Chapter 1 - THE UNDERGROUND DOCK

The air in the hospital's underground loading dock was thick and tasted of exhaust. At exactly 5:50 AM, I stood in the shadows, my coat pulled tight against the damp chill, waiting for Dr. Sofia Vargas. The heavy metal doors clicked and swung open. Sofia stepped out, looking exhausted, her medical coat wrinkled, her eyes darting nervously around the dim garage.

"Mateo," she whispered, rushing over and pulling me deeper into the stairwell. "We don't have much time. Your mother has eyes everywhere in this city."

"You said my daughter didn't make it," I said, my voice trembling for the first time since I found Elena’s body. "You told me over the phone she was dead."

Sofia grabbed my shoulders, her eyes burning with a fierce, protective light. "I had to say that on the phone, Mateo. You know your family monitors the calls at the estate. I had to make them believe their plan worked."

My heart stopped. "What are you saying?"

"Elena is gone, Mateo. I am so sorry," Sofia choked out a sob, wiping her face. "But your daughter... she is alive."

I fell back against the concrete wall, all the air rushing out of my lungs.

"When Diego and Valeria brought Elena in, she was already gone," Sofia explained rapidly. "But I realized she was in late-stage labor. They demanded I sign the death certificate immediately and send her to the crematorium. I kicked them out of the trauma bay, locked the doors, and performed an emergency C-section. Your little girl was barely breathing, but I revived her."

Tears streamed down my face. "Where is she? Where is my baby?"

"In the neonatal intensive care unit," Sofia smiled weakly. "Registered under a fake name. Jane Doe. Valeria and Diego think she died in the womb. If they knew she was alive, Mateo... she inherits Elena's shares. They would kill her too."

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"They won't get the chance," I vowed, the sorrow transforming into a white-hot rage. "Take me to her."

I stood outside the NICU incubator, staring at the tiny, fragile life breathing softly inside. She had Elena's dark hair. I placed my hand against the glass. I named her Alba—the dawn. She was the only light left in my world. And I was going to burn my family’s empire to the ground to keep her safe.