The house of El Diablo hadn't been this tense in years.
It breathed with quiet fear.
Where there was once constant motion ,guards pacing, doors opening, radios crackling now there was silence. A thick, suffocating kind of silence that pressed down on everyone inside the estate.
Even the staff had started whispering instead of talking.
Down in the laundry corridor, two maids worked side by side, folding crisp linens under the hum of flickering fluorescent lights. Every now and then, one of them paused to glance at the security cameras mounted in the corners. The cameras used to swivel lazily; now, they stayed fixed, always watching.
"Something's not right," Rosa murmured, glancing toward the hall before leaning closer to Inés, her older coworker. "The whole compound's on lockdown again. The guards even searched my quarters last night."
Inés gave a half laugh, though it sounded nervous. "They searched everyone's. Even the kitchen staff. They said it's orders from El Diablo himself."
"I heard he stopped everything," said Rosa, lowering her voice though no one was nearby. "No shipments, no trucks, no deliveries..... nothing moves in or out."
Across the table, Inés rolled her eyes, but her fingers never stopped folding. "You believe everything the drivers say? Maybe the boss just needs a break. Even devils rest, don't they?"
Rosa shot her a look. "You don't shut down a million-peso operation just to rest, Inés. Something's wrong. The guards searched my quarters this morning. Said they were 'looking for irregularities.' What does that even mean?"
Inés smirked, leaning closer. "It means someone's head is about to roll, chica. And I hope it's not mine."
Rosa hesitated, biting her lip. "You think… someone betrayed him?, someone in this house?"
Inés's eyes flickered toward the hallway, where two armed guards marched past, rifles slung across their chests. "I think," she said quietly, "someone did something stupid. And now everyone's paying for it."
Rosa leaned in, whispering fast. "I heard a name last night, Ortega. One of El Diablo's men. They said he turned. Sold information to Cassimo."
Inés froze for a second. "Cassimo?" she whispered.
Rosa nodded quickly. "That's what the guards said. El Diablo's furious. They said he almost broke a chair in his office. He hasn't left his study since last night."
"Good," Inés said dryly. "Maybe if he stays locked in there, he won't burn the rest of us alive."
Before Rosa could reply, the sound of footsteps made them both stiffen. A woman walked into the corridor, her dark skirt brushing softly against the floor.
It was Selena.
"Talking again, are we?" Selena said without looking up, her tone smooth but sharp enough to cut. She carried a stack of neatly pressed towels in her arms. "You two must think gossip folds the sheets faster."
Rosa cleared her throat quickly. "We were just....."
"Working," Inés cut in with a bright, fake smile. "Just talking about how quiet it's been. The whole house feels… strange."
Selena set the towels down on the counter and turned to face them fully. Her expression was calm, but her eyes had that stillness, the kind that watched everything, the kind that knew more than she ever said.
"You feel strange because you're not used to silence," she said. "El Diablo is running an empire, not a daycare. When he wants quiet, you give it to him."
Rosa hesitated, fidgeting with a sheet. "You're close to the señora, Selena. You must know something. The guards have been tearing the place apart since dawn. Are they looking for someone? For Ortega?"
Inés nodded eagerly. "Come on, tell us. Everyone says you hear everything that happens upstairs."
Selena's gaze was calm but firm. "You two have too much time to talk and not enough to work."
Rosa stepped forward slightly, lowering her voice. "Come on, you're close to the señora. You must've heard something. The guards keep turning the house upside down. They even checked the wine cellar..... the wine cellar, Selena."
Selena didn't flinch. "Whatever he's looking for, it's not in the laundry," she said quietly. "So fold the sheets, mop the floor, and stay out of trouble."
Inés smirked, half-whispering, "She's acting like she's one of his guards now."
Selena's eyes narrowed just slightly, enough to make both women drop their smiles. "If you two spent half as much effort working as you do gossiping, this place would shine. And maybe the guards wouldn't start asking questions about why you're so curious."
Rosa and Inés exchanged uneasy glances.
"Party pooper," Inés muttered under her breath as they gathered the folded linens.
Selena raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Rosa said quickly. "Come on, Inés." They hurried down the corridor, whispering to each other again once they were a safe distance away.
When their footsteps faded, Selena stood alone in the narrow hall.
For a moment, she just listened, the distant thud of boots above, muffled voices from the main hall, the low hum of the generator outside. The house felt... different now. Heavier.
She sighed softly, adjusting her collar before heading toward the grand staircase.
From where she stood, she could see the reflection of armed guards near the main entrance. They were searching again, moving furniture, checking vents, inspecting the chandeliers.
Whatever Rafael Navarro was hunting for, he was tearing apart his own house to find it.
And as Selena climbed the stairs, her thoughts darkened.
If the whispers were true, if El Diablo really believed there was a traitor in his ranks, probably a hidden camera or something. If so,everyone, from the guards to the maids, was already walking a very thin line.
...
Isabella sat at her vanity, motionless. Her reflection stared back at her, perfect yet hollow. She held a silver brush loosely in her hand, running it once, twice, through her hair before stopping halfway.
She didn't need a mirror to know what she looked like. A broken woman with no possible escape from this hell.
