“Kiss me so he panics! I want him to die of jealousy”… She thought he was a stranger, but her fiancé knew perfectly well who he was… And then the hidden secret of the 60-year-old mafia boss came to light.

“Kiss me so he panics! I want him to die of jealousy”… She thought he was a stranger, but her fiancé knew perfectly well who he was… And then the hidden secret of the 60-year-old mafia boss came to light.

“Can you kiss me?”

Valeria Montes said it before she even saw the man’s face.

At that moment she only knew two things: her fiancé was on the other side of the room with his hand on her sister’s waist… and if she remained still for one more second, the whole place would see her collapse.

So, almost blindly, he grabbed the sleeve of the nearest black suit and whispered again, this time with desperation in his voice:

—Please… kiss me. I want to make him jealous.

The man did not move.

The main ballroom of the Hotel Imperial Reforma shimmered with towers of champagne, white roses, polished silverware, and the elegant music of a string quartet hired to make the betrayal sound sophisticated. More than two hundred businesspeople, politicians, investors, and wealthy families from Mexico City had attended the Montes-Villarreal Foundation Gala, an event Valeria had organized from scratch. She chose the lighting. She chose the menu. She wrote the speech that Alejandro Villarreal would deliver in less than an hour.

Alejandro Villarreal —her fiancé, the millionaire heir to a powerful Monterrey wine company— was supposed to be with her that night.

But instead, he was near the large arch decorated with flowers, too close to Camila Montes, Valeria’s younger sister.

Camila’s red lipstick was smudged.

Alejandro’s shirt collar was askew.

And both of them had that rehearsed expression of those who have just left a place where they should never have been.

Valeria knew exactly where they came from.

Eighteen minutes earlier I had seen them kissing in the service corridor behind the kitchen, with Camila against the wall and Alejandro stroking her hair as if the whole world had given them permission to destroy her.

Now she was in the middle of her own charity gala, wearing an ivory dress chosen by Alejandro, a diamond ring bought by Alejandro, and a smile she could no longer hold.

Then the stranger turned his head slightly.

Valeria looked up… and for a second forgot how to breathe.

He was older than I expected. Maybe sixty. Tall, imposing, broad-shouldered, with silver temples and a scar across one eyebrow like a mark the past refused to erase. His black suit was perfectly tailored, and his stillness wasn’t polite. It was dangerous.

Not a noisy danger class.

Not the danger of a drunk man.

It was something much deeper.

The kind of presence that made powerful men automatically check emergency exits without knowing why.

His eyes drifted down to Valeria’s hand clutching his sleeve.

She should have let him go.

He didn’t.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, though her fingers tightened even more. “I know this is crazy. I know I don’t know him. But the man by the flower arch has been cheating on me with my sister for eight months… and I need him to see that I’m not going to break down in front of him.”

The stranger’s gaze passed over her.

“The one in the navy blue suit next to the marble column?” he asked in a deep voice.

-Yeah.

—He saw me come in before he realized you were here.

Valeria’s stomach froze.

-That?

“He’s not jealous yet,” the man said without taking his eyes off the table. “He’s scared.”

Valeria turned towards Alejandro.

For the first time all night, he wasn’t looking at Camila anymore. He was staring at the man next to Valeria, his face completely pale.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

Then the stranger finally really looked at her, as if he were assessing what kind of woman takes a stranger in the middle of a gala and asks him for a kiss to get revenge on the man who betrayed her.

—Arturo Bellucci —he replied.

The name echoed through the room before Valeria could understand it.

A businessman near the bar slowly lowered his glass.

A couple stopped talking next to the silent auction table.

One of Alejandro’s partners turned his head so quickly that he almost bumped into a waiter.

Valeria knew that name… but only in the way that respectable people know certain names: through rumors, warnings, and awkward silences.

Arturo Bellucci.

The old boss of organized crime in the north of the country. Real estate magnate. Private lender. Multimillionaire owner of hotels, vineyards, and enemies buried in the past. The newspapers called him a “retired businessman” because sometimes the press prefers to pretend that certain men really do retire.

Valeria’s hand finally loosened.

But Arturo stopped her before she could pull away. He gently turned his palm upward, as if reading something written there, and then placed her hand on his arm.

—Walk with me —he said.

—I asked him to kiss me.

—I heard you.

—But she hasn’t said yes.

