Chapter 31

• The sound of glasses clinking filled the grand ballroom as Señora Romero stepped onto the small stage at the front of the room. She was an elegant woman in her seventies, wrapped in emerald silk, with pearls hanging from her neck and ears. Her presence commanded instant attention.
• The orchestra faded to silence, and the murmur of conversation died down. All eyes turned to the stage.
• "Ladies and gentlemen," Señora Romero began, her voice warm and refined. "Thank you all for joining us tonight to celebrate a very special occasion. My beautiful granddaughter, Valentina, and her fiancé, Ricardo Salazar, are beginning a wonderful new chapter together."