“Just try, Santiago,” Ignacio insists.
“We’ll see,” he murmurs, his dark eyes still poring. “You look a lot like Loretta.”
“Another sibling?” I question, feeling my heart pound in my chest.
He tilts his head to the side, “No one bothered to provide you with information about your shiny new family?”
“They were too busy negotiating how best to use me,” I reply.
I feel a pang in my chest as I say the words. Except Rafaelle.
He wanted nothing more than to save me.
My words provoke a smile from my elder brother though. A genuine one. He rounds the desk and takes a seat on the edge, facing me directly.
“You have three siblings, including me. Loretta is 28 years old, I’m 30, and Gabriel is 22.”
An elder sister and a younger brother. This just keeps getting better and better.
“Where are they?”
A shadow passes over Santiago’s expression. Then disappears just as quickly.
“Neither of them live in the city. Loretta’s currently in Thailand or Japan, I’ve stopped keeping track of our sister’s whereabouts considering they change quicker than the weather. Gabriel is-”
“Enough, Santiago,” Ignacio interrupts. “There’s no need to overwhelm her with information. She’ll learn more in time.”
A muscle ticks in the younger Navarro’s jaw but he keeps quiet. Something weird is definitely going on. And as curious as I am, I can’t find it in me to immerse myself in family drama just yet.
“Would you like to have dinner, Liliana?” Ignacio questions.
“Actually, I was hoping we could discuss that matter now,” I remind him, trying to keep my voice steady, despite the nerves rolling through me.
He arches an eyebrow. When he pulled me aside at the warehouse, he had simply wanted to know if I was unhurt. And he had seemed so genuine, I ended up asking if he would be willing to grant me a favor.
I’m antsy at the thought of his reaction.
“Ah yes. You said you needed something,” he drawls. “What is it?”
My stomach twists. This is the moment where I find out if I made the absolute wrong choice. I betrayed Rafaelle because of my daughter. Because I wanted to be with her more than anything in the world.
Ignacio Navarro might just be the key to achieving that.
“My daughter.”
The room is silent in the wake of my confession. I bite down on my bottom lip nervously, my gaze swinging from Santiago to Ignacio. I mostly gauge Ignacio’s reaction. It’s not surprise per se. I’m not exactly sure what he’s thinking. It takes a couple of seconds before he speaks.
“Well, this is a surprise. Are you telling me I have a granddaughter?”
I nod slowly.
“I had a background check done and I couldn’t find any traces of her.”
“That’s because I had to keep her birth a secret,” I explain, knowing I’ll have to tell them the reason why.
“What’s her name?” Santiago questions, a quiet curiosity in his expression that feels all too familiar.
“Milagro. But I call her Mila. She’s nine months old.”
