A/N: Who's still with me on this fic? It's not as popular as my other ones have been, but I have to say that I enjoy writing this one!

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The three soft raps to the door woke Isabella up in routine- it was always Maria with an espresso and pan dulce, telling her Sebastian would be up in half an hour. "Come in." She called tiredly to the door, not even looking up as Maria inched the door open and placed the porcelain plate softly on the armoire.

"Senorita," Maria announced quietly- nothing like the ringing screech of her mother's voice from her childhood.

"I know, I know. Sebastian will be up in half an hour." Isabella muttered in reply, digging herself deeper into the egg wash comforter.

Maria cleared her throat. "No, senorita, you are meeting your padres today."

Isabella's eyes snapped open. Of course, today was the day.

Her parents already knew she was here in Valencia, and they were already highly suspicious of her being there as it was- if she tried to dodge them or act dicey, they would dig their noses deeper. The Aguirre-Lopes Matriarch and Patriarch were powerful and nosey people; their law firm had plenty of private investigators on payroll, she'd be found it in less time than she could shower.

So she had agreed to meet them at their hotel and grab dinner somewhere in the city, if only to get the heat off of her back. If she knew her parents the way that she did, dinner would be lengthy and drinks would be flowing- her mother was a drinker, her father was a talker.

Isabella hopped in the shower and took an entire hour to get very nook and cranny, along with shaving everything visible and deep conditioning her hair. After drying herself off, she did her entire skin care routine twice. She hated the whole makeup/transformation process regularly, but when she went out with her parents it was worse. It was the only time she would spend hours obsessing over her look- from her hair to her outfit to her makeup. If something looked to be out of place, her mother would definitely comment on it.

The day before she had taken Sebastian with her to go shopping for shoes and a gown (because she surely hadn't packed one in her haste to save Robbie), and the entire ordeal was beyond stressful. The only satisfaction she got out of it was the fact that Eduardo had footed the bill. He had a card printed for her to be able to use on her daily ventures with Sebastian, where she was able to draw on his funds and not her own.

A slight moment of apprehension hit her when it suddenly occurred that the card might have had a limit- because what kind of lunatic would give a woman an open-ended line of credit when he hardly knew her? And the card was sent to her room She was still only halfway done paying off her brother's debt time-wise. Was he really interested in acquiring more debt?

But the two thousand euro transaction went right through with no issues at all. The cashier wrapped her purchases in a padded box and sent her off with promises of future deals, and she left the store feeling like a spoiled housewife with no worries. She suddenly had the urge to swipe his card everywhere, then. He had royally pissed her off, so he would deserve it anyway! But instead, she stored the card away and went back home- or, er, to his house.

Hours later found her staring into the vanity mirror, the corset latched together inch by inch up her stomach glowing back at her. She hated corsets, fajas, slips- they were bothersome and so uncomfortable, but the last she thing she needed was for her mom to comment on any unsightly muffin top or roll of fat. Her mom and her sister were always super skinny, regardless of what they ate or how often they worked out. But Isabella could just look at a taco and she'd gain two pounds.

So she considered the stupid corset as a mere causality of war and carried on.

Isabella obsessed over her hair for another two hours, curling and re-curling each tendril until everything looked exactly the same. She took even longer to work on her face- applying each individual lash with painstaking precision, finishing each brow with a fuss, and added more shadow to her eyes and highlight to her face than she normally would. In all honesty, she didn't even fuss about herself like this when she went out for dates- but this was dinner with her parents. It superseded the gruel expectations of a first date by a thousand megawatts!

It was six o clock, and she finally finished fussing over her own reflection. If her mother was able to pick this apart, then go right ahead! There wasn't anything else she could possibly pluck, apply, or hide at this point. But if she knew Rene Aguirre-Lopes the way she did, her mother would find something to harp on.

The baby blue satin dress had an added corset bodice, with Swarovski crystals outlining the slit of on her upper thigh and the soft fabric flowed about her ankles. It was a cooler evening, so she grabbed her faux fur wrap and draped it delicately around her bare shoulders before walking out of the door with her gifted designer clutch in hand. Eduardo's assistant had impeccable taste, and she certainly didn't have a budget when it came to what she purchased her Isabella.

