Chapter 4 - The Abduction at the Gates
Panic erupted inside the Villaseñor mansion.
"They can't take her! She’s just a baby!" Marisol screamed, clutching Valentina to her chest in the living room. Valentina began to cry, terrified by the loud voices and the flashing lights visible through the high glass windows.
"Listen to me," Diego said, his hands on Marisol’s face, his eyes full of intense determination. "I will not let them take her. Javier is filing a counter-injunction right now, but we need to get you both out of here before the police arrive with that corrupted warrant."
He led them through the underground service tunnel beneath the estate—a security feature built into the mansion years ago. The tunnel led directly to a secluded garage two blocks away, where Diego kept an unmarked SUV.
"My driver, Carlos, will take you to my private estate in Cuernavaca," Diego instructed, placing them in the back seat. "It’s heavily guarded and untraceable. Stay there until I clear this mess up."
"Diego, come with us!" Marisol pleaded, holding his hand through the window.
"I can't. If I disappear, the media will claim I’m fleeing the law. I have to go to court and face Victoria myself," Diego said, kissing Marisol’s forehead and then pressing a gentle kiss onto little Valentina’s cheek. "I love you both. Trust me."
The SUV sped off into the afternoon traffic.
For three days, the city was in chaos. Diego launched an all-out war against his aunt Victoria. He deployed his vast fortune to hire top-tier forensic investigators to track down the source of the leaked documents and the judge who signed the illegal warrant.
By Thursday evening, the investigators found the smoking gun: bank transfers from Paulina’s father directly into the private account of Judge Morales—the judge who issued the custody warrant.
"We have them, Diego," Javier announced in the study. "Bribery, conspiracy, and judicial corruption. Victoria and Paulina are finished."
Relief washed over Diego. "Get the arrest warrants ready. I'm going to Cuernavaca to bring my family home."
Diego rushed out to his car, heart pounding with excitement. He couldn't wait to hold Valentina and tell Marisol that their nightmare was finally over.
But as he drove down the highway toward Cuernavaca, his phone rang. It was the head of security at the safehouse. His voice was filled with panic.
"Mr. Villaseñor! There was an attack at the main gate!"
Diego’s blood ran cold. "What happened?!"
"A group of armed men forced their way into the estate! They cut the power lines and disabled the cameras!" the guard reported desperately. "They took Miss Marisol and the little girl!"
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Diego almost lost control of the steering wheel, swerving across the lanes. "Who took them?! Speak!"
"We managed to capture one of the drivers," the guard panted. "He confessed... they were hired by Miss Paulina and your aunt Victoria! They’re taking them to an abandoned warehouse near the docks in Veracruz... they’re planning to put them on a cargo ship out of the country!"