The door creaked softly, and Selena stepped in without knocking. She moved quietly, closing the door behind her, as if even the sound of the latch might draw unwanted attention.
"Señora," she said gently. "I thought you might want some tea."
Isabella turned slightly, offering a faint smile. "Thank you, Selena."
She placed the tray on the side table, pouring the tea carefully before speaking again.
"The guards are still searching," she said, her voice low. "Every corner, every room. Even the attic. They've been at it since morning."
Isabella lifted her cup, her fingers trembling just slightly. "And?"
"They say El Diablo ordered it himself," Selena continued. "They're looking for something or someone. No one knows what exactly."
A pause. Then, almost in a whisper:
"They mentioned a name. Ortega."
Isabella's hand froze mid-air. "Ortega?"
Selena nodded. "One of his men. The guards said he sold information. To Cassimo."
The name Cassimo fell like a drop of ink into clear water, spreading, staining the air. It was the name of the ame man that made her end up here. They man who couldn't let her father go free. Names like this mentioned alongside Rafael's always meant war.
Isabella set the cup down, her lips tightening. "And Rafael?" she asked quietly. "Where is he now?"
Selena glanced toward the window before answering. "Still out. He hasn't been home for two nights. But word is… he'll be back tonight."
Something in Isabella's chest clenched. She turned away, eyes drifting to the window where the last traces of sunlight bled into the horizon. The sky looked bruised and it seemed to worsen the already depressed expression on her face.
Selena frowned slightly. "Señora?"
Isabella didn't answer right away. Instead, she stood, walking slowly to the window. The silk of her dress rustled softly against the tiled floor. She touched the glass, tracing the reflection of her own hand.
"He'll be angry," Isabella murmured. "I'm just worried he'd want to take it out on me. Besides he's still in control."
Her voice was steady, but the sadness underneath was sharp enough to cut.
Selena lowered her eyes. "You should stay quiet when he returns. Don't ask questions, don't say anything that....."
"That upsets him?" Isabella turned, a faint, bitter smile tugging at her lips. "You think silence protects me, Selena?"
Selena hesitated. "Sometimes it does."
Isabella studied her for a long moment. "It used to. But now it only suffocates me."
For a moment, neither woman spoke. The only sound was the low hum of the air conditioning and the faint murmurs of guards outside the window.
Finally, Isabella exhaled, a slow, weary breath. "Do you know what it's like," she said softly, "to live in a house where even your heartbeat feels too loud?"
Selena looked up, her expression filled with quiet sympathy. "Yes, Isabella. I do, long before you came here."
That broke something fragile inside Isabella. She turned away again, running a hand through her hair.
"He's shutting everything down," Selenaa said, more to herself. "Shipments, deliveries, even the staff are terrified to speak."
Selena stood then, moving closer. "Señora, please. Don't let him see that anger. Not now. Whatever is happening out there, it's dangerous. If he believes someone betrayed him, he won't stop until he finds them. And when he's in that kind of mood…"
Her voice trailed off, but the warning was clear.
Isabella closed her eyes. She knew. God, she knew too well.
Rafael's rage didn't always shout....it simmered, coiled, and then found its release in the most cruel ways.
But something was changing in her. The fear that once paralyzed her now throbbed like a pulse beneath her skin....alive, restless, growing into defiance.
"I'm tired, Selena," she whispered. "Tired of waiting for him to decide what kind of night it will be. Tired of pretending not to notice what he hides behind his silences."
Selena's expression softened. "What will you do?"
Isabella turned back toward her, eyes steady. "Find out what i can use as leverage to get the hell out of here,I'm tired of this hell, it's been more than three months Selena and I've only gotten to see my father once."
Selena's breath caught. "You can't possibly..."
"I can," Isabella interrupted gently. "And I will."
"There must be something I can find against him, something dirty, a man like Rafael has done a lot of evil"
"El Diablo is very careful and strategic.....you can't find anything on him."
"There must be something that the world doesn't know, the devil always has something hidden in the shadows, I have to find it even if it means dying in the process "
Selena stepped closer, her voice urgent. "Then that's all the more reason to keep your head down. Don't make him question your loyalty now."
Isabella smiled faintly. It was heartbreaking. "Loyalty doesn't protect anyone here, Selena. It just delays the punishment."
Selena looked torn, caught between fear and loyalty. "You're playing a dangerous game, Isabella."
"It's the only way out, Selena...we could finally both leave this place "
That silenced them both.
For a long while, neither moved. The light in the room shifted from gold to gray as dusk crept in. The world outside dimmed, but inside the walls of the Navarro estate.
Then, faintly, came the sound of engines.
Selena froze. Isabella turned slowly toward the window.
A convoy of black SUVs was pulling into the courtyard below, headlights slicing through the twilight. Men in dark suits stepped out, rifles slung over their shoulders. The metallic click of car doors closing echoed like gunshots through the still air.
Selena's voice dropped to a whisper. "He's back."
Isabella didn't move. Her pulse thudded in her ears, but her face remained composed. She smoothed the front of her dress, brushed invisible dust from her sleeve, and met her reflection one last time.
The woman staring back at her wasn't afraid anymore. Not the same way, at least. Fear had changed its shape...it had become resolve.