“Your father didn’t know,” Matthew countered, his eyes locking onto hers. “But your stepmother did. Patricia Salgado was Becerra’s inside operative. She poisoned your father slowly, making his death look like a degenerative illness, so she could inherit the shipping licenses and hand them over to Becerra. Tonight, Becerra was supposed to finalize the acquisition of the final remaining docks—by taking you as payment for Patricia’s debts, cementing a blood pact.”
The room seemed to spin. Elena felt a nauseating wave of horror wash over her. Her father hadn’t died of natural causes. He had been murdered by the woman she had called family for five years.
“They ruined my life,” Elena whispered, her hands shaking as she stared at the photos. “They took everything from me.”
