Chapter 2 — The Daughter He Never Should Have Touched
Chapter 2 — The Daughter He Never Should Have Touched
Silence swallowed the mansion.
Even the grandfather clock seemed to stop ticking.
Santiago stared at the silver-haired man walking through the doorway with six security officers behind him.
Ricardo Salazar.
A name whispered in boardrooms across Latin America.
A man who never attended charity galas.
Never appeared on magazine covers.
Because real power never needed publicity.
He looked past Santiago.
Past Beatriz.
His eyes stopped on me.
My swollen belly.
The bruise darkening my cheek.
The blood running from my split lip.
For one heartbreaking second...
His face crumbled.
"Dad..."
It was the first time I had called him that in nearly three years.
His voice shook.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
Ricardo crossed the room slowly.
"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for."
He removed his suit jacket and wrapped it gently around my shoulders.
His hands trembled.
"My little girl..."
"I should have found you sooner."
Tears blurred my vision.
"I thought I could build a life on my own."
"I wanted someone to love Valeria..."
"...not Salazar."
Ricardo kissed my forehead.
"And instead you found monsters."
Behind us...
Santiago finally recovered enough to speak.
"This is a misunderstanding."
Ricardo didn't even look at him.
"My attorney has already listened to every second of the recording from that clock."
Santiago froze.
"The clock..."
His eyes darted toward the antique silver clock.
Realization spread across his face.
"You recorded me?"
"No."
I slowly stood with my father's help.
"You recorded yourself."
Within seconds, another group entered the mansion.
Two attorneys.
A judge carrying emergency court orders.
And three officers from the financial crimes division.
Beatriz's wineglass slipped from her hand.
It shattered across the marble floor.
"What is this?" she demanded.
The lead attorney unfolded several documents.
"Emergency protective custody."
"Search warrants."
"Asset preservation orders."
"And criminal investigations involving fraud, coercion, domestic abuse, and conspiracy."
The color drained from Santiago's face.
"You can't do this."
May you like
Ricardo finally looked directly at him.
"I already have."
