Page 73 of Thiago
“That is enough, Valentina,” Benicio snapped.
Her head whipped in his direction. “Of course you defend her. This woman has inserted herself into our family?—”
“Inserted?” Bruno interjected, his face turning thunderously dark with fury. “She raised us.”
Valentina looked as if she’d been slapped, red brightening the crests of her cheeks. “I knew it was a mistake to come here. I simply wanted to be supportive and see my first grandchild, but of course, I have to put up with the insulting comparisons between me and this… this woman!”
Benicio’s jaw tightened. “This woman was my wife, and she helped me raise our sons.”
Her gaze fixed on Rose, like a hawk sizing up a rabbit. “Ah yes, she was perfect. Some of us worked hard for our wealth, others married into it.”
Marissa gasped quietly.
“Enough, Valentina. Rosa is a good woman, and if you took the time to get to know her?—”
“Rosa this, Rosa that. You are pathetic. That is not even her name. Her name is Rose, for God’s sake!”
“Mother, stop this now!”
“I will not stop!” Valentina’s voice rose louder with a cutting edge. “Why is she here? I am your mother! She knew I would be here. Why can’t I have a few moments alone with my grandchild before she inserts herself into our family business? Why does everyone act as if she is so perfect? The perfect wife. The perfect mother.”
“Because she is!” Benicio thundered, surging to his feet. “You sent the boys to live with me, and I met Rosa, and we built a life together. She raised them. When she discovered Bruno’s love of cooking, she encouraged his interest and made sure he spent time in the kitchen with her. She taught him how to grow his own vegetables.”
“Yet your perfect little wife divorced you, didn’t she?” Valentina said with spiteful malice.
“Mother—”
“Don’t you dare take her side against me!” Valentina yelled. “I am your mother. You will not treat me like I am the devil, and she is a saint!”
Liam let out a startled cry, and Marissa cradled him closer, rocking him back and forth.
The argument became incomprehensible as Bruno, Benicio, and Valentina lapsed into Spanish. The baby continued to cry, and Marissa’s hands shook as she tried soothing him. Liam’s face turned red and scrunched as he wailed his unhappiness, completely ignoring Marissa as she tried her best to calm him with whispered words.
Rose shot to her feet. “Enough!”
Everyone turned to look at her as the baby’s cries continued to pierce the air.
“Oh good, she’s leaving,” Valentina said.
Rose spoke in a firm voice and elevated her normally soft tone to be heard above the baby’s cries. “No, Valentina, I’m not leaving. You are.”
The room went utterly still. Liam quieted to soft hiccupping sobs, as if he understood a monumental shift was taking place.
Valentina blinked, a stunned expression on her face. “Excuse me?” she said, her voice filled with incredulity.
Resting her hands on her hips, Rose met her gaze calmly. “All that talk, but you have a hotel room in downtown Atlanta because, let’s be honest, you’re not here to help Marissa and Bruno. I don’t know why you’re here, but I do know they don’t need your drama. Marissa has a new baby and needs rest and peace. Bruno is a new father and needs guidance and help so he can support his wife. Liam needs a happy, comfortable home.”
Valentina’s hand balled into a fist. “Are you saying they can’t have those things if I am here?”
Rose drew in a steady breath, keeping her voice quiet and suppressing the anger threatening to spill from inside her. She had never wanted to put her hands around a person’s neck more than she did right then.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Valentina’s mouth fell open, and she clutched her chest in a dramatic display of disbelief. “Who do you think you are?”
“Rose Santana. Mama Rosa. And I don’t care if you like me, Valentina, but what you won’t do—what Iwill notallow you to do—is upset my son and my daughter-in-law during what should be one of the happiest times of their lives.”
Rose took a step closer, her gaze unwavering. “No more insults. No more drama. If you can’t adhere to those rules, you should leave. Right now.”
