GETTING THE HEART OF THE CEO

Maximiano, upon seeing his wife approaching with a lost look, kissed his son on the forehead and lifted him from his lap. He looked at his mother who was beside him and exclaimed, “Mom! Take Max with his cousins and stay with them. I need to provide support for the rescue of Lin and her sister.”

Cecilia, with nerves on edge from what happened, grabbed her grandson by one hand and with the other clung to her cane, starting to walk towards the interior of the mansion.

Maximino took strides until he reached his wife, hugged her with emotion, and gave her a tender kiss. “My brave little one, thanks for saving our son. There’s no doubt that God had mercy on me and sent me the best mother and wife in the world. Everything is over, my love. Leave the fate of your mother in my hands; she will only be a bad memory in your mind.”

Stefany was enchanted by his words and lifted her face, drawing a confident smile. “Maxi, now I feel like my past has vanished. I want to be happy with my new family.”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Of course, my little one,” he turned to where Janna and a melancholic Luan were. “Now go with Janna and her friend to support them. You are strong, and they need you. I’ll see how the search for the sisters is going.”

Stefany gave him a rough kiss and passed by his side, reaching where her friends were. Jimena, still in shock from what happened, was trying to convince Janna to go and rest.

“Stefany, my dear, I’m sorry for what you had to go through,” Jimena expressed with melancholy.

“I’m fine, Jimena. I’ve freed myself from a burden. Now, let’s take this woman to one of the rooms.”

“I’ve been trying to convince her for a while, and nothing,” Luan said.

“I want to know what was happening with Lin. They’re not saying anything.”

“Janna, the men will take care of her search. We can’t do anything; we’ll only get in the way. Let’s go to the room, change into something more comfortable, and wait for news. Fernanda must be worse than us. Also, think about your princess.”

“All right.”

“I’m going to the foster home. Guys, I’ll be in touch with you to know about my girls.”

The three young ones nodded, walking towards the mansion, huddled together in the mud. Janna met her husband’s gaze, and they exchanged warm smiles.

Mario approached Isa, who was overflowing with adrenaline. “We made a good team. Thanks for helping me control the situation.”

“You’re welcome. Now it’s our turn to look for Lin, Courney, and Oriana.”

An hour earlier, Isa and Mario left the celebration for the newlyweds’ new mansion. They were responsible for taking photos and ensuring everything was ready for their arrival. Lindsey and Kyle bought a mansion for Janna and Freed a few kilometers away from theirs. They considered each other as siblings, and that was their wedding gift-dreaming that the children would grow up together.

Isa and Mario were on their way back when they noticed three strange men at the entrance of the mansion. Isa covered her mouth in surprise at the appearance of each man and the firearms they carried. Mario continued without stopping, glancing at what he could see from his car inside the property.

“What do we do? Should we call the police? There are so many men,” Isa’s voice was shaky, revealing the nerves that had already taken over her body.

“By the time the police arrive, everything will be over, and who knows if there’ll be a massacre included,” Mario continued driving to get out of that street and take the detour. “From what we saw, those men won’t hesitate to kill. Do you know how to use firearms?”

“I’ve practiced at the shooting range, but I’ve never killed anyone.”

“I advise you to keep a cool head; we have something to do, and we need to do it quickly.” He searched under his seat and pulled out an extra firearm hidden there, handing it to Isa. “It’s better if you tighten that dress of yours to make it easier to defend yourself.”

“I have an idea. Can you handle those three?” Isa asked, eagerly awaiting his response.

Mario burst into laughter, and with a deep, firm voice, he replied. “You’re dealing with a former soldier from the United States Army.”

“Let me tell you my plan. I’ll drive the car and approach the mansion’s entrance, acting as if I’m distracted and arriving late. While I engage them in conversation, you exit from the other side of the car, surround them, and disarm them.”

“Let’s get going.”

Mario stopped the car, got out, and moved to the back seat. Isa did the same, taking the driver’s seat.

That’s how, little by little, they managed to disarm some men and sneak in, handing firearms to their friends, and successfully restoring order without any casualties.

Back at the mansion, two hours had passed since the kidnapping. Oscar contacted his FBI friend, Damian, who took charge of the case. Catrina and Fabiana were detained for interrogation, hoping that one of them would provide information about the kidnappers.

The women, however, remained tight-lipped, revealing only their connection to Kathen. He had sought them out, offering help to one in recovering her son and to the other in obtaining money.

Kyle’s anxiety grew as each minute passed without news of his wife. Grandpa Hugo made a couple of calls to his underworld contacts, leveraging owed favors. Upon learning details about the attackers, including the man behind the operation, he approached his grandson and Oscar, who seemed like caged lions.

“Kid! The one who assisted Kathen in his madness is a poor mobster named Fabricio Reyes. According to my contact, he runs a gang of criminals in the west of Los Angeles.”

“Thanks, Grandpa Hugo. I’ll pass the information to Damian,” Oscar said, taking out his mobile phone to relay the details.