The most feared woman in Mexican high society.
She entered the hospital like a storm.
Elegant.
Flawless.
And with a gaze capable of freezing the soul.
He looked Valeria up and down before saying coldly:
—So you’re the woman who ruined my son.
Valeria clenched her hands tightly.
—I don’t want any trouble, ma’am…
—Then he disappears again.
The cruelty of those words left the air frozen.
Catalina approached slowly.
—I will not allow a woman of your level to destroy Alejandro’s future.
But before Valeria could answer, a male voice echoed behind them.
—The only person destroying anything here is you, mother.
Alejandro had just arrived.
And for the first time in his entire life… he faced Catherine directly.
“Do you dare speak to me like that because of that woman?” she asked indignantly.
Alejandro held his mother’s gaze without hesitating.
—No. I do it for my family.
Catalina was paralyzed.
And Valeria too.
Because that was the first time Alexander had called them that.
Family.
Catalina let out a cold laugh.
—Family? Are you going to throw away your career for some random employee and a child you don’t even know is yours?
The silence lasted barely a second.
Then Alexander stepped forward and replied with absolute firmness:
—Don’t you ever insult my son again.
That phrase made Valeria feel a knot in her chest.
Because there was no doubt.
There was no evidence.
There were no conditions.
Only love.
Catalina then understood that she had lost.
And before leaving, he issued one last threat:
—If you go ahead with this, I will resign as honorary chairman and the shareholders will turn against you.
Alexander did not back down.
—Then let them do it.
…
That night, the Castellanos Group suffered a brutal fall on the stock market.
Investors began to exert pressure.
The media attacked relentlessly.
And several executives demanded that Alejandro publicly deny his relationship with Valeria and Mateo.
But he refused.
Roundly.
Hours later he called a national press conference.
Valeria tried to stop him.
—You don’t have to do this.
Alejandro gently cupped her face in his hands.
—I spent five years losing you because of my silence. I won’t make the same mistake again.
The conference was broadcast throughout Mexico.
Journalists from all over filled the hall.
And when Alejandro went up on stage, the whole place fell silent.
He took a deep breath before speaking.
—For years I cultivated an image of an invincible man. A man who never made mistakes. But today I understood something… the worst mistake of my life was allowing the woman I loved to believe she was alone.
