His Ruthless Pursuit

"Familia, amigos, estamos aquí hoy para celebrar la vida de nuestro verdadero salvador, Jesucristo. Disfruta de este festín que te he preparado, lo mío es tuyo." Mateo said and everyone raised their champagne glasses in the air. 

(Family, friends, we are here today to celebrate the life of our true savior, jesus christ. Enjoy this feast that I've prepared for you, what's mine is yours.)

"Por favor, demos la bienvenida a mi hermosa esposa y a nuestra hija Mila. Serán tratados con respeto y los honraréis. Estas son mis ordenes." Mateo continued and the room dawned in silenced before everyone brought their hands together in a praying manner. 

(Please welcome back my beautiful wife, and our daughter Mila. They will be treated with respect and you will honor them. These are my orders.)

Mateo sat back down before he gestured for the music to continue with his hand. I saw Cara waving at Mila so I frowned at Mateo. 

"She's a friend." He said knowing what I was about to ask.

"I didn't know you had friends, Mateo." I told him and he nodded at me. 

"You're right I don't but what else can I call her?" Mateo asked me and I clenched my jaw. 

"I fired her today. Mila doesn't need a babysitter I can take care of her myself." I told Mateo and he seemed to be in disbelief by my words. 

"Hera-" He started in a warning tone. 

"No Mateo. I've made up my mind. I don't want that woman near my daughter." I pointedly told him and he just silently stared at me. 

"Hera, you're back." Mateo's mom told me and I looked over at her. 

"I am Lola." I blankly told her and she narrowed her eyes on me. 

"You have some nerve to just show up here again as if nothing has happened." She looked over at her husband Martín.

"Mi amor, you should calm down. Hera is back, she should be welcomed back with respect." Martín told Lola and her eyes widened in shock at his words. 

"She put my son through hell." Lola started and Cara got up from her chair before she took Mila's hand.

"Let's go meet some new people." Cara told Mila before they walked away from us and I sighed lightly. 

"Mom this isn't the time." Mateo told his mom and she scoffed at his words. 

"Then when will be the right time for this, Mateo? She abandoned her family I don't care if she had to go into hiding. Why should I respect her when she's done nothing but disrespect us? She kept my granddaughter from me, your daughter, Mateo. I didn't even know that Mila existed up until yesterday." Lola said with tears in her eyes. 

"And I apologize if I hurt you but I did it for Mila. No one here was going to defend me against Mateo because he's your savior so I decided to defend myself and to protect my daughter." I told Lola and she gasped at me. "Yes, Lola! I suffered just like your son suffered because everything about me was him. It wasn't easy for me either, but I did what I had to do to ensure my daughter's safety. And if I could I would do it all again." I said and everyone around the table were silently looking at me. 

"You don't even know the half of what he went through." Lola told me. 

"No, you don't know the half of what I went through. I was on my own, at least you had each other. I was on my own but do you hear me complaining?" I asked her and she clenched her jaw. 

"Whatever reasons you might've had for running, Hera it doesn't count for shit now. You knew who Mateo was when you married him." 

"You don't run away when things get tough in a relationship, you stay with your partner until the end. Especially in the mafia. Do you know how many times I wanted to run when I was married to Mateo's father? But I stayed each time because that's what being married to the don means. That's what being the doña means. You can't outrun your duty as a wife." Lola harshly said while staring into my eyes and I felt tears brimming my eyes. 

"I will hold this against you forever, Hera Delacruz. Because you're a traitor. An oathbreaker. Nothing more and nothing less." Lola told me before she got up from her chair and Martín shot me an apologetic look before he followed her outside. 

"Thanks for ruining Christmas," Mateo's cousin Aurellia told me before she went after Lola and I sighed tiredly. 

I looked at Mateo and he got up from his chair. "We'll continue his conversation at home." He told me before he went after his mom. 

I got up from my chair before I searched the room for Mila. I found her sitting on Cara's hip and it took everything inside me not to yell at that woman. 

I went over to them and Cara smiled at me. "Here's the doña now, you didn't tell me she was this beautiful." She told Umberto and Javi and they smiled at me. 

"And nobody told me that you were this persistent." I told her and she laughed lightly. 

"I just like to seize the day. I like what I like." She told me before walking away from us and I just silently looked at her in confusion. 

What does that mean? Is she talking about my daughter or my husband.

"Hera sit down." Javi told me with a smile on his face so I sat down next to him and Umberto. 

"Who is that and where the hell did she come from?" I asked Javi and he helplessly looked over at Umberto who gladly took over from him. I guess Javi doesn't like her very much.

"That my dear friend, is the don's help." He told me with a serious expression on his face and I frowned at him. 

"I don't understand is she his maid?" I asked him and he laughed at me. 

"La hija del alfa? (The alpha's daughter?)" Umberto asked me in disbelief and I looked at him in shock.

"You're kidding." I told him in disbelief and he smiled at me. 

"Sí, she's his daughter and only heir." Umberto added and my eyes widened in shock. "I think it was a year after you left when her dad sent her to help out around the mansion." He informed me. 

"But if her dad's a mafiaboss and she's his only heir- what is she doing here?" I asked Javi and Umberto and they both shot me a knowing look. 

"Her intentions are very clear, my queen. Everybody talks about her and not in a good way." Javi told me. 

"Do you think they've slept together? You know, in my absence?" I asked them since they've always been my closest friends. 

"I don't know. They might've. Let's just say that the don is very- fond of her. Meaning that Cara does no wrong in his eyes." Umberto uttered before rolling his eyes and I nodded in understanding. 

"Got it." I blankly stated. "I guess I should arrange a meeting with her dad then." I told them before taking a sip of my champagne and they just looked at me in shock. 

"Honestly, you're probably the only person who can get through to him." Umberto told me.

"Agreed. He always speaks so highly of you." Javi added. 

That's good because I need him to tell his daughter to stay in her lane and away from my family. Because it's just not appropriate to have her working for Mateo.