Chapter 1 - The Race Against TimeThe words hung in the air like a death sentence. Julieta already drank it.
I didn’t think. I reacted. I shoved my brother Tomás so hard he crashed into the mahogany dresser, shattering the hotel room’s mirror. Before EfraÃn could grab my collar, I ducked, snatched the real paternity report from Paula’s trembling hands, and bolted for the door.
"Stop him!" EfraÃn roared, his voice echoing down the hallway.
I sprinted down the corridor of the Grand Plaza Hotel, my dress shoes slipping on the polished marble. My heart pounded against my ribs like a jackhammer. Julieta was in the bridal suite, exactly three floors above us. If the drug was fast-acting, I had less than five minutes before my brothers' twisted plan went into motion.
I burst into the stairwell, taking the steps three at a time. My mind raced, piecing together the horrifying puzzle. My siblings hadn't just destroyed my first marriage with Paula; they were trying to annihilate my second to seize the company. But why did they need both of my sons?
I burst through the heavy fire doors onto the penthouse floor. "Julieta!" I screamed, kicking open the double doors to the bridal suite.
The room was pristine. White lilies everywhere. But it was empty.
On the vanity table sat a single, crystal champagne flute. Empty. Beside it lay a smeared tube of Julieta's favorite red lipstick. I spun around, my breathing ragged.
Then, a heavy thud echoed from the adjoining suite. The room they were going to use to frame her.
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I kicked the connecting door open. The room was dimly lit, smelling of cheap cologne. Standing over the bed was a muscular man in a bellhop uniform, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.
And on the bed, completely motionless, lay Julieta.
