PART 2 - "No One Touches My Daughter"
"No One Touches My Daughter"
The apartment was so quiet I could hear the clock above the stove ticking.
Alexander never took his eyes off Sofia.
He reached out slowly, careful not to touch the bruises circling her wrists.
"Who did this?" he asked.
Sofia swallowed.
"Carmen."
"And?"
"The women from Javier's family."
Alexander nodded once.
"And Javier?"
Sofia closed her eyes.
"He didn't stop them."
The words hung in the room like smoke.
Alexander lowered his head.
For a long moment, I couldn't read his face.
Then he stood.
"I need a first-aid kit."
I blinked.
"That's all you're going to say?"
He looked at me.
"If I say what I'm thinking..."
"...Sofia will hear it."
I handed him the kit from the bathroom.
He cleaned the cut on our daughter's lip with gentle hands.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Sofia looked at him.
"For what?"
"For not being there."
A tear rolled down her swollen cheek.
"I thought you stopped loving me."
Alexander's hands froze.
"I never stopped."
"You stopped calling."
"I thought staying away would protect you."
She frowned.
"From what?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he finished wrapping the bruises on her arm and stood.
"I'll explain everything."
"But first..."
He picked up his phone.
A single contact sat at the top of his favorites.
Mateo – Security Chief
The call connected on the first ring.
"Sir."
"I need everyone."
"How many?"
"All of them."
A brief pause.
"Is this about your daughter?"
Alexander's voice turned to ice.
"They laid hands on my child."
"I understand."
"I want every property owned by the Alvarez family."
"Businesses."
"Bank liens."
"Lawsuits."
"Shell companies."
"Everything."
"How long?"
"One hour."
The line went dead.
I stared at him.
"What are you doing?"
Alexander slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"What I should've done years ago."
Sofia looked confused.
"Dad... who are you calling?"
He pulled a chair beside her.
"I owe you the truth."
She nodded.
"So tell me."
Alexander took a slow breath.
"When you were twelve..."
"...I wasn't just leaving because your mother and I divorced."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What are you talking about?"
He looked at both of us.
"The company I built wasn't entirely legitimate."
The room went silent.
"There were investors."
"Powerful people."
"The kind who don't accept failure."
"I cooperated with federal investigators."
"In exchange..."
"...I disappeared."
Sofia stared at him.
"You were in witness protection?"
Alexander nodded.
"I wasn't allowed to contact either of you."
My knees nearly gave out.
"All these years..."
"You thought I abandoned you."
"I let you believe it."
Sofia burst into tears.
He reached for her hand.
"I would have taken every bit of your hatred..."
"...if it meant keeping you alive."
Before anyone could speak again, Alexander's phone buzzed.
Mateo.
He answered immediately.
"Talk."
The voice on the other end was calm.
"We've confirmed everything."
Alexander's jaw tightened.
"What did you find?"
"Carmen never wanted the condo."
"What she really wanted..."
"...was access to Sofia's trust."
Alexander went still.
"What trust?"
"The one your grandfather established."
Silence.
Mateo continued.
"It matured yesterday."
"The same day as the wedding."
I looked at Sofia.
She looked at me.
Neither of us understood.
Alexander slowly closed his eyes.
"How much?"
Mateo answered quietly.
"Just over thirty-eight million dollars."
The room fell completely silent.
Sofia whispered,
"I didn't even know I had a trust."
Alexander looked at her with heartbreak in his eyes.
"They did."
Before he could say another word...
Mateo spoke again.
"Sir..."
"There’s one more problem."
Alexander's expression hardened.
"What?"
"They know Sofia escaped."
A pause.
May you like
Then the words that made every drop of blood leave my body.
"And they're already on their way to your apartment."
