Chapter 8 - The Man Behind the GlassRafael Salcedo had aged.
But not enough.
His hair was silver.
His face leaner.
His eyes almost unchanged.
Cold.
Patient.
Predatory.
He looked at Mariana the way a collector might examine a painting believed to have been destroyed.
“You look like Lucía.”
Mariana could barely speak.
“You're dead.”
“I found death inconvenient.”
“You killed her.”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
No denial.
No excuse.
Just certainty.
Mariana's stomach turned.
“Why?”
“She betrayed me.”
“She was your daughter.”
“She forgot what family meant.”
Mariana stepped forward.
“You destroyed her life.”
Rafael looked at her.
“No.”
He smiled faintly.
“I created yours.”
That sentence froze her.
“What?”
“You think you survived because you were lucky.”
He stepped closer.
“You survived because I allowed you to.”
Mariana's mind raced.
“Then why pretend I was dead?”
“To protect you.”
“From what?”
“From the people who wanted to use you.”
“Who?”
Rafael smiled.
“You're beginning to understand.”
He raised his hand.
Two guards appeared.
Mariana stepped backward.
“Where is Mateo?”
Rafael's expression changed.
For the first time, something almost like concern appeared.
“The boy is safe.”
“Where?”
“You'll see him soon.”
“Give him to me.”
“You misunderstand your position.”
“What position?”
Rafael looked at her.
“You are not being hunted.”
Mariana frowned.
“You are being tested.”
“For what?”
He smiled.
“To see whether you're your mother's daughter.”
Mariana stared.
“And if I'm not?”
Rafael's eyes hardened.
“Then I have no use for you.”
A door opened behind him.
Mariana was escorted into a luxurious underground facility.
It looked like a hospital built for billionaires.
Glass walls.
Steel corridors.
Silent elevators.
Security everywhere.
She saw people in white coats.
Children behind glass.
Monitors.
Machines.
Her stomach tightened.
“Where is Mateo?”
Rafael continued walking.
“Do not worry.”
He stopped before a glass chamber.
Mariana looked inside.
Mateo was there.
Sitting on a bed.
Alive.
But not alone.
A woman stood beside him.
Long dark hair.
Pale face.
Mariana's breath caught.
“Lucía.”
The woman turned.
Mariana's knees nearly gave out.
It looked exactly like the photograph.
But older.
Different.
Alive.
Impossible.
The woman pressed her hand against the glass.
“Mariana.”
Mariana stumbled backward.
“No.”
Rafael watched quietly.
“She survived too.”
Mariana stared at him.
“But you said—”
“I said what the world needed to hear.”
The glass door opened.
Mariana rushed inside.
The woman stepped forward.
They stared at each other.
Then the woman whispered:
“My daughter.”
Mariana's heart shattered.
She backed away.
“You're not my mother.”
Lucía's face crumpled.
“I know what they told you.”
“You let me grow up believing you were dead.”
“I couldn't reach you.”
“You didn't try.”
“I did.”
Lucía looked at Rafael.
He smiled.
“They locked me away.”
Mariana turned toward him.
“You kept her alive?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To motivate you.”
Mariana stared.
“You're insane.”
Rafael shrugged.
“Perhaps.”
Then Lucía spoke.
“Mariana, listen carefully.”
Her voice trembled.
“Your father isn't the person you should fear.”
Mariana's stomach tightened.
“Then who?”
Lucía looked toward the door.
“Adrian Vale.”
Mariana remembered the photograph.
The future president.
The philanthropist.
“The man behind Meridian.”
Lucía nodded.
“And he believes Mateo is the key.”
“To what?”
Lucía's eyes filled with terror.
“To waking something that should have remained buried.”
The facility lights flickered.
Rafael looked toward the ceiling.
“Too late.”
Every screen in the room went black.
Then one sentence appeared across all of them.
HELLO, MARIANA.
Another appeared.
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.
Then the screens changed.
A live video.
Adrian Vale.
Smiling.
May you like
Beside him stood Esteban Salcedo.
And in front of them, bound to a chair, was Gabriel.
