Adrian remained standing where he was. Ever since entering the living room, he had not taken his eyes off Gabriel. The young man stood rigidly, his jaw clenched as though he were holding back something far greater than mere anger.
Across from him, Gabriel remained seated calmly. Unlike his visibly tense son, his face reflected an unshakable conviction.
“So you’re serious, Dad?” Adrian’s voice was low, but full of resistance.
Gabriel lifted his gaze. “Yes.”
That brief answer only made Adrian draw a long breath.
“Only two weeks.”
Gabriel frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
Adrian took several steps closer.
“She’s only worked in this house for two weeks.” He pointed toward Mariana, who stood silently beside Liliana.
“And in just two weeks, you decided to marry her.”
Mariana lowered her head. Her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She had never imagined that coming to the house to work would turn into a situation like this. Gabriel did not change in the slightest.
“I’ve thought this decision through carefully.”
“No!”
Adrian cut him off at once. He shook his head slowly, his eyes still fixed on his father.
“That isn’t a well-considered decision, Dad. It’s a decision you made far too quickly.”
The atmosphere in the living room grew even heavier. Mariana finally spoke carefully.
“Mr. Adrian... I never meant to cause a situation like this.”
Adrian did not even look at her. “I wasn’t asking you.”
The words silenced Mariana. Liliana, who had been trying to hold herself back, finally raised her face. She saw how her mother kept enduring suspicious looks and cutting remarks even though Mariana had done nothing wrong.
“Please don’t speak to my mother like that.”
Liliana’s voice was not loud, but it was enough to make Adrian turn toward her. For the first time, their eyes met.
Adrian saw a girl who looked ordinary but had the courage to stand up and protect her mother. Meanwhile, Liliana saw a man so cold that it was impossible to tell what was truly going through his mind.
“You’re her daughter?”
“Yes.”
Liliana answered without hesitation. Adrian studied her for several seconds.
“Then teach your mother to know her place.”
Liliana’s fingers curled into fists. “My mother hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“That remains to be seen.”
“My mother only works in this house.”
“And now she’s going to become my father’s wife.”
Adrian’s tone remained flat, but every word sounded like an accusation. Liliana restrained her emotions.
“That wasn’t my mother’s request.”
“Then whose request was it?”
Liliana fell silent. She had no answer. Because she herself still found it difficult to understand how everything had happened. She had only come that morning to pick up Mariana as usual. But a few minutes later, she heard that her mother was going to marry the owner of the house.
Adrian turned back to Gabriel.
“I want a reason.”
Gabriel slowly rose from his chair. Not angrily, but with the firmness of a father who had already made up his mind.
“Because I love her.”
The room fell silent at once. Adrian stared at his father as if he could not believe that answer.
“You love her?”
“Yes.”
“After two weeks?”
Gabriel glanced briefly at Mariana before looking back at his son.
“Sometimes, a person doesn’t need years to recognize someone’s sincerity.”
Adrian let out a humorless laugh.
“You still believe in sincerity?”
“I believe in my own judgment,” Gabriel replied. “You trust other people too much.”
“No.”
Gabriel shook his head. “I only trust Mariana.”
Adrian shifted his gaze to the woman who had been standing silently until then.
“But I don’t.”
He walked closer—not aggressively, but enough to make the tension in the room rise again.
“I don’t know who you were before you started working in this house.”
Mariana remained silent.
“I don’t know about your past. I don’t know what your reason was for taking this job.”
Mariana drew a quiet breath.
“I accepted this job because I needed money to live.”
Adrian gave her a sharp look. “That’s an answer anyone could give.”
“I’m telling the truth,” Mariana replied briefly.
“Everyone says the same thing when they want to be trusted.”
Mariana lowered her head. A hurt look began to surface in her eyes, but she tried to remain calm.
Gabriel stepped forward. “That’s enough, Adrian.”
But Adrian did not back down. “Not yet.”
Disappointment filled Gabriel’s gaze. “You’ve gone too far.”
“I’m only protecting you, Dad.”
“I don’t need your protection.”
Adrian sighed. “Ever since Mom died, too many women have approached you.”
Gabriel fell silent. “I’ve seen all of them.”
Adrian clenched his fists. “They came with concern, smiles, and sweet words.”
He paused for a moment. “Then they left after getting what they wanted.”
His gaze fell on Mariana again. “I won’t let the same thing happen again.”
Mariana closed her eyes for a moment. She felt as though the entire room were pressing down on her.
Finally, she straightened.
“Mr. Gabriel...” Her voice was soft. “It seems Liliana and I should leave.”
Gabriel immediately looked at her. “You don’t have to leave.”
“I don’t want to ruin the relationship between you and your son.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
Mariana shook her head. “But all of this is happening because of me.”
Before Gabriel could answer, Adrian spoke first.
“For the first time...” He paused briefly. “I agree with you.”
Mariana froze. Those words felt more painful than his anger had been. Liliana immediately took her mother’s hand. She could feel Mariana’s hand trembling slightly.
The girl looked at Adrian again. But this time, there was no confusion left in her eyes. Only anger remained. Because to Liliana, the man standing before her was no longer merely the son of a wealthy man.
He was someone who had just hurt her mother. And Liliana would not remain silent.
To be continued...