Diego stood in the center of the suite, leaning heavily on his crutches, his entire body shaking with humiliation and rage.They'd been here. In his home. Alejandro and Lucia had walked right in, mocked him, kicked him while he was down, and left him lying on the floor like garbage. And he—the Ghost, the legendary assassin, the healer who'd saved countless lives—had been powerless to stop them.Emasculating didn't even begin to describe it.The man who'd tried to kill Esperanza had stood over him, laughing, and Diego couldn't do a damn thing about it."No," Diego muttered through clenched teeth. "No more. I'm not helpless. I'm not weak."He closed his eyes and reached for his internal energy—the chi and chakra that had always been his foundation, his strength, his power. He needed to replenish himself, to heal, to become strong enough to fight back.But when his consciousness touched his energy core, something stopped him.It wasn't just resistance. It was a wall. Dark, impenetrable,

In Vasquez's underground bunker, the crime lord stood behind his desk, his face flushed with fury as he stared at the encrypted message on his phone."He ignored us," Vasquez snarled. "The Ghost completely ignored our meeting request. Fifty million euros on the table, and he doesn't even have the courtesy to respond!"Lucia sat across from him, her expression carefully neutral. "Perhaps he was busy with other contracts.""Busy?" Vasquez's laugh was harsh. "I'm offering him more money than most people make in a lifetime! What could possibly be more important?""His reputation includes being selective about his work." Lucia kept her voice calm, trying to defuse Vasquez's rage before it led to something catastrophic. "Maybe he doesn't take contracts against the Vegas.""Then I'll put a hit on him!" Vasquez slammed his fist on the desk. "Teach him what happens when you disrespect Vasquez de la Fonté!""No!" Lucia stood abruptly. "You absolutely cannot do that.""Why not? He's just one man

Esperanza stood in her dressing room, staring at the elegant gown Santiago had sent over—expensive, beautiful, and completely unwanted."I don't want to go," she said to Diego, who sat in the adjacent room. "I know Santiago's planning something. I can feel it.""It's your birthday," Diego called back. "You should celebrate.""Not like this. Not with three hundred people I barely know and certainly don't want around." She emerged from the dressing room, the gown still on its hanger. "Let's cancel. Tell everyone to leave. Spend the day just us."Diego appeared in the doorway, leaning on his crutches. "This is a special day for you. You should go. Enjoy your birthday.""How can I enjoy it knowing Santiago invited all these people specifically to humiliate you?" Esperanza's voice was frustrated. "He invited Isabella, Diego. Your ex-wife. This whole thing is designed to make you look weak in front of everyone.""Then we don't give him that satisfaction." Diego's voice was firm. "We present

In their underground hideout, Alejandro and Lucia watched the live social media feeds from Esperanza's birthday party on a large screen. Various guests were posting photos and videos of the lavish celebration—crystal chandeliers, expensive champagne, designer gowns."Look at this shit," Alejandro snarled, throwing his phone onto the table. "A massive party? When her husband is dying? What the hell does she have to celebrate?""Apparently a lot." Lucia scrolled through more posts, her expression cold. "Three hundred guests. A live orchestra. Flowers flown in from around the world. It's obscene.""It's disgusting." Alejandro paced the room like a caged animal. "Diego absorbed that curse to save her life. And she celebrates by throwing a party where everyone can mock him for being weak?""Maybe she doesn't care about him as much as he cared about her," Lucia mused. "After all, love only goes so far when you're married to an invalid.""Wouldn't be the first time Diego wasted his worthless

Santiago wasn't alone in his approach. Luca appeared at his side, a smug smile plastered across his handsome face as he took in Diego's wine-soaked shirt."Oh dear," Luca said with mock concern. "That looks terribly uncomfortable, Diego. You should probably go change."Diego stared at both of them, rage building behind his carefully controlled expression. The urge to kick them both in their smirking faces was overwhelming. His muscles tensed, his body remembering movements and techniques that would end this confrontation in seconds.But he restrained himself. Not here. Not at Esperanza's birthday. Not in front of three hundred witnesses."I'm fine," Diego said through clenched teeth."Are you though?" Santiago gestured to Diego's crutches. "I mean, you're just sitting here in the corner while everyone else is mingling and enjoying the party. Don't you want to get up? Walk around? Meet people?""Oh wait—" Luca's grin widened. "He can't! Silly me. Those crutches make it difficult to nav