Chapter 2 - THE ICU CONSPIRACY & THE BLOOD ON THE MARBLE"If She Can Still Speak, Break Her Jaw."The shrill, rhythmic beep of the cardiac monitor was the only sound keeping Valeria tied to the living world. Inside the trauma unit of the General Hospital of Ecatepec, medical staff moved in a frantic blur. The brick had shattered Valeria’s left cheekbone, fractured her orbital socket into five fragments, and left a jagged, deep laceration running from her forehead down to her lip.
Emiliano paced the sterile hallway outside, his hands drenched in his fiancée’s blood. His designer shirt was ruined, but he couldn't care less. His eyes were red, burning with a mixture of profound grief and absolute fury.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor.
It wasn't the police. It was Rogelio Mendoza, accompanied by two men in dark tailored suits—the Mendoza family's long-time corrupt corporate attorneys. Rogelio walked with no remorse, no hesitation, and no shame.
"Emiliano," Rogelio said smoothly, adjusting his jacket as if he were attending a business luncheon. "Let’s be adults about this. Valeria’s face is destroyed. Even if the surgeons piece her back together, she will look like a monster. Her career as an architect is over. Her social standing is gone."
Emiliano squared his shoulders, stepping directly between Rogelio and the double doors of the ICU. "Get out of here before I finish what I started on your lawn, Rogelio."
"Don't be emotional, son," Rogelio sneered, stepping closer. "Daniela is outside in the SUV. She’s young, she’s pristine, and she carries the Mendoza bloodline without... imperfections. You sign over a 30% equity stake in your construction company to the Mendoza Holding group, marry Daniela by the end of the month, and we will make sure Valeria’s medical bills are paid. If not... well, accidents happen in public hospitals. Power outages. Faulty oxygen lines."
Emiliano’s breath hitched. "You’re threatening your own daughter's life?"
"She was never my daughter!" Rogelio hissed, his eyes turning cold as ice. "She was an error. A parasite living off my father’s legacy!"
Before Emiliano could react, the ICU doors swung open. Dr. Morales, the chief neurosurgeon, stepped out, stripping off his bloodied surgical gloves.
"Are you the family?" the doctor asked, looking exhausted.
"I am her father," Rogelio announced loudly, putting on a fake, sorrowful posture. "Doctor, please tell me my poor, unhinged daughter will survive! She threw herself onto the concrete during a psychotic episode... we tried to catch her, but—"
"Stop lying, you bastard!" Emiliano yelled, lunging forward. The two attorneys immediately stepped in, blocking Emiliano, while hospital security rushed over to separate them.
"Enough!" Dr. Morales barked. "The patient is stable, but the facial trauma is catastrophic. However... we found something else during the emergency CT scan."
Rogelio’s smug expression suddenly faltered. "What do you mean?"
"There are micro-calcifications in her jaw structure," Dr. Morales explained, scanning a digital chart. "And traces of chronic, low-dose heavy metal poisoning in her blood panel. Someone has been systematically poisoning this young woman for at least three years. If she hadn't suffered this traumatic impact today, her liver would have failed within six months."
Silence fell over the hallway like a lead weight.
Emiliano stared at Rogelio. The older man’s face went completely pale, his hands trembling slightly before he quickly forced them into his pockets.
"That's... absurd," Rogelio stammered. "She... she eats organic foods. It’s her own fault!"
"We have already logged the toxicology report with the Federal Prosecutor's Office," Dr. Morales said coldly. "And since Mr. Alcázar is listed as her primary medical proxy on her legal registry, only HE is permitted inside the ICU."
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As Dr. Morales signaled security to escort Rogelio and his lawyers off the floor, Rogelio leaned into his chief attorney’s ear and whispered a chilling command, unaware that the hospital's security camera above was recording every lip movement:
"Call the night nurse we paid off. If Valeria regains consciousness and can still speak... make sure her jaw is broken beyond repair."
