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"If I only have six months left, I will spend them saving the man who broke my heart." / Chapter 4 / 6

Chapter 4 - THE SIX-MONTH DEADLINE

"The bet ends tonight at midnight. If you die, I lose everything."The euphoria of uncovering the truth was short-lived. By the next evening, Mariana’s condition deteriorated drastically. The monitors around her bed screamed in a chaotic symphony of failing vital signs. Her kidneys were beginning to shut down; her heart was simply too weak to pump blood to her organs.

Dr. Vargas called Alejandro into the hallway. Her face was grim.

"Mr. Villarreal, we have a crisis," the doctor said, her voice heavy. "A donor heart has just become available in Guadalajara. It’s a perfect match for Mariana. The family of a young accident victim just signed the release."

Alejandro felt a surge of hope. "Then fly it here! I’ll pay for a private jet, a fleet of helicopters, whatever it takes!"

"It’s not a matter of money," Dr. Vargas said, her eyes flashing with frustration. "Because Mariana refused to be put on the active transplant list months ago, she is legally classified as an inactive patient. To reinstate her requires an emergency review board signature from the Chief of Medicine. And the Chief of Medicine is currently at a private gala hosted by your mother’s inner circle. He is refusing to answer our emergency calls, claiming it must wait until business hours tomorrow."

Alejandro checked his watch. It was 10:00 PM.

Tonight was the exact six-month anniversary of their marriage. The wager officially concluded at midnight.

"Tomorrow will be too late, won't it?" Alejandro asked, his voice hollow.

"Her heart will stop before dawn, Mr. Villarreal. If we don't get that authorization and harvest the organ within the next two hours, the heart goes to the next patient on the list, and your wife will die."

Alejandro didn't hesitate. The arrogant billionaire who used to demand things with a swipe of his credit card was gone. In his place was a desperate man fighting for the woman who taught him how to love.

He drove like a madman through the rainy streets of Mexico City, tearing through red lights until he reached the exclusive golf club in Las Lomas where his mother’s gala was being held.

He burst through the grand ballroom doors, soaked in rain, disheveled, and breathing heavily. The high-society guests gasped, whispering as the elite Alejandro Villarreal stood before them looking like a broken man.

Sofia stepped forward, horrified. "Alejandro! What is the meaning of this? Look at yourself!"

Alejandro ignored her. His eyes locked onto Dr. Ernesto Harrison, the Chief of Medicine, who was sipping champagne near the stage. Alejandro marched up to him and fell straight to his knees in front of the entire elite of Mexico.

The room fell into a deathly silence. A Villarreal had never knelt before anyone.

"Dr. Harrison," Alejandro begged, tears mixing with the rainwater on his face. "My wife is dying. You have the power to approve her transplant. I am begging you, as a human being, sign the authorization. Take everything I own. Take my shares, my houses, my name. Just save her life."

Dr. Harrison looked uncomfortable, glancing at Sofia. Sofia stepped in, her voice cold. "Don't do it, Ernesto. He is out of his mind over a girl who tried to blackmail our company."

Alejandro stood up, his despair turning into a cold, lethal resolve. He turned to face the entire room, his voice booming across the grand hall.

"Listen to me, all of you!" Alejandro shouted. "For years, I was just like you. Callow, empty, believing that money made me a god. We laughed at the people who build our buildings, who clean our streets, who die because of our negligence! My wife, Mariana, spent her life saving people in Iztapalapa while we drank champagne! If she dies tonight, I will spend every single day of the rest of my life exposing every corrupt deal, every hidden tax haven, and every dirty secret of every person in this room. I have the files. Sign the papers, Dr. Harrison, or I burn this entire elite world to the ground tonight."

The threat was absolute. The guests panicked, murmuring in terror. Dr. Harrison’s hands shook as he pulled his phone out of his tuxedo pocket.

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The ink on the emergency audit report was barely dry when the secure terminal on my desk flashed a violent crimson. I hadn't slept in thirty-six hours, my eyes burning from staring at columns of ghost figures, duplicate invoices, and shell corporations linked to Dominic Rossi. But the red alert wasn’t from Rossi’s faction. It was an internal security flag originating from the estate’s main vault deep beneath the west wing.

The ink on the emergency audit report was barely dry when the secure ter...

The glass shattered into a thousand tiny diamonds on the marble, scattering the light from the chandeliers. The muffled laughter died instantly, replaced by a suffocating, heavy silence that crept outward from the grand staircase.

The glass shattered into a thousand tiny diamonds on the marble, scatter...

The heavy oak doors of my private study clicked shut behind us, locking out the clinical, terrifying silence of the kitchen. Evelyn Crane stood stiffly in front of my mahogany desk, her hands folded over her apron with the rigid precision of someone who had spent decades micromanaging every square inch of my estate. Behind her, Norah hovered near the doorway, clutching her clipboard like a shield.

The heavy oak doors of my private study clicked shut behind us, locking...

"I’m... I’m signing the digital authorization right now," Harrison stammered, his face white. "It’s done. The transport team is cleared."

Alejandro didn't say thank you. He turned his back on his mother, on his past, and on his wealth, running back out into the rain.

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