Everyone in the criminal underworld knew that name. Vasquez—the crime lord who controlled half the city's illegal operations, who had half the police force on his payroll, who made people disappear when they crossed him."That's right," the enforcer continued, rolling up his sleeve to fully display the tattoo. "This mark? It means we're under Vasquez's protection. You lay a hand on us, and he'll know about it within the hour. And then—" He smiled wider. "—then he'll come for all of you. Your families. Your children. Everyone you care about."The security guards exchanged nervous glances. Torres's hand hovered near his weapon but didn't draw it.Duty warred with fear on every face.The enforcers laughed—harsh, mocking sounds that echoed across the now-silent ballroom."That's what I thought," the leader said. "Rich people security. All talk, no backbone when it matters.""This is ridiculous!" Santiago pushed forward, his face red with rage. "You can't just come into our home and—""We

Esperanza's hand connected with the enforcer leader's face with surprising force. The crack echoed across the ballroom, followed by shocked gasps from the crowd.The leader's head snapped to the side. He stood frozen for a moment, his cheek reddening, absolute shock on his face.No one slapped Vasquez's men. No one.His expression transformed from shock to pure rage. "You bitch!"His hand rose, prepared to deliver a retaliatory slap that would likely send Esperanza to the floor.Diego moved.Not the shuffling, pained movement of a man on crutches. Not the careful, weak steps he'd been showing for days.This was different. Fast. Lethal. The movement of someone who'd been holding back his true capabilities.His right hand shot to his left wrist, yanking the thick leather glove off in one smooth motion.Then his bare left hand—the one containing all the concentrated curse poison—grabbed the enforcer's raised wrist mid-swing.The contact lasted less than a second.But it was enough.The e

Diego surveyed the ballroom—not just the enforcers, but everyone. The wealthy guests who'd been mocking him minutes ago. The security guards who'd cowered when Vasquez's name was mentioned. Santiago and Luca, still stunned. Esperanza, watching him with pride and concern."Tonight you all witnessed something," Diego began, his voice carrying across the silent ballroom. "You saw men with weapons and threats make trained professionals back down. You saw fear triumph over duty. You saw power—or the perception of power—control everyone in this room."He limped forward slightly, his crutches supporting him but his presence somehow larger than before."This is what happens when we forget basic principles. Duty. Honor. Dignity." Diego's gaze swept across the security team. "You men were hired to protect this family. To protect these guests. But when real danger arrived, you hesitated. Not because you couldn't win—there were twelve of you and fifteen of them. Not because you weren't skilled—yo

Once Diego was steady, Esperanza turned to face him fully, her expression a mixture of pride, relief, and exhaustion."I knew this party was going to be a bad idea," she said, shaking her head. "Santiago's planning, his ulterior motives, inviting Isabella—I felt it in my gut that something would go wrong.""You couldn't have predicted Vasquez's men crashing it.""Maybe not. But I should have trusted my instincts and cancelled anyway." She glanced at the destroyed cake, the scattered guests, the general chaos. "This whole night has been a disaster.""You handled it well," Diego said quietly. "Standing up to that enforcer took courage.""Slapping him was probably stupid.""Probably. But I understand why you did it." Diego squeezed her hand with his ungloved right hand. "Nobody insults you in front of me and gets away with it."Esperanza smiled, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. "I could say the same about you."They stood together for a moment, ignoring the crowd, ignoring L

Santiago's jaw clenched. "Be that as it may, Luca still deserves recognition for what he tried to do. For his intentions. If not for him giving commands, those guards might have continued standing there doing nothing.""The guards moved because Diego inspired them!" Esperanza was nearly shouting now. "Not because Luca yelled at them! They were already ashamed, already determined to do better! Luca just tried to take credit for something he had nothing to do with!""That's not true—" Luca protested weakly."It is true!" Esperanza pointed at the exit where the guards had taken the subdued thugs. "Ask Torres! Ask any of them! They'll tell you exactly why they started taking their duty seriously again! And it had nothing to do with you!""But if I hadn't been there—" Luca tried again."If you hadn't been there, literally nothing would have changed!" Esperanza's words were brutal. "The thugs would have fled anyway! The guards would have been rallied anyway! The only difference is Diego wou