Chapter 2: The Vault of Deceit
Chapter 2: The Vault of Deceit
By midnight, the drawing-room had been transformed into a tactical command center. Alejandro had summoned his most trusted security team and a forensic specialist to analyze the contents of the USB drive. Beatriz was locked securely in the manor's study under armed guard, her screams of fury echoing faintly through the thick mahogany doors.
Rosa sat quietly on the velvet sofa, gently rocking the baby, who had finally fallen into a peaceful sleep. Alejandro walked over, his suit jacket discarded, his sleeves rolled up. He looked completely exhausted, yet a burning fire of hope illuminated his eyes. He sat beside Rosa, gazing down at the child’s face.
"He looks exactly like his mother," Alejandro murmured softly, his thumb gently brushing the baby's soft cheek. "My late wife, Sofia, died of a broken heart two years after he was taken. She never stopped believing he was alive. But Rosa... how is this possible? Mateo was stolen eight years ago. This child... this baby is barely a few weeks old."
Rosa's expression turned deeply solemn. "That was the first thing that confused me, sir. But when I looked closer at the birthmark, I realized it isn't a random occurrence. And then I remembered... Sofia had a twin sister, Elena, who vanished shortly before the kidnapping."
Before Alejandro could process the weight of Rosa's words, the forensic specialist, Marcus, stepped into the room, holding a tablet. "Mr. Alcázar, you need to see this. The files on the USB drive belong to a highly illegal, black-market surrogacy and genetic cloning clinic operating out of Eastern Europe."
Alejandro stood up, his jaw clenched. "Explain."
"Eight years ago, your son Mateo wasn't just kidnapped for ransom," Marcus revealed, displaying medical records on the screen. "He was targeted because of his unique, rare blood type, which your father, Don Carlos, desperately needed for a experimental bone marrow therapy to combat his terminal illness. Don Carlos orchestrated the kidnapping of his own grandson."
A sickening wave of nausea hit Alejandro. He staggered back, gripping the edge of the table. "My father... stole my son?"
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"Yes, sir. But it gets darker," Marcus continued, his voice dropping. "Mateo survived the procedure, but Don Carlos kept him hidden away in a private facility in Switzerland to ensure his ongoing medical security. Beatriz was hired by your father back then to manage the facility. But when Don Carlos died three years ago, the funding stopped. Beatriz, greedy for the Alcázar fortune, realized she could use the child's genetic material. This newborn in the cradle isn't Mateo. This baby is Mateo's biological son, created through forced surrogate harvesting of your now teenage son’s genetic line. Beatriz was planning to present this baby as her own biological heir to the Alcázar estate, securing her claim to the entire inheritance."
"Where is he?" Alejandro roared, the sheer horror of the conspiracy breaking through his stoic exterior. "Where is my eight-year-old boy? Where is Mateo?!"
