Chapter 4 - Unseen Alliances
In the small staff breakroom tucked behind the main kitchen, Rosa sat on a wooden stool, her shoulders trembling slightly as she held her face in her hands. The exhaustion of the past four months was finally catching up to her. Every day had been a battle on two fronts: shielding two grieving young girls from Patricia’s relentless emotional abuse, and fighting to keep her dying mother alive in a system controlled by rich people who viewed human lives as bargaining chips.
Suddenly, her mobile phone vibrated in her apron pocket.
Rosa wiped her eyes hurriedly, took a deep breath, and pulled out the phone, expecting a call from the hospital regarding her mother's treatment. But the screen did not display the hospital's number. It displayed a private, encrypted code that she had only seen once before—the private line belonging directly to Emiliano Duarte.
Her heart leaped into her throat. She hesitated, terrified that Patricia might hear her, before pressing the green button and placing the phone to her ear.
"H-Hello?" Rosa whispered, her voice barely audible. "Mr. Duarte?"
"Rosa," a voice came through the speaker. It was deep, strong, and unmistakably Emiliano's. But there was something different in his tone—a tremor of profound emotion that she had never heard from the stoic billionaire. "Do not speak too loudly. Listen to me very carefully."
"Mr. Duarte, I... I'm so sorry to bother you on your trip," Rosa stammered, looking nervously toward the doorway. "Miss Patricia said you were flying to Europe—"
"I am not in Europe, Rosa," Emiliano interrupted gently. "I am in the house. I am in the security monitoring center downstairs."
Rosa froze, her hand tightening around the phone. "What?"
"I never left," Emiliano said. "I saw everything, Rosa. I saw what Patricia did this morning. I saw how she spoke to my daughters. I saw her tear off her own necklace to frame you. I heard what she said about your mother."
Rosa felt her breath catch in her throat. Tears burst from her eyes, but this time they were not tears of despair; they were tears of overwhelming relief. "You... you saw?"
"I saw that you stood between a monster and my children," Emiliano's voice cracked slightly through the line. "I saw that you have been protecting Daniela and Martina while I was too blind and stupid to see the truth. Rosa... I owe you a debt I can never fully repay."
"Mr. Duarte, the girls—"
"The girls are going to be safe, I promise you," Emiliano said firmly. "But I need your help to finish this. Patricia thinks she has won. She thinks you are terrified and defenseless. She is planning to call the police tomorrow to have you arrested for stealing her necklace, while she attempts to transfer my assets to Julian Vance."
Rosa's eyes widened in horror. "Mr. Vance? She is working with Mr. Vance?"
"Yes. But she doesn't know I am watching her every move. Rosa, I need you to play along for just twenty-four hours. Can you do that for me?"
Rosa took a deep, steadying breath. The fear that had weighed down her chest for months began to melt away, replaced by an unbreakable resolve. "What do you need me to do, sir?"
"Act exactly as you normally would," Emiliano instructed. "Let her believe her threats against your mother are working. Let her feel absolute power. Tonight, she will try to force you into a trap. Let her set it. My security team is monitoring every camera and recording every sound. And Rosa... regarding your mother..."
Emiliano paused, his voice softening. "Ten minutes ago, my personal legal team finalized the purchase of the private medical facility where your mother is being treated. The entire hospital now belongs to the Duarte Foundation. Your mother has been moved to the executive private suite, and her care is guaranteed for life, free of charge, regardless of what happens. Patricia no longer has any power over you or your family."
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A quiet, shuddering sob escaped Rosa's lips. She pressed her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound, tears falling freely onto her white apron. "Mr. Duarte... I don't know what to say... thank you. Thank you so much."
"No, Rosa," Emiliano said softly. "Thank you. You stayed when everyone else would have run. Now, go up to the girls. Tell them—without letting Patricia suspect anything—that their father loves them, and that tomorrow, everything changes."
