As if summoned, Viviana’s heels echoed down the hallway. “Santiago,” she called. “The board needs you.”
He went.
Elena stayed.
And she started noticing things.
Rafael’s pill bottles changed. Labels peeled. Dosages shifted. Some tablets smelled metallic; others sweet. It was subtle, almost elegant.
Then Elena found the file.
It was hidden behind legal documents in Rafael’s study—Daniel’s name stamped across the top.
Severe anxiety. Nutritional deficiency. Monitoring required.
Treatment location: a rural estate in Guadalajara.
Not Switzerland.
The lie shifted from suspicion to shape.
A week later, Rafael died.
It was a Monday morning. Too ordinary for death.
Elena found him in his armchair, still and cooling. Viviana arrived not in panic, but in control.
The funeral was immaculate. Condolences flowed. Legacy was praised.
Daniel was absent.
“The school won’t release him,” Viviana explained smoothly.
Santiago’s eyes burned. “He’s fourteen.”
Elena felt the file whisper in her mind.
After the funeral, Gabriel, the gardener, approached her near the back gate.
“I shouldn’t speak,” he murmured.
“Then why are you?” Elena asked.