I stood my ground, maintaining the calm demeanor I had cultivated over years of enduring Javier’s deceit and his family’s dismissive attitudes. I took a deep breath, meeting her glare with a steady gaze.

“Yes,” I replied, my voice unwavering. “But it’s time this house served a greater purpose than just being a monument to family indulgence.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if she couldn’t fathom my audacity to defy her expectations and disrupt the comfortable status quo they had long enjoyed at my expense. She opened her mouth to protest further, but I cut her off, choosing my words carefully—words that would leave her frozen in her tracks.