Chapter 2 - THE BLACK FOLDER
Sebastián locked the hospital room.
Then he placed a chair beneath the door handle.
Rebeca watched him through the narrow window.
Her face was calm again.
That frightened him more than anger would have.
Valeria struggled to sit up.
“You need to call someone outside your family.”
Sebastián removed his phone.
“I’ll call hospital security.”
“No.”
Valeria grabbed his sleeve.
“Your mother donated the new surgical wing.”
Sebastián stopped.
“She knows the administrators.”
Mariana nodded.
“She knows the head of security too.”
Sebastián stared at the names in his contact list.
For the first time, he realized almost everyone around him had been selected, recommended, or approved by his mother.
His assistants.
His driver.
His attorneys.
Even the doctor responsible for Valeria’s pregnancy.
He called Mateo Cruz instead.
Mateo had been Sebastián’s closest friend at the university.
After graduation, Mateo became a federal investigator.
Their friendship ended when Mateo accused Octavio of bribing a customs official.
Sebastián had defended his cousin.
He had not spoken to Mateo in seven years.
Mateo answered on the fourth ring.
“Sebastián?”
“I need your help.”
There was a pause.
“What happened?”
Sebastián looked at Valeria.
“I think my family is trying to take my daughter.”
Mateo’s voice changed immediately.
“Send me your location.”
Sebastián gave him the hospital address.
Then he opened the black leather folder.
The first document requested temporary custody of the unborn baby.
The second authorized Valeria’s transfer to Clínica Santa Aurelia, a private psychiatric facility outside Monterrey.
The third gave Rebeca control over all medical decisions.
Every page carried Sebastián’s signature.
He examined the ink.
It looked perfect.
But he knew he had never signed those documents.
Mariana pointed to a smaller page hidden near the back.
“This is the one they care about.”
It was a notice connected to the Alcázar family trust.
Sebastián read it twice.
When the first child of Sebastián Alcázar was born, thirty-six percent of the voting shares in Alcázar International would transfer into the child’s name.
Until the child reached adulthood, those shares would be controlled by the legal guardian.
Sebastián’s eyes lifted.
“This is about the company.”
Valeria shook her head.
“It began with the company.”
She placed one hand over her stomach.
“But now your mother wants our baby because the baby is the company.”
A machine beside the bed began beeping faster.
Valeria’s face tightened.
Another contraction had started.
From the hallway, Rebeca raised her phone.
May you like
A moment later, the locked door began opening with an electronic master key.
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