Chapter 2 - The Unmasking at Lomas de Chapultepec
The air in the master bedroom turned ice-cold. Alejandro did not roar or throw furniture; his silence was far more lethal. He stepped past Regina, his eyes fixed on the small amber glass bottle Lucía had placed on the polished mahogany dresser.
"Alejandro, darling, this is insane!" Regina spat, her silk robe rustling as she took a frantic step toward him. "You’re actually listening to a servant? A girl who has been in our home for less than a month? She probably stole that bottle from somewhere else to blackmail us! Look at her—she’s terrified because she’s lying!"
Lucía stood her ground, her knees shaking beneath her apron, but her gaze remained firm. "I am not lying, Mr. Alejandro. Smell the cup. It smells like bitter almonds and damp soil. It isn't cinnamon."
Alejandro picked up the porcelain cup. He brought it close to his nose and inhaled gently. Beneath the sugary aroma of the warm atole lay a pungent, metallic, chemical edge—an unsettling odor that made his stomach turn. He looked down at Emiliano, who was still huddled on the carpet, gasping for air, clutching his abdomen as if internal fire was devouring him.
"Call Dr. Salazar," Alejandro commanded, his voice dropping an octave. "Not the clinic in Toluca. Call my private physician. Tell him to bring a full toxicology field kit to the house immediately."
Regina’s composure began to fray. The perfectly sculpted mask of the grieving, patient stepmother shattered. "You are disrespecting me! I am your wife, Alejandro! I have stood by you while your son has acted like a lunatic! If you bring toxicologists into this house, you are publicly accusing me!"
"If you have nothing to hide, Regina, a toxicologist’s presence shouldn't bother you," Alejandro said coldly. He turned to his head of security, Ramiro, who was standing quietly by the doorway. "Ramiro, lock the front gates. Nobody enters or leaves this property without my personal authorization. Confiscate all cell phones from the staff—and from my wife."
"What?!" Regina shrieked, backing toward the hallway. "You can't hold me prisoner! This is unlawful restraint!"
"Try me," Alejandro replied smoothly, picking up his son in his arms. Emiliano sagged against his father's broad chest, whimpering softly. "Lucía, come with us. Keep an eye on Emiliano while I wait for Salazar. If my son has been poisoned, there isn't a place on this earth where anyone involved can hide from me."
Twenty minutes later, Dr. Salazar arrived under heavy guard. Within fifteen minutes of running a rapid chemical analysis on the liquid in the cup and testing the residue inside the amber bottle, the physician’s face drained of color.
"Alejandro," Dr. Salazar said, lowering his glasses. "This isn't a delusion. The boy has been ingested with a specialized compound—a rare neurotoxin combined with a violent gastrointestinal irritant derived from rare plant extracts. In small doses, it causes horrific, localized stomach spasms, severe tactile hallucinations that feel like something is moving inside the tissue, and intense panic. In larger doses... it causes complete organ shutdown."
Alejandro’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. He looked over at Emiliano, who was finally resting under a mild sedative. The doctors in Santa Fe hadn't caught it because standard blood panels did not screen for exotic botanical toxins.
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"It wasn't a mental breakdown," Alejandro whispered, a deep, agonizing guilt washing over his chest. "My boy was telling the truth the entire time."
He turned slowly toward the hallway where Regina was being watched by two armed guards. "Now," Alejandro said, his eyes burning with absolute vengeance, "I want to know why."
