Page 7 of Ruthless Rival

“I know. I’m sorry for going MIA for a minute. There were some family things I needed to take care of,” I replied, keeping my voice vague. They didn’t know about my babies or Alex being killed. They had been kept in the dark about all of those terrible events. What they did know was who I was outside of my pain.

“Well, we have plenty of time to catch up today,” Jenna told me as she looped her arms with mine and Mia’s. She dragged us into the mall, our laughter echoing in the entrance area.

I sent a mental thank you to my late husband Señor Mora and his generosity for leaving everything to me. I didn’t ever have to worry about money, which was a huge deal to me. If I didn’t have his money, I would’ve been forced to crawl back to my father because I would’ve been completely broke. I would have never done such a thing so I have no idea how my life would have turned out if it hadn’t been for Señor Mora.

“I need something cute,” Jenna said as we browsed the racks in Saks Fifth Avenue. “We should go to Bourbon Street sometime.”

“Definitely not at night,” Mia replied as she wrinkled her nose up.

“Oh, come on. Have some fun, Mia,” Jenna replied with a smirk on her face.

“I can’t have fun if I’ve been shot,” Mia muttered.

“This,” I suddenly said as I pulled a dress off the rack.

Jenna and Mia’s eyes immediately rounded at its bold look…bright red with a neckline designed to look like flames. The straps were made of chains, and as form-fitting as a dress could be.

“There are worse things to worry about than the creeps lurking around Bourbon Street,” I assured them before flashing them a smile and walking over to the shoe section. The past version of me wouldn’t have said that. I would’ve been timid like Mia. I would’ve looked at the dress in my hands and blushed at the thought of wearing it. That girl died when my babies were torn from my arms.

“We’re going to be peeling the boys off you.” Mia laughed as we walked out of Saks with bags in our hands. “Those glitter heels you got look delicious.”

“The boys will be thinking something else looks delicious.” Jenna smirked.

I merely smiled and raised my chin while striding through the mall with confidence and purpose. I cherished these enjoyable moments because they rarely happened. When I was with my friends, I could act like I lived a normal life. “I have no time forboys.” I wasn’t interested in dating at all. I had bigger things to focus on.

“But you’re such a hottie,” Jenna pouted. “Put that body to work!”

A squeal left me as she playfully patted my ass, laughter breaking from all of us. She didn’t know it, but I was putting my charms to work. Alberto Mancini would grow attached to me. He would let me in close. Then we would work together to take my father and his cartel down.

“I’ll think about it,” I said playfully before dragging my friends into the salon. I chose bold red nails to go with my dress. If I wanted to catch Alberto’s attention again, I had to stand out. I had tomakehim see me.

The girls and I got our hair done afterward, deciding to treat our entire bodies. Who knew when we would get to experience a good day like this together again? Looking like a million bucks, we walked into a fine dining restaurant and sat down for a much-needed lunch.

“I haven’t been out and about like this in a while,” I admitted as we sipped on wine and shared baked bread.

“It’s really nice seeing you like this,” Mia told me with a warm look on her face. “We were worried when you disappeared for a while.”

Jenna nodded in agreement. “We thought we lost you, but you’re looking better than ever. You seem really happy,” she said with a bright smile.

I looked between them, feeling my heart ache. I wanted them to be right. I wanted to be happy, but I would be lying to myself if I said I had been living the life of a happy person. Anyone working on a revenge plan wasn’t happy. They were miserable.

They wouldn't ever know that, though. They didn’t know that part of me. I didn’t want them to know her. “I am,” I lied right to their faces without even blinking. Hopefully soon, I could tell them the truth.

“Oh! Do you guys remember Izzie from high school?” Mia asked us as she grabbed her phone.

I nodded, faintly remembering the perky, blonde girl from our grade. I wasn’t too close to her, but she was a sweet girl and one of Mia’s close friends.

Mia showed us a picture of a boy around six years old with blonde hair with a newborn baby girl in his arms. He had a huge smile on his face as he peered up at the camera.

“These are her kids, Jake and Natalie. She just had Natalie a few weeks ago, and she’s so precious,” Mia told us.

“Aw, how cute!” Jenna gasped as she took Mia’s phone to get a better look. When she was done, she passed the phone to me.

I stiffly held the phone in my hands, staring down at the photo. A numb, tingling sensation traveled up my sides as the sound of my heartbeat filled my head. For a moment, I forgot to breathe. I wished I knew what it was like to watch my children grow up, to see them smile and care for each other. My babies would be sixteen right now. I didn’t know where they were, no matter how hard I tried to look.

I had no guarantee that they were even alive, but something inside of me told me they were alive and well somewhere. My father was cruel, but I didn’t think he would stoop low enough to kill two newborn babies who were his blood. That would make him el Diablo.

I snapped out of my thoughts when my phone started ringing. I quickly gave Mia hers back before seeing that Ignacio was calling me. My heart rate spiked as I excused myself and hurried to the bathroom for privacy.

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