Chapter 3 - The Broken SafeWhile Lucía safely returned to her bedroom under the cover of night, my mind raced. The will was a smoking gun, but possession of a stolen document in a household controlled by Victoria was dangerous. If Victoria discovered the paper missing from her vanity, she would destroy it or blame the theft on the household staff—or worse, on Lucía.
I gently slid the stolen will into a heavy fireproof envelope, sealed it with wax, and placed it inside my hidden floor safe beneath the library rug. Then, I opened my laptop and connected to my secure cloud server. I scanned every inch of the document at high resolution, backing up the metadata, ink composition signatures, and watermarks.
By 3:00 AM, I had established an ironclad digital chain of custody.
The next morning, I walked down the grand marble staircase with the quiet confidence of someone who knew the exact coordinates of the trap closing around her opponent.
Victoria was already seated at the head of the breakfast table, pouring freshly squeezed orange juice into crystal glasses. She looked radiant, dressed in a sharp designer blazer, her blonde hair immaculate.
“Good morning, Camila,” Victoria purred, flashing a razor-sharp smile. “You look rather exhausted. Still playing with your little spreadsheet numbers?”
“Numbers don't lie, Victoria,” I replied evenly, sliding into my seat opposite her. “People do. Especially when they have everything to lose.”
Victoria’s hand paused over the juice pitcher. Her eyes narrowed into cold slits, though her polite smile remained frozen on her lips. “Whatever are you babbling about?”
Before she could press further, Alejandro walked into the dining room, looking more drained than ever. He poured himself a black coffee, kissed Victoria on the cheek, and sat down heavily.
“Board meeting is in two hours,” Alejandro mumbled, rubbing his temples. “Victoria, did you coordinate the investor packets?”
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“Of course, darling,” Victoria replied smoothly. “Everything is organized. Your signature has already been applied digitally to the transfer resolutions.”
My fingers tightened around my coffee mug. Digital signature override. That was the exact mechanism she had used to drain the accounts and rewrite the estate control framework.
