CHAPTER 3 – THE WITNESS THEY THOUGHT WAS DEAD
The gunshot echoed through the estate.
Birds exploded from the treetops.
Every gardener, maid, and security guard froze where they stood.
Only Rosa and the old gardener knew that the shot meant something far more terrifying.
Someone had been silenced.
Or someone was sending a warning.
The old gardener tightened his grip on Rosa's wrist.
"Don't look toward the forest," he whispered.
"They're watching."
Rosa forced herself to keep walking as though nothing had happened.
Her heart pounded so violently she thought everyone around her could hear it.
They entered a small greenhouse hidden behind rows of roses.
The old man locked the wooden door.
Only then did he finally speak.
"My name is Emilio."
"I've worked for the De la Vega family for thirty-six years."
"I planted every tree on this estate."
"I watched Alejandro grow from a boy into a man."
"And I buried his father with my own hands."
His tired eyes filled with regret.
"I also watched this family destroy itself."
Rosa carefully removed Luciana's shattered phone from her apron.
"You knew her?"
Emilio closed his eyes.
"She treated every worker like family."
"When she learned your name, she remembered it."
"When someone became sick, she paid their hospital bills herself."
"She was the heart of this house."
He looked at the broken phone.
"And that phone belonged to her."
Rosa swallowed hard.
"Then who killed her?"
Emilio didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he reached into an old toolbox.
From beneath a stack of rusted nails, he pulled out a faded newspaper.
The headline read:
BELOVED PHILANTHROPIST LUCIANA DE LA VEGA DIES IN TRAGIC CAR CRASH.
Rosa had seen similar headlines before.
But Emilio pointed to the photograph.
"The police never noticed this."
Rosa leaned closer.
In the background...
Barely visible behind the wrecked car...
stood a black SUV.
Its headlights were still on.
The official report claimed Luciana had been driving alone.
She wasn't.
"Someone followed her," Rosa whispered.
Emilio nodded.
"They forced her off the mountain road."
Rosa's breathing became shallow.
"Did Alejandro know?"
"I don't think so."
"He loved his wife more than his own life."
"That's why they lied to him."
"They?"
Emilio hesitated.
Then quietly answered,
"Valeria wasn't working alone."
Before Rosa could ask another question...
The greenhouse door burst open.
Both of them jumped.
Standing outside was little Mateo.
His cheeks were wet with tears.
"Dona Rosa!"
He ran inside and hugged her tightly.
"Daddy's angry."
Rosa knelt.
"What happened?"
Mateo looked over his shoulder to make sure nobody had followed him.
"I heard Aunt Valeria talking to Uncle Ricardo."
Rosa frowned.
"Who is Uncle Ricardo?"
"My daddy's business partner."
"He doesn't really smile."
"He only pretends."
Mateo lowered his voice.
"They said you're asking too many questions."
Rosa felt cold.
"Did they see me?"
The little boy shook his head.
"But Aunt Valeria said..."
He struggled to remember the exact words.
"...'She found something that belongs to Luciana.'"
Rosa and Emilio exchanged horrified looks.
They knew.
Somehow...
They already knew about the phone.
Emilio immediately stood.
"You have to hide it."
"No."
Rosa answered firmly.
"If they want this phone so badly..."
"Then it contains the truth."
"And the truth is the only thing keeping us alive."
That evening, the De la Vega mansion hosted a charity gala.
Politicians.
Judges.
Business executives.
Television reporters.
Everyone praised Alejandro as one of Mexico's most generous businessmen.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled above hundreds of elegantly dressed guests.
Meanwhile...
Rosa quietly served drinks, pretending to be invisible.
She noticed something strange.
Every time Alejandro walked away...
Valeria disappeared with Ricardo.
Always for only a minute or two.
Always whispering.
Always watching Alejandro afterward.
Near midnight...
Rosa carried an empty tray toward the library.
As she passed the half-open door...
She heard voices.
Valeria.
Ricardo.
"...the widow has Luciana's phone."
"We should've searched her room."
Ricardo sounded irritated.
"You promised she wouldn't survive the forest."
"I didn't expect Mateo to wander away."
"So fix it."
Silence.
Then Valeria spoke again.
"Once Alejandro signs tomorrow's inheritance documents..."
"Neither Rosa..."
"...nor that little girl..."
"...will ever leave this estate."
Rosa nearly dropped the tray.
Inheritance?
What inheritance?
Before she could hear more...
A hand suddenly covered her mouth from behind.
She nearly screamed.
A deep voice whispered into her ear.
"Don't move."
"It's me."
Emilio.
He slowly pulled her away from the door before anyone inside noticed.
When they reached the servants' hallway, Emilio finally released her.
"You heard enough."
"No..."
Rosa whispered.
"I haven't heard nearly enough."
Late that night...
Unable to sleep...
Rosa decided to examine Luciana's phone again.
This time she searched through the damaged image gallery.
Most files were corrupted.
Black screens.
Broken thumbnails.
Then...
One short video began to load.
Five seconds.
No sound.
The image shook violently as if someone had been running.
Luciana's frightened face suddenly filled the screen.
Behind her...
Mateo was crying.
She turned the camera toward a black SUV racing after them.
Then...
Just before the recording ended...
The driver became visible through the windshield.
Only for a single second.
But it was enough.
Rosa froze.
It wasn't Valeria.
It wasn't Ricardo.
It was someone she had trusted since arriving at the estate.
Someone who smiled every morning.
Someone who held Mateo's hand.
Someone who claimed to be protecting the family.
The head of Alejandro's personal security.
Captain Esteban Cruz.
Rosa's blood turned to ice.
The people hunting Luciana...
Had been inside the mansion all along.
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END OF CHAPTER 3
👉 Part 4 is in the comments... because Rosa is about to discover that Luciana left behind one final piece of evidence—and someone inside the mansion is willing to kill to keep it hidden.