—I didn’t say no either.

Arturo placed a hand on the small of Valeria’s back. It wasn’t a possessive gesture. Nor theatrical. Just firm, enough to support her when she felt the world opening up beneath her feet. Then he began walking with her directly toward Alejandro and Camila.

Valeria’s heart pounded hard inside her chest.

“What is he doing?” she whispered.

Arturo Bellucci did not respond immediately.

He just kept walking with Valeria through the room while hundreds of eyes began to silently follow them.

The string quartet continued playing.

But now the music sounded wrong.

Tense.

As if even the musicians had sensed that something dangerous had just entered the event.

Alejandro Villarreal swallowed hard when Arturo and Valeria stopped in front of him.

Camila was the first to fake a smile.

—Valeria… we were looking for you.

Lie.

Valeria almost let out a bitter laugh.

Eighteen minutes earlier, her sister was kissing her fiancé against a wall.

Now he was feigning concern.

Arturo looked at Camila for barely a second.

And that was enough to make her lower her gaze.

—Alejandro Villarreal —Arturo said calmly—. It’s been a while.

The color disappeared from Alejandro’s face.

—Mr. Bellucci… I didn’t know you would be attending tonight.

Valeria felt the change immediately.

Alexander no longer spoke like a powerful man.

He spoke like someone trying to survive.

Arturo barely inclined his head.

—Your father did know.

That phrase hit Alejandro like a silent gunshot.

Valeria frowned.

—My father-in-law?

Arturo did not respond.

But Alejandro did.

And he made the mistake of doing it too quickly.

—Don’t involve my family in this.

Arturo barely smiled.

A small smile.

Dangerous.

—Then maybe you shouldn’t have brought another family’s daughter into your bed while you continued using their last name to close deals.

The surrounding silence exploded.

Several people stopped pretending not to hear.

Camila paled.

—That’s not what it looks like—

“Shut up,” Valeria said without even looking at her.

It was the first time in years that his sister had obeyed.

Alejandro tried to regain control.

—Valeria, can we talk about this in private?

“Private?” she let out a hollow laugh. “Like in the service corridor?”

Alexander’s face hardened.

I had discovered it.

I could no longer deny it.

But then something even worse happened.

Arturo slowly lifted a glass of champagne from the tray of a waiting man who was passing by.

“I’m curious, Alejandro,” she said calmly. “Does she know why you’re really going to marry her?”

Valeria felt her body go cold.

—What does that mean?

Alejandro spoke too fast.

—Don’t listen to him.

Arturo completely ignored him.

—Your fiancé isn’t in love with you, Valeria. He’s desperate.

She took a step back.

—Desperate for what?

Arturo took a small sip before answering.

—Because the Villarreal company is bankrupt.

The glass fell from Camila’s hands and shattered against the marble floor.

The entire gala fell into absolute silence.

Valeria looked at Alejandro.

He didn’t deny anything.

And that destroyed something inside her.

“No…” she whispered.

Alejandro approached quickly.

—Listen to me. I was going to fix it.

—With my money?

—It wasn’t like that at first—

-AT FIRST?

Valeria’s voice echoed throughout the room.

Tears finally filled her eyes.

—So this was all a business deal? The wedding? The plans? The house? The children you wanted to have?

Alejandro clenched his jaw.

And he didn’t answer.

Because I couldn’t.

Because Arturo had just exposed the lie in front of everyone.

Valeria felt like she couldn’t breathe.

For three years she had loved that man.

He had built the foundation.

He had connected with investors.

He had saved contracts.

While he was planning to use his last name, his contacts, and his family’s fortune to rescue his dying empire.

And Camila knew it.

His own sister knew it.

Camila tried to approach.

—Okay… I never meant to hurt you.

Valeria looked at her slowly.

And for the first time in his life, he stopped seeing her as a sister.

—You enjoyed this.

Camila opened her mouth.

But he couldn’t deny it.

Because it was true.

I had always competed with her.

Since childhood.

Thank you for your attention.

For clothes.

By men.

Throughout.

And this time he wanted to win by destroying it.

Then Arturo spoke again.

—This is just the beginning.

Alejandro looked up abruptly.

—What did you do?

Arturo took a black envelope from inside his jacket.

And he left it on the main table at the gala.

—Your father asked me for a loan of one hundred and twenty million dollars six months ago.

