Chapter 1
“In this house, women take care of the family. If you can't accept that, you never should have married my son.”
With those words...
Octavio Robles slapped Renata across the face in front of everyone.
The crack echoed through the dining room of the family's mansion in Lomas Verdes like a door slamming shut.
It was only the second morning after Renata and Mateo's church wedding, and the table was still decorated with white flowers left over from the celebration.
Beside Renata sat a large laundry basket overflowing with Jimena's expensive dresses, designer blouses, and delicate lingerie.
Jimena, 27, lounged comfortably in her chair, legs crossed, scrolling through her phone with an amused smile.
Her mother-in-law, Leonor, calmly spread strawberry jam on a slice of toast.
Mateo didn't even bother to stand.
“Just listen to my dad,” he muttered.
“Seriously, don't make a big deal over a washing machine.”
Renata felt her cheek burning...
But she refused to cry.
For months, she had ignored the family's condescending remarks about the auto repair shop she had inherited from her parents...
The valuable land she owned in Naucalpan...
And the investment accounts she managed herself.
Mateo had always insisted...
“My family is just very straightforward.”
That morning...
She finally understood the truth.
They hadn't welcomed her as a wife.
They wanted a live-in maid...
And a solution to their financial problems.
“Wash the delicate clothes first,” Jimena ordered.
“One of those blouses costs more than everything you're wearing.”
Renata calmly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear...
Then turned and walked toward the kitchen.
“Where do you think you're going?” Octavio shouted.
“I haven't given you permission to leave the table.”
Renata opened a kitchen drawer...
And pulled out a chef's knife.
When she returned...
Leonor dropped her spoon.
Jimena jumped to her feet.
For the first time that morning...
Mateo actually looked up.
Renata didn't threaten anyone.
Instead...
She pulled a folded document from the pocket of her robe.
Spread it across the dining table.
Then drove the knife straight through the center of it.
The blade pierced the paper...
And sank deep into the wooden tabletop.
“What the hell is that?” Mateo demanded.
Renata looked directly at him.
“The reason your family should never lay another hand on me.”
Octavio yanked the document off the knife.
The moment he saw the notary's official seal...
The color drained from his face.
The 30-million-peso principal debt owed by Desarrollos Robles had been legally assigned to a new creditor.
Renata Hernández.
For months...
The company had failed to pay its loans...
Its suppliers...
Or its taxes.
The mansion itself had been mortgaged multiple times...
Even while the family continued showing off luxury vacations, expensive SUVs, and extravagant parties.
“This is a setup...” Octavio stammered.
Renata calmly placed a bank certificate on the table.
“I purchased the debt using part of the inheritance my parents left me.”
“As of yesterday...”
“Your company owes every peso to me.”
Mateo grabbed the paperwork.
His hands began to shake.
Just then...
Renata's phone vibrated.
A new message flashed across the screen.
It was from Daniela...
A woman Mateo had hidden in his contacts under a fake name.
“Hurry up and get your wife's inheritance.”
“Our baby can't wait much longer.”
Leonor screamed.
Jimena dropped the laundry basket onto the floor.
Renata slowly lifted her eyes...
Then reached into her pocket and pulled out another envelope...
This one stamped in bright red.
Inside...
Was a legal notice capable of taking the family's mansion...
Before the day was over.
May you like
And none of them could possibly imagine...
Who had signed the fraudulent documents that were about to destroy them all.
