Chapter 10: The Woman Victor Wanted
Chapter 10: The Woman Victor Wanted
The conference room at Escalante Global Headquarters fell into complete silence.
Every eye was fixed on the encrypted message displayed across the large screen.
YOU WERE NEVER THE REAL TARGET.
Mariana read the subject line again.
Then a third time.
She felt an uneasy knot tighten in her stomach.
Alejandro studied his daughter's face.
"You know what this means."
She nodded slowly.
"I think I do."
The chief of cybersecurity looked up from his laptop.
"The email was routed through six different countries."
"It was professionally encrypted."
"But there's one unusual detail."
"What is it?" Mariana asked.
"He wanted us to find it."
Alejandro frowned.
"So this wasn't an attempt to hide."
"No."
The analyst shook his head.
"It was an invitation."
Three thousand miles away...
A sleek Gulfstream jet soared above the Atlantic Ocean.
Victor Hale sat alone in the cabin, calmly sipping a glass of sparkling water.
A silver-haired woman entered from the cockpit.
"The authorities are searching every airport."
Victor smiled.
"They're looking in the wrong places."
"They've frozen your accounts."
"I expected that."
"They've seized your properties."
"I expected that too."
She hesitated.
"What about Mariana Escalante?"
Victor looked out the window.
"She's finally asking the right questions."
Back in the city...
Andrew refused to leave the mansion.
Most of the furniture had already been tagged for legal inventory.
The servants had quietly packed their belongings.
The once-grand estate echoed with emptiness.
He wandered into the kitchen.
It felt strangely unfamiliar.
He opened a cabinet.
Inside were dozens of handwritten recipe cards.
Each one was labeled in Mariana's neat handwriting.
Margaret's Favorite Chicken Soup
Andrew's Birthday Chocolate Cake
Sunday Family Breakfast
He stared at them.
For years, he had assumed the meals simply appeared.
He had never asked who spent hours preparing them.
He opened the refrigerator.
Every shelf was organized.
Sticky notes marked expiration dates.
Containers were labeled for Margaret's dietary restrictions.
Even after years of insults...
Mariana had continued caring for the woman who despised her.
Andrew slowly closed the refrigerator door.
His chest tightened.
He remembered every time he had thanked the house staff.
Never Mariana.
At Escalante Global...
Detective Sarah Collins arrived carrying another evidence box.
"We found something in Charles Whitmore's office."
She placed a leather journal on the table.
"It wasn't hidden."
"It was overlooked."
Mariana carefully opened the worn journal.
Most pages contained ordinary business notes.
Meeting schedules.
Investment ideas.
Family reminders.
Then she reached a page folded neatly in half.
Across the top, Charles had written:
For Mariana
She unfolded it.
The ink had faded slightly with time.
Mariana,
If you're reading this, then I failed to protect the people I love.
I owe you more than I can ever repay.
You gave my family another chance when they deserved none.
But there is one truth I could never tell you.
Mariana's heartbeat quickened.
She continued reading.
Victor Hale didn't choose Whitmore Capital because of me.
He chose us because he wanted access to the Escalante family.
Alejandro slowly straightened in his chair.
The room became deathly quiet.
Charles continued.
Years ago, Victor tried to buy controlling interests in Escalante Global.
Your grandfather refused.
From that day forward...
Victor promised he would destroy our families one piece at a time.
Mariana exchanged a stunned glance with her father.
Alejandro whispered,
"My father never told me this."
Charles's handwriting became shakier.
He couldn't defeat the Escalantes directly.
So he searched for another way in.
He believed rescuing my company would eventually bring you into his reach.
Mariana lowered the letter.
"So..."
"He never wanted Whitmore Capital."
Alejandro finished the sentence.
"He wanted us."
Detective Collins nodded.
"Our investigation supports Charles's statement."
She placed several intelligence files on the table.
"For nearly fifteen years, Victor systematically targeted businesses connected to the Escalante network."
"Suppliers."
"Partners."
"Contractors."
"Investment firms."
"He wasn't building wealth."
"He was building access."
The cybersecurity director spoke.
"And Mariana became his closest opportunity."
"Without ever realizing it."
Across the city...
Andrew's phone buzzed.
It was Daniel Morris.
"Andrew."
"I've just left the board meeting."
"What happened?"
Daniel hesitated.
"The directors voted unanimously."
Andrew already knew.
"I'm fired."
"No."
Daniel sighed.
"It's worse."
"They've permanently removed you as CEO."
Andrew leaned against the kitchen counter.
"What else?"
"The board elected an interim chair."
"Who?"
Daniel answered quietly.
"Mariana."
Andrew closed his eyes.
"She accepted?"
"Not exactly."
"They said she'll only stay long enough to stabilize the company."
Andrew almost laughed.
Even now...
After everything he had done...
She was still trying to save Whitmore Capital.
Not for him.
For the employees.
For the investors.
For the families who depended on it.
That realization hurt more than losing the title itself.
Late that evening...
Mariana stood alone on the rooftop terrace of Escalante Global.
The city lights stretched endlessly below.
Alejandro joined her.
"You've been quiet."
She nodded.
"I'm thinking about Andrew."
Her father looked surprised.
"After everything?"
"I don't miss the man he became."
She stared into the distance.
"But I still mourn the man he used to be."
Alejandro rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Some people lose themselves chasing power."
"And some never find their way back."
Before Mariana could respond, her secure phone rang.
Only three people in the world had that number.
She answered immediately.
"This is Mariana."
The voice on the other end was calm.
Dangerously calm.
"Good evening, Mariana."
Her blood ran cold.
She recognized it instantly.
Victor Hale.
She stepped away from her father.
"What do you want?"
Victor chuckled softly.
"To congratulate you."
"For what?"
"You've uncovered almost everything."
"Almost?"
"Yes."
"There is still one secret your father never told you."
Mariana's grip tightened around the phone.
"What secret?"
Victor's voice dropped to barely above a whisper.
"The night your mother died..."
"...she wasn't the intended victim."
Mariana froze.
Every sound around her disappeared.
The city.
The wind.
Even her own breathing.
Victor spoke one final sentence.
"The bullet..."
"...was meant for you."
The line went dead.
Mariana stood motionless, staring into the darkness.
Behind her, Alejandro immediately noticed the color drain from her face.
"Mariana?"
She slowly lowered the phone.
Her voice was barely audible.
"He knows."
Alejandro frowned.
"Knows what?"
She looked at him with tears beginning to fill her eyes.
"He knows what happened the night Mom died."
For the first time in decades...
Alejandro Escalante looked genuinely afraid.
May you like
Because the one secret he had buried to protect his daughter...
Had just come back to destroy them both.
