—19—

[Lucero's POV]

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" I grit out, pushing him until his back hits the wall behind him. The sound of a satisfying crack on the wall echoes.

"Now, cousin. Remove your hand from my shirt, we don't want to cause any trouble now?" He looks behind me and I follow his line of sight until they meet with Cara's. "Is that your girl?" He licks his teeth.

Turning my head slowly toward Paulo I say, "Watch it." and squeeze his collar tighter.

"Why are your eyes red? Did I hit a nerve?" He chuckles and brushes my hands off his collar. "Darling!" He calls out to someone behind me and Dalia quickly rushes past me towards him, chuckling.

"Hi baby." Dalia gushes and kisses Paulo's cheeks.

A confused looking Cara comes up beside me and raises a confusing eyebrow up. "Hello, I'm Paulo, Dalia's boyfriend. So honored to meet my cousin's.." Paulo looks down at Cara's fingers and when he doesn't see any ring he continues, "..girlfriend." He offers his hand to Cara who refuses to shake it and stands tall by my side.

I look at her, proud of what she's doing.

Paulo coughs uncomfortably and nudges Dalia on her shoulder. "Let's go, I want to meet your mother. She must be expecting me, huh?" Holding the box of gifts on his other hand and taking Dalia's hand on his other he nods once at me and goes on his merry way.

"Cousin?" Cara scoffs from beside me. "You don't even look similar." She follows behind them, me behind her.

Cara sees them entering a room and stays outside, half eavesdropping on them.

I stand behind her looking straight into Paulo's eyes. He sees me and smirks weirdly.

"By the way, did you guys meet my cousin."

"The one we sell Cara off to?" Cara's aunt, Maria asks.

"Yeah, that one. He came here with another girl today." Paulo gaslights and says with a note higher. "Seems he's gotten tired of what's her name?"

"Cara." Cara's uncle, Pablo, answers for him and they all cheer.

"Not gonna lie, she's actually not that bad." Dalia says and they all stop talking.

"Not that bad? I've been enduring her long enough to know that she is 'that' bad." Maria scoffs loudly.

I stay out of Paulo's vision and see Cara wiping a single tear falling from her eye. She sniffs quietly and says, "I want to go back."

Without further explanation, I take her hand in mine and pull her away from the scene. When we get to the car, I open the passenger door for her and give her a couple of minutes after she gets into the car to cry her heart out.

I find she needs her own space sometimes and that's what I'm giving her.

Once she stops sobbing I knock on the window and ask, "You good?" She only nods and tells me I can get in the car now.

"I did that on purpose." I admit and lock the door, starting the engine.

"I know." She sniffles and pulls her feet up, hugging them and leaning on the door.

"Sorry, you had to know, even though it was a jerk move." I turn left to our street and park the car in front of the mansion.

She doesn't say anything after that and I open the door for her, watching her body sag when she gets out of the car, I rush to her side and hold her hips. Cara reaches her hand out to me and steadies herself.

"I'm ok." is what she says before she completely runs up to her room and locks herself in for the rest of the day.

"You need to eat." I knock on her door for the tenth times today and receive an "I know" and then utter silence. "I'll tell Jenna to bring your food." is my last attempt to bring her out.

"I don't want her to see me like this, so don't call her." She opens the door and looks at me with red eyes. "I'll eat later."

Before she closes the door on my face I push the tiny box inside her room and hear her gasps.

She opens the door again and asks, "What's this?"

I nudge my chin for her to open it, she looks at me suspiciously and opens it to reveal a kitten doll.

Cara looks at me for a second and then suddenly she engulfs me in a suffocating hug.

"Stop it." I let out and she lets me go.

"Sorry, it's too cute." She says and waves goodbye at me, hugging her new doll and hopping off downstairs.

"Are you happy now?" I follow behind her.

"Very." She chimes and shows everyone she passes by her new toy and tells them different names each time. "Ok, I'm positive, this kitty is going to be named Kitten!" She smiles to herself and walks into the kitchen.

"It's not meant for a show-off." I passed her a plate full of her favorite food.

"What? Why not?" Cara looks down at Kitten and sits down on the tool, putting the kitten on the seat beside her and starts to chew on her food.

Deciding I'm done with her questions and have no energy left to answer, I leave her to continue her little show off and mind my own business. She shouts a 'hey', but I'm already out of her sight.

I walk up and enter my office, Rhys is already sitting there with both of his feet propped up on my desk. He puts off his cigarette on the ash tray and says, "We need to talk."