Chapter 5%
It was Salvatore. He stormed in with security guards and a few police officers right behind him. The second the thugs saw the cops, they backed off fast.
One of them pointed straight at Queenie. “She told us to do it. Said it was her house and she didn’t like the furniture. Told us to wreck it. We didn’t touch them!”
“Yeah,” another one chimed in, “we didn’t lay a finger on those two!”
“Everyone here saw it,” said a third.
Queenie didn’t even try to deny it. “Yeah, I told them. So what?”
Salvatore didn’t even look at her. He walked right past and came straight to me and my mom, eyes wide, face pale.
Queenie’s face twisted when she saw that. She stomped over and grabbed his arm. “Dad! You didn’t hear what happened. That woman and her daughter were yelling at me! They said they were gonna beat me up. I was just trying to put them in their place, let them know who runs the Santiago family.”
My mom had already pulled herself together. She looked Salvatore dead in the eye and said, calm but firm, “Your daughter is the same age as Yesenia. I can’t even look at you the same way anymore. You’ve disgusted me, Salvatore. Say whatever you want, I’m divorcing you.”
Queenie clung to his hand like her life depended on it. “Dad, come on! I didn’t care when they started getting involved in your marriage with Mom. I stayed quiet! But they’re the shameless ones! What was I supposed to do, just let them walk all over me?“}
Salvatore stood there for a long moment, staring at the mess all over the floor; broken glass, torn cushions, jewelry trampled into the carpet. His mouth opened, then closed again like he was still processing what just happened.”
“This is a family issue,” he finally said, his voice low. “Everyone else, please leave.“}
The thugs glanced at each other, shrugged and walked out. The security guards followed. Even the classmates, who had been gleefully recording, awkwardly slipped out the door one by one.
Salvatore turned to the police. “Officers, thank you. There’s no need to intervene, we’ll handle it from here. I promise this won’t happen again.”
Once the door shut behind the last person, the atmosphere shifted. Without a word, Salvatore spun toward Queenie and slapped her hard across the face.”
“Have you lost your mind?” he barked. “Do you even realize what you just destroyed? Do you know how much all this stuff is worth? That collection alone could’ve kept you and your mother living like royalties for the rest of your lives!”
Queenie stood frozen, holding her cheek, her face pale with shock. “Dad… why did you hit me?“>
But Salvatore wasn’t looking at her anymore.
He turned to my mom, his face crumbling with guilt and dropped to his knees right there in front of her. “My wife, please, let me explain. You’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t cheat, how could I? Queenie isn’t my daughter. I was just helping her out, she was a student I sponsored, that’s all. She made this up… I swear.”}
My mom said nothing. Her expression didn’t change, but the silence between them felt heavy enough to crush the room.”
I took a step forward, arms crossed.}
“Oh? So she made it all up, huh?” I said, voice sharp. “Then how do you explain the marriage certificate she pulled out earlier? Or the family registry? The photos of you two together? We saw it all. She didn’t make this up, she brought the receipts.”}
Secret Daughter Tried to Frase Us But Karma Came for Them.
