CHAPTER 2 — The Man Everyone Thought Was Dead
CHAPTER 2 — The Man Everyone Thought Was Dead
The hospital room froze.
The door slowly opened.
Esteban instinctively stepped in front of Yohandra's bed.
His heart pounded so hard he could barely hear the monitors.
A tall man entered first.
Then another.
Both wore dark suits.
Bodyguards.
The same kind his father had always surrounded himself with.
One of them smiled.
"Mr. Alvarez would like to see you."
Esteban's blood turned cold.
Alvarez.
His father's surname.
The name that had haunted Yohandra for seven years.
"No," Esteban said.
The bodyguard's smile vanished.
"I'm afraid that wasn't a request."
Before anyone could move, hospital security rushed into the hallway.
Someone had already called them.
The guards retreated.
But not before leaving a small black envelope on the floor.
Inside was a single card.
A location.
A time.
And a message.
Bring the child. Come alone.
Esteban crushed the card in his fist.
Yohandra's face went pale.
"He wants Isabella."
Their daughter.
The little girl who had interrupted a wedding and changed everything.
That night, after ensuring Yohandra was safe, Esteban drove to the address.
An abandoned estate outside the city.
A place he recognized immediately.
His childhood home.
The gates opened automatically.
As if someone had been waiting.
Inside the mansion, a lone figure sat beside the fireplace.
Older.
Thinner.
But unmistakable.
His father.
Victor Alvarez.
The man the world believed had died three years earlier.
Victor looked up slowly.
"I wondered how long it would take."
Esteban's hands clenched.
"You destroyed her life."
Victor smiled.
"No. I protected yours."
The answer made Esteban furious.
"You threatened her."
"I protected the family name."
"You stole seven years from me."
Victor stood.
"And I would do it again."
The room fell silent.
Then Victor dropped a thick file onto the table.
Photographs.
Medical reports.
Birth records.
Every detail of Isabella's life.
"I've been watching her for years."
Esteban felt sick.
His father knew everything.
Every school.
Every address.
Every birthday.
Victor's expression darkened.
"She is my granddaughter."
"No."
Esteban stepped forward.
"You lost the right to call her family."
For the first time, something flashed in Victor's eyes.
Not anger.
Fear.
Because he realized his son no longer feared him.
And power meant nothing when fear disappeared.
"You have a choice," Victor said quietly.
"Me or them."
Esteban didn't hesitate.
"Them."
May you like
The answer echoed through the room.
And for the first time in his life, Victor Alvarez stood completely alone.
