CHAPTER 5 — THE GRANDMOTHER’S SECRET

Mateo's scream cut through the mansion again.

But this time, nobody ran toward the nursery because they thought he was sick.

They ran because they understood.

The scream was a warning.

Sofía reached the room first.

Mateo was standing in the crib, crying uncontrollably.

The lights above him flickered.

The same lights.

The same pattern.

The same reaction.

She immediately picked him up.

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

But her eyes were not on Mateo.

They were on the ceiling.

“Turn off the power.”

The security team looked confused.

“What?”

“The nursery.”

Her voice became urgent.

“Turn off everything connected to this room.”

Nicolás understood immediately.

“Do it.”

The guard rushed to the control panel.

Seconds later, the lights died.

The crying stopped.

Everyone froze.

Again.

The same thing.

The same pattern.

The room itself was causing pain.

Not the baby.

The baby was only reacting.

Sofía held Mateo close.

“He wasn't crying because of the basement.”

Nicolás looked at her.

“Then why?”

“Because someone activated something.”

She looked toward the ceiling.

“Someone wanted us to see that box.”

Twenty minutes later, the Velasco family gathered in the library.

The room had belonged to Esteban Velasco, Nicolás's father.

Old books.

Dark wooden shelves.

Family portraits.

A room full of history.

And now, a room full of lies.

The hospital bracelet sat on the table.

Diego Reyes.

Sofía stared at it.

Her brother's name.

A name she had not seen written anywhere for twelve years.

Nicolás watched her.

“I need you to tell me everything.”

She looked up.

“About what?”

“About Diego.”

Her expression hardened.

“Why?”

“Because my family is connected to his death.”

The honesty surprised her.

Most powerful men denied everything.

Nicolás admitted the possibility.

That meant something.

Sofía took a deep breath.

“My brother was six years old.”

The room became quiet.

“He was healthy. Happy. He loved drawing.”

A small pause.

“Then he started getting sick.”

Valeria listened carefully.

“What happened?”

“The doctors couldn't understand.”

Sofía looked at Mateo.

“His skin became sensitive. He couldn't sleep. Certain materials caused reactions.”

Nicolás's eyes narrowed.

“Like Mateo.”

“Yes.”

The similarity was impossible to ignore.

“We went to hospitals. Clinics. Specialists.”

Her voice became quieter.

“Everyone said the same thing. They couldn't find the cause.”

“What happened?”

Sofía looked down.

“He died.”

Silence.

“But before he died…”

She stopped.

Nicolás noticed.

“What?”

“He told me something.”

Everyone waited.

“He said there was a man watching him.”

A cold feeling moved through the room.

“What man?”

“I didn't know.”

Sofía looked at the bracelet.

“Until now.”

The library door opened.

Leonor entered.

Everyone turned.

She looked older than she had hours ago.

The secrets she had carried for years had finally begun to break her.

“I need to speak.”

Nicolás stood.

“Finally.”

Leonor ignored the anger.

She looked at Sofía.

“Your brother was not the only child.”

Sofía froze.

“What does that mean?”

Leonor walked toward the table.

“The Velasco family has always protected its name.”

Nicolás's face hardened.

“Do not turn this into a speech.”

Leonor looked at him.

“You think you know everything about this family.”

A pause.

“You don't.”

She touched the hospital bracelet.

“I saw this before.”

Sofía stepped closer.

“When?”

Leonor closed her eyes.

“Twelve years ago.”

The room became silent.

“You were there?”

“No.”

She looked at Nicolás.

“But your father was.”

The name Esteban Velasco changed the atmosphere.

Even after death, he controlled the room.

Nicolás had spent years believing his father created the empire.

But maybe he had also created the darkness inside it.

“What did my father do?” Nicolás asked.

Leonor looked at him.

“The question is what didn't he do?”

Nobody spoke.

“Esteban believed money could solve anything.”

She looked around the room.

“He believed human beings could be improved like machines.”

Sofía felt sick.

“Improved?”

Leonor nodded.

“Children with unusual reactions. Children with rare sensitivities.”

Her voice lowered.

“He wanted to study them.”

Nicolás stepped back.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“My father wasn't a scientist.”

“No.”

Leonor looked at him.

“He paid scientists.”

The truth entered the room slowly.

Like poison.

“The children were never supposed to be harmed.”

Sofía laughed once.

A bitter sound.

“Tell that to my brother.”

Leonor lowered her eyes.

“I know.”

The answer shocked everyone.

“You knew?”

Leonor's eyes filled with regret.

“Yes.”

Sofía stepped forward.

“And you did nothing?”

Leonor looked broken.

“I tried.”

Nicolás stared.

“What does that mean?”

“I found out what your father was doing.”

A pause.

“I tried to stop him.”

“And?”

“He threatened me.”

“With what?”

Leonor looked at Nicolás.

“With your life.”

The room froze.

For years, Nicolás believed his mother was cold.

Calculating.

A woman who cared more about the family name than the people inside it.

But now he saw something else.

Fear.

She had been afraid.

“What happened to Diego?” Sofía asked.

Leonor's lips trembled.

“I don't know exactly.”

“That's not enough.”

“I know.”

She looked at Sofía.

“And I have spent twelve years regretting that.”

A long silence.

Then she whispered:

“But I know who took him.”

Sofía stopped.

“Who?”

Leonor looked toward the window.

Toward the darkness outside.

“The person who has been sending these messages.”

Nicolás stepped closer.

“Who?”

Leonor hesitated.

Then she said:

“Your uncle.”

Nobody moved.

“My father had a brother?”

Nicolás's face changed.

“Yes.”

Leonor nodded.

“A man who disappeared before you were born.”

Another secret.

Another erased person.

Another ghost.

Sofía looked at the hospital bracelet.

“How does my brother connect to him?”

Leonor answered:

“Because Diego was not chosen randomly.”

A pause.

“He was selected.”

The next morning, Nicolás ordered every archive connected to the Velasco family opened.

Old companies.

Old employees.

Old medical records.

Everything.

But before the investigation could begin, Sofía found something hidden inside the box from the basement.

A second letter.

This one was not from Alejandro.

It was addressed directly to her.

Her name was written clearly.

SOFÍA REYES.

She opened it.

Only three lines.

But they changed everything.

You believe your brother was a victim.

You are wrong.

Diego was the first success.

Sofía's hands went cold.

Behind her, Nicolás read the words.

“What does that mean?”

She slowly turned.

Before she could answer…

Mateo's baby monitor activated.

A man's voice appeared.

Old.

Distorted.

But clear enough.

A voice none of them recognized.

Except Leonor.

She whispered:

“No…”

The voice spoke:

“Esteban failed because he wanted control.”

A pause.

“His mistake was believing children were the experiment.”

The monitor crackled.

Then the voice continued:

“The experiment was always the family.”

The screen went black.

And for the first time…

Nicolás realized something terrifying.

The person attacking them did not want money.

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Did not want revenge.

They wanted the Velasco family to destroy itself.