Chapter 5 - THE SECOND ATTEMPT
Alejandro ran.
He reached Valeria’s room and slammed the door open.
A man in blue medical scrubs stood beside her bed, holding a syringe near her intravenous line.
Valeria was asleep.
The man turned.
Alejandro recognized Dr. Federico Montalvo from the security footage.
Montalvo dropped the syringe and bolted toward the bathroom.
Alejandro caught him before he reached the door.
They crashed against a metal cabinet, sending medical supplies across the floor.
Montalvo struck Alejandro in the ribs and tried to break free, but Diego arrived seconds later and helped pin him down.
Hospital security rushed into the room.
One guard placed Montalvo in handcuffs.
The doctor’s face remained strangely calm.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing,” he told Alejandro.
“I understand enough.”
“No. You don’t.”
Montalvo looked toward Esther, who had appeared in the doorway beside the police.
“She gave the orders.”
Esther’s face hardened.
“You are a desperate criminal.”
Montalvo laughed.
“You said the same thing about your husband.”
The corridor went silent.
Alejandro stepped closer.
“What did you do to my father?”
Esther turned away.
Montalvo continued before anyone could stop him.
“Ricardo discovered the hidden accounts. He planned to remove her from every company board and place the assets in trust for his future grandchild.”
Alejandro remembered his father’s final weeks.
The fatigue.
The headaches.
The sudden collapse during breakfast.
His mother had insisted on using a private family doctor instead of taking him to the nearest hospital.
Montalvo.
“You killed him,” Alejandro whispered.
“I followed a treatment plan.”
“You killed him!”
Alejandro lunged forward, but Diego restrained him.
Montalvo looked almost relieved now that the secret had surfaced.
“Your father was already ill. Your mother simply accelerated the inevitable.”
Esther slapped him.
“You pathetic coward.”
The police separated them.
Valeria stirred in the bed.
Her eyes opened slowly.
“Alejandro?”
He immediately moved to her side.
“I’m here.”
She looked at the shattered supplies on the floor, the officers and Dr. Montalvo in handcuffs.
“He came back.”
“He can’t hurt you now.”
Valeria’s gaze moved to Esther.
“You promised no one would believe me.”
Esther stared at her without remorse.
“You should never have entered this family.”
Alejandro stepped between them.
“That is enough.”
Esther looked at her son.
Something inside her expression changed. The affectionate mask vanished completely.
“You think this woman loves you? She found Ricardo’s letter months ago. She knew about the trust before you did.”
Alejandro turned toward Valeria.
She closed her eyes.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
The answer reopened the wound between them.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because the letter accused your mother of stealing from the companies. I needed proof.”
“So you investigated my family behind my back?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“By keeping secrets?”
Valeria’s face tightened with pain.
“I was going to tell you the night I found the original account records.”
“What happened?”
“Marcela saw me leaving the archives.”
Valeria swallowed.
“The next morning, the injections began.”
Alejandro’s anger dissolved into shame.
While Valeria had been trying to protect his father’s legacy, he had accused her of betraying their marriage.
An officer approached Esther.
“Doña Esther Aranda, we need you to accompany us for questioning.”
She raised her chin.
“You have no idea who I am.”
The officer did not blink.
“I know exactly who you are.”
As Esther was escorted away, she turned toward Alejandro.
“This is not over.”
The doors closed behind her.
Valeria looked at her husband.
“She’s right.”
Alejandro took her hand.
“What else is there?”
“The original letter and the financial records are not in the silver box.”
“Where are they?”
“At the Coyoacán gallery.”
Valeria’s breathing became shallow.
“Alejandro, Marcela knows where I hid them.”
At that exact moment, Diego’s phone rang.
He listened for several seconds.
May you like
Then he looked at them with alarm.
“The gallery is on fire.”
