Chapter 2 - The False Injunction
The lead guard drew a steel baton and blocked Sebastián from moving another inch toward Rebeca.
"Step away from the family matriarch, Mr. Alcázar," the guard warned in a flat, mechanical voice.
Sebastián looked at the men who had protected his family company for a decade.
"You work for me, Cruz," Sebastián snarled, his fists clenching until his nails cut into his palms.
"I sign your paychecks."
"Not anymore, cousin," Octavio interrupted, waving a fresh judicial decree stamped in crimson ink.
"An hour ago, the probate court granted Doña Rebeca emergency conservatorship over all Alcázar corporate accounts."
"Your erratic behavior over the past month has been officially classified as severe clinical mania."
Valeria let out a bloodcurdling scream from the bed, her body arching in agony as the monitors began to beep erratically.
The fetal heart rate monitor dropped sharply from one hundred and forty beats per minute down to ninety.
"Her vitals are crashing!" Nurse Hernandez gasped, rushing toward the intravenous stand.
Dr. Morales stepped into the room, wearing sterile surgical scrubs and a cold, emotionless mask.
"Clear the room immediately," Dr. Morales ordered, pointing toward Sebastián and Luciana.
"The patient requires an emergency surgical cesarean section under general anesthesia."
"I am staying with my wife!" Sebastián roared, shoving past the lead guard with explosive force.
The second guard lunged forward, driving a heavy taser into Sebastián’s shoulder.
Fifty thousand volts of electricity surged through Sebastián's muscles, dropping him to his knees on the cold tile.
Sebastián gasped for air, his vision swimming with blinding white sparks as his muscles locked in agony.
Through the haze of pain, he saw Rebeca lean down over Valeria’s trembling face.
"Don't worry, my dear," Rebeca whispered into Valeria's ear with chilling maternal sweetness.
"You will be asleep when the baby arrives, and when you wake up, you will be in a very quiet room where no one can hear you scream."
Two orderlies grabbed Luciana by her arms, dragging her backward into the hallway while she kicked and screamed.
The heavy double doors of the surgical ward slammed shut and locked from the inside.
Lying on the floor, Sebastián's fingers brushed against the small object Luciana had dropped during the struggle.
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It was not the recorder.
It was a brass safety deposit key stamped with the personal seal of Sebastián’s late father.
