Chapter 18

*Tina's POV*

"Here we are," Alejandro said as he switched off the engine of his car.

I got out of the car and my eyes opened in awe. We were at his home. If I could even call it that. This was a freaking mansion that had a front yard that was almost the size of the city park. There was a fountain at the center of the yard. The twin statues at the top gushed out clean water that sparkled under the moonlight. Even the ground I walked on was smooth and spotless. This place was beautiful and marvelous. If I died, I wanted this to be my heaven.

"Are you alright, Tina?" I felt Alejandro's hand on my back and I blinked.

"Yeah." I stared into his worried eyes. "Why?"

"Well, you have been looking lost for five minutes," he said. "And you haven't been paying attention to a word I've been saying."

I was surprised. I had been standing on that spot for five minutes? He was talking for five minutes? How the hell did time pass so fast?

"Sorry." I shook my head. "It's just this place."

I surveyed the large front yard again. "I've never seen a place so big."

"Are you serious?" He raised an eyebrow as he led me towards the large door.

"Yeah," I replied. "This place is paradise. It's so beautiful and peaceful."

His lips pursed in a thin line. An expression I couldn't decipher formed on his face as he pressed the bell. He glanced towards me and a calm smile was on his face.

"Peaceful, eh?" he said. "I'm happy you feel that way."

I returned his smile as the door opened. I recognized the person behind as the man that was with Armando the time I was hospitalized. Although, I had forgotten his name. He was dressed as the way I remember. A black chauffeur uniform with gold silver buttons and a badge on his left breast pocket.

"Good evening, Senor." His wrinkled face broke into a smile as he bowed courteously towards Alejandro.

"Gustavo." Alejandro nodded.

Ah, Gustavo. That was his name. I remember now.

"Miss Campbell." Gustavo faced me with a smile. "A pleasure to see you again. I'm sure the Master will be delighted to see you again."

I raised my eyebrows in confusion and glanced sideways at Alejandro. Wasn't he seeing me right there on the spot? Seeing my visible confusion, Gustavo chuckled.

"Not the young Senor," he said. "I mean Senor Armando."

"Ah," I said. It had been a while since I saw Armando and I suddenly felt guilty. The man was the reason I bounced back from a downward spiral and I nearly forgot about him. I deserved to be flogged on my backside. Suddenly an image of a malicious grinning Kelly with a whip invaded my mind and I quickly shuddered.

"Are you alright?" I realized that Alejandro was staring at me in concern.

"Yeah." I grinned sheepishly, rubbing my arm.

"Where is Padre?" Alejandro asked Gustavo as we stepped inside. He took off my coat and hung it by a nearby rack. I felt my insides flutter at the gesture. I was so loving this side of him. A pity it's not seen in the office.

"In the living room," Gustavo replied. "He's not alone."

We stared at him and from the nervous look in his eyes, Alejandro understood the statement.

"Mother." His voice was icy. "She's here, isn't she?"

Gustavo nodded slowly. Alejandro grounded his jaw, startling me a bit. He glanced towards me.

"Sorry." He smiled apologetically. Gustavo bowed and made his exit.

"It's okay." I caressed his face. "I'm more worried about you wrecking your glass jaw."

We laughed as I pulled my hands away. He grabbed them and kissed my knuckles. My heart warmed at his warm lips on my fingers. His eyes focused on mine as he pulled his lips away. I felt blood rush below. I didn't want those lips on my fingers, I wanted them somewhere else. I knew the thought was selfish but I was impatient. Months without getting action was getting to me and I was not such a strong believer in sex toys. I needed the real thing and Alejandro's inadvertent sexual teasing was taking me to a boiling point.

Alejandro's glanced towards the living room where we could hear voices.

"Let's get this over with." He took my hand and led me to the living room.

If I thought the outside was heaven, then I was in for a shock. The living room screamed money and gold. Everything virtually sparkled. The ground shone so bright I could see my reflection in it. There was a large chandelier with hung above and it was made of gold. Who the hell uses a golden chandelier? A large flat screen was mounted on the wall and it displayed the evening news.

Watching the news was Armando and another woman. She was quite beautiful and seemed to be in her late forties. This was obviously Alejandro's mother.She had brown hair with greying streaks at the side, grey curious eyes, and thin red lips. Armando may have gotten his eyes from his father but this woman was a total knockout. Which means whichever genes Alejandro inherited, he would have turned out a hunk regardless.

"Miss Campbell." Armando's eyes lit up as soon as he saw us. I smiled nervously as the woman's gaze focused on me.

"Good evening, sir," I said to Armando. Despite his smile, he looked a bit frail and I couldn't help but worry.

"It has been a while. I wasn't expecting Alejandro to bring a guest." His eyes shifted to his son as he said the second sentence.

My eyes widened in surprise and I stared at Alejandro. He didn't inform his father that he was bringing me to dinner? Was he kidding me? He smiled smugly in response.

"And there's a smile," the woman finally spoke, a sly smile on her face. "I haven't seen that in years."

"Mother," Alejandro said plainly, the smile disappearing from his face. I had no idea if that was a greeting.

"It's good to see you again,Alejandro." Her smile widened.

"I wish I could say the same," Alejandro spat. I saw venom flash in his eyes. What was the reason for his obvious dislike to his mother? That was something I hoped to find out when he was in a better mood. Hopefully, that wouldn't stir up something disastrous.

"Alejandro!" Armando bellowed, startling everyone. "Do not speak to your mother that way. Despite the current circumstance, she is still your mother. As long as you stay under my roof, you show her respect. Do I make myself clear?"

Tension filled the air as father and son engaged in a face off. I shuddered at the similarities between the two men, more so the rage of Armando. I had seen Alejandro angry lots of times but seeing the same emotion from his father was quite scary. The calm sweet man who spoke to me at the hospital seemed to be gone. I took note of something. Being in the same vicinity with two angry billionaires was a recipe for disaster. The fact that were Mexicans increased my worries. If there was one thing I knew about Mexicans, it was that they could be unpredictable when triggered. I hoped that wasn't racist in anyway.

I grabbed Alejandro's hand and stared at him in worry. His eyes shifted to mine momentarily and he faltered.

"Understood," he mumbled.

I breathed in relief as the tension dissipated and Armando's anger vanished.

"Good," he said. "Now what's left is dinner."

Right. Dinner. I swallowed a bit as we moved towards the dining area. Please, let there not be any more family drama.