Valeria felt an immediate dizziness.

Several people began to murmur in horror.

Alejandro closed his eyes.

Like a man who already knew what was coming.

“He signed using shares that didn’t legally belong to him yet,” Arturo continued. “Shares that were planned to be transferred after your marriage to Valeria Montes.”

Valeria stopped breathing.

It wasn’t just Alexander.

The entire Villarreal family planned to use it.

Arturo slowly opened the envelope.

Inside there were contracts.

Signatures.

Bank documents.

And a clause marked in red.

In the event of a marriage, the partial control of the Montes Foundation would be merged with the Villarreal assets.

Valeria began to tremble.

-My God…

Alejandro finally exploded.

—My father did this, not me!

Arturo watched him without emotion.

—But you seduced the woman to achieve it.

Alejandro remained silent.

Because again…

It was true.

Valeria felt like something inside her had just broken.

She had not only lost the man she loved.

He discovered that it never existed.

The entire room watched in absolute silence as she slowly looked at the engagement ring on her hand.

The diamond now looked dirty.

Empty.

Liar.

Alejandro took a step towards her.

—Valeria… I swear that in the end I did fall in love with you.

She raised her tear-filled eyes.

And that phrase finished destroying her.

Because maybe it was true.

But it arrived too late.

With trembling hands, she took off the ring.

And he dropped it into the champagne glass in front of him.

The sound of the diamond hitting the glass was almost unbearably quiet.

—I hope that helps pay off your debts.

Camila let out a trembling breath.

Alejandro seemed unable to move.

But Arturo…

Arturo continued to observe Valeria in a strange way.

Not like a man watching a show.

But rather like someone remembering something lost a long time ago.

Then one of Arturo’s assistants quickly approached and whispered something in his ear.

And for the first time all night…

Arturo’s face changed.

Valeria noticed it.

It was minimal.

But that’s enough.

Worry.

Arturo turned around immediately.

—The party’s over for me.

But before leaving, he looked at Valeria.

—Come with me.

She blinked in confusion.

-That?

—You shouldn’t stay here.

Alejandro reacted immediately.

—She won’t go with you.

Arturo looked at him slowly.

And the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

—That’s not your place to decide anymore.

Valeria didn’t understand why…

But she ended up following him.

Perhaps because he had nothing left.

Perhaps because staying meant breaking down in front of everyone.

Or perhaps because Arturo Bellucci was the only man all night who hadn’t lied to her.

---

The rain was falling heavily on Paseo de la Reforma when the black car moved through the city.

Valeria remained silent.

Arturo too.

Until finally she spoke.

—Why did he help me?

Arturo watched the rain from outside the window.

—Because I hate men who use good women as tools.

—That doesn’t answer my question.

He barely smiled.

—You’re smart.

Valeria stared at him.

—What is your relationship with Alejandro?

Arturo took a few seconds to respond.

—Your family owes me a lot of money.

—That’s not the whole truth either.

Arturo turned slowly towards her.

And for the first time…

He looked tired.

Very tired.

—I met your mother thirty-five years ago.

Valeria’s heart stopped.

-That?

—Before she married your father.

Valeria felt a chill run down her spine.

—How did you know my mother?

Arturo remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he answered gently:

—Because I was the great love of his life.

The whole world seemed to stop.

Valeria stared at him, unable to breathe.

-Not…

Arturo slowly took an old photograph out of his wallet.

The image showed a young woman who looked exactly like Valeria smiling next to a much younger Arturo.

She felt her hands begin to tremble.

—My mother never spoke about you.

-I know.

—Then… why are you showing me this?

Arturo stared at her for a long time.

And finally, she told the truth that changed everything.

—Because there’s a possibility that you’re my daughter.

Valeria felt the air disappear completely from inside the car.

Tears filled her eyes.

—That’s impossible…

But deep down…

for the first time in his life…

He remembered something strange.

The eyes.

All her life people said that her eyes didn’t resemble those of the Montes family.

They were too dark.

Too intense.

Exactly the same as Arturo Bellucci’s.

She began to cry silently.

And Arturo, the man who terrorized businessmen, politicians, and criminals…

She simply offered him a handkerchief with trembling hands.

Because at that moment he no longer looked like a mobster.

He just looked like a man terrified that he had found too late the only person who could truly call him father.

END.