Chapter 2: The House of Lies
Chapter 2: The House of Lies
By noon, Carmen Robles believed everything had gone according to plan.
She hosted brunch inside her sprawling mansion, smiling as relatives congratulated her on her son's marriage.
When someone asked where the bride was, Carmen laughed.
"Young couples need privacy."
Meanwhile, her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She answered casually.
"Hello?"
"This is Dallas General Hospital."
Her smile faded.
"We're calling regarding Sofia."
Carmen immediately forced concern into her voice.
"Oh my goodness! What happened?"
"We'd like to ask a few questions regarding injuries sustained after last night's wedding."
She paused only briefly.
"Injuries?"
"Yes."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
The call ended.
Across town, the investigator placed his phone down.
"She lied in less than five seconds."
Alexander nodded.
"Record everything."
By afternoon, another discovery surfaced.
The hotel manager reluctantly admitted someone had demanded all surveillance footage be erased before sunrise.
The request hadn't come from the hotel owner.
It came directly from Javier.
Even worse...
Payment records showed Carmen had reserved the honeymoon suite herself weeks before the wedding.
Not for romance.
For privacy.
The room selected had the fewest neighboring guests.
Soundproof walls.
Private hallway.
Minimal camera coverage.
The assault had not been spontaneous.
It had been planned.
When Sofia learned this, she quietly cried into my shoulder.
"I thought they wanted me as family."
Alexander answered softly.
"They wanted your property."
That evening, the investigators uncovered text messages recovered from cloud backups.
One message from Carmen read:
"If she signs tonight, everything becomes ours."
Another replied:
"If she refuses?"
Carmen's answer contained only five chilling words.
"Fear changes stubborn women quickly."
Alexander read every message without expression.
Then he looked toward the lead prosecutor.
"Attempted coercion."
"Conspiracy."
"Aggravated assault."
The prosecutor nodded.
"And perhaps much more."
For the first time since arriving, Alexander allowed himself one sentence filled with emotion.
May you like
"They mistook kindness for weakness."
"They won't make that mistake again."
