Chapter 2 - THE MONSTER AT THE BEDSIDESebastián stepped into the room with the practiced grace of a seasoned politician. His expression was a masterclass in performative grief—brows furrowed, lips slightly parted in tragic sorrow, eyes shimmering with forced tears.
“Oh, my poor Daniela,” Sebastián murmured, rushing toward the bed with open arms. “Look at what this terrible accident has done to you. I haven't slept a wink, darling.”
“Stop right there, Mr. Ledesma,” Renata interjected, stepping firmly between Sebastián and the hospital bed. “You are not permitted near my client.”
Sebastián paused, his eyes narrowing for a fraction of a second as he sized up Renata. Then, in an instant, the fake warmth returned to his face.
“Renata, please. This is a family tragedy. You have no business standing between a husband and his suffering wife. I know you’re her attorney, but emotional outbursts won’t help Daniela heal.” He looked over Renata’s shoulder, staring directly at Daniela’s bruised face. “Sweetheart, tell your friend to leave us. We need to discuss your care... and your parents.”
Daniela stared at him, her heart hammering against her broken ribs, but she forced her expression to remain utterly blank. She saw him clearly now—not as the charming prince she had foolishly married six years ago, but as the ruthless predator he truly was.
“Let her stay, Sebastián,” Daniela’s voice was raspy, but remarkably steady. “Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of my legal counsel.”
Sebastián sighed, setting the expensive flowers on the bedside table with exaggerated care. He pulled a silver pen from his jacket pocket, along with a stack of legal documents.
“Very well, if you want to be professional,” Sebastián said, his tone instantly shifting from loving husband to cold corporate tyrant. “Your sudden cancellation of your parents’ mortgage co-signature has caused immense chaos, Daniela. Your father is in a state of absolute collapse. He called me in tears. The loss of that 950,000-peso deposit has ruined them financially.”
“They ruined themselves,” Daniela said flatly. “And you helped them.”
Sebastián didn't break stride. “I have always supported your family out of the kindness of my heart, Daniela. But this unstable behavior proves what I’ve been telling your doctors: the trauma from your fall has left you mentally unfit to handle complex financial matters.”
He slid the documents onto her lap.
“This is a power of attorney and a stock transfer agreement,” Sebastián whispered, leaning down so close she could smell his expensive cologne—the same scent she associated with panic and bruises. “Sign your 41% share of Ledesma & Ortega Financial over to me temporarily. I will handle the corporate restructuring, cover your parents’ financial losses, pay off their debts, and ensure you receive the finest long-term psychiatric care in South America.”
“Psychiatric care?” Daniela scoffed softly. “You mean a private asylum where you can keep me locked away forever while you drain my assets?”
Sebastián’s mask slipped. His jaw tightened, and a flash of cold, violent malice danced in his eyes. He leaned down further, whispering into her ear so only she could hear.
“Listen to me very carefully, you pathetic little bitch,” he hissed. “You are lying in a hospital bed with a hole in your lung. Outside that door, I have three security guards. I own the police captain in this district. I own your parents. If you don't sign these papers by tomorrow morning, I will make sure your parents face criminal charges for tax evasion based on the money I’ve given them. And as for you? You’ll suffer an unexpected cardiac arrest right here in this bed, and no one will question it.”
Daniela looked him dead in the eyes. In the past, his threats would have sent her into a tailspin of hyperventilation and compliance. But something inside her had permanently died when she heard her father’s voice on the phone. Fear was gone. Only a freezing, calculating thirst for total destruction remained.
“Give me the pen,” Daniela whispered.
Sebastián smiled triumphantly, handing her the silver pen. “Smart girl. You always were sensible when pushed.”
Daniela took the pen, held it over the signature line... and then, with a sharp, explosive motion, jammed the metal tip deep into the back of Sebastián’s hand.
Sebastián shrieked in pain, stumbling back as blood spurted from the wound, spattering across the pristine white pages of the contract.
“Get out of my room,” Daniela commanded, her voice ringing through the ICU with terrified intensity. “Renata, call hospital security and the press. Tell them the Managing Partner of Ledesma Financial just assaulted a patient in the ICU!”
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Sebastián clutched his bleeding hand, his face red with fury. “You’re dead, Daniela! Do you hear me? You have nothing! No family, no money, no protection! I will erase you!”
“Try it,” Daniela cold-stared him down. “Because by sunrise, the world is going to find out who really owns your life.”
