That morning should have ended like any other day.
After breakfast, Mariana would usually return to the kitchen, clear the dining table, and continue with the other tasks waiting for her. Nothing special. There was no reason for her to think her life would change within a matter of hours.
But that day was different.
Ever since Adrian had left the family room, the atmosphere in the Giordano mansion had never truly returned to normal.
The servants, who were usually busy hurrying back and forth, now spent most of their time keeping their heads down. Of course, they had all heard the news spreading from one mouth to another.
Mr. Gabriel was going to get married.
And the woman who would become his wife was a housekeeper who had only been working in the house for two weeks.
Mariana tried to ignore it all.
She returned to the kitchen and began washing a few dishes. Her hands moved as usual, but her thoughts kept returning to the conversation that morning.
Adrian's gaze.
The tone of his voice.
The way the man had looked at her as if Mariana were someone to be suspected.
Mariana sighed.
She didn't entirely blame Adrian.
A child was bound to question his father's decision if it felt so sudden.
The only thing she couldn't understand was Gabriel.
Why was he so certain about her?
They had only known each other for two weeks.
Mariana stared at the water continuing to flow from the faucet.
That question had actually arisen the first time Gabriel told her about his intentions.
But she had never dared to ask him.
Not because she was afraid.
But because she felt unworthy.
Gabriel was the owner of this mansion. A man whose life existed far above her own.
And Mariana?
She was merely a mother who had spent years struggling to provide for herself and her daughter.
There was nothing special about her.
At least, that was what she had always thought.
"Mom."
Liliana's voice made Mariana start.
She quickly turned off the faucet and looked over.
Liliana stood in the kitchen doorway, carrying her bag.
"You haven't gone home yet?" Mariana asked.
"I want to keep you company for a while."
Mariana gave her a small smile.
"You don't need to worry."
"That's exactly why I'm worried—you always say that," Liliana replied as she moved closer.
She took the dishcloth from her mother's hand and began drying the dishes that had already been washed.
Mariana watched her daughter.
Liliana had been that way since she was little.
She didn't talk much, but she was always attentive.
"I'm sorry," Mariana said at last.
Liliana stopped moving.
"For what?"
"For dragging you into this mess."
Liliana set down the plate in her hand.
"You didn't cause any trouble."
Mariana gave a bitter smile.
"If only I hadn't worked here..."
"Mom."
Liliana's tone was firmer this time.
"You work because we need the money. There's nothing shameful about that."
Mariana fell silent.
Liliana reached for her mother's hand.
"I'm proud of you, Mom."
Mariana's eyes began to fill with tears.
But before she could answer, the sound of footsteps came from outside the kitchen.
A young servant appeared in the doorway.
"Mariana."
Mariana immediately turned.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Gabriel is asking you to come to his study."
Mariana's heart began beating a little faster.
"Now?"
The servant nodded.
"He said there's something he needs to discuss with you."
Mariana exchanged a look with Liliana.
Something about those words made her uneasy. Mariana wiped her hands and hurried out of the kitchen area.
Gabriel's study was on the second floor.
The room was vastly different from the family room. There weren't many decorations—only tall bookshelves, a large desk, and several old paintings covering the walls.
Mariana stood in front of the door.
She knocked twice.
"Come in."
Gabriel's voice came from inside.
Mariana opened the door.
Gabriel was standing near the window. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his gaze was directed toward the garden.
"You called for me, Mr. Gabriel?"
Gabriel turned around.
"Yes."
Mariana stood with both hands folded in front of her.
Gabriel studied the woman's face for a few moments before finally saying,
"Sit down."
Mariana hesitated.
But in the end, she took the chair across from the desk.
Gabriel didn't sit down right away.
Instead, he walked toward a wooden cabinet in the corner of the room.
From inside, he took out a small black box.
Mariana frowned.
What did that object have to do with her?
Gabriel returned to the desk.
He placed the box directly in front of Mariana.
"This belongs to you."
Mariana stared at the object.
Her brow furrowed.
"I don't understand."
"Take a look."
Mariana slowly opened the box.
Her breath caught instantly.
Inside was an old photograph.
It showed a young woman standing in front of a simple house.
Mariana knew that woman.
She knew her very well.
It was her own face.
But the photograph wasn't merely a picture of her.
Standing beside her was a man whose face she knew all too well.
Gabriel.
Mariana froze.
Her hands began to tremble.
"Mr. Gabriel..."
Gabriel didn't answer.
Mariana lifted the photograph with both hands.
Memories that had long been buried deep in her mind suddenly resurfaced one by one.
A meeting many years ago.
A promise.
A name she had never heard again.
And an event that had changed her life.
"How do you have this photograph, Mr. Gabriel?"
Mariana's voice was barely audible.
Gabriel stared deeply at her.
"Because I knew you long before two weeks ago."
Mariana's chest felt tight.
She looked at the man in front of her as if she were seeing him for the first time.
"Impossible."
Gabriel slowly shook his head.
"Unfortunately, it's the truth."
Mariana lowered her head and stared at the photograph.
A single question arose in her mind.
If Gabriel had known her all those years ago...
Why had he only approached her now?
And even more frightening...
What exactly had Gabriel been hiding all these years?
Elsewhere, Adrian still didn't know that the investigation he had just ordered would lead him to a name he had never expected.
The name of someone from his father's past.
And when that secret was finally revealed, Adrian might regret ever thinking Mariana Hayes was a woman who had come only to seek the Giordano family's wealth.