Chapter 6 - The Vault of the Dead
The black SUV slipped through the dark industrial alleys of downtown Monterrey, avoiding the main avenues where police roadblocks were being erected.
Tomás killed the vehicle's headlights, coasting silently into the underground parking structure of Banco Central.
The bank was closed, but Sebastián possessed the biometric override codes granted to the primary heirs of the Alcázar estate.
"Tomás, stay with Valeria and the baby; keep the engine running in the shadows," Sebastián instructed.
"If anyone approaches this vehicle, do not hesitate to use the shotgun beneath your seat."
"On my life, Mr. Sebastián," the old chauffeur nodded solemnly.
Sebastián and Luciana slipped through the service entrance, taking the private elevator down to the subterranean vault level.
The heavy steel door of Vault 414 stood at the end of a dimly lit, marble-tiled corridor.
Sebastián inserted the antique brass key into the mechanical lock and pressed his thumb against the biometric scanner.
The lock clicked with a deep, echoing resonance that sounded like the opening of a tomb.
Inside the private room sat a single steel safety deposit box resting on a glass table.
Sebastián opened the lid with trembling hands.
Inside lay three thick manila dossiers and an encrypted military-grade hard drive.
On top of the paperwork was a handwritten letter addressed to Sebastián in his father's distinct, bold penmanship.
Sebastián read the first lines, and his stomach plummeted into a bottomless void.
"My son, if you are reading this, Rebeca has finally executed her final plan to eradicate the Alcázar bloodline."
Sebastián swallowed hard, reading through the autopsy report stapled to the second page.
His father had not died from a natural brain hemorrhage.
The certified forensic toxicologist report proved that his father had been poisoned with small, daily doses of thallium sulfate over an eighteen-month period.
The purchase orders for the chemical were signed directly by Doña Rebeca Alcázar through a shell pharmaceutical company in Panama.
Beneath the poison records was a copy of his father's true, unedited last will and testament.
The document completely disinherited Rebeca and Octavio, leaving one hundred percent of the Alcázar conglomerate, estates, and trusts exclusively to Valeria and her future children.
"She didn't just want the baby to hurt Valeria," Sebastián whispered in horror, the truth striking him like a sledgehammer.
"She wanted the baby because whoever controls Valeria's child controls every single dollar of the family empire."
May you like
Suddenly, the heavy steel door of the vault slammed shut behind them with a deafening metallic boom.
Through the bulletproof observation window, Octavio stood smiling, holding an electronic security tablet in his hand.
