The day arrived when Carlo was returning from Italy, and he insisted that Mía should be the one to receive him at the airport. Sonia knew it would be quite a challenge to get the girl to do it.

She asked Caroline to help, and her daughter reluctantly accepted after being threatened. Caroline knew Mía would be upset with her for the deception, but she had no other choice. After thinking for a while about how to convince Mía, she asked her to accompany her to the airport to welcome a friend coming from another city to attend the wedding.

The day arrived when Carlo Román was returning from Italy. He insisted that Mía should be the one to receive him at the airport, and Sonia knew it would be quite a challenge to make her do it.

Sonia asked Caroline to help, although she was reluctant, she eventually accepted after being threatened. She knew Mía would be upset with her for the deception, but she wanted to be there to support her at the wedding.

As they reached the airport, Caroline seemed nervous and unusually quiet. Mía noticed her sister's unease and asked, "Is something wrong, little one?"

Caroline couldn't keep lying and felt terrible about what she had done. She confessed, "Sister, please forgive me. Mom forced me to do this; she said I wouldn't be allowed to attend your wedding if I didn't bring you."

"She forced you? I don't understand," replied Mía.

"It's Carlo who's arriving. He called Mom and asked her to have you here to greet him."

"Caroline, you should have told me. There was no need for deceit."

"Mía!" Carlo shouted from a distance, visibly excited to see her there, thinking she willingly came to receive him.

Mía turned away, too angry to face him right now. She would have to deal with him later, but right now, she wanted to get away from him. She quickened her pace, feeling someone grab her arm.

"Mía Davis! I'm talking to you," Carlo said.

"What do you want, Carlo?"

"If you come all this way to receive me, the least you can do is greet me."

"I was brought here under false pretenses. If I knew it was you arriving, I assure you, I wouldn't have come."

"Mía, please, no more of your tantrums. You'll soon be my wife, and I won't tolerate your nonsense any longer."

"That's your problem, not mine. You know I can't stand you, and yet you want to go ahead with this."

Carlo reached out to caress her hair with one hand and put the other around her waist, pulling her closer. Mía's captivating scent drove him wild, making her irresistible to him.

Mía reacted impulsively, pushing him away. He pulled her back forcibly, kissing her against her will while Caroline watched, stunned, unsure if she should intervene.

Carlo kept kissing her, ignoring her obvious rejection. He was furious, and his strength far surpassed hers. In a desperate attempt to break free, Mía bit Carlo's lip. In response, he kissed her even harder, causing Mía's lips to burn from the intense suction and pressure. The taste of iron flooded her mouth, and she felt like she was tasting his blood.

As Carlo sensed Mía was about to vomit, he let her go. His expression changed completely. "So, it makes you nauseous. Things will change once you become my wife; I guarantee it. We'll see if you keep rejecting me then."

He wiped his bloody lip and turned away, completely enraged. He got into his car without caring whether Mía stayed there or not. All he wanted was to get away as quickly as possible. Filled with fury, he struck the car door with a forceful blow. His driver didn't flinch; he was used to Carlo's temper.

Meanwhile, Ahmed had arrived in Los Angeles. He hurriedly got ready to make it to Carlo's bachelor party. Cambell picked him up to ensure he'd actually go, as he knew Ahmed well enough to know he might change his mind. They arrived at the venue where the event was taking place, and Carlo, who was already a bit tipsy, welcomed them with a big smile.

"Welcome, come in, tonight's all about having fun," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Román," Cambell replied, glancing at Ahmed, who remained silent.

Ahmed simply nodded as a response to Carlo's words; he didn't understand why he disliked this man. He accepted him as a partner because his friend insisted on it, but he didn't buy into the facade of respectability Carlo tried to show.

The house was crowded, with exotic-looking women scattered around the pool area, wearing barely-there outfits. After a while, Carlo approached Ahmed, who was alone at the bar.

"Quite a party, partner. Looks like you have trouble tolerating other people," Carlo said, clearly already quite drunk.

"I have no problem with anyone; I just enjoy my own company," replied Ahmed calmly.

"Hahaha, that's a good one."

"You know, in a few days, I'm marrying the most beautiful and wonderful woman in the world," Carlo said, his tone shifting from jovial to somber.

"Congratulations on that," Ahmed replied.

"But she hates me," Carlo continued.

"That's a big problem," Ahmed remarked.

"If she only knew what I've done to get her to marry me, she'd hate me even more."

Ahmed decided to listen in silence; it was obvious that Carlo was heavily intoxicated.

"I met her four years ago at a party. She was with her father, only fourteen years old at the time. She was so beautiful, so perfect. She didn't even notice me. I approached her father, a simple excuse to be near her. When he introduced us, I took her delicate hand, and I felt an electric shock running through my body. But she pulled away immediately; she showed no interest in me. Since that moment, I promised myself I'd wait for her to grow up and make her my wife."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Ahmed wondered.

"Because I need to get it off my chest, and you don't know her, so she'll never find out. Sometimes, it feels like this burden is suffocating me. I can be a ruthless man, but whatever hurts her, hurts me too. I don't know how I'll be able to look into her eyes."

"And you drown yourself in alcohol," Ahmed thought.

"I started communicating with her stepmother. That woman has always wanted to get rid of her to claim her father's fortune. Together, we planned his death; he wouldn't have allowed me to marry her. She was the apple of his eye. I gave that woman a powerful poison, and she administered it little by little to the old man. There was no suspicion when he died. Now, she convinced Mía to marry me, saying that I would save her father's bankrupt company. Both claims are lies; her father's company is thriving because of my investments, and I have no interest in her younger sister. That woman is wicked; she squandered the fortune her father left for his daughter. She's always been involved with a lawyer, and now that the old man is gone, she's got him working for the company. I'm glad I'll be taking Mía far away from her, and after that, I'll destroy that woman."

As Carlo spoke, he kept drinking one glass after another. Ahmed continued listening silently, astonished by the callousness with which Carlo narrated everything. He couldn't imagine the poor girl who would end up marrying this monster, but he already felt sorry for her. No one deserved to endure a man like Carlo. Throughout the conversation, Ahmed kept his gaze fixed on his drink, not wanting to let Carlo know how repulsive he found him.

Carlo was about to say something else when some of his friends came over to him, leading him to a huge cake. The lights dimmed, slow music began playing, and a beautiful girl in very seductive lingerie emerged from the cake, sensually dancing towards Carlo. She touched him provocatively, and he let himself go, while his friends cheered raucously. Ahmed was no longer comfortable in this environment.

He discreetly made his way to the exit, not wanting Cambell to notice, as he knew his friend wouldn't let him leave. Once outside, he sighed in relief at finally getting away from that place. He would find a way to dissolve his partnership with Carlo and return the money he had invested in his company. He definitely didn't want to have a demon like Carlo as his partner.