Chapter 5 - The Patriarch
Mateo forcefully bound our hands with thick plastic zip-ties.
He drove us out of the city and deep into a secluded, heavily guarded forest estate.
The sprawling mansion looked like a medieval fortress completely surrounded by armed mercenaries.
Mateo dragged us into a massive, dimly lit study decorated with antique weapons and expensive art.
Sitting behind a grand mahogany desk was Alejandro Cortés, Valeria's terrifying father.
He slowly swirled a glass of expensive whiskey, looking at his daughter with absolute disappointment.
"You really thought you could dismantle my empire with a junior analyst?" Alejandro laughed coldly.
Valeria stood perfectly straight, refusing to show a single ounce of fear in front of the tyrant.
"Your empire is already crumbling, Father," Valeria spat furiously.
Alejandro sighed and gestured for Mateo to force me onto my knees.
"I am going to kill this boy right now, and tomorrow you will marry Dante to secure our territory," Alejandro commanded.
Mateo pressed the cold metal barrel of his pistol against the back of my neck.
I closed my eyes, realizing my quest for truth had led me directly to an early grave.
"If you shoot him, the digital dead-man switch activates," Valeria lied smoothly, her voice echoing with lethal confidence.
Alejandro raised an eyebrow, clearly hesitating at the mention of a digital trap.
"The encrypted drive is linked to his biometric heartbeat," Valeria bluffed brilliantly.
"If Adrián's heart stops beating, every single piece of evidence automatically transmits to the federal authorities."
Alejandro's face turned completely purple with immense, unadulterated rage.
He slowly lowered his whiskey glass and stared at me with pure hatred.
"Lock them in the underground vault until I can bypass the encryption," Alejandro ordered his guards.
May you like
As they dragged us away, Alejandro made a terrifyingly quiet phone call to Dante.
"Bring your surgical team, we are going to remove the boy's heart while keeping it mechanically beating," Alejandro instructed.
