Chapter 22 - The Ruthless Heir
Ricardo Valdés was a man who made Teresa look like a saint. He had been exiled to the European branch of the family empire decades ago due to his ruthless, often illegal, business practices. But with Teresa incarcerated and Daniel formally abdicating his inheritance, a massive power vacuum had opened. Ricardo had returned to claim the throne.
The next morning, Daniel drove to the city, leaving Valeria and Sofia under the watchful eye of heavily armed private security contractors he had hired overnight.
He walked into the towering glass skyscraper of Valdés Enterprises. The receptionists stared in shock as the former heir bypassed security and marched directly into the executive boardroom.
Ricardo was sitting at the head of the mahogany table, sipping a double espresso. He was an older, sharper version of Daniel, with cold, gray eyes and a cruel smile.
"Daniel! My boy. You look terribly rustic," Ricardo sneered, gesturing to Daniel’s simple canvas jacket.
"Stay away from my wife and my daughter, Ricardo," Daniel stated, planting his hands firmly on the table. "I renounced my shares. The empire is yours. I want nothing to do with it."
"Unfortunately, the corporate bylaws disagree," Ricardo replied smoothly, sliding a folder forward. "Your mother placed a contingency in the primary trust. A staggering fifty million dollars is locked until the first legitimate Valdés grandchild comes of age. Sofia is the key to that vault. I need her under my legal purview to access the capital."
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"I will burn this building to the ground before I let you near my daughter," Daniel warned, his voice a lethal whisper.
"You can try," Ricardo chuckled. "But I have already bribed the family court judge. By Friday, Sofia will be remanded to my custody. You can walk away, or you can die trying to stop the inevitable."
