The walls of Luz Holdings felt colder than ever.Alejandro stared at the encrypted signal on his screen. It pulsed with unnatural rhythm, a frequency outside standard communications. Natalia stood over his shoulder, her brow furrowed.As always when she WS thinking of something.“You’re sure this came from inside?” she asked quizzically.He nodded. “Not just inside. From my father’s private vault. One that was supposedly sealed years ago.”Camila entered, her voice tense. “We’ve got a second problem. Santiago and Lucía are off-grid. No contact for six hours.”Alejandro turned to her, the storm already brewing in his mind. “They were supposed to be surveilling Joaquín.”“They were,” Camila said. “But something must’ve gone wrong. Their last ping came from a private airstrip outside Medellín. After that, nothing.”Natalia’s voice dropped. “You think Rafael has them?” worry coming back to play.Alejandro clenched his jaw. “No. I think Ezekiel does.”*****Unknown Location – Lucía and San

The engines of the jet roared to life, slicing through the cold morning air like a predator tracking its prey. Alejandro sat in the cabin, eyes trained on the screen in front of him, where the map of South America lit up. São Paulo, marked with a red dot, was now the focal point of everything he’d spent his life building, and tearing down.“Are you sure about this?” Natalia asked from across the cabin, her voice cold but laced with concern. She always had concern for him in a cold way.Alejandro didn’t look up from the map. His mind was too focused. “We don’t have a choice. Gabriel is the key to everything. If we stop him now, we stop Ezekiel. We stop Salomé.”Camila, standing near the doorway, shot them both a glance. “And if you can’t stop Gabriel?” she asked quizzically.“We’ll burn the bridge when we get to it,” Alejandro replied sternly and fixated.******São Paulo – The Ghost’s LairThe city below was a sprawling mosaic of chaos. São Paulo, with its towering skyscrapers and w

The flames licked at the sky as the mansion groaned one final time, then collapsed into a smoldering ruin. Smoke choked the night, thick and bitter with ash. Sirens echoed faintly in the distance, lost beneath the roar of destruction.Somewhere beneath the rubble, Alejandro stirred.His head throbbed. Blood caked the side of his face, warm and sticky. Every bone in his body ached, but he was alive just somehow. Dust clung to his skin, and the scent of scorched earth filled his lungs. Above him, twisted metal and broken wood formed a jagged cage.He coughed, pain blooming in his chest, and rolled onto his side. “Salomé…” he rasped.There was no answer. It felt like the space was empty like there was just him in there.It felt like echoes.A beam cracked nearby, groaning under its own weight. He didn’t have much time. Gritting his teeth, Alejandro pulled himself forward, clawing through debris. Every movement felt like dragging a corpse, but he pushed on, driven by fury and desperat

The mountain air was razor-thin, every breath clawing through Natalia’s lungs like broken glass. They’d landed at a nearby clearing, camouflaged their approach, and now crept along the edge of the jagged ridge, the serpent-shaped fortress looming ahead.Natalia crouched beside Santiago and Lucía, surveying the outer perimeter through binoculars. “Infrared sensors at every corner. Four rotating patrols. Noé isn’t just hiding here — he’s preparing for a siege.”Lucía exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the rocks below. “Then let’s give him one.”Santiago shook his head. “Not yet. The longer we stay unnoticed, the better chance we have to reach Alejandro.”Natalia bit her lip, gaze fixed on the eastern wall was less guarded, flanked by a sheer drop. “There,” she said. “Lucía and I go in quiet, through the old utility duct Gabriel mentioned. You cause a distraction west. Draw some of the guards off.”Santiago gave a tight nod. “You’ll have thirty minutes, max.”Lucía unsheathed her blade. “More