Chapter 7 - THE ARCHIVE ROOM
The archive room was hidden behind a paneled wall in the mansion's old library.
Alejandro had known it existed, but his father had kept the key.
Thomas, the estate's former legal adviser, had died two years earlier. His successor had no record of the room's contents.
Rosa remembered where the key was kept.
She led Alejandro to the old study and opened a small drawer beneath the desk.
Inside lay a brass key and a sealed envelope.
The envelope carried Alejandro's name.
He opened it.
His father's handwriting filled the page.
If you are reading this, then the past has returned. I did what I believed was necessary to protect this family. Isabel was reckless. Rafael was dangerous. Victor was worse. I chose the only path that kept the company alive.
Alejandro's hands tightened.
The letter continued.
The original shipping records are in the archive. They prove Victor arranged the warehouse fire and that I covered it up. Isabel discovered the truth. I arranged her disappearance because I believed it was the only way to keep Victor from killing her.
Alejandro stopped reading.
His father had not simply lied about Isabel's death.
He had hidden the truth about a crime that involved his own brother.
The archive contained ledgers, recordings, and signed instructions. Among them was a document proving that Victor had ordered the warehouse fire to destroy evidence of stolen cargo.
There was also a letter from Rafael.
He had written that he would take Isabel and their child away, but he feared Victor would find them.
At the bottom of the file was a recent photograph.
Victor stood beside a woman in a hospital corridor.
Isabel.
She looked tired but alive.
The photograph had been taken only nine days earlier.
On the back was an address.
A disused coastal clinic.
Alejandro called Detective Alvarez.
"We have a location."
She sent a team immediately.
But before they could leave, the mansion's power went out.
A crash sounded from the library.
Rosa screamed.
Alejandro turned toward the hallway.
A man in a dark coat stood at the end of it, holding a folder.
"Mr. Moreira," he said. "Your father should have burned those records."
Alejandro stepped in front of Mateo.
"Who are you?"
May you like
The man smiled.
"Someone who works for Victor."
