The living room door closed softly behind Adrian.
The sound wasn't loud.
And yet, for some reason, it felt like a dividing line splitting the room in two. On one side, Gabriel still stood tall, his expression unreadable. On the other, Mariana could only lower her head while Liliana continued holding her hand, as though she feared her mother would collapse if she let go.
The silence lasted for quite some time.
No one dared to break it.
Gabriel let out a slow breath. His gaze remained fixed on the door his son had just passed through.
"Forgive Adrian."
Those words finally shattered the silence.
Mariana immediately shook her head.
"You don't need to apologize, sir."
"His attitude was unacceptable," Gabriel continued.
"If I were in his position...." Mariana offered a faint smile, though it never truly reached her eyes. "I might have done the same thing."
Gabriel finally turned to her.
"Do you really think so?"
Mariana nodded slowly.
"He was only trying to protect you."
"But he went about it the wrong way." Once again, Gabriel refused to agree with Mariana.
"No child wants to see their parent hurt."
That answer left Gabriel speechless.
He looked at the woman standing before him again.
The longer he knew Mariana, the more he realized one thing.
That woman always tried to understand other people.
Even those who had just hurt her.
Liliana, however, couldn't hide her irritation.
"Mom shouldn't be defending Mr. Adrian."
Mariana turned to her daughter.
"Liliana." Mariana called her daughter's name in a firm tone.
"I heard what he said myself."
The girl bit her lower lip, trying to hold back the emotions that had been filling her chest.
"He looked down on you."
"No."
Mariana gently stroked the back of her daughter's hand.
"He just doesn't know me yet."
Liliana shook her head emphatically.
"If someone doesn't know another person, they shouldn't judge them."
Those words made Gabriel glance at the girl.
For the first time, he saw another side of Liliana.
For the past two weeks, Mariana's daughter had always arrived politely. She picked up her mother, greeted the servants, and left without saying much.
Today....
She had stood up to Adrian Giordano without losing her respect for him even once.
That was a courage few people possessed.
Gabriel smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
Liliana looked confused.
"For what, sir?"
"For defending your mother."
Liliana's face immediately flushed.
"I only said what needed to be said."
"And not everyone would have been brave enough to do that."
Mariana let out a soft sigh.
"Mr. Gabriel."
The man looked at her again.
"I think you still need to reconsider your decision."
Gabriel frowned.
"I don't want to be the reason for a rift between you and your son."
"That won't happen."
"But it already has," Mariana said quickly.
Mariana shifted her gaze toward the door.
"I can see it. Mr. Adrian respects you deeply. And because of that, he's hurt."
The room fell silent again.
Every word Mariana spoke felt so honest that it was difficult to refute.
Gabriel slowly walked toward the large window overlooking the mansion's backyard garden.
The morning sunlight still streamed inside, but its warmth couldn't drive away the chill filling the room.
"I've lived for more than fifty years, Mariana."
His voice was quiet.
"And throughout all that time, I've learned one thing."
Mariana waited.
"There's no decision that can make everyone happy."
The man turned around.
"If I followed Adrian's wishes today, he might smile."
"But I would be betraying the decision I believe is right."
Mariana didn't answer right away.
Instead, she looked down at the marble floor beneath her feet.
"I don't want you to regret it, sir."
Gabriel smiled faintly.
"What if I end up regretting letting you go instead?"
Mariana froze.
That question was too difficult to answer.
From the corner of the room, Liliana watched her mother's face, then Gabriel's, back and forth.
The longer she observed the two of them, the more she felt there was something she didn't know.
A man like Gabriel Giordano couldn't possibly make such a major decision out of pity alone.
There had to be another reason.
A reason he had never revealed to anyone.
Meanwhile....
Outside the mansion, Adrian stopped before reaching his car.
His hand still gripped the door handle tightly.
His jaw clenched.
For the first time in his life, he felt incapable of reading his own father's mind.
He glanced toward the living room window.
Mariana's silhouette was still visible there.
The woman looked fragile.
Far too fragile.
And that was precisely what made Adrian even more wary.
Experience had taught him that not everyone showed their true face from the beginning.
He pulled his phone from his suit pocket and searched for a name in his contacts.
The call rang only once.
"Good morning, Mr. Adrian."
"I have a job for you."
Adrian's voice was as calm as usual.
"I want every piece of information about Mariana Hayes."
He paused for a moment.
"Not just her work."
"Her entire life."
The person on the other end of the call sounded hesitant.
"All of it, sir?"
"Yes."
There wasn't the slightest hesitation in Adrian's voice.
"I want to know who she associates with, where she lives, and what her family life is like."
His gaze returned to the mansion.
"And the real reason she came to this house."
The call ended.
Adrian slipped his phone back into his pocket.
His gaze grew even sharper.
"If you're really hiding nothing, Mariana Hayes...." Adrian paused.
"You have nothing to fear from me."