CHAPTER 3 — THE FIRST TASTE OF REALITY
Valeria didn't move.
She remained sitting on the cold marble floor...
Her mother's letter trembling in her hands.
For hours.
The silence inside the enormous mansion became almost unbearable.
Only yesterday...
This house had been filled with music...
Laughter...
Luxury...
People competing for her attention.
Now...
Even the sound of her own breathing echoed through the empty rooms.
For the first time in her life...
She felt completely alone.
"No..."
She whispered.
"This isn't happening."
She grabbed her phone again and called everyone she could think of.
Her closest friends.
No answer.
She texted them.
"Something terrible happened. I need help."
The messages were delivered...
But no one replied.
An hour later...
She tried again.
One by one...
The replies finally arrived.
"I'm out of town."
"Busy today."
"Can't talk."
"Hope everything works out."
People who had spent thousands of dollars drinking at her parties...
Couldn't spare five minutes for a phone call.
The painful truth settled into her heart.
They had never been her friends.
They had only loved the life she paid for.
Determined to prove she could fix everything herself...
Valeria searched every drawer for spare cash.
Nothing.
She looked for jewelry she could sell.
Every valuable piece belonged to Carmen.
Gone.
Even the luxury sports car parked in the garage had disappeared.
Only an old compact sedan remained.
Relieved...
She hurried toward it.
The key was still inside.
She smiled.
Finally...
Some good luck.
The engine wouldn't start.
A small envelope had been taped to the steering wheel.
Inside...
A single document.
The vehicle registration.
Owner:
Carmen Mendoza.
Status:
Transferred.
The car no longer belonged to the family.
Someone had already collected it before sunrise.
Valeria slammed the door in frustration.
"What did you do, Mom?"
By late afternoon...
Her stomach growled loudly.
She hadn't eaten since the previous evening.
The pantry was empty.
The refrigerator contained nothing except a bottle of water.
She searched her purse.
One hundred and eighty-four dollars.
That was everything she had.
For someone who had spent thousands in a single night without thinking...
Holding that small amount of money suddenly felt terrifying.
She drove the old sedan she had borrowed from a neighbor into town.
The first stop was her favorite luxury café.
As soon as she walked inside...
The waiter smiled politely.
"Good afternoon, Miss Mendoza."
She ordered without looking at the menu.
The most expensive breakfast.
Imported coffee.
Fresh pastries.
Exactly as always.
When the bill arrived...
She confidently handed over her black credit card.
The waiter returned moments later.
"I'm sorry, Miss..."
"It was declined."
She laughed awkwardly.
"Try this one."
Declined.
Another.
Declined.
Another.
Declined.
Every card in her designer wallet failed.
The café grew quiet.
Several customers recognized her.
Some began whispering.
One teenager discreetly recorded the scene on his phone.
Heat rushed to Valeria's face.
"I'll transfer the money later."
"I'm afraid company policy doesn't allow that."
The manager stepped forward.
His tone remained respectful.
But firm.
"If you can't pay today..."
"We'll need the meal returned."
Valeria stared at him in disbelief.
No one had ever spoken to her that way.
Not because she was feared...
But because everyone had always assumed she could pay.
Ashamed...
She removed her designer sunglasses.
"I..."
"I only have enough for the coffee."
The manager studied her quietly.
Then slid the receipt aside.
"You may leave."
"We'll consider it a misunderstanding."
His kindness somehow hurt even more.
As she stepped outside...
A familiar voice called her name.
"Valeria?"
She turned.
It was Sofía.
A classmate from university.
Years earlier...
The two young women had been inseparable.
Until Valeria became wealthy.
She had slowly stopped answering Sofía's calls.
She considered her...
Too ordinary.
Too poor.
Too embarrassing.
Now...
Sofía looked at her with genuine concern.
"You don't look okay."
Valeria forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
"You don't have to lie."
There was a long silence.
Finally...
For the first time in years...
Valeria admitted the truth.
"I don't know what to do."
Sofía gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"My uncle owns a small bookstore."
"He's looking for someone to help."
Valeria blinked.
"A job?"
Sofía nodded.
"It's honest work."
For a brief second...
Valeria almost laughed.
She...
The woman who had never washed a dish...
Never cleaned a room...
Never worked a single day in her life...
Working in a bookstore?
Impossible.
She politely declined.
"I'll figure something else out."
Sofía smiled sadly.
"I hope you do."
As Sofía walked away...
Valeria watched her disappear into the crowd.
She suddenly remembered something.
Years ago...
She had mocked Sofía for having a part-time job.
"You work because your family is poor."
Those cruel words echoed in her mind.
Now...
She would have given anything...
To know how to earn even a single honest paycheck.
Across the street...
Inside a black SUV with heavily tinted windows...
A middle-aged man lowered a pair of binoculars.
"So..."
He smiled coldly.
"The princess has finally fallen."
His assistant looked confused.
"Should we make our move?"
The man nodded slowly.
"Not yet."
"Let her become desperate."
"When she has absolutely no one left..."
"That's when she'll accept any offer."
He opened a thick file.
On the front cover was a photograph of Carmen.
Stamped across the page in red letters were the words:
CONFIDENTIAL
Below it...
A name Valeria had never heard before.
Operation Phoenix.
And beneath that...
One sentence that would change everything.
May you like
'Carmen Mendoza has been hiding the truth for twenty-three years.'
End of Chapter 3...