The uber ride to her parents' hotel was gruesome. She must have wrung her hands together a thousand times- it was a wonder she hadn't rubbed the skin right off the bone! The coastline of Valencia was absolutely foreign to her, so she had no frame of reference to know how far the drive had actually been. They usually frequented Hilton Resorts and the Westins, so when the car pulled into a long-winded driveway she started to panic. Where the hell were they? Then the massive resort came into sight, with a large gold fountain shooting spouts of water into the air and a series of lights highlighting the twenty-story resort and casino. It was like something she had seen in Las Vegas- Monte Carlo couldn't even compete.

"What the fuck?" Isabella muttered to herself. Since when did her parents find accommodations like this on a business visits? They always preferred to be a short commute away from their offices here in Valencia. What the hell was going on?

The uber stopped at the front steps, where an awaiting concierge greeted her kindly in English. Isabella walked through the glass double doors with some doubt still in her mind- if she had gotten the address wrong and had to call another Uber to drive across the city again, her mother would surely be catty for the rest of the evening! Her stress level raised as she thought about all of the negative things she could possibly face that night until a loud call from across the lobby struck her.

Rene Aguirre-Lopes waved enthusiastically, her cheeks a light pink. Had her mother already been drinking? As Isabella got closer to them, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her father had two drinks in his hands, or Double Fisting as Robbie would call it, and her mother had shed her usual modesty shoulder wrap and her cleavage was in danger of pouring out of her sparkly top. Her mom could command a room of people with her voice and intellect, alone- but she was commanding attention in a whole other way now. "Mom… you look-"

"Caliente!" Her dad finished for her. Isabella visibly shirked at the offending tone her dad had- he was acting like he was sixteen years old calling her mom hot!

"Different." Isabella edged in.

Rene shimmied her shoulders with a weird, coy smile. "When in Valencia, right?"

Isabella sent her a perturbed look. "Aren't you and dad here for business?"

Phillipe took a long sip from his mixed drink (she had only ever witnessed him Coronas) before shrugging his shoulders. "We've worked every day of the week for the last thirty years. A weekend sounded deserving, Isabella. Don't you agree?"

Isabella merely nodded, not knowing how to respond properly. They did work very hard, and hardly ever took time for themselves or their children. If her parents had this attitude when her and her siblings were younger, they might have turned out… more normal. Rosalina might have had a heart, Robbie might have more maturity, Julio might have known more kindness, and Isabella might have had more of a spine.

But here her middle-aged parents were, dressed like they were at a rich kid's spring break party! Already tipsy and with chips in their hands.

Rene kissed her daughter's cheeks in the European fashion and looked her up and down. "So stunning, Bella! Is this Rosalina's?" Of course Isabella would never own something so beautiful, right?

Isabella pursed her lips. "No, it's mine." She never bought herself flashy or overly expensive things, they either had to be gifts or

Rene gave a nod of approval as she looked at all of the details again, eyeing her as though she were cattle on sale. She touched at Isabella's hair, the cut of her gown, and even commented on her heels of choice. "I'm so glad to see you wearing five-inch heels, Bella! I thought I would be leaving my entire Louboutin collection to your sister." Isabella fritted her teeth into a small smile. Rosalina would slit her throat before she let her sister have any of their mother's fashion collection. But Isabella pretended to agree anyway.

Her parents led the way to VIP lounge and walked right through like a breeze- as though they had been VIP guests here forever. "Isn't this place just grand? The Bellagio in Vegas doesn't even compare!" Rene gushed. "And thanks to his generosity, we were taken care of for the entire weekend! The room, all meals and drinks, and a credit line at the tables…" she leaned into to Isabella, "for fifteen thousand dollars!" Rene was giddy with excitement.

