Part 2 – Chapter 18: The Letter and the Threat
Part 2 – Chapter 18: The Letter and the Threat
Silence fell over the hotel lobby.
No one moved.
No one even seemed to breathe.
Mariana stared at the security guard.
"...What did you say?"
The guard looked visibly uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Escalante. That's exactly what he told me."
Andrew stepped forward immediately.
"Where is he now?"
"He was standing outside the main entrance less than a minute ago."
Andrew didn't wait for another word.
He hurried toward the revolving doors.
By the time he reached the sidewalk...
The man was gone.
Only streams of yellow taxis and the glow of Manhattan traffic remained.
A valet attendant pointed toward the corner.
"I saw someone in a gray coat walk away fast. He got into a black sedan."
"Did you catch the license plate?"
The attendant shook his head.
"It happened too quickly."
Andrew scanned the street one last time before returning inside.
"He disappeared."
Mariana hadn't moved.
The envelope was still in her hands.
Its seal had been broken, but the letter remained folded inside.
Sofia looked at her with concern.
"Maybe we should call the police."
The elderly woman nodded.
"I agree."
Within twenty minutes, two detectives from the New York Police Department arrived.
They listened carefully as the security guard repeated the stranger's message.
One detective examined the envelope.
"No fingerprints on the outside besides yours and the woman's."
He looked at the elderly journalist.
"You've kept this sealed all these years?"
"I made a promise."
The detective nodded respectfully.
"We'll review the hotel's security footage."
He turned to Mariana.
"In the meantime, I recommend you don't go anywhere alone."
Mariana thanked him.
But her thoughts were elsewhere.
They were fixed on the folded letter resting in her hands.
After the detectives left, the group moved into a private conference room provided by the hotel.
The city lights glowed through the tall windows.
No reporters could reach them here.
No curious guests could interrupt.
The elderly woman spoke first.
"My name is Evelyn Harper."
Mariana looked up.
"Thank you... for keeping your promise."
Evelyn smiled sadly.
"I only wish Elena had lived long enough to give this to you herself."
Mariana's fingers tightened around the envelope.
Andrew noticed.
"You don't have to read it tonight."
She looked at him.
"He wanted me to be afraid."
Andrew nodded.
"Exactly."
"If I wait because someone threatened me..."
She took a slow breath.
"...then they're still controlling my choices."
No one argued.
Very carefully, Mariana unfolded the letter.
The paper was fragile.
The ink had faded slightly with time.
But every word remained clear.
My dearest Mariana,
If you're reading this, then life has taken a path I prayed it never would.
I wanted to tell you these things myself.
I wanted to watch you grow into the woman I believed you would become.
If that wasn't possible...
Then I hope these words help you understand me.
First, know this.
You were never the reason I left my work.
You were the reason I found something even more important.
People may tell you I gave up my dreams.
They'll be wrong.
I chose a different dream.
I chose you.
Tears blurred Mariana's vision.
She continued reading.
When I discovered the corruption surrounding several powerful families, I believed exposing the truth would change the world.
Perhaps it would have.
But then I learned I was going to be your mother.
Suddenly...
Changing the world mattered less than making sure you had the chance to live safely inside it.
I don't regret that choice.
Not for one second.
If anyone ever tells you that love makes a woman weak...
Smile politely.
Then prove them wrong.
Mariana pressed her lips together.
Across the table, Andrew quietly looked away, giving her privacy even while remaining close.
She turned the page.
One day, the truth may come searching for you.
If it does...
Don't carry it alone.
Trust those who earn your trust.
Question those who demand it.
And remember something I learned too late.
Secrets don't disappear.
They simply wait for someone brave enough to uncover them.
Near the bottom of the page, Elena's handwriting became slightly uneven.
As if she had been writing in great haste.
There is one person you must find.
He knows where the final evidence was hidden.
His name is...
Samuel Rhodes.
Don't let anyone tell you he's dead.
Because if you're reading this...
He was alive when I wrote these words.
Find him.
He knows the truth about your grandfather.
And about the promise Victor Escalante made before everything fell apart.
Love always,
Mom.
The room remained silent long after Mariana finished.
Andrew finally spoke.
"Samuel Rhodes."
Evelyn closed her eyes.
"I was afraid that name would be in the letter."
"You know him?" Mariana asked.
"I knew him."
Evelyn folded her hands.
"He was your mother's editor."
"And her closest friend."
Mariana leaned forward.
"My mother said he wasn't dead."
Evelyn nodded slowly.
"Officially..."
"He died in a boating accident twenty-nine years ago."
"But you don't believe that."
"No."
"Neither did Elena."
Andrew frowned.
"If he faked his death..."
"Then someone wanted him to disappear."
Before anyone could respond, one of the detectives returned, his expression grim.
"We've reviewed the security footage."
"Did you find him?" Sofia asked.
"We found something."
He placed several printed images on the table.
The first showed the mysterious man entering the hotel.
He wore a gray overcoat and a baseball cap pulled low.
The second showed him speaking briefly with the security guard.
The third...
Made Andrew freeze.
His face lost all color.
Mariana noticed immediately.
"Andrew?"
He didn't answer.
He simply picked up the photograph.
His hand trembled.
"What is it?" Mariana asked.
He swallowed hard.
"I know this man."
Everyone stared at him.
The detective looked surprised.
"You've seen him before?"
Andrew nodded slowly.
"Not recently."
"But when I was a teenager..."
He pointed to the man's face.
"...he worked for my father."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Andrew looked up, struggling to process the realization.
"My father always introduced him as a financial adviser."
Evelyn's eyes widened with recognition.
"No..."
Andrew looked at her.
"You know him too?"
She whispered a name she hadn't spoken in decades.
"Richard Hale."
The detective frowned.
"Who's Richard Hale?"
Evelyn answered in a voice barely above a whisper.
May you like
"The man who stole your mother's investigation..."
"...and the last person ever seen with Samuel Rhodes before he disappeared."
