Chapter 5 - THE VANISHING
Facebook Hook: She escaped from the police van! But where she hid was the last place anyone on Earth expected... 😱👀 #Thriller #CatAndMouse #Suspense #DramaThe news of Valeria Montes’s escape hit the national media like a bomb.
Every television screen in Mexico City flashed her picture: the beautiful, dangerous socialite who had tried to poison her billionaire fiancé. According to the news reports, a black SUV had rammed the police transport vehicle in the busy streets of Tepito. Two armed men had freed Valeria, shooting one officer in the leg before vanishing into the labyrinthine alleys of the city’s most dangerous barrio.
In the Mendizábal mansion, the atmosphere of peace was instantly replaced by a high-alert security lockdown.
Alejandro had doubled the security guards on the estate. The iron gates were locked, and armed bodyguards patrolled the perimeter twenty-four hours a day.
In the master playroom, Elena sat on the floor, building a wooden train track with Mateo and Santi. The two-year-old twins were laughing, their earlier terror entirely forgotten in the warmth of Elena's undivided attention.
Alejandro stood at the doorway, watching them. A soft smile played on his lips, but his mind was spinning.
"They look happy," he said, stepping into the room.
Elena looked up, her face lighting up with a smile that made Alejandro’s heart beat a little faster. "They are happy, Alejandro. They feel safe now."
"And you?" Alejandro asked, walking over to sit beside her on the floor, ignoring his expensive suit. "Do you feel safe?"
Elena’s smile faded slightly. She looked toward the window, where the shadow of a security guard passed by. "I... I am worried about her, Alejandro. Valeria is a dangerous woman. She has money, she has connections. If she escaped... she will want revenge."
"She has no money left," Alejandro said firmly, taking her hand. "My team froze every single account associated with her name within ten minutes of her arrest. Her accomplices are likely people she promised future payouts to—payouts she can no longer deliver. She is running out of options, and she is running out of time."
Suddenly, the house’s alarm system began to wail—a high-pitched, deafening shriek that echoed through the mansion.
“Security breach at Sector 4. Rear garden entrance compromised,” a computerized voice announced over the intercom.
Elena gasped, instantly wrapping her arms around the twins, pulling them close to her chest.
"Stay here!" Alejandro commanded, his voice turning to steel. He reached into his jacket, pulling out a sleek silver handgun. "Lock the playroom door from the inside. Do not open it for anyone but me."
"Alejandro, please be careful!" Elena cried, her eyes wide with terror.
Alejandro nodded, slipped out of the room, and closed the heavy oak door. Elena immediately turned the lock, holding the whimpering twins close, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Downstairs, the mansion was a storm of activity. Security guards with flashlights rushed through the hallways, their boots clattering on the marble.
Alejandro moved toward the rear garden entrance, his gun raised. The glass sliding doors that led to the patio were shattered, glass glittering across the floor like diamonds.
"Report!" Alejandro barked at his head of security, Hector, who was kneeling by the shattered glass.
"Sir, someone threw a heavy stone to trigger the alarm, but our thermal cameras show no one entered the perimeter from this side," Hector reported, looking puzzled. "It was a diversion."
A diversion.
The realization hit Alejandro like a lightning bolt.
"The playroom!" Alejandro shouted.
He whipped around and sprinted back up the grand staircase, his heart in his throat.
If anything happens to her... If anything happens to my boys...
He reached the second-floor corridor. The hallway was dark, the emergency lights casting a eerie red glow over the walls.
He reached the playroom door. It was slightly ajar.
The lock had been shattered.
"Elena!" Alejandro yelled, bursting into the room, his gun raised.
The room was empty.
The wooden toy train lay scattered across the floor. The little stuffed bear Santi loved was dropped near the window.
But there was no sign of Elena, Mateo, or Santi.
Alejandro’s breath hitched. He rushed to the open window. A heavy rope ladder was hanging down into the dark, unsecured service alleyway behind the mansion—an alleyway that led directly to the bustling public streets of Polanco.
On the floor, near the window, was a small, bloody handprint.
But it wasn't Elena's. It was too small.
It was Mateo's.
Alejandro felt a cold, consuming fury rise within him, a dark fire that threatened to consume his very soul.
He looked down at the floor and saw a small, elegant piece of paper. It was a card from a luxury hotel in the heart of the city—the Hotel Majestic.
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On the back of the card, written in frantic, smeared red lipstick, was a single message:
Bring the 15 million in cash to the penthouse of the Majestic by midnight. Alone. Or the boys and your precious little maid will take a very long walk off the roof.