Isabella furrowed her eyebrows. Her parents did have a lot of connections, in the States as well as Spain, so it didn't surprise her too much that someone had comped a hotel stay for them. But fifteen thousand dollars just to blow on the casino floor? A resort stay at that! And all meals and drinks paid for? Her mother was going to take full advantage of that one! The poor guy who did that obviously didn't know how much damage Rene could do at a bar! Her parents could easily afford all of this themselves, but the word free just struck a cord with them since she could remember it.

The Maître D' checked on them as soon as they sat down and brought with him a very expensive bottle of wine starting with the word Chateau, and she almost didn't even want to touch it in fear of having to pay for it herself. The server gave her a gentle smile and offered to pour a glass. "On the house, courtesy of Don Marquez."

Isabella's smiled slipped from her face.

Don Marquez.

The name rang in her head over and over again.

All of his minions called him that, didn't they?

She looked around the lounge, looking for the name of the establishment. She had been so preoccupied with the idea of facing her parents that she really hadn't thought of catching the name of the resort.

"Oh, Don Marquez! What a fine man!" Rene gushed like a schoolgirl.

Phillipe clapped his hands in glee. "Don Marquez! Salud!" He clinked his glass with his wife before sipping the blood red wine.

Rene took an extra-large gulp of her glass, almost spilling it from her lips. "I guess we should be thanking you, Isabella! He spoke so highly of you today. Rolled out the red carpet for our arrival and everything!"

Isabella balled her fists in her fur slip that rested on her lap. Eduardo had comped her parent's stay and orchestrated this whole bullshit night, then? He had his hands in everything, didn't he? This time was crossing a line! How did he even contact them in the first place? And why do all of this? She only had two more months to go before she could return to her normal life.

If he thought this was going to make up for treating her like a secondhand pair of jeans, he had another thing coming.

Rene sighed happily, leaning her into husband as she whirred on. "Emateo and Rosalina gave him our contact information! Eduardo said you've been doing such… hard work out here for your company. And he wanted to show us good time while we were here. How thoughtful is that?" I pursed my lips at her choice of words. They didn't think I worked very hard at all, no matter how many achievements I earned for the foundation.

Phillipe nodded in agreement. "Muy respetuosa." Her father complimented, and then maybe thought better of himself. "Aunque se nota que su fortuna es neuva. Ellos siempre son las mas rapidas para probarlo." Isabella's heart squeezed at her dad's words, and for no good reason at all.

Basically, he was calling Eduardo "new money" in the most derogatory way. And it hurt her.

After he had paid for their entire stay? Gave them free gambling money? Not to mention the shit they didn't know, like how he saved their son from being thrown in a Spanish jail! She wanted to spew all of that at them and call them ungrateful pigs in Spanish, but she decided against it. Instead, she drank her wine and listened to her parents drone on about Rosalina and Julio and what they were up to lately. If she really wanted to know what her sister was doing at any given time of the day, she could log onto Twitter and be updated hour by hour. And Julio… he was such a prick. Seeing him at holidays was enough torture for her.

Who gave a flying fuck if Eduardo was new money? He was obviously rich enough to be as generous as he wanted! And it was so wasted on assholes like her parents.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her parents called out in synchrony, a practiced smile on their faces as the group approached them. Rene and Phillipe made their introductions, but after the third person Isabella had zoned out again. Her parents knew plenty of people in Valencia, they could run into people in their sleep around here! When one of the men stayed behind, her father looked at her expectantly.

Nooooo, Isabella internally screamed.

This was a date? They really set her up on the other side of the world?

But she did the polite thing and scooted to the next seat, allowing him to sit right next to her. Across the low table was her parents, looking so drunk and smug at the same time.

Phillipe gestured to the server and requested a round of tequila shots, to her utter shock and surprise. What was with them, anyway? Suddenly they were acting young and vital! They were usually so stuffy. "Isabella, this is Reynaldo Rothschild. He went to Columbia with your sister-"

"Rey?" Isabella said in disbelief. The Reynaldo Rothschild that she met a decade before was definitely not the same guy sitting next to her. This guy was tall, handsome, and reserved- Rey the frat boy was loud and obnoxious, chartering his daddy's yacht everywhere.

