Chapter 3 - The Gathering Storm
|
It was a gloomy Tuesday afternoon when the sky over the capital turned dark and bruised. Heavy rain began to pelt the floor-to-ceiling windows of the manor, accompanied by low, rumbling thunder that vibrated through the floorboards.
Don Fernando was locked inside his ground-floor executive study. He had entered a crucial, high-stakes videoconference with European investment partners—a marathon meeting scheduled to last several hours without interruption.
"I am not to be disturbed under any circumstances, Rosa," Fernando had instructed earlier, giving her an appreciative pat on the shoulder. "Not unless the building is on fire."
"Understood, Don Fernando," she had replied.
Valeria had left the estate early that morning in her sleek red sports car, bound for an exclusive luxury spa day with her socialite friends. With the master of the house occupied and the mistress away, a rare quiet descended upon the massive mansion.
Taking advantage of the silence, Rosa picked up her cleaning caddy and slowly climbed the grand marble staircase to the second floor. Her knees throbbed with a dull, chronic ache that worsened with every step, but she pushed through the physical pain.
She reached the east wing and entered Valeria’s private office—an opulent room decorated in gold leaf and ivory silk, perpetually smelling of luxury cigarettes and sweet perfume.
Rosa moved methodically. She dusted the antique mahogany desk, straightened the velvet throw pillows, and wiped down the crystal lamps.
As she leaned down to empty the metallic wastebasket sitting beside the desk, something caught her eye.
May you like
The bin contained shredded documents, but hanging over the rim was a crumpled sheet of heavy parchment paper that was still mostly intact. Right at the top was a bright crimson logo that Rosa recognized instantly.
It was the official emblem of the St. Jude Pediatric Oncology Center.
