The Vega Entertainment boardroom filled with somber executives, all dressed in dark suits befitting the mourning period. The massive mahogany table stretched between them like a battlefield waiting for war. Santiago sat at the head—his father's chair—looking haggard but determined.Esperanza wheeled herself into the room, her face pale but her eyes sharp. As the second-largest shareholder in Vega Entertainment, she had every right to be present despite her recent medical ordeal. Diego had offered to accompany her, but she'd refused. Some battles had to be fought alone."Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Santiago began, his voice lacking the confidence his father's had always carried. "I know we're all still grieving, but business cannot wait. My father built this empire on decisive action, and I intend to honor his legacy by doing the same."Several board members nodded respectfully, though Esperanza noticed the doubt in their eyes. They were humoring Santiago, not belie

Isabella stood in the penthouse suite Alejandro had rented under a false name, champagne glass in hand, watching the city lights glitter below. Just hours ago, she'd been a failed actress living in a roach-infested apartment. Now she was CEO and CFO of Vega Entertainment, one of the most powerful entertainment companies in the country.Life could change so fast when you knew how to play the game."To Santiago Vega," Alejandro said, raising his own glass with a cruel smile. "The biggest fool in the entire city."Isabella laughed, the sound bright and sharp. "I can't believe how easy it was. A few drinks, some strategic moaning, and the idiot signed over his entire empire without even reading the documents.""Did you see his face during that board meeting?" Alejandro moved behind her, his hands sliding around her waist. "Trying so hard to sound authoritative, like he had any idea what he was doing. Pathetic.""Completely pathetic," Isabella agreed, leaning back against him. "He actually

Diego looked at his wife, the woman he'd saved from death itself, and shook his head slowly. "I can't make you that promise, Esperanza."Her face fell. "Diego—""Alejandro, Lucia, Vasquez—anyone who had a hand in your father's death will not go unpunished. Not on my watch." His voice carried a cold finality that made her shiver. "I won't let them get away with murdering Ricardo. I can't."Esperanza sighed deeply, her hands folded in her lap. For a long moment, she said nothing, just stared at the floor as if answers might be written there."Why do you think they killed my father?" she asked finally, looking up at him. "As far as I know, they had no problem with him. Alejandro's grudge was always against you. Lucia wanted revenge for her grandfather's death, but Father had nothing to do with that. Vasquez—I don't even know what his connection is. So why target my father specifically?"Diego hesitated. He'd initially thought it was just another way to get at him—kill someone he cared ab

Gael reluctantly backed out of the room, closing the damaged door as best he could behind him.The assassin actually smiled. "You're foolish to send your partner away. You think you can handle me alone? I've killed thirty-seven people. Military-trained operatives. Crime bosses. Politicians with private security. And you—a cripple with a gun—think you can intimidate me?""I'm not a cripple," Diego said softly. Then he moved.What happened next took less than five seconds. Diego's gun clattered to the floor as he closed the distance. The assassin launched a kick aimed at his head—textbook Krav Maga. Diego deflected it with his right hand while his left hand struck her solar plexus with precise force. She gasped, her breath stolen.Before she could recover, Diego's fingers found the pressure points on her neck—the brachial plexus, the carotid artery, the nerve clusters that could paralyze or kill depending on how hard he pressed. The assassin's eyes went wide as her body stopped respondi

"Alejandro needed resources, connections, manpower. Vasquez needed someone to do the dirty work while he kept his hands clean enough for plausible deniability." Diego leaned back, rubbing his face. "It wasn't just revenge. I was wrong about that."He remembered standing at the cemetery, watching Alejandro tip his hat with that smug smile. He'd assumed it was purely personal—Alejandro taunting him with Ricardo's death, making Diego suffer by taking someone he loved.But now the full picture emerged, darker and more calculated than simple revenge.Ricardo's death had served multiple purposes simultaneously. For Alejandro—revenge against Diego by targeting his family. For Vasquez—eliminating the one man standing between him and the empire he'd coveted for twenty years.Business and revenge wrapped in a single assassination."They're planning to take over Vega Entertainment," Diego said, his voice hardening. "Vasquez wants the company. That's why Ricardo's dead. Not just to hurt me—to cle