Chapter 4 - The Flight into the Storm
A torrential downpour had begun to punish the city by the time Marisol rushed out of the service entrance of the Robles mansion. She carried a single, battered suitcase in one hand and held Camila tightly with the other. The little girl was crying now, terrified by the thunder and her mother’s frantic, trembling state. Camila’s old stuffed bunny was tucked under her arm, soaked by the pouring rain.
“Mommy, where are we going?” Camila cried, her small shoes splashing through the puddles. “Why are we leaving the big house?”
“Shh, mi amor, it’s a game. We’re going on an adventure,” Marisol lied through her tears, her voice choked with panic. She kept looking behind her, terrified that Renata’s investigators or the police were following them.
They reached the main gates, but the security guards, acting on Renata’s strict orders, refused to let them wait under the awning for a taxi. Marisol was forced out onto the busy, dark avenue. Taxis sped past, splashing muddy water onto them, ignoring her desperate waves. Camila began to wheeze—the cold, damp air was triggering her asthma.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Daniel’s corporate summit had ended early due to the severe weather. His sleek black sedan pulled up the long driveway just as the clock struck 1:00 PM.
As he stepped into the foyer, he immediately noticed the unnatural silence. There were no fresh flowers on the table, and the staff seemed to be actively avoiding his gaze.
“Eusebio,” Daniel called out, unbuttoning his overcoat.
The old butler walked out from the dining room. His eyes were red, and he looked visibly shaken. “Señor Daniel... thank goodness you’re back.”
“What happened? Where is everyone?” Daniel asked, a sudden sense of dread settling in his stomach.
“It’s Marisol and Camila, sir. Miss Renata... she framed Marisol for stealing a diamond bracelet. She threatened to have her arrested and take Camila away if they didn't leave immediately. They left an hour ago, in the middle of this storm.”
Daniel’s face hardened into a mask of pure fury. The temperature in the room seemed to drop below freezing. “Where is Renata?”
“She’s upstairs in her room, sir, celebrating with her father on the phone.”
Daniel didn't waste a second. He stormed up the stairs, throwing open the doors to Renata’s suite with a force that made the hinges groan. Renata jumped up from her chaise lounge, dropping her champagne glass.
“Daniel! You’re back early—”
“Where are they?” Daniel’s voice was dangerously low, vibrating with a rage she had never witnessed before.
“If you’re talking about the maid, she’s a thief, Daniel! I found my bracelet—”
“Shut up, Renata,” Daniel roared, stepping closer, his imposing figure towering over her. “I know exactly who Marisol is. And I know exactly what you did. Eusebio saw your investigator enter the maid’s quarters before the 'discovery' was made. You framed her.”
Renata’s face drained of color, but she tried to play her final card. “You’re defending a common criminal over me? Why do you care so much about that woman, Daniel? Is she your mistress? Is that child yours?”
“No,” Daniel said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper that chilled her to the bone. “She isn't my daughter. But four years ago, my brother Alejandro died on his way to marry a woman named Marisol Gutiérrez in Veracruz. He had a custom ring made for her—a ring with a unique gold button closure on the velvet box, a family heirloom he took from our mother’s collection.”
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Renata’s eyes widened in sheer terror.
“Camila isn't my daughter, Renata,” Daniel said, his eyes burning with tears of rage and realization. “She is Alejandro’s daughter. She is my niece. She is a Robles. And you just threw the sole heir to my family’s fortune out into a storm.”
