Chapter 9 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
We found Carlos at an abandoned office outside the city.
He was older than the photograph.
But he was alive.
He looked at me.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he whispered:
“Mariana.”
I couldn't move.
“You're my father.”
He nodded.
“I tried to protect you.”
“By disappearing?”
“I had no choice.”
“You left my mother alone.”
His eyes filled with regret.
“I know.”
Julián stepped forward.
“Why did Adriana trust him?”
Carlos looked at him.
“Because your wife discovered the theft.”
“What theft?”
“Your company was being drained from the inside.”
Julián froze.
“By whom?”
Carlos looked toward the door.
“Verónica.”
Julián's expression hardened.
“She wasn't working for herself.”
“No.”
“For whom?”
Carlos pulled out a folder.
Inside were bank transfers.
Shell companies.
Forged signatures.
And the name of Julián's former business partner.
Someone Julián believed had died years earlier.
Carlos said:
“Your partner survived.”
Julián stared at the documents.
“That's impossible.”
“I helped him disappear.”
“Why?”
“Because Adriana threatened to expose him.”
Julián looked at me.
“Why were you involved?”
Carlos answered.
“Because your wife asked me to protect the children.”
“And Mariana?”
Carlos looked at me.
“Adriana trusted her more than anyone.”
I shook my head.
“I never even knew her.”
“She watched you.”
“What?”
“She saw you caring for the boys before she died.”
I felt tears rise.
Carlos continued.
“She knew that if something happened to her, you would protect them.”
Julián lowered his eyes.
The weight of what he had done seemed to finally reach him.
He had accused me.
Humiliated me.
Thrown money at me.
And I had been the person his wife trusted most.
Then Carlos handed him another envelope.
“There's one final document.”
Julián opened it.
His face went blank.
“What is this?”
“The original trust.”
“But the one in the box…”
“Was only a copy.”
Julián looked at me.
“What does the original say?”
Carlos answered:
“The children don't inherit the company when they turn eighteen.”
Julián frowned.
“When do they inherit?”
Carlos looked toward the door.
“When their father proves he can protect them.”
A gunshot exploded outside.
Everyone dropped.
Glass shattered.
The lights went out.
Carlos grabbed my arm.
“Don't move.”
Another shot struck the wall.
Julián pulled me behind him.
The children were still at the mansion.
I whispered:
“Julián.”
He looked at me.
“The boys.”
His face changed.
His phone rang.
He answered.
A man's voice whispered:
May you like
“You should have listened to Adriana.”
Then the call ended.
