"Venice, you're the woman I love most in this world. I can't live without you. Stay by my side, behave, and get along with Stefanie. When the time is right, I'll marry you. Don't fight me anymore—I don't want to see you sad. It hurts me too."
The words were barely out when his phone rang.
"Mr. McAuliffe," his assistant reported, "Miss Cervantes just had a fight with her family and ran away from home..."
His expression darkened.
"I'm on my way."
He hung up, ordered the guards to watch Venice closely, and left without another glance.
Back in her room, Venice locked the doors and windows.
Once she was sure no one could hear her, she picked up her phone and dialed a number she hadn't called in eight years.
"Dad," she whispered, her voice clear and steady. "I've made up my mind. I'm ready to return to the Robles family and fulfill my engagement with Adam."
Adam was Kevin's younger uncle.
Venice had never been mute, nor was she truly a café owner. Her true identity was the only daughter of the world's richest man.
Pretending to be a mute had been part of a bet—a test her father set, to see whether Kevin's love for her was genuine.
And now, Venice knew the answer.