Raquel Dion Santos arrived in Pine Valley when she read about Mateo and Hayley's mishaps in the newspaper. She did not make her presence known right away while she stayed at the Pine Cone Motel. She let Mateo become fond of Max before letting them know they were father and son. She did not know Mateo's whereabouts the last few years but never stopped loving him.

When Mateo wanted to be a real father, he asked Raquel to move into Wildwind with him, Hayley, and Edmund's family to share custody and quality time with Max. She has tried to sabotage his relationship with Hayley and wouldn't give Mateo a divorce. Recently she told Mateo she would give him his freedom and accept the living arrangement with the nearby condos.

There was an accident at Mateo's new club site and Max could have been crushed to death from a falling scaffold. Raquel pushed her son out of the way, but ended up in the path of the falling equipment. She was hospitalized with serious spinal injury.

Raquel recuperated at a condo Mateo bought for her and hired round the clock nurses for her. After finally agreeing to divorce Mateo, Raquel made several last attempts to win him back. Raquel was unsuccessful in making Mateo forget about Hayley and finally threw in the towel and headed back to Texas to live at her parents' ranch.