CHAPTER 672. RED PROMISE. A Cold CaseAinara felt a cold sweat breaking out. It couldn’t be. These people had truly been on her trail for a long time—long enough to try sabotaging Mauro’s business deals.“But I don’t understand. Why? Why deny you the contract? What did that have to do with…?” She stopped mid-sentence, her expression attentive because the answer, surprising as it was, could only be one. “To make me come out,” she said, looking at Mauro. “You had me ‘hidden,’ remember?”Mauro pressed his lips together in frustration because he knew it was true. That woman or her husband—he wasn’t sure which—had believed that removing Ainara from the picture would make it easier to reach the girl. But everything had come to a halt the moment Mauro entered her life.“They knew you’d show up, that you’d have to ask Rosso for help, and that they’d find you through me,” Mauro murmured. “They did it to find you through me.”And though neither of them said it aloud, the looks Mauro exchanged w
CHAPTER 673. RED PROMISE. A ChoiceIt was a good question. An excellent question. But it was more than evident that many things would unfold beyond Mauro’s intentions, because less than twenty-four hours later, he discovered where the detective’s true loyalty lay—the one investigating the supposed accident.Mauro was still weighing his options, but Rosso was already trying to speak with Ainara. Mauro stepped out of one of his business meetings to find the senator fuming in one of the conference rooms.“Wait here, let him handle it…” Loan tried to stop his daughter-in-law, but Ainara had seen Mauro storm out angrily, and she wasn’t one to let her curiosity rest.She walked to the conference room. Although she didn’t push the door open, she knew her angry husband tended to raise his voice. She stood silently as the two predators inside seemed ready to tear each other apart.“What’s this about not letting me see Ainara, Keller?!” Rosso growled, visibly annoyed.“And why do you want to se
CHAPTER 674. RED PROMISE. A Foolish ActThe woman’s voice was so sharp that, if he hadn’t loved her as much as he did, Mauro probably would have been afraid of her.“Ainara, don’t be childish!” Rosso protested. “Whoever is doing this knows… knows things. About us, about you! Damn it, they know things about you that even I didn’t know!”Ainara looked at her father as if he were a complete stranger, and her final gesture was to step aside, leaving his path to the door unblocked.“I couldn’t care less about what’s known about me. I’m not the one with something to hide. Now do me a favor and leave. If I have to say it again, I’ll call security.”Rosso stormed past her with a growl of frustration. If he had expected any help from the Kellers, it was evident he had been wrong. But as soon as the door closed behind him, Mauro reached Ainara, and she hid her face in his chest.“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, my love. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to… I didn’t want to hurt you like this,”
CHAPTER 675. RED PROMISE. Probable CauseCalling it a “foolish act” was an understatement. Mauro was ready to give Lugh the beating of his life after seeing what information he had on Ainara, so it was better to have company. He left his wife and daughter at his parents’ house, where his mother kept them entertained inside while the security team kept watch outside.He and Loan got into a car and drove across half the city before arriving at one of the residential areas far from the urban center. The night had fully fallen, and the apartment building was eerily quiet.“Is there no one here or what?” Mauro muttered, his instincts on high alert, as the elevator doors opened on their floor.“Well, I took the liberty of asking your uncle Jhon to dig around a bit. Turns out Lugh bought this entire floor. It seemed like a good real estate investment at the time, but renting out luxury apartments didn’t go as planned.”“So what? Does he owe on all of this, or is he bankrupt, or…?” Mauro aske
CHAPTER 676. RED PROMISE. You Have a Wife Now, Remember?For Ainara, it only took June falling completely asleep in one of her new grandparents’ guest rooms for her to let out all the worry she’d been hiding from her daughter.“Where are they? What’s going on, Danna? And don’t tell me ‘nothing,’ because I’ve seen you whispering into that phone three times already, and I’m sure you’re not talking about fashion.”Her mother-in-law looked at her uneasily. While she trusted her husband completely, she couldn’t deny that she was also dying of worry.“The family lawyer called me,” Danna murmured. “Loan and Mauro are at the police station. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but…”“They’re under arrest?” Ainara interrupted, unable to believe it.“It seems so, but Loan will fix it. I’m sure he’ll—Ainara! Daughter, where are you going?” Danna tried to stop her, but Ainara was already grabbing her coat from the hook by the door.She paused in the doorway, looking at the team of bodyguards stat
CHAPTER 677. RED PROMISE. A SecretThe detective was sure he wasn’t that lucky, but the fact remained—he couldn’t afford to let even the smallest clue or opportunity slip away.“Well, I’m no saint, but while I can’t give you the confession you’re hoping for, I might be able to shed some light on your murder case,” Ainara replied. Mauro shook his head, visibly worried.“Babe, this isn’t a good idea. Please.”“It’s okay, sweetheart,” she smiled at him, trying to reassure him. “There’s nothing to worry about. You need to understand—Lugh had nothing on me. No matter what he said, he had absolutely nothing. I’ve never stolen anything in my life, I haven’t committed any crimes, I wasn’t a stripper or a prostitute, and I never got involved in the shady business surrounding campaigns. I’ve always stayed away from all of that. So whatever he may have claimed, I promise you, he had nothing to use against me for blackmail.”“Blackmail?” The detective pulled out the chair in front of them and ges
CHAPTER 678. RED PROMISE. StrategyMauro could swear he was about to swallow his tongue from the shock, and the detective sitting across from them wasn’t faring much better. He knew Ainara was a strong and shrewd woman, but he also believed she was perfectly capable of carrying out her threat—and he knew she’d do it to get him out of jail.“Mrs. Keller, you can’t…” the detective began, but she cut him off with a sarcastic smile.“Please. Freedom of speech was enshrined in this country’s Constitution long ago, so don’t bother telling me what I can or can’t do. Senator Rosso is a suspect, and…”“But he’s not the only one,” Mauro interjected quietly. Ainara looked at him. No, he wasn’t the only one, and maybe that was the real problem. Any one of their enemies was powerful enough in politics to make the police hesitate to go after them.“Can we speak privately?” she asked the detective. She squeezed Mauro’s hand gently, knowing he’d protest. But with or without his objections, she left t
CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e