flash
The hangover hit Mateo like a freight train at sunrise. Sunlight filtered through the velvet curtains of the luxury hotel suite, burning his eyes. Beside him, Valeria was still asleep, smelling of cheap neon cocktails and expensive perfume. Mateo groaned, reaching for his phone on the nightstand. / Chapter 12 / 20

Chapter 12 - A Phantom in San Pedro

Six months had passed since the trial. The grand mansion in San Pedro Garza García had been completely renovated. Gone were the ostentatious marble statues and gold trim Mateo had loved; Camila had redesigned the estate into a ultra-modern fortress with floor-to-ceiling glass, manicured gardens, and state-of-the-art security systems.

Camila stood on the balcony holding little Sofia, now a healthy, laughing baby with dark curls. Below, Alejandro was finishing a phone call with the board of directors at Vance Enterprises. Everything seemed peaceful—until the security alarms suddenly began to blare.

Red lights flashed across the perimeter walls.

Alejandro instantly drew his concealed sidearm and rushed upstairs, pulling Camila and Sofia into the panic room. "Stay inside! Don't open the door for anyone except me!"

Downstairs, ten heavily armed private guards rushed into the courtyard. But there were no intruders. No broken glass. No breached gates.

Instead, every smart screen in the mansion—from the living room television to the interactive refrigerator display—turned pitch black. A single line of red text began to type itself across every screen:

DID YOU REALLY THINK SEVENTEEN CALLS WERE ENOUGH TO KILL ME? THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN.

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The audio file on Marina’s phone was timestamped three minutes ago. Ignacio’s thumb hovered over the screen, trembling so violently he nearly dropped the device into the crib.

The audio file on Marina’s phone was timestamped three minutes ago. Igna...

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My Husband Stabbed Me Twice for the Woman He Never Got Over—Three Days L...

Isabella’s artificial tears gleamed under the soft golden chandeliers of the private VIP suite, her hands trembling with a performance worthy of a grand stage. She gestured wildly toward Khloe, who lay crumpled on the cold marble, her white silk dress torn and stained with drops of spilled champagne. Marcus stood frozen in the doorway,

Isabella’s artificial tears gleamed under the soft golden chandeliers of...

Alejandro stared at the screens, his blood running cold. He immediately called his chief cyber-security officer. "Tristan! Our firewall was just breached. Trace the IP address right now!"

"Mr. Vance," Tristan’s voice trembled over the line. "The breach didn't come from an outside server. It was executed using an internal administrative access key... a key registered under Mateo Garza’s original identity."

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