Chapter 3 A Bitter Proposal
The De León Lunch
The De León dining room looked like it was waiting for a royal execution. The chandelier glittered mercilessly, the silver gleamed like judgment, and the air reeked of tension and imported lilies.
“Sit up straight,” Soledad commanded. “We face disgrace with posture.”
Alejandro muttered, “Or tequila.”
She smacked his hand with her napkin. “Tequila is for after disgrace.”
From outside, the sound of expensive car doors slamming sent a ripple through the room.
Stephen, pale as the tablecloth, whispered, “They’re here.”
Moments later, Isabella stormed in first—draped in silk and righteous fury. “¡Mi hija! You’ve destroyed us!”
Maritza barely had time to stand. “Mamá, please—”
“Don’t you mamá me!” Isabella snapped, clutching her pearls. “The internet has seen your tongue!”
Alejandro snorted champagne through his nose. Soledad’s hand shot out, smacking him again. “You are not helping.”
Rafael entered behind his wife, quiet but glacial. “Enough. We’ll discuss this like civilized people.”
“Civilized?” Isabella barked. “Our daughter is a meme! My charity group calls her La Escándalo!”
“Catchy,” Alejandro muttered.
Then the doors opened again.
Cole stepped in calmly. He gave a polite nod to everyone at the table. “Señora De León. Mr. and Mrs. De León. I came to apologize.”
“For kissing her once?” Isabella hissed.
Cole hesitated. “Twice.”
The sound of glass shattering cut through the silence.
Maritza groaned into her hands. “You are not helping.”
“Do you always confess this easily, Mr. Harrison?” Rafael asked coldly.
Cole didn’t flinch. “Only when it’s the truth, sir.”
That earned him a sharp little smirk from Soledad. “Interesting. Most men who kiss a De León lie about it.”
Cole looked at her directly. “With respect, ma’am, I’m not most men.”
The temperature shifted. Even Rafael looked vaguely impressed—against his will.
Soledad leaned back in her chair, folding her manicured hands. “Good. Then perhaps you’ll appreciate honesty. We’re short on it around here.”
Maritza groaned softly. “Nana, please don’t—”
“Oh, I will,” Soledad said sweetly. “Mr. Harrison, I’ve been following your record. Yale Law has, strong reputation and a sharp mind. You’re wasted at that dreadful bar job.”
Cole blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I’m offering you a position,” Soledad announced. “General legal advisor for De León Holdings.”
Maritza’s head snapped up. “What?”
Soledad continued as if dictating a royal decree. “Our current team is full of old white men who still fax their memos. We need someone who can actually communicate in this century and knows when to keep his mouth shut.”
Cole blinked, caught between gratitude and disbelief. “That’s… a generous offer.”
“Generosity is relative,” Soledad said, sipping her brandy. “You’ll work directly with Maritza.”
Maritza choked on her water. “Excuse me?!”
Isabella gasped. “Mother, have you lost your mind? This man kissed our daughter multiple times!”
“So he’s motivated,” Soledad said coolly. “And I’d rather keep the one man who didn’t sell her scandal to the press close by.”
Alejandro grinned. “You really are evil, Nana. I love it.”
Soledad ignored him. Her eyes stayed locked on Cole. “Well, Mr. Harrison? Do you accept?”
“I’ll think about it, ma’am. I don’t really like the corporate world.” Cole answered clearly.
The room stilled.
Soledad’s painted lips curved slightly. “Oh, you will like ours, Mr. Harrison. It’s less corporate, more… gladiator arena.”
Alejandro choked on his water. “She’s not kidding.”
Maritza’s stomach twisted. He was supposed to decline—supposed to be smart enough to run away from this mess,
Her mother sighed dramatically. “So you will consider it?”
Cole inclined his head politely. “I respect what your family built. If I can help steady the ship after… recent events, I’ll do what I can.”
Maritza’s fork hit her plate with a sharp clatter. Steady the ship. Her scandal was now a sinking boat.
“We don’t need a savior, Mr. Harrison. We need someone competent, discreet, and unafraid to get their hands dirty.” She lifted her glass. “And you, I suspect, are all three.” Soledad smiled.
He gave a small smile, a hint of dry irony. “Two out of three, maybe.”
Maritza couldn’t breathe.
She forced a brittle laugh. “Wonderful. Just what this family needs, another man who thinks he can fix us.”
Soledad’s eyes flicked to her, sharp as glass. “Enough, Rosa María. He hasn’t even accepted yet.”
“Yet,” Maritza muttered, pushing back her chair. “Key word.”
“Where are you going?” Isabella demanded.
“To remember why I hate brunch.”
Maritza stood on the terrace, the salt air teasing strands of her hair loose. She was barefoot now, her heels discarded beside the railing, a cigarette glowing between her fingers. She didn’t even like smoking; it just gave her something to do besides think about him.
The door clicked behind her.`
“I thought you didn’t smoke,” Cole said.
She didn’t turn. “I thought you didn’t take jobs from women who ruin your reputation.”
He came closer, footsteps measured. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Then let me help you. Don’t.”
She exhaled a ribbon of smoke, watching it twist into the sky. “My family will use you until there’s nothing left.”
He didn’t answer, just stopped beside her, close enough that the air seemed to change temperature.
“Why do you care what happens to me?” he asked.
She flicked the cigarette into the sea. “Because… you don’t belong here. Not with them. Not with me.”
Silence stretched, taut and electric. “Maybe that’s exactly why I want to stay.”
She turned, finally meeting his gaze. The look in his eyes made her throat tighten. He wasn’t smiling but proving something he shouldn’t.
“Cole—” she started, but he stepped in, close enough that she could feel the heat of him.
“I want you,” he said quietly, the words brushing her skin. “And that’s the problem.”
She froze. “You hated me in high school.”
He gave a low laugh, quiet and dangerous. “Hate you? No. You were just too much. Too loud, too proud, too damn sure the world would bend for you.” His eyes traced her mouth as he spoke. “I wanted to see what would happen if it didn’t.”
Her stomach tightened. “You’re still the same arrogant asshole.”
“Maybe,” he said, almost kindly. “But you’re still the girl who can’t stand being told no.”
She glared, but her pulse betrayed her. “You think you’ve got me all figured out?”
“I don’t need to,” he murmured. “I just need to remind you how you look when someone actually pays attention.”
He reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, slow enough to make it a question, deliberate enough to make it a threat.
Maritza swallowed hard. “You’re playing with me.”
He smiled dangerously. “No, Ritz. I’m just giving you what you asked for last night. You wanted to feel something real, remember?”
Her pulse started racing, the sneaky thing. Then Isabella’s voice cut through the terrace like a knife. “Rosa María! Inside. Now!”
Maritza exhaled through her teeth. “Go,” she hissed. “Before she starts plotting your simple, delicate death.”
He only chuckled and disappeared through the garden door, and she was left alone, hearing her heart pound and still feeling the effect of his words.
She sighed to herself. “Maybe I wasn’t done being ruined.”
