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 16 / 20

Chapter 16 - The Vanishing Heir

Mateo raised his weapon, aim settled squarely on Camila’s chest. "Where is he? Where is Alejandro? And where is that bastard child you lied to me about?!"

"Alejandro is right behind you," a voice echoed from the shadows.

Mateo spun around, firing two shots into the darkness. The bullets slammed harmlessly into a reinforced Kevlar shield held by Alejandro, who stepped out from the dressing room hallway. Before Mateo could re-aim, Alejandro lunged forward, slamming his heavy fist into Mateo’s jaw.

The gun clattered across the slick floor.

Mateo crashed onto the hardwood floor, coughing up blood, but he burst into a wild, maniacal laugh. "You think you won?! Look at your security feed, Alejandro! Look at the nursery!"

Camila’s face turned white. She grabbed her tablet, bringing up the infrared camera feed of Sofia’s room on the third floor.

The crib was empty. The nanny was lying unconscious on the floor. Standing over the crib on the monitor was one of Don Hector’s mercenaries, holding a satellite phone.

"If I don't punch in a safety code every ten minutes," Mateo choked out, wiping blood from his lip, "my man outside takes that baby and drops her into the Santa Catarina river. Now... put your weapons down and give me the private key to the family estate!"

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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,

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Alejandro lowered his weapon, his knuckles white with rage. "You touch one hair on her head, Mateo, and I will tear you apart piece by piece."

"You have no power here!" Mateo screamed, dragging himself up and grabbing a glass vase off the table, smashing it to use as a makeshift weapon. "I built this empire! You stole my life, Camila! You seduced my enemy and made a fool out of me in front of the whole world!"

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