CHAPTER 5 — "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE..." The Millionaire Recognized the Man in the Locket—and Everything Changed
The hospital corridor fell into complete silence.
Lucas couldn't take his eyes off the faded photograph inside the tiny silver locket.
His fingers slowly began to tremble.
"No..."
he whispered.
"It can't be..."
Dr. Helena frowned.
"You know him?"
Lucas didn't answer immediately.
His mind had already traveled back nearly nine years.
Back to the first day he met Eduardo Vasconcelos.
The billionaire founder of the Vasconcelos Group.
A man celebrated across Brazil as a visionary entrepreneur, philanthropist, and generous benefactor.
Every magazine called him the nation's favorite billionaire.
Every television interview praised his integrity.
Every charity gala introduced him as a man devoted to helping children.
Yet...
Lucas knew another side of Eduardo.
For seven years, Lucas had negotiated investment deals for the billionaire's companies.
Eduardo was brilliant.
Calm.
Cold.
A man who trusted almost no one.
But there was one thing Lucas had always found strange.
Despite being fifty-three years old...
Despite his enormous fortune...
Despite constant media attention...
Eduardo had never married.
Never acknowledged having children.
Whenever reporters asked about his personal life, he always gave the same answer.
"My company is my family."
Lucas had believed him.
Until now.
He stared once more at the photograph.
The man smiling beside Júlia's mother was undeniably Eduardo.
Only younger.
Happier.
Different.
As if the picture had been taken before wealth changed him forever.
"Where did you find this?" Lucas asked.
Dr. Helena handed him the tiny locket.
"It was hidden beneath the baby's clothes."
"Someone wanted to keep it secret."
Júlia suddenly stepped forward.
"My mommy gave it to him."
Lucas looked at her.
"When?"
"The night before I ran away."
She wiped tears from her dusty face.
"She said..."
Júlia struggled to repeat the words.
"...if anything happened to her..."
"...I had to make sure my brother never lost this necklace."
Lucas slowly opened the locket again.
Behind the photograph...
Folded into impossibly small pieces...
Was a handwritten note.
The paper was stained with dried blood.
Dr. Helena carefully unfolded it.
The handwriting was weak and uneven, as if written by someone with trembling hands.
It read:
If you are reading this, I may already be gone.
My son's life is in terrible danger.
Do not trust Marcos.
Do not trust anyone who works for Eduardo Vasconcelos.
The truth about my baby will cost powerful people everything.
Please... save him.
Lucas felt the room spin.
The nurse standing beside him covered her mouth.
Even Sergeant Renato, who had just entered the hallway, stopped walking.
"What truth?" he asked quietly.
Júlia lowered her head.
"I don't know."
"My mommy never told me."
"She only cried."
"She said..."
Júlia's voice broke.
"...that my brother must live long enough to learn who he really is."
A chill swept through the hallway.
If Eduardo truly was the baby's father...
Why would someone inside his own circle want the infant dead?
Nothing made sense.
Unless...
Eduardo himself had no idea the child even existed.
Across the city...
Inside a luxurious penthouse overlooking Palmas...
A crystal glass shattered against a marble floor.
Eduardo Vasconcelos stood beside the panoramic window, his breathing heavy.
His personal assistant lowered her eyes.
"Sir..."
"The hospital confirmed the baby survived."
Eduardo closed his eyes.
For several seconds, he didn't speak.
Finally he asked,
"And Marcos?"
"He was arrested."
Another long silence.
The assistant hesitated.
"Should we activate the legal team?"
Eduardo slowly turned around.
His expression was impossible to read.
"No."
"What?"
"I said no."
The assistant blinked in confusion.
"But if Marcos talks—"
"He knows almost nothing."
Eduardo walked toward his desk.
"What worries me..."
He picked up an old photograph from a locked drawer.
It showed the same young woman from the locket.
Smiling.
Pregnant.
Standing beside a lake.
Eduardo gently touched the edge of the picture.
"I prayed this day would never come."
The assistant stared at him.
"You knew her?"
Eduardo looked out the window again.
His voice became barely audible.
"I loved her."
The assistant froze.
"Then..."
She struggled to finish the question.
"...is the baby really your son?"
Eduardo didn't answer.
Instead...
A single tear rolled down his face.
Back at the hospital...
Sergeant Renato's phone suddenly rang.
He answered immediately.
"This is Renato."
The voice on the other end belonged to a forensic investigator.
"Sergeant..."
"We searched Marcos's pickup."
"And?"
"We found something hidden inside the spare tire."
Renato frowned.
"What is it?"
"A waterproof envelope."
"What was inside?"
The investigator took a deep breath.
"A birth certificate."
Lucas stepped closer.
"For the baby?"
"Yes."
"And according to the document..."
The investigator paused.
"...Marcos is not listed as the father."
Everyone held their breath.
"The father's name was left completely blank."
Before anyone could react...
A nurse burst into the hallway.
"Doctor Helena!"
"What happened?"
The nurse looked terrified.
"Someone just tried to enter the neonatal intensive care unit using a fake hospital ID."
Every face turned pale.
"Did you catch them?" Renato demanded.
The nurse swallowed hard.
"No..."
"They escaped."
She looked toward the NICU doors.
"But before they ran..."
"They disconnected the baby's oxygen for almost thirty seconds."
Júlia screamed.
Lucas took off running.
And hidden in the shadows at the end of the corridor...
A man wearing a surgical mask quietly pulled out his phone.
"There was a problem," he whispered.
"The child is still alive."
May you like
A cold voice answered from the other end.
"Then Phase Two begins tonight."
