from the other side of the tracks, as if I were some charity case. Carlos, blinded by his family’s influence or perhaps simply unwilling to stand up to them, never defended me. He would shrug it off, saying that was just how his family was, promising that things would get better. But they never did.

The incident that changed everything happened at a family gathering. It was supposed to be a festive evening, a celebration of sorts. Little did I know, it was a setup. As the night wore on, Victoria approached me with a chilling smile and proposed a toast. “To Elena,” she announced loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. “The one who clawed her way into our family.”

The room erupted in laughter, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment. Before I could process what was happening, Victoria and her accomplices seized me, tearing at my clothes in a cruel frenzy. Their laughter echoed in the room as they branded me a “Casafortunas,” a gold-digger who didn’t deserve to be a Montemayor. I felt stripped of my dignity, exposed not just physically but emotionally.

But unbeknownst to them, my father, Santiago Herrera, stood in the shadows, witnessing the entire spectacle. He had come to visit me as a surprise, but what he found was his daughter being humiliated. His presence went unnoticed, his fury contained behind a calm exterior.

The following morning, the Montemayor estate received a visitor. Santiago arrived not as the loving father but as the formidable titan the world knew him to be. He was not alone. Accompanied by a team of attorneys and private investigators, he greeted the Montemayor family with an unprecedented legal onslaught.

Victoria’s laughter turned to silence as she was handed documents. The Montemayor family’s numerous financial indiscretions were laid bare for all to see. My father had them cornered with evidence of tax evasion and unsavory business dealings. It was only a matter of time before the authorities would become involved, and there was no escaping the inevitable downfall.

The Montemayors, once so proud and haughty, now stood in shambles, their empire on the brink of collapse—all because they decided to humiliate a woman they wrongly believed to be beneath them. Carlos looked at me, finally understanding the strength I had inherited from my father, and perhaps recognizing the love he had squandered.

My father turned to me, his eyes filled with both love and regret. “No one will ever hurt you like that again,” he promised, embracing me tightly.

The Montemayors, once revered, learned a harsh lesson about underestimating people. And as for me, I walked away not just with justice and a newfound respect, but with the realization that sometimes love is not enough if it doesn’t come with respect.

In the end, my father taught them what true power is—not wealth or influence, but the ability to stand up for those you love, to protect them, and to ensure that justice is served.