Chapter 6 - Ghosts from the Past
While the security team held the press at bay, Diego turned his attention to a much darker betrayal.
He needed to know exactly how Marisol’s desperate attempts to contact him three years ago had been completely erased.
He summoned Roberto, his executive assistant, to the mansion under the guise of an emergency business meeting.
Roberto arrived looking slightly nervous, clutching a leather briefcase to his chest.
He was a slender man with sharp eyes, someone Diego had trusted with his life and schedule for five long years.
Diego was sitting behind his heavy desk, his face cast in shadows by the dim lighting in the study.
"Have a seat, Roberto," Diego said, his voice deceptively calm and flat.
Roberto sat down stiffly, glancing around the room as if expecting an ambush.
"Sir, the situation outside is a PR nightmare," Roberto started, trying to sound professional.
"We need to draft a statement denying the rumors about the maid."
Diego slowly stood up, picking up a heavy crystal glass from his desk and turning it in his hands.
"I am not denying anything," Diego said softly.
"Because the child is mine."
Roberto swallowed hard, a bead of sweat forming on his pale forehead.
"Sir, this is highly unexpected," Roberto stammered, his eyes darting toward the heavy wooden door.
"What is more unexpected is learning that the mother of my child tried to contact me three years ago," Diego said, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper.
He slammed the crystal glass onto the desk with a deafening crack, making Roberto jump out of his chair.
"She called you, Roberto!" Diego roared, all his composure completely vanishing.
"She left letters, she begged for help, and you gave her a miserable fifty thousand pesos to disappear!"
Roberto trembled violently, backing away until his shoulders hit the bookshelf.
"Sir, you have to understand, I was protecting you!" Roberto pleaded desperately.
"You were on the verge of your biggest merger, and a scandal with a pregnant maid would have ruined everything!"
"Who ordered you to do it?" Diego demanded, stepping closer like a predator cornering its prey.
Roberto shook his head rapidly, looking absolutely terrified.
"I am giving you five seconds to tell me who paid you to hide my child from me, or I swear I will destroy you," Diego threatened.
"It was your father, sir!" Roberto finally screamed, covering his face with his hands.
Diego froze completely, the air rushing out of his lungs in a painful gasp.
"Your father found out about the girl," Roberto confessed, crying openly now.
"He told me that if I didn't get rid of Marisol, he would ruin my career and ensure I never worked in this city again."
May you like
Diego felt the room spinning slightly as the heavy weight of his own family's betrayal crushed him.
His father, the man who had always preached about legacy and honor, had stolen three years of his daughter's life.
