Chapter 5: Vivian’s Truth
Alejandro handed Sofia to Elena.
“Take her behind the stone column.”
Vivian raised the pistol.
“No one moves.”
Elena kept one arm around Sofia.
“You were never trying to replace me,” she said.
Vivian’s eyes shifted toward her.
“You wanted the foundation.”
“I wanted what my family built.”
Alejandro frowned.
“The Castillo Foundation belonged to my grandfather.”
Vivian laughed bitterly.
“That is the version your family printed in newspapers.”
She stepped toward the altar.
“My grandfather, Carlo Moretti, created the original relief fund after the war. Rafael Castillo was his accountant.”
Victor closed his eyes.
Alejandro looked at him.
“You knew?”
Victor answered reluctantly.
“Carlo was investigated for organized crime. Rafael restructured the fund to protect it.”
“He stole it,” Vivian said. “He erased the Moretti name and built the Castillo empire using our money.”
Alejandro remained still.
“Even if that is true, it does not justify imprisoning Elena.”
“Elena found the original ownership documents.”
Vivian looked at her with hatred.
“She was supposed to sign them over quietly.”
Elena’s voice hardened.
“You wanted me to forge Alejandro’s signature.”
“I gave you a choice.”
“You threatened my husband.”
“I threatened his reputation.”
“You showed me photographs of Sofia leaving university. You told me she would disappear next.”
Sofia stared at Vivian.
“You used me to control her?”
Vivian ignored her.
Alejandro slowly reached into his jacket.
Vivian aimed the gun directly at him.
“Hands where I can see them.”
“I’m taking out the key.”
He held up the brass key.
Vivian’s breathing changed.
“Put it on the floor.”
Alejandro did.
She bent to retrieve it.
Victor suddenly lunged toward her.
Vivian fired.
The bullet struck him in the shoulder.
He fell against the altar.
Sofia screamed.
In the confusion, Elena pulled her behind the column.
Alejandro tackled Vivian.
The remote slid across the floor.
Vivian clawed at Alejandro’s face, fighting with surprising strength.
One of Victor’s guards reached for the remote.
Elena saw a second light blinking on Vivian’s bracelet.
“It’s not the remote!”
Alejandro turned.
Vivian smiled beneath him.
“The trigger is biometric.”
Her bracelet was monitoring her pulse.
If her heart stopped—or if the bracelet was removed—the explosives would detonate.
Victor pressed a hand to his bleeding shoulder.
“She designed a dead-man system.”
Vivian laughed.
“You wanted me under control. I made sure no one ever controlled me again.”
Alejandro released her carefully.
“What do you want?”
“The archive.”
“And then?”
“A public transfer of the foundation to the Moretti family.”
“There is no Moretti family,” Victor said.
Vivian looked at him.
“You never told him?”
Victor’s face went pale.
Alejandro stared between them.
“Told me what?”
Vivian slowly smiled.
“Ask your godfather who my father was.”
Victor said nothing.
May you like
Vivian answered for him.
“Victor Sanz.”
