Chapter 9 - The Morning After|
The police scoured the grounds for hours, but the man in the suit had vanished like smoke. By morning, the community center was a hive of nervous energy. The younger children, sensing the tension, were unusually quiet as they ate their breakfast in the dining hall.
Mateo sat in the corner, staring at his untouched pancakes. He hadn't slept a wink. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the jagged handwriting on the envelope and the cold smile of the man in the yard.
"Eat something, Matty," Sarah, one of the older volunteers, said gently as she wiped down the adjacent table. "You look like a ghost."
"I'm not hungry," Mateo muttered, pushing the plate away.
The heavy wooden doors of the dining hall swung open, and Mariana walked in. She looked exhausted, her hair pulled into a messy bun and dark circles shadowing her eyes. She was flanked by Detective Vargas, the same officer who had helped put Mateo's father behind bars.
"Mateo, can we talk to you in my office?" Mariana asked, her tone strictly professional.
Mateo nodded, his stomach doing flips. He followed them down the hall, the sound of his sneakers squeaking against the linoleum echoing loudly.
Once inside, Mariana locked the door and pulled down the window blinds. Detective Vargas leaned against the desk, crossing his arms.
"We ran the fingerprints off the envelope and the photograph, Mateo," Vargas began, his voice gravelly. "They came back with a match."
"Is it my mother?" Mateo asked, gripping the arms of his chair.
"No," Vargas sighed. "The prints belong to a man named Arthur Vance. He’s a high-powered corporate lawyer operating out of Chicago. He’s known for taking on impossible cases—and winning them through... questionable methods."
"Why would a fancy lawyer from Chicago care about me?" Mateo asked, bewildered.
"Because of who hired him," Mariana interjected, dropping a thick manila folder onto the desk. "I spent the entire night digging through public records and old family trees. Elena didn't die in that crash, Mateo. She was severely injured and placed in a private care facility. But she didn't just walk away with nothing."
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"What do you mean?"
"She inherited a massive estate from her late father two years ago," Mariana explained, her eyes filled with sorrow. "She's a multi-millionaire now. And she’s hired Arthur Vance to sue me for custody, claiming I kidnapped you from your rightful family."
