PART 2 — The Man Santiago Should Never Have Crossed
The mansion fell into absolute silence.
Santiago's raised hand stopped in midair.
His confidence vanished.
"My... father?" he asked, forcing a laugh.
Ricardo Salazar didn't answer.
He walked straight past him.
Past Isabella.
Past the shattered image of the perfect family.
His eyes never left me.
When he saw the bruise forming across my face...
His jaw tightened.
Then he looked at my swollen stomach.
His voice became almost gentle.
"Did he touch you again?"
I nodded once.
That was enough.
Ricardo removed his coat and draped it over my shoulders.
Then he turned toward Santiago.
Everything warm disappeared from his face.
"You have exactly thirty seconds," he said calmly.
"To explain why my daughter is bleeding."
Santiago laughed again.
Too loudly.
"You've got this all wrong."
"Your daughter?"
He looked at me, then back at my father.
"She's an orphan."
"She told me herself."
Ricardo's expression never changed.
"No."
"She told you the life she wanted."
"My daughter was born Elena Salazar."
"The sole heir to Grupo Salazar."
The color drained from Santiago's face.
Isabella nearly dropped her wine glass.
"That's impossible..."
Ricardo looked toward one of his attorneys.
The attorney opened a leather briefcase and placed several folders on the marble table.
Marriage records.
Birth certificates.
Corporate documents.
DNA records.
Every page carried the same family name.
Salazar.
Santiago grabbed one of the files with shaking hands.
"No..."
"This has to be fake."
"It isn't," the attorney replied.
"The documents have already been certified."
Ricardo took one slow step closer.
"Do you know why I let my daughter hide her identity?"
Santiago couldn't answer.
"Because I wanted to know whether the man she married loved her..."
"...or the fortune attached to her name."
A painful silence filled the foyer.
Then Ricardo nodded toward the silver mantel clock.
"Everything you said tonight..."
"...was recorded."
Santiago's head snapped toward the clock.
His breathing stopped.
"The livestream ended twelve minutes ago," Ricardo continued.
"My legal team."
"My board of directors."
"And several federal prosecutors..."
"...have already watched every second."
For the first time...
Santiago looked afraid.
Not of losing his marriage.
Not of losing his reputation.
But of losing everything.
And Ricardo Salazar wasn't finished.
He reached into his pocket...
Pulled out his phone...
And made one final call.
"Begin the acquisition."
Across Mexico City...
Phones started ringing inside every Alvarez company office.
May you like
Their empire was collapsing.
And they didn't even know it yet.
