Esmery's heart was pounding like a drum in a thunderstorm as she strolled into that ridiculous palace of a drawing room. Heels tapping, echoing off the marble like, who honestly needs this much marble? The air was so damn thick with tension she could practically slice it with a butter knife. And Monica? Sitting there like she owned the place, barely glancing up from her overpriced tea set. Classic.
Esmery didn't care. Not today. She was done with all the polite bullshit.
"Auntie," she said, and wow, her tone could probably crack glass as it was sharp, but with this undercurrent of…something darker. "What's up with Diego? He's been MIA for four months. I don't buy that everything's fine. And yeah, I think Astrid's mixed up in it."
Monica's eyes, cold as a Siberian winter snapped up so fast Esmery almost flinched. You could feel the temperature dip, swear to god.
"And what exactly are you accusing us of, Esmery?" Monica's voice? Pure poison, wrapped up all pretty in fake calm.
Esmery squared her shoulders, hands balled into fists. "I'm saying Diego's got something going on with Astrid. Whatever game you're running, I'm not just gonna sit back and watch it blow up."
Monica's lips curled into this nasty little smirk, then she just laughed, a low, ugly sound that crawled right under Esmery's skin.
"How dare you!" Monica spat, mask slipping off to reveal all that venom underneath. "You think you can stand there and question me, after everything? You're nothing but a mistake. A stain. Your mother's shame, walking around in my house."
Esmery's breath snagged, but she didn't back down. Screw that.
Yeah, Monica hated her. But this? This was real, radioactive hatred.
"At least my mom didn't fake being a saint while she played puppet master with everyone's lives," Esmery shot back, voice shaking with rage and okay, a little pain. "You've never given me anything but grief. My Dad Ethan, he's the only one who ever gave a damn. Not to mention, his money is what you guys are munching off. What? You think I don't know the money you give me is less than what you've been told to give me?"
Monica's face twisted, almost cartoon-level fury.
Esmery didn't stick around for round two. She spun on her heel and stormed out, letting Monica choke on her own bile. Maybe for once she'd taste a little of what Esmery had swallowed all these years.
Back in her room, Esmery flopped on the bed, phone buzzing. Akilah's name flashed up. Finally, a lifeline.
"Hey," Esmery answered, trying to sound normal.
"Girl, where have you been? I miss your face!" Akilah's voice was warm, just the familiarity felt like a hug.
Esmery grinned, relief bleeding into her words. "I know, right? Four months. Feels like a year."
"Tell me about it. I've been busy dodging sleazy directors, don't even ask. But hey, what's up with the endorsement thing?"
Esmery's smile faded. "Diego picked Astrid, not me."
Akilah made a sound of half snort, half suspicion. "See? I told you, something weird's going on. You need to dig deeper."
"Akilah, I trust Diego. He's never given me a reason not to."
Akilah was having none of it. "Just…watch your back, okay? Love you, talk soon!"
Esmery hung up, mind already spinning ahead to the big party Diego, the CEO, glitz and drama, the whole circus. She felt a jolt of excitement. Maybe things would finally change.
Oh, if only she knew.
Meanwhile, in a hotel suite that probably cost more per night than most people's rent, things were…let's just say, not exactly PG. Even with all that soundproofing, you could practically hear the echoes of Astrid and Diego's marathon session. The fifth round and counting these two had stamina.
Diego was sprawled out, chest heaving. "Damn, that was insane," he said, eyes locked on Astrid.
She curled into him, voiced all sugar and syrup. "I love you so much, Diego."
But as reality crept back in, talk turned to the upcoming announcement Diego was about to go public with Astrid as his fiancée. Not Esmery. Astrid's face lit up with this wicked little glint. She was picturing Esmery's heartbreak and loving every second.
But then…Diego got quiet. Weirdly quiet. Astrid's insecurities came crawling out.
"Diego, you love Esmery, don't you? You don't actually care about me," she pouted, dialing up the drama.
Diego, ever the smooth talker, wrapped her up in his arms. "Don't do that. You're everything to me, Astrid. Seriously. Forever."
And just like that, Astrid was glowing again, soaking up the attention. In her head, she was already celebrating. "I have you now, Esmery. And the only thing you'll ever be is jealous."
They tangled together, Diego's hands roaming, Astrid practically purring.
"I love what you do to me," she whispered, all husky.
Diego's eyes were hungry. "You're mine, Astrid. Every last bit."
Their bodies just... clicked. Like, every move lined up, like they'd been doing this for years, even though, honestly, they've been fucking for years. The whole room smelled thick and sweet, you know? Desire just hanging in the air like summer heat.
Astrid wasn't exactly quiet about it, either. Her moans bounced all over those walls, turning the place into their own private echo chamber. Diego's hands? Everywhere. He had this way of teasing her nipples that made her gasp and shiver, like electricity racing right through her.
She arched her hips, basically begging for more, and Diego yeah, he definitely got the message. His thrusts got sharper, rougher, and it was like each one pulled them deeper into this wild, messy, amazing thing. They were completely gone, lost in it. Every second felt hotter than the last.
Their breathing tangled together. Diego groaned, and Astrid's nails left red trails down his back. It was raw, a little savage, but damn if it wasn't perfect. The rhythm built up, faster and faster, like they were chasing the same high. At that moment, absolutely nothing outside that bed existed.
Just them, a storm of sweat, tangled sheets, and want. The air pulsed with it, and Astrid felt herself slipping under, totally swept up in Diego's touch.
Then his mouth was on hers again, desperate and hungry. Their tongues twisted, kissing like they were trying to steal the air from each other. Making love felt less like a routine and more like a dance so intense it left them shaking.
And then, bam, it all exploded. Astrid shattered, lost in pure sensation, her body just dissolving into light. Diego's shout mixed with hers, echoing through the apartment as they both went over the edge.
Afterwards, they lay tangled up, still buzzing from everything that just happened. Limbs everywhere, hearts pounding, trying to catch their breath.
But here's the thing about Astrid. She never forgot a grudge. Her beef with Esmery? That ran deep, like, all the way back to high school. Picture this: Astrid's crushing hard on Damien, the school's golden boy with a trust fund and a face straight out of some CW drama. Total cliché material.
But nah, Damien only had eyes for Esmery. And Astrid? She got her heart stomped on. Worse, that idiot Damien showed off the notes Astrid had written him like, actually passed them around. Talk about humiliation. People laughed so hard Astrid legit couldn't show her face at school for half a year.
That kind of shame? Burns into your bones. Even now, the memory still sizzled, stoking every ounce of Astrid's resentment for Esmery. Some wounds just don't heal, you know?