"Yeah. I know, I know." He held his hands up in mock surrender. "When I took over for my dad, it changed me. The stress and the responsibility served me well, eh." Rey teased lightly, nudging her with his elbow lightly. The touch made her blush, for some insanely stupid reason, and she felt shivers go down her spine. He was charming now, too? Jesus Christ!

Phillipe cleared his throat and raised a shot glass in the air, gesturing for the rest of them to do the same. "Fortuna establecida. Salud!"

Everyone mirrored his salud but Isabella sneered into her shot glass as she tossed it back. "Old money" is what he meant. Reynaldo's mom was a Mexican Diplomat and his dad was a Rothschild, so he came from generations and generations of wealth- which was what her parents had always wanted for their daughters. Rosalina landed a European celebrity's son, Julio married one of Mariscos daughters, and she was next on the chopping block.

For a second, she imagined that they would find out New Money Eduardo was fucking her senseless most nights. She'd marry that asshole in two seconds if she thought it would kill them on the spot.

Another round of shots later had my dad absolutely sloshed, though my mother was still perky and upright. This was candy to her, obviously.

"Some kind of celebration, or what?" Rey whispered through the side of his lips to her.

Isabella scoffed. "They're like teenagers tonight." Rey laughed and it was a nice sound, but it wasn't like Eduardo's. "You can escape after this next round of 1942, you know. They won't realize it until tomorrow."

Rey smiled in return. "And miss out on this? No thanks." He poured himself a glass of wine and half-poured hers as well before leaning into her. "Plus, your mom and my mom have been gossiping for years about this very night. Let's let them have it."

Isabella giggled, feeling the effects of the alcohol and no food. Everything was a little blurry, a little more hilarious, and very dizzy. "I'm starving." She blurted.

Rey laughed again and addressed her father, asking if they wanted to wander downstairs to grab food and of course, more drinks. Her father was the patriarch, so he had to lead the way always. Even as he clumsily stumbled his way past the Blackjack tables and ordered their personal concierge to bring food, Phillipe was still the law and lead all conversation. She kept waiting for Rey to usher her away for privacy, or a last ditch escape attempt on her part. But Rey was more resolved on listening to her father's every word- like most respectable, male, old money trust fund babies did.

Isabella snacked on everything that was brought to their cocktail table overlooking the tables. Crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, tomato basil ganache, caviar- everything was going right down the hatch with little hesitation.

"Whoa, Isabella." Reynaldo brought her out of her reverie with a short mumble. "Weren't you a vegetarian?" He was whispering, as though it was a secret she was hiding it from her parents.

When he leaned in, a small puff of his aftershave filled her nose. Her tipsiness made him more attractive to her than he normally would be, and when he leaned in she had the small urge to plant a small kiss on his face. So she did, a small touch of her lips to his cheek. "I used to be a virgin, too."

The words just came pouring out of her mouth. He looked at her oddly, as if he wasn't sure of what he had just heard. She was in her mid-twenties, why would she still be a virgin? Isabella wanted to crawl away in a hole somewhere.

But then he started busting out laughing, one of his hands landing across her shoulders as he pulled her to him. "You're still god damn hilarious, Bella! Seriously."

A huge sigh of relief went over her.

He thinks I'm joking. Great. Yes, it's all one big, fat joke. Keep laughing.

Between Reynaldo's laughter, her father's baritone voice telling stories, and her mother repeatedly calling for more rounds, she didn't find it odd that people looked over at them occasionally. And she was dressed to the nines, so she understood why the old geezers twisted their necks every now and then.

But then she felt his eyes bore into her. He caught her attention at first when murmurs rang through the large room, where he was making his way through and greeting his regular guests. They obviously knew he was the owner with the way that people were greeting him- maybe this was where his Don complex came from?

Even from across the room, Eduardo burned a hole in her dress where Reynaldo's fingers skimmed.

Like she had said before- you hurt me, I hurt you.

To Be Continued…