Chapter 4 - The Legacy of Don Mateo
With the dining room cleared of the frantic guests and the conspirators safely detained in federal custody, the heavy silence of the estate returned. Only Commander Vance, the auditor, and I remained beneath the crystal chandelier.
Commander Vance handed me a thick, sealed manila envelope bearing my father’s personal wax seal.
“Don Mateo gave me strict instructions,” Vance said respectfully. “If anything happened to you—or if the financial audit triggered an emergency lockdown—this envelope was to be handed directly to you, and to no one else.”
I broke the wax seal with my thumb and pulled out the contents. Inside was a handwritten letter in my father’s strong, familiar cursive, along with the master voting shares of Salvatierra Holdings.
“My dearest Morgana,” the letter began.
“If you are reading this, it means the wolves have finally shown their teeth in the open. I watched Ruby grow into a bitter imitation of ambition, and I watched Adrián mistake compliance for stupidity. I kept them close not because I was blind to their plots, but because a wise general lets the enemy expose their entire network before cutting off the retreat. You are stronger than you know, my daughter. The empire was never built on stone or paper; it was built on endurance. The board is yours now. Rule it with justice, but govern it with an iron hand.”
A single tear slipped down my cheek, catching the candlelight before falling onto the paper. My father hadn't been weak in his final months. He had been orchestrating my final test—ensuring that when I took the throne, no one would ever dare challenge my legitimacy again.
May you like
The auditor bowed slightly. “The emergency board of directors has been convened at the corporate headquarters in Madrid, Doña Morgana. They are waiting for your signature to ratify the restructuring.”
I folded the letter, placed it carefully inside my pocket, and lifted my chin. The game my sister and my ex-fiancé had started was over. Mine was just beginning.
