CHAPTER 12: THE FIRST ATTEMPT ON AURELIO'S LIFE
The letter slipped from my hands.
It landed on the floor.
But I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
Because those words didn't make sense.
"He is not your creator."
"He is the first person who tried to kill you."
I looked at Sebastian Mendoza.
The man who claimed he created me.
The man who spoke about me like I was his greatest achievement.
The man who looked at me with pride.
And suddenly...
I saw something else.
Not pride.
Possession.
"You tried to kill me?"
My voice was quiet.
But everyone heard it.
Sebastian didn't answer.
That was enough.
Valentina raised her weapon.
"I knew it."
Sebastian looked at her.
"You know nothing."
"No."
Her voice became colder.
"I know exactly who you are."
She stepped closer.
"The man who destroyed Elena's life."
"The man who turned children into experiments."
"The man who believed blood was more important than humanity."
Sebastian smiled.
"You sound exactly like your mother."
Valentina froze.
"Don't compare me to her."
"Why?"
Sebastian looked amused.
"Because she was right."
The answer shocked everyone.
Even me.
"What?"
Sebastian looked at the letter.
"Elena discovered the truth."
He sighed.
"She discovered that Aurelio was never supposed to survive."
My heart stopped.
"What does that mean?"
Sebastian looked at me.
"When you were born, the project had one purpose."
"Create the perfect Mendoza heir."
He walked toward the old files.
"But perfection requires sacrifice."
A cold feeling moved through my body.
"What sacrifice?"
He picked up a document.
"The first test subjects failed."
I stared.
"Failed?"
"They couldn't handle the process."
My voice became smaller.
"Process?"
Sebastian looked at me.
"Your genetic modification."
The room went silent.
I felt sick.
"No."
He continued.
"Children before you were stronger."
"Faster."
"Smarter."
"But they lacked one thing."
"What?"
Sebastian looked directly into my eyes.
"Humanity."
The word echoed.
"Without humanity, they became unstable."
I remembered what he said earlier.
The reason I was different.
The reason they couldn't control me.
"You didn't create a weapon."
Sebastian smiled.
"No."
A pause.
"We accidentally created a person."
Nobody spoke.
Because somehow...
that sounded like the biggest failure to him.
A person.
Not a weapon.
Not a tool.
A person.
"Then why did you try to kill me?"
Sebastian's expression finally changed.
A small crack appeared.
"Because your existence proved we were wrong."
I frowned.
"What?"
"You were supposed to become the strongest Mendoza heir."
"But instead..."
He looked at me.
"You became the first one who could reject the Mendoza legacy."
The room was silent.
"You were the end of everything I built."
I understood.
He didn't fear my power.
He feared my choice.
The ability to say no.
The ability to walk away.
The ability to destroy the very thing he dedicated his life to creating.
Suddenly, Isabella Cruz spoke.
"Tell him what happened after Elena found out."
Sebastian looked at her.
"You were always too loyal to her."
"She deserved loyalty."
A cold smile appeared on Sebastian's face.
"She was weak."
"No."
Isabella shook her head.
"She was brave."
She looked at me.
"Your mother discovered the truth about the project when you were six months old."
I froze.
"Six months?"
She nodded.
"She found the records."
"The experiments."
"The deaths."
"She found out Sebastian had already prepared a replacement."
I looked at Sebastian.
"A replacement?"
Sebastian didn't speak.
Isabella continued.
"Another child."
The room became cold.
"Another heir."
My stomach tightened.
"Where is he?"
Nobody answered.
That silence terrified me.
"Where is he?"
This time, my voice was louder.
Sebastian smiled.
"Closer than you think."
A sound echoed.
A door opening.
Everyone turned.
Behind the archive wall, another room appeared.
A hidden chamber.
Inside...
was a young man.
Maybe sixteen.
Maybe seventeen.
He sat silently.
Watching us.
His eyes looked empty.
Like someone who had forgotten how to feel.
Sebastian looked at him.
"My second success."
The young man stood.
Slowly.
He looked at me.
And I felt something strange.
Recognition.
Like looking into a distorted mirror.
"Who is he?"
Sebastian answered:
"Your replacement."
The young man stepped closer.
He looked exactly like someone who had been built from the same blueprint.
The same calm eyes.
The same controlled expression.
But something was missing.
Something human.
"This is Damian Mendoza."
I stared.
"My brother?"
Sebastian smiled.
"Not by blood."
A pause.
"By design."
The words made me sick.
Damian looked at me.
Then spoke.
His voice was empty.
"You are the failure."
I froze.
"What?"
He continued:
"You were supposed to obey."
"You were supposed to become the heir."
"But you escaped."
I stepped back.
"Who are you?"
Damian stared.
"I am what you would have become."
The room went silent.
Then suddenly...
the entire archive shook.
An explosion.
Then another.
Isabella looked toward the ceiling.
"They found us."
Valentina moved.
"Who?"
Isabella's face turned pale.
"The Council."
Nobody reacted.
Except Sebastian.
For the first time...
he looked afraid.
"The Council should still be asleep."
Valentina frowned.
"The Council?"
Sebastian looked at me.
And the fear in his eyes made my blood freeze.
"The people who funded Project Mendoza."
"The people who own every secret this family ever created."
The lights went out.
A voice echoed through the archive.
A voice coming from everywhere.
"Sebastian."
Everyone froze.
"You were instructed to eliminate the anomaly."
The voice continued.
"You failed."
Sebastian looked furious.
"I created him."
The voice answered:
"No."
A pause.
"You created the problem."
The emergency lights turned on.
A red symbol appeared on every screen.
A symbol I had never seen before.
Not Mendoza.
Not Valdez.
Something older.
Something more powerful.
The voice spoke again.
"Bring Aurelio Mendoza to us."
Silence.
"Alive."
I felt every person in the room look at me.
The voice continued.
"Because the final experiment cannot begin without the original subject."
My heart stopped.
"Final experiment?"
Sebastian whispered.
"No..."
For the first time...
the man who feared nothing looked terrified.
The voice said one last sentence.
And everyone understood the true danger.
"Prepare the awakening of Aurelio Mendoza."
The screens went black.
Nobody moved.
Then Damian looked at me.
For the first time...
emotion appeared on his face.
Fear.
And he whispered:
"They are not coming to capture you."
I stared.
"Then what are they coming for?"
May you like
Damian looked toward the darkness.
"They are coming to wake you up."
