Rodriguez Group Headquarters
The doors of the executive elevator slid open.
Evelyn stormed out without acknowledging the employees who greeted her. Her heels clicked sharply against the polished floor as she headed straight for the CEO's office.
She pushed the door open without knocking.
Inside, Santino was in the middle of a meeting with several senior executives.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Santino frowned slightly.
Santino: "We'll continue this later."
The executives nodded, gathered their files, and quietly left the office, closing the door behind them.
Silence filled the room.
Santino leaned back in his chair.
Santino: "What happened?"
Evelyn didn't waste a second.
Evelyn: "Are you married?"
Santino met her gaze without hesitation.
Santino: "Yes."
Evelyn's eyes widened, though she had already heard it from Cassandra.
"You actually married someone?"
Santino sighed.
Santino: "Grandma was persistent."
Evelyn laughed bitterly.
"So you just married another woman because your grandmother told you to?"
Santino remained calm.
"It wasn't that simple."
Evelyn slammed both hands onto his desk.
"You promised me!"
Santino looked at her quietly before speaking.
Santino: "I wanted to marry you."
She froze.
"I asked you more than once."
His voice remained steady.
"But every time I brought up marriage, you said you weren't ready."
Evelyn lowered her eyes for a brief moment.
"I..."
She quickly looked back at him.
Evelyn: "I'm ready now."
Santino slowly shook his head.
Santino: "It's not possible anymore."
He held up his left hand, his wedding ring catching the light.
Santino: "I'm married."
Evelyn's eyes filled with frustration.
"So that's it?"
Santino exhaled softly.
Santino: "That doesn't mean I stopped caring about you overnight."
Her expression softened slightly.
He continued.
Santino: "A part of me will always care about what we had."
Before he could say another word, Evelyn cut him off.
Evelyn: "Do you know what your precious wife did, because I was threatening Leon?"
Santino looked at her.
"She threw me out of your house!"
Her voice grew louder with every word.
"She called the bodyguards to drag me outside!"
Santino's brows furrowed.
Evelyn pointed accusingly.
"And then she held up her wedding ring and said..."
She mimicked Cassandra's confident tone.
Evelyn: "'I'm a prostitute with an official ring.'"
The office fell silent.
Santino couldn't help letting out a small chuckle.
Evelyn stared at him in disbelief.
"You're laughing?"
Santino quickly cleared his throat, trying to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Santino: "That... sounds exactly like something Cassandra would say."
Evelyn's face darkened.
Evelyn: "I'm not joking, Santino!"
The smile faded from his face.
He folded his hands on the desk.
Santino: "Neither am I."
He looked directly into her eyes.
Santino: "Cassandra is my wife now. Whether this marriage began because of my grandmother or not, she's the woman carrying my family name."
His voice was calm but firm.
Santino: "You can't walk into my house, insult my wife, frighten Leon, and expect there to be no consequences."
Evelyn stood frozen, unable to believe that, for the first time, Santino had taken someone else's side instead of hers.