I walked into the maternity ward carrying gifts for my newborn nephew—and stopped outside Room 312 when I heard my husband laughing with my sister and mother. “Don’t let Valeria realize the baby has Diego’s eyes… not yet.” What they didn’t know was that every vicious word they said was already being recorded.

When the maid opened the door, I walked into the living room to find my mother, Lourdes, sitting on a velvet sofa, sipping espresso from a porcelain cup while holding a baby wrapped in a powder-blue blanket.

"Valeria!" Lourdes gasped, almost dropping her espresso cup. Her face paled for a fraction of a second before she quickly forced a bright, maternal smile. "Darling! What... what are you doing here?"

"I came to see my sister and my new nephew," I said smoothly, walking into the room with a warm, calm smile. I placed a large, high-end department store shopping bag on the marble table. "I felt so terrible about missing Mariana at the hospital yesterday because of traffic."

Mariana stepped out of the master bedroom, wearing a silk robe. When she saw me standing in her living room, she froze, her eyes darting nervously toward our mother.

"Valeria..." Mariana stammered, pulling her robe tighter around herself. "You... you didn't have to come."

"Nonsense! You’re my little sister," I said, stepping closer to her and wrapping my arms around her in a soft hug. I felt her body go rigid with tension. "Look at you. You look wonderful."

"I’m just... tired," Mariana whispered.

"Of course you are. Having a baby alone must be so scary," I said, turning toward my mother and taking the baby gently into my arms.

I looked down at the child. He had soft dark hair, tiny hands, and when his little eyelids fluttered open, his striking, dark gray-blue eyes met mine.

Diego’s eyes.

An icy rage flared in my chest, but I maintained my gentle smile, stroking the baby's cheek with my index finger.

"He’s beautiful, Mariana," I said softly. "He has such distinct eyes. He doesn't look like anyone in our family at all."

Lourdes cleared her throat loudly, standing up from the sofa. "Well, babies change so much in the first few months! He looks just like Mariana did when she was born."

"Does he?" I looked up at my mother, my gaze holding hers until she turned her eyes away. "I don't remember Mariana having those eyes. But then again, genetics can be so unpredictable, can't they?"

I set the baby gently down in his bassinet and turned back to Mariana. "Have you decided on a name yet?"

"I... I’m naming him Mateo," Mariana said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Mateo. A strong name," I smiled. I reached into my purse and pulled out an elegant, gold-embossed document. "Since Diego couldn't be here today because of his endless meetings at the construction site, I brought something special for little Mateo."

Lourdes leaned in eagerly. "What is it, Valeria?"

"It’s a corporate trust application," I lied smoothly. "I’m opening an educational fund for Mateo through Grupo Alfa. I’m going to transfer two million pesos into it so he never has to worry about his future."

Lourdes’s eyes lit up with insatiable greed. She looked at Mariana with a victorious grin. "Oh, Valeria! You see, Mariana? I told you your sister would take care of us! You are so good to this family, Valeria. So practical, so generous."

"I do what I must for family," I said, handing the pen to Mariana. "I just need you to sign this form, Mariana, authorizing me as the sole legal trustee of the account so I can manage the investments directly."

"Of course! Sign it, Mariana!" Lourdes urged her daughter.

Mariana, blinded by the prospect of two million pesos and relieved that I didn't suspect a thing, snatched the pen and signed her name quickly at the bottom of the document.

She had no idea what she had just signed.

It wasn't an educational trust. It was an affidavit of financial disclosure—a document drafted by Santiago that officially linked Mariana Gomez as the sole beneficiary of Lumina Consultores, acknowledging that all funds held in her accounts were subject to corporate auditing by Grupo Alfa.

I picked up the signed paper, blowing softly on the ink to let it dry.

"Thank you, Mariana," I said, slipping the document back into my handbag. "This makes everything so much easier."

Just then, the front door clicked open.

Diego walked into the apartment, carrying a leather briefcase and a box of artisan pastries. "Lourdes, I brought those pastries from—"

He stopped dead in his tracks.