced by a suffocating, heavy silence that crept outward from the grand staircase.

The glass shattered into a thousand tiny diamonds on the marble, scatter...

The heavy oak doors of my private study clicked shut behind us, locking out the clinical, terrifying silence of the kitchen. Evelyn Crane stood stiffly in front of my mahogany desk, her hands folded over her apron with the rigid precision of someone who had spent decades micromanaging every square inch of my estate. Behind her, Norah hovered near the doorway, clutching her clipboard like a shield.

The heavy oak doors of my private study clicked shut behind us, locking...

Alejandro leaned down, his lips brushing against hers in a gentle, deep kiss that carried all the words they never needed to say again.

"I didn't win a bet, Mariana," Alejandro murmured against her lips. "I won a lifetime. And my six months with you... they were just the prologue."

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