Chapter 5: Shadows of the Past
Doña Leonor did not accept defeat quietly. Exiled from the family business and cut off from the Velasco fortune, her pride demanded retaliation. If she could not reach her son or her grandson, she would destroy the woman who had exposed her.
It began with subtle shifts. Sofía received a letter from the General Hospital’s administrative board. An anonymous donor had threatened to pull critical funding unless "questionable staff members"—naming Sofía directly—were subjected to an ethics investigation. Rumors were planted about her past, accusing her of stealing medical supplies.
Sofía hid the letters, focusing entirely on Mateo, but the stress began to show. She lost sleep, pacing the halls at night.
Nicolás, a man who noticed everything, cornered her in the kitchen at midnight.
"You are exhausted," he stated, leaning against the marble counter. "And it is not because of Mateo."
"It's just bureaucracy at the hospital," Sofía deflected, pouring a glass of water. "Nothing I can't handle."
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Nicolás didn't press her, but the next morning, he made three phone calls. The men he spoke to didn't ask questions; they simply gathered information. By noon, a thick folder was placed on Nicolás's mahogany desk. It detailed every move Leonor had made, every bribe she had paid to hospital administrators to ruin Sofía’s career.
Nicolás felt a familiar, cold rage settling in his chest. His mother had underestimated him once. She would not get a third chance.
