📜 CHAPTER 14: Two Decades Later
Twenty years passed like a flash of lightning over the Makati skyline.
The corporate warfare of the past had become a legend whispered in the halls of Villareal Prime Holdings. Bianca and I were no longer the young women fighting for survival; we were the matriarchs of the most powerful conglomerate in the country.
And today was the day we had spent two decades preparing for. It was the 21st birthday of Leo Villareal—Bianca’s son, Adrian’s biological child, and the sole heir to our empire.
Leo stood at the head of the boardroom table on the 47th floor, looking sharp, brilliant, and terrifyingly capable. He possessed his father’s striking looks and commanding presence, but he carried the ruthless intelligence that Bianca and I had drilled into him since childhood. He knew everything about what his father and uncle had done. He knew how we had seized the throne.
"Auntie Lucia, Mom," Leo said, bowing his head respectfully as Bianca and I sat in the advisory chairs. "The merger with the European tech cartel is complete. The Villareal name is now completely clean, globally dominant, and untouchable."
Bianca smiled, a tear of pure pride escaping her eye. "You've done well, son. Your father’s blood may be in you, but your soul belongs to this sisterhood."
Later that evening, a massive gala was held at the San Juan ancestral house to celebrate Leo's ascension to CEO. The elite of society raised their glasses to the young king. Everything was perfect.
Until my chief of security slid a encrypted tablet into my hand during the toast.
"Ma'am Lucia... an emergency alert from the maximum-security medical facility in Palawan," the guard whispered. "Adrian Villareal... he passed away two hours ago from terminal illness."
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My heart didn't race. It didn't break. I felt nothing but a cold sense of closure. "And?"
"Before he died, he requested one final phone call," the guard continued, his voice shaking. "Not to you. Not to Bianca. He called a private secure line that tracing shows has been active inside this very house for the last three years."
