“Get out of my house!” — the fiancée screamed at the little maid’s daughter… but when the billionaire came down the stairs, he discovered a truth that changed his life forever.

The heavy study door opened, but it wasn't Tomas.

Paulina stood in the doorway, having changed from her silk robe into a sharp, tailored cream pantsuit. Her eyes were red-rimmed but cold as ice, her engagement ring glittering under the study’s chandelier. Behind her stood Tomas, Diego’s loyal head of security, looking uncomfortable.

"Diego, this has gone far enough," Paulina said, her voice dripping with aristocratic disdain as she pointed a manicured finger at Marisol. "I don't know what kind of cheap soap-opera story this woman has spun for you, but you cannot seriously believe her. She’s a maid. She’s trying to trap you for your money, and you are falling for it like an idiot."

Diego didn't raise his voice, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "Paulina. I told you to stay upstairs."

"And I refused to watch my fiancé destroy his reputation for a maid’s bastard!" Paulina stepped into the room, ignoring the warning in Diego's posture. "Do you have any idea what the papers will say? The Villaseñor heir is the child of the cleaning lady? It’s disgusting. It’s a scandal that will tank our stock before the merger next month."

"The only scandal here," Diego said, stepping between Paulina and Marisol, "is how I managed to invite a monster into my home."

Paulina laughed, a sharp, humorless sound. "A monster? Because I want order in my house? Because I don't want a dirty child touching my things? Diego, look at her! She’s nothing. If you want to pay her off to keep her quiet, fine. Write her a check. But she and that brat need to be out of here today. If they aren't, I’m calling my father, and we will pull the Robles Group out of the hotel expansion."

The threat was massive. The Robles Group’s backing was the cornerstone of Diego’s newest venture in Riviera Maya. But as Diego looked at Paulina, he realized he felt absolutely nothing for the woman he had agreed to marry. She was a match made by boardrooms and social calendars—a perfect, empty shell.

Then, he looked back at Valentina, who had hidden her face in Marisol's shoulder, terrified by Paulina’s sharp tone.

"Call your father," Diego said quietly.

Paulina blinked, her confidence faltering. "What?"

"Call him. Tell him the merger is off. And then, take your ring off my desk and get out." Diego walked over to the door and held it open. "Tomas, please assist Miss Robles in packing her things. She is leaving the property immediately."