Chapter 7 — The Empire Under Attack
Chapter 7 — The Empire Under Attack
The name at the bottom of the page refused to leave my mind.
Margaret Wentworth.
I read it again.
Then again.
My father stood across from me, saying nothing.
I finally looked up.
“Explain.”
He didn't move.
“Dad.”
“I was hoping you'd never see that name.”
“Then you should have told me.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you?”
“Because once you know, you can't go back.”
I closed the file.
“I don't want to go back.”
My father looked at me for a long moment.
Then he said:
“Your mother believed Margaret was working with someone inside the Escalante network.”
“Who?”
“We never proved it.”
“But you suspected her.”
“Yes.”
“And you still let her become Andrew's mother-in-law.”
“I didn't know Andrew would marry you.”
“You knew.”
He sighed.
“I knew your mother wanted him near you.”
I stared at him.
“And you allowed it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I believed the danger was outside the family.”
He paused.
“I was wrong.”
Before I could ask another question, every light in the office went out.
The room plunged into darkness.
My father's security system should never have failed.
Never.
Emergency lights flickered red along the hallway.
Then the alarms began.
Daniel rushed through the door.
“Sir.”
My father turned.
“What happened?”
“Multiple systems are down.”
“Which ones?”
“Finance.”
“Security?”
“Compromised.”
My father's expression hardened.
“Communications?”
“Partially.”
I looked at Daniel.
“Is this a cyberattack?”
“We don't know.”
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed.
“What?”
He listened.
“Repeat that.”
A pause.
He looked at me.
“Three Escalante facilities have been hit.”
My heart sank.
“Which ones?”
“Phoenix headquarters.”
He paused.
“Dallas logistics.”
Another pause.
“New York investment office.”
My father immediately moved toward the conference room.
“Get everyone off the network.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Too late.”
The conference room filled with executives within minutes.
Everyone looked terrified.
Screens flickered.
Phones wouldn't connect.
Financial systems were inaccessible.
A senior analyst rushed in.
“Mr. Escalante, we're seeing unauthorized transfers.”
“How much?”
“Forty-eight million so far.”
My father slammed his hand onto the table.
“Stop them.”
“We can't.”
“Why?”
“They've locked the authorization system.”
I looked at Daniel.
“Can you isolate the accounts?”
“We're trying.”
“Try harder.”
He nodded.
Then another alarm sounded.
The analyst stared at his screen.
“Oh God.”
“What?”
He looked up.
“They're accessing the family trust.”
My blood ran cold.
“No.”
My father stepped forward.
“Disconnect the trust.”
“We can't.”
“Why?”
“Because whoever is inside already has authorization.”
Silence.
I looked at my father.
“Who?”
He didn't answer.
I knew the answer before he said it.
“Margaret.”
I couldn't believe it.
“How?”
My father shook his head.
“She shouldn't have access.”
“But she does.”
Daniel looked at his screen.
“There is an authorized credential.”
“Whose?”
He hesitated.
“Andrew's.”
My heart dropped.
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Andrew had been appointed protector of my inheritance.
The one person I had believed I could never trust…
had the legal authority to access part of the system.
And now someone was using his credentials.
“Find Andrew.”
Daniel immediately made the call.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
“His phone is off.”
My father looked at me.
“This was planned.”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
At 3:14 p.m., the first international bank called.
Then another.
Then another.
Escalante accounts were being frozen by regulatory authorities.
Someone had filed emergency fraud claims.
Someone was accusing the company of money laundering.
Someone had sent documents showing supposedly fraudulent transfers.
Documents that looked real.
Very real.
Daniel placed one in front of me.
I read it.
My signature appeared at the bottom.
I stared.
“I never signed this.”
My father looked at the document.
“Forgery.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Maybe.”
“What do you mean?”
“The digital signature is authentic.”
I stared at him.
“That's impossible.”
“Someone used your credentials.”
“I never gave them to anyone.”
My father looked at me.
“Who had access to your private authentication?”
I thought.
Andrew.
My father.
Daniel.
And one other person.
Margaret.
I whispered:
“Margaret.”
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?”
A distorted voice said:
“Your father should have told you the truth.”
I froze.
“Who is this?”
“You're looking in the wrong direction.”
“Who are you?”
“You think Margaret is the enemy.”
I looked at my father.
The voice continued.
“She isn't.”
“Then who is?”
Silence.
“Look at the man you married.”
My heart tightened.
“Andrew?”
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone.
Daniel watched me.
“What did they say?”
I told him.
My father looked grim.
“It's a trap.”
“Maybe.”
“But we need Andrew.”
We found him two hours later.
He was at a private clinic.
Alone.
Bleeding from his forehead.
When I entered the room, he looked up.
“Mariana.”
I stopped.
“What happened?”
He touched his head.
“Two men attacked me.”
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“Why?”
“They wanted the key.”
My pulse quickened.
“What key?”
“My mother's key.”
I stared.
