Chapter 5
Carmen leaned back in her chair, staring at the documents spread before her. Marco thought he could control Arianna, but he was wrong. Arianna didn’t operate within the bounds of loyalty or reason. She was a storm, and anyone who underestimated her would be swept away.
Carmen clenched her fists. This wasn’t just about protecting her marriage anymore—it was about protecting the family she had worked so hard to build.
Marco needed to know who he was dealing with, but Carmen wasn’t naive enough to think he’d listen to her warnings without proof. No, she’d have to confront him with the full weight of the truth, lay out every ugly detail of Arianna’s betrayal until he couldn’t ignore it.
Her mind raced as she planned her next steps. She would make Marco see the danger, even if it meant standing against him. Arianna wouldn’t win—not this time.
As she gathered the documents into a folder, a sense of resolve washed over her. Carmen had faced threats before, but this felt personal. Arianna’s game might have worked on the De Lucas, but Carmen wasn’t about to let history repeat itself.
“This is who you’re dealing with, Marco,” Carmen murmured to herself. “And you think you can control her?”
…
The estate was cloaked in silence, the kind that felt oppressive rather than comforting. Carmen stood outside Marco’s study, her heart pounding. In her hand, the folder containing every piece of damning evidence she’d gathered about Arianna’s past was a tangible weight—a reminder of how far things had spiraled.
With a deep breath, she pushed open the door.
Marco glanced up from his desk, his expression shifting from surprise to irritation. “Carmen,” he said, his voice calm but laced with warning. “What is it now?”
Without a word, Carmen crossed the room and dropped the folder onto his desk with a thud.
“Read it,” she said coldly, crossing her arms as she stood in front of him.
Marco’s brow furrowed as he opened the folder and began to scan the pages. His face hardened as he read, his jaw tightening. When he finally looked up, his dark eyes were unreadable.
“You’ve been digging,” he said evenly, though there was a sharp edge to his tone.
“Don’t make it sound like a crime,” Carmen shot back. “I had to. You weren’t going to tell me anything.”
Marco closed the folder with deliberate slowness, leaning back in his chair. “So now you know. What’s your point?”
“My point,” Carmen said, her voice rising, “is that you’re letting her get close—closer than anyone in their right mind would. Why are you spending so much time with her? What’s your endgame, Marco?”
Marco’s gaze didn’t waver, but his shoulders stiffened slightly. “I told you before—it’s business.”
“Business?” Carmen laughed bitterly. “Don’t insult me. You’re meeting her alone, taking her to God knows where, and now I find out she’s living two streets away? Did you have anything to do with that?”
His silence was damning, but she pressed on. “Tell me the truth, Marco. Did you ask her to move here?”
He exhaled heavily, his voice clipped as he admitted, “Yes. I told her to move close.”
Carmen’s mouth fell open, her shock quickly giving way to anger. “You what? You actually invited her to move into our neighborhood?”
Marco’s tone remained firm. “I suggested it so I could keep her close. You think I don’t know what she’s capable of? Keeping her nearby is the only way to control her.”
“Control her?” Carmen snapped, her voice trembling with rage. “She’s not a dog, Marco. She’s a snake. You don’t control someone like her—you just give her more chances to bite.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Marco said, his frustration starting to seep into his tone.
“No, you don’t,” Carmen fired back. “You’re playing with fire, and you’re going to burn everything we’ve built.”
Carmen took a step closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “If you’re so sure this is just ‘business,’ then prove it to me. Prove that there’s nothing between you and Arianna.”
Marco’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want me to do?”
“That’s not my job to figure out,” Carmen retorted. “You’re the one spending hours alone with her, inviting her into our lives. You need to show me that there’s nothing going on.”
He ran a hand through his hair, his composure beginning to crack. “I don’t know how to prove something that isn’t happening.”
Carmen’s laugh was bitter. “How convenient. You expect me to take your word for it while everyone else is saying otherwise.”
“You’re letting rumors get to you,” Marco said sharply. “This isn’t about us—it’s about keeping the family safe.”
“Safe?” Carmen’s voice rose. “She’s not keeping us safe, Marco. She’s the one tearing us apart. And do you know what people are saying? They’re saying she’s your first love. That you’ve never gotten over her. Is that why you’re risking everything for her?”
Marco’s face darkened, his voice dangerously low. “Don’t start, Carmen.”
“Why not?” she demanded. “Because it’s true? Because you don’t want to admit that she still has some kind of hold over you?”
“That’s enough,” Marco growled, slamming his hand on the desk.
“Is it?” Carmen pressed. Her voice dropped, each word laced with venom. “Have you slept with her?”
