“Leo, you have to leave here. Now,” Ricardo ordered, gently pushing the boy.
Just then, Sofia came out of the house, smiling in a way that was almost too sweet. She was wearing a champagne-colored silk robe.
Her voice was perfectly mellifluous, but her eyes scrutinized Ricardo’s every move.
“I had a little problem with the door, love. It got stuck,” Ricardo lied, forcing a smile. “I’m going to take the Audi from the back garage. The Mercedes needs a check-up.”
Sofia’s face twitched slightly. Just for a moment, but it was enough. Plan A had failed.
“The Audi? But it’s so slow, darling. You have to get there quickly,” she insisted, moving closer. Her hand rested on Ricardo’s arm, but he felt the pressure, not the affection. It was an anchor, a form of control.
Ricardo gently pulled away. “Don’t worry, my love. Safety first. Call the mechanic to check this one’s brakes. It was making a strange noise.”
He turned around quickly and headed towards the side garage.
As he walked, he felt Sofia’s gaze burning into his back.
The side garage was a storage area for less ostentatious vehicles. Ricardo got into the old Audi A4, which he used to go play golf.
He left through the back door of the property, dodging Sofia.
As he sped along the service road, he pulled out his satellite phone, the one Sofia didn’t recognize. He dialed the only number she could trust with her life: Don Elias, her family lawyer, retired years ago.
Elias answered on the third ring.
“Ricardo, kid. What’s wrong? You sound like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Worse than that, Elias. I think Sofia tried to kill me. She cut the brakes on the Mercedes.”
There was a deep silence on the other end of the line, broken only by the old man’s heavy breathing.
“What are you saying? Sofia? But… why now? The merger agreement is today.”
“Exactly. If I die before signing, she inherits everything without a trust. Elias, I need you to review the will. And I need you to tell me where I can be sure. She has accomplices.”
Ricardo gripped the steering wheel. His entire life, built on trust and hard work, was crumbling because of betrayal.
The Secret Investigation and the Lost Codicil
Ricardo drove like a fugitive, constantly checking the rearview mirror. The Audi, although old, was fast.
He arrived at Don Elias’s country house two hours later. It was an old property, surrounded by high stone walls and protected by the discretion of his personal security guards.
Continue reading…
