Chapter 3 - The Web of Deception
Emiliano did not step out into the hallway immediately. He knew that catching Patricia in a single act of cruelty was not enough. A woman as calculating as Patricia would have backup plans, offshore accounts, and lawyers ready to spin the narrative. If he acted too quickly, she might escape the full weight of justice.
For the next forty-eight hours, Emiliano lived in the subterranean darkness of the security wing. He ordered his head of security, Marcos, to bring in a specialized private intelligence team. While Patricia paraded through the estate acting like a queen in his absence, Emiliano’s team quietly dissected her life.
What they uncovered made Emiliano’s stomach turn.
Patricia had not stumbled into his life by accident. Three years prior, after the tragic illness that took Emiliano’s wife, Elena, Patricia had deliberately placed herself in his social circles. She was deep in debt to high-stakes gambling syndicates in Macau and Zurich. But worse than her debts was her history: Patricia had been married twice before to wealthy older men in South America, both of whom had died under mysterious, unexplainable circumstances, leaving her millions in life insurance payouts.
On the third day of his "European trip," Emiliano watched the monitors as Patricia welcomed an unexpected guest through the side gates—a man dressed in a sharp suit carrying a leather briefcase.
Emiliano zoomed the hidden camera in on the visitor’s face. Marcos immediately ran it through facial recognition.
"Julian Vance," Marcos reported, holding up a tablet. "A disgraced attorney who specializes in fraudulent wills and estate liquidations. He was disbarred in Spain four years ago."
In the estate's formal library, Patricia poured Vance a glass of scotch. "Is it ready?" she asked, her voice free of the soft innocence she usually put on.
"It’s seamless, Patricia," Vance replied, pulling a thick stack of legal documents from his briefcase. "A codicil to Emiliano’s living will, appointing you as the sole legal guardian of the girls and trustee of the Duarte estate in the event of his sudden incapacitation or death. The signatures are forged using high-resolution laser replication of his handwriting. Even a forensic expert would need weeks to prove it's a fake."
"And the medical arrangements?" Patricia asked, sipping her drink.
"The compound is tasteless, odorless, and mimics a massive cardiac arrest," Vance said with a chilling smile, handing her a small amber glass vial. "Two drops in his evening wine over three consecutive days. By the time he comes back from Europe, you can start the regimen."
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Sitting in the dark, Emiliano touched his own chest. He stared at the small amber vial on the screen. She wasn't just trying to alienate his children or frame his faithful maid. She was planning to murder him.
"Marcos," Emiliano said quietly, the rage inside him burning with a blinding, quiet heat. "Interceptions. Now."
