Chapter 4: Shadows of the Past
Rain clouds rolled over Mexico City that evening, covering the skyline in shades of gray.
Inside the Villaseñor mansion, no one noticed the approaching storm.
Another kind of storm had already arrived.
Diego stood motionless in the security room, his eyes fixed on the frozen image of the black sedan.
His father's executive vehicle.
Three years ago.
Waiting across the street while Marisol walked away believing she had been abandoned.
It couldn't be a coincidence.
His father had been a strict businessman, but he had never interfered in Diego's personal relationships.
At least...
That was what Diego had always believed.
"Run the license plate again," he ordered.
The technician nodded.
"It's confirmed, sir. The registration belonged to Villaseñor Holdings. It was assigned to Executive Services."
Executive Services.
A department reserved exclusively for Diego's father and his closest advisers.
Ricardo looked uneasy.
"There weren't many people authorized to use that vehicle."
"Names."
Ricardo hesitated only a second before answering.
"Your father."
"Your father's executive assistant."
"The chief legal adviser."
"And occasionally..."
He stopped.
"Continue."
"...Paulina Robles."
The room fell silent.
Diego slowly turned.
"What did you say?"
"Before she worked in public relations, Miss Robles served as your father's executive assistant."
Diego frowned.
"You never mentioned that."
"It wasn't relevant at the time."
"It is now."
Across the mansion, Paulina paced inside her bedroom.
Her phone rang.
She answered immediately.
"Tell me you found something."
"I found the hospital."
The private investigator sounded exhausted.
"The birth certificate lists only one parent."
"Marisol Herrera."
"No father."
Paulina released a slow breath.
"Good."
"But..."
Her grip tightened.
"What?"
"There was another document."
"What document?"
"A sealed file."
"The hospital received a request three years ago asking that all information regarding the father's identity remain confidential."
Paulina's eyes narrowed.
"Who requested it?"
"I couldn't access the name."
"The records were protected."
She hung up without another word.
Her heartbeat refused to slow.
She had covered every trace she could think of.
Or so she believed.
Now hidden documents were beginning to surface.
And Diego had started asking questions.
Questions that could destroy everything.
Downstairs, Valentina sat cross-legged on the living room rug.
She was building a castle out of colorful wooden blocks Isabel had found in storage.
Diego quietly walked in.
She looked up immediately.
"Daddy!"
The word came naturally now.
Without fear.
Without hesitation.
He smiled despite the ache in his chest.
"What are you building?"
"Our house."
She proudly pointed at the uneven tower.
"This is Mama's room."
Another block.
"This is my room."
She searched carefully through the pile.
Finally choosing the tallest piece.
"And this..."
She placed it beside the others.
"...is your room."
Diego crouched beside her.
"Can I help?"
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes!"
For the next twenty minutes, one of Mexico's busiest billionaires forgot about investigations, board meetings, and corporate empires.
He simply built block towers with his daughter.
Servants passing through the hallway stopped to watch.
None of them had ever seen him laugh like this.
Even Ricardo smiled.
"It suits him," Isabel whispered.
"It always should have."
Later that night, Marisol stood alone on the balcony outside the guest suite.
Rain had finally begun to fall.
She wrapped a sweater tightly around herself.
"You always loved the rain."
Diego's voice came softly from behind her.
She smiled faintly.
"You remembered."
"I remember everything."
He stepped beside her.
For several moments they simply watched the rain.
"It wasn't supposed to happen this way," Marisol whispered.
"No."
"I imagined telling you I was pregnant."
"I imagined your face."
"I imagined we'd argue about baby names."
She laughed quietly through tears.
"You wanted Sebastián."
"You wanted Valentina."
"I guess you won."
They both smiled.
Then silence returned.
Not awkward.
Just full of memories.
Finally Diego spoke.
"When she called me 'Daddy' today..."
He paused.
"I realized someone stole three years I can never get back."
Marisol looked at him.
"I know."
"I missed her first birthday."
"Yes."
"Her first steps."
"Yes."
"Her first words."
Tears formed in his eyes.
"I wasn't there."
Marisol gently placed her hand over his.
"No."
"But you're here now."
The simple sentence carried more forgiveness than he believed he deserved.
The following morning, Diego arrived at Villaseñor Group headquarters.
The sixty-story glass tower dominated Santa Fe's skyline.
Employees straightened as he entered the lobby.
Something about him felt different.
More focused.
More dangerous.
Within minutes, the executive conference room filled.
Around the table sat the company's senior leadership.
Lawyers.
Financial officers.
Division presidents.
At the far end sat Eduardo Salazar.
His face remained calm.
His hands did not.
Diego entered without greeting anyone.
He placed a thin folder onto the table.
"I have one question."
No one spoke.
"Three years ago..."
He slowly looked around the room.
"...who handled visitor requests at Villaseñor Arquitectos?"
Eduardo felt sweat forming beneath his collar.
One executive answered.
"Human Resources."
"Specifically?"
Silence.
Diego's gaze settled on Eduardo.
"You."
Eduardo forced a smile.
"Yes, I supervised reception."
Diego nodded once.
"Good."
"Then perhaps you can explain something."
He opened the folder.
Inside were enlarged photographs from the security footage.
One showed Marisol leaving the office.
Another showed the executive sedan parked nearby.
Finally...
A third image.
Someone stepping out of the sedan.
The photograph was grainy.
The face impossible to identify.
But the posture...
The clothing...
The distinctive silver briefcase...
Eduardo recognized them instantly.
His own.
His heart nearly stopped.
Diego slid the photograph across the table.
"Would anyone like to tell me..."
"...why my pregnant girlfriend was turned away from my office while one of my company's executive vehicles waited outside?"
No one answered.
The room became unbearably quiet.
Eduardo could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Diego's voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"I'll ask one last time."
"Who arranged it?"
Eduardo lowered his eyes.
He knew he had reached the edge of a cliff.
If he lied, Diego would eventually discover the truth.
If he confessed...
The person who hired him would never forgive him.
His phone vibrated inside his pocket.
A single text message appeared on the screen.
Stay quiet.
No name.
No signature.
He didn't need one.
He knew exactly who had sent it.
Eduardo slowly lifted his head.
His lips parted.
"I..."
The conference room doors suddenly burst open.
A breathless security officer rushed inside.
"Sir!"
Diego turned sharply.
"What happened?"
The guard's face had gone pale.
"Miss Valentina..."
May you like
He struggled to catch his breath.
"...she's gone."
