CHAPTER 2 — “THE EMPIRE IN THE SHADOWS”
The city outside kept moving.
But inside the mansion, time collapsed.
Beatriz stepped forward sharply.
“You can’t do this,” she said. “The gala—tomorrow—”
Ricardo finally looked at her.
And smiled once.
It wasn’t warm.
It wasn’t polite.
It was surgical.
“The gala is already cancelled.”
Santiago turned to Valeria.
His voice cracked for the first time.
“You planned this?”
Valeria didn’t answer immediately.
She simply looked at him.
The man who once made her feel small now felt… irrelevant.
“I didn’t plan it,” she said softly.
“I survived it.”
Ricardo raised his hand slightly.
One of the attorneys opened a second file.
“This is everything you signed,” the lawyer said.
“The medical fraud. The custody fabrication. The attempted involuntary institutionalization.”
Each word landed heavier than the last.
Beatriz stepped back.
For the first time, her control slipped.
“No one will believe this,” she whispered.
Ricardo finally turned to her fully.
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
A screen near the wall lit up.
Live feeds.
Recordings.
Voice logs.
Messages.
Everything Valeria had been collecting.
Santiago’s breathing became uneven.
“You recorded me?”
Valeria nodded once.
“Yes.”
A pause.
May you like
Then—
“I recorded everything.”
