Diego didn't respond immediately, his eyes assessing the situation. Four against one. He was injured, exhausted, and in an unfamiliar location. Not ideal odds."I'm Figo Steel," the young man continued, stepping into the room. "Heir to the Steel conglomerate. Maybe you've heard of us? We own half the manufacturing capacity in this country.""I haven't," Diego said honestly.Figo's eye twitched at the casual dismissal. "Of course you haven't. Because you're nobody. A charlatan who stumbled into an opportunity way above his station.""If you have a point, make it." Diego's voice was steady despite the threatening presence."My point—" Figo moved closer, his bodyguards fanning out to block any escape route, "—is that you don't belong here. This isn't a place for crippled quacks playing at medicine. This is where real power operates. Real wealth. Real status.""And you're here to remind me of that?""I'm here to offer you a choice." Figo's smile was cold. "Leave. Tonight. Disappear back t

Diego had been patient through Figo's posturing and threats, maintaining his calm demeanor despite the invasion of his privacy. But as Figo continued his tirade about worthiness and proper breeding, something inside Diego snapped."Isn't that exactly why you're here too?" Diego's voice cut through Figo's rant like a blade. "To position yourself for marriage to Lady Catalina? To claim the Vincent fortune?"Figo stopped mid-sentence, caught off guard."So stop projecting your own insecurities and greed onto me," Diego continued, his tone still calm but carrying an edge now. "If you actually cared about helping Sir Alex's daughter instead of advancing your own interests, you'd focus your energy on being useful rather than threatening anyone you perceive as competition."Figo's mouth opened and closed, stunned by the direct confrontation. No one talked to him like this. Certainly not crippled nobodies in servants' quarters."You—you dare—" Figo sputtered."I dare to speak honestly," Diego

"The only truth is that you're a manipulative, pathetic excuse for a man who has to destroy other people's relationships because he can't build one of his own!"Santiago stepped between them, his hands raised placatingly. "Everyone calm down. Esperanza, I know you're upset, but—""Upset?" Esperanza turned on him. "You betrayed me, Santiago. You're my brother. You're supposed to support me, protect me, want what's best for me. Instead, you conspired to ruin my marriage for your own benefit!""I was trying to save you from making a mistake!" Santiago's voice rose to match hers. "Diego was never good enough for you! Never the right choice! I was just helping you see that!""You were helping yourself!" Esperanza's laugh was bitter. "You wanted Diego gone so you could control me again! Arrange my life like I'm one of your business deals! Well, I'm done being manipulated by you!""You're being emotional—""I'm being HONEST!" Esperanza cut him off. "Something you clearly know nothing about!"

At the Vincent estate, Figo stood in Diego's destroyed room, still reeling from how easily this supposedly crippled man had disabled two of his bodyguards.But his obsession with Esperanza overrode his caution. If Diego had access to her, had intimate photos, knew how to get close—that information was worth any risk."So?" Figo pressed, trying to regain some confidence despite the unconscious men on the floor. "How much do you want? Fifty thousand euros for your source? One hundred thousand? Name your price."Diego's expression was utterly cold as he carefully stored the photo of Esperanza back in its hidden compartment. When he turned to face Figo, there was something in his eyes that made the young heir take an involuntary step backward."I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," Diego's voice was quiet but carried an unmistakable threat. "And you're going to leave my room. Right now. While you can still make good use of your legs."The threat wasn't subtle. Figo's gaze droppe

Diego's right hand remained steady over Catalina's chest as the last traces of dark energy fled her body. His left hand throbbed with terrible hunger beneath the glove, gorging itself on the corruption it had stolen from her meridians. The divine and cursed energies warred inside him, but he maintained his composure, refusing to let anyone see his internal struggle.Catalina's eyes fluttered open, truly clear for the first time in three years. The grayish pallor that had haunted her skin was gone, replaced by a healthy flush. Her breathing came easy and natural, no longer the labored rasps that had become her constant companion.But something else stirred in those newly awakened eyes as they focused on Diego's face.Her heart raced—not from illness this time, but from something far more dangerous. The sensation of his touch still lingered on her skin like phantom fire, his energy having flowed through every cell of her body in a way that felt impossibly intimate. No man had ever touch