Chapter 2 - The Suffocating Matriarch
Teresa, Alejandro’s mother, was a woman carved from ice and old money.
Since the very day Valeria had married Alejandro, Teresa had made it abundantly clear that Valeria was not, and would never be, worthy of their family name. The psychological warfare had been relentless, subtle, and incredibly cruel.
When Valeria became pregnant, the manipulation only intensified. Teresa wanted absolute control over the heir to the empire, treating Valeria not as a mother, but merely as a temporary vessel for her grandson.
Valeria could no longer subject her child to that environment. She loved Alejandro deeply, but his constant business travels and his blind spot regarding his mother’s cruelty had left Valeria entirely isolated in the massive estate.
She gripped the smooth, polished mahogany railing of the staircase with her free hand.
Her bags were already packed and hidden in the trunk of her private car. A loyal driver was waiting near the service exit. All she had to do was walk down these stairs, slip through the back corridors, and vanish into the night.
She would explain everything to Alejandro later, from a safe, secure distance.
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Valeria forced a polite, composed mask onto her face. She took her first, tentative step down the grand, carpeted marble staircase.
She had no idea that she was walking directly into a meticulously planned execution.
