Mi Vie | C. Madrigal |

「Ce Soir」

"Stay."

'What?'

Bruno and Ria stood frozen in their own shock as Carlos waited for her response with anticipation. He watched as her brows furrowed and a forced smirk slowly formed. She let out a scoff that echoed her disbelief. Carlos knew exactly what she was about to say and it pissed him off.

"You shouldn't joke like that, Carlos."

"I'm not joking."

"You have to be."

"Ria-"

"CARLOS! I can't be responsible for another terrible incident!"

Her volume rose along with her panic. The different possible scenarios of how she could destroy everything ran through her mind all at once. Her vision found the floor as it began to blur. Her hands flew to the roots of hair and gripped them tightly without her knowledge.

Carlos quickly slipped his hands gently around her wrists to guide them away from her hair.

"Ria," he spoke sternly, "you and I both know you're innocent. You don't deserve the way they treat you."

Ria pulled her vision away from the floor and made contact with Carlos'. Though his grasp on her wrists was gentle, his eyes revealed he

"But what if they see me? What if it happens again? And they get the opportunity to blame me all over again?"

"After Antonio receives his gift and they see you, they will finally understand the incident was never your fault. If the ceremony fails again it's the perfect revenge for mistreating you."

"But your little brother has done nothing to me."

"True..." his mischievous smirk appeared once again, "but imagine the look on Abuela's face if it fails."

Alma Madrigal.

Ria couldn't help but mirror the expression on her best friend's face. Almost the entirety of the Madrigal family hated her. Though there was one that ruthless in her passive aggression toward her. The thought of the family's matriarch horrified face eased Ria's mind.

Carlos was right. It's the perfect revenge.

"Of course you both know that Antonio is definitely going to get his gift," Bruno added.

"Of course."

"Obviously," Ria said.

"So," Carlos continued," you're staying?"

Ria nodded and Carlos felt proud of her for making that decision. He let go of Ria's wrists and plopped back down on the chair he was sitting in before. He picked up his book and began to tune everyone out once more.

"WHERE IS CARLOS?!"

Carlos fell out of his chair from the sudden scream of his mother. Even though the scream came from another part of the house and the other side of wall it sounded as if Pepa was in the same room as them. Carlos scrambled up and searched the clock.