“You still have another one?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“Then what did they want?”
“The location.”
“Of what?”
He looked at me.
“The vault.”
I stepped closer.
“What vault?”
“The one your mother was hiding.”
My heart pounded.
“You knew about it?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“I don't know.”
“Then what do you know?”
He swallowed.
“The vault isn't in Phoenix.”
“Where?”
“Chicago.”
I stared at him.
“Why Chicago?”
“Your mother had an old property there.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“Andrew.”
“I swear.”
“You keep saying that.”
He looked at me.
“Because I know you don't believe me.”
“You gave my mother to Victor.”
“I did.”
“You helped steal from me.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me for four years.”
“Yes.”
“Why should I believe you now?”
He looked down.
“Because someone tried to kill me.”
I didn't answer.
He continued.
“Victor isn't after your money anymore.”
“Then what does he want?”
“Your inheritance.”
“That's the same thing.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“He wants what your mother hid inside it.”
I felt a chill.
“What did she hide?”
“I don't know.”
“Then why are you so sure?”
“Because Victor told me.”
“When?”
“Last year.”
“What did he say?”
Andrew looked at me.
“He said your family controls something worth more than money.”
“What?”
“I don't know.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it's true.”
He took a breath.
“But I know one thing.”
“What?”
“Your mother was terrified of your father.”
I stared.
“Why?”
“Because she believed your father had already given Victor access.”
“To what?”
Andrew shook his head.
“The real Escalante network.”
I left the clinic.
Daniel was waiting outside.
“We found something.”
“What?”
He handed me his phone.
A satellite image.
A warehouse in Chicago.
“This property is owned by an Escalante shell company.”
“Who has access?”
“Your mother.”
I looked at the screen.
“When was the last activity?”
“Three days ago.”
My heart stopped.
Three days.
Someone had been inside.
“Send a team.”
Daniel nodded.
My father called.
“Don't.”
I turned.
“What?”
“Don't go to Chicago.”
“Why?”
“Because that's what they want.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“We wait.”
I shook my head.
“Waiting is how everyone kept me ignorant for twenty years.”
He stared at me.
“I won't make that mistake again.”
That night, the attack became worse.
The New York office lost access to its accounts.
Two Escalante subsidiaries were hit with emergency lawsuits.
The company stock collapsed.
News channels began reporting that Escalante Global was facing a financial crisis.
I watched the headlines on the television.
BILLION-DOLLAR EMPIRE FACES COLLAPSE
ESCALANTE FAMILY ACCUSED OF FINANCIAL FRAUD
MYSTERY TRANSFERS RAISE QUESTIONS
Then another headline appeared.
MARIANA ESCALANTE NAMED IN FRAUD INVESTIGATION
I stared.
My name.
My signature.
My empire.
My reputation.
Everything was being attacked at once.
My father turned off the television.
“They're trying to isolate you.”
“Why?”
“Because once everyone believes you're corrupt, they can take control.”
“Who?”
He didn't answer.
Then the phone rang.
Daniel answered.
His expression changed.
“Sir.”
“What?”
“We found the source.”
My father stepped forward.
“Who?”
Daniel looked at me.
“Andrew's company.”
Silence.
I closed my eyes.
Andrew.
Again.
We returned to the office.
The forensic team had isolated a series of encrypted transactions.
Every trail led back to Andrew's corporate network.
But then Daniel discovered something strange.
“The transactions were initiated using Andrew's credentials.”
“Yes.”
“But they were approved using a second authorization.”
“Whose?”
He turned the screen.
I stared.
MARGARET WENTWORTH.
My blood ran cold.
My father whispered:
“I knew it.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“What?”
“Something doesn't fit.”
“What?”
“Why would Margaret attack the company using Andrew's credentials?”
“To take control.”
“But she doesn't have enough authority.”
Daniel looked at me.
“She doesn't need it.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
“Because if you're declared legally compromised…”
He stopped.
I understood.
“…Andrew becomes the protector.”
Daniel nodded.
“And if Andrew is unavailable…”
“Margaret becomes the successor.”
My father slammed his fist onto the desk.
“That's the plan.”
I stood motionless.
The entire scheme suddenly made sense.
They didn't want to steal my money.
They wanted me legally removed from control.
Fraud allegations.
Unauthorized transfers.
Forgery.
A financial crisis.
Everything designed to make me appear incapable of managing the empire.
Then the trust would activate.
Andrew would become protector.
And Margaret would control the fallback authority.
They could take everything without physically stealing a single dollar.
I whispered:
“They're trying to make me look guilty.”
“Yes.”
“Then we need proof.”
“We're collecting it.”
“Not enough.”
I looked at Daniel.
“We need the person giving the orders.”
He nodded.
“We're searching.”
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
His face went pale.
“What?”
A pause.
He looked at me.
“They found the Chicago warehouse.”
“What's inside?”
He swallowed.
“Someone.”
“Who?”
He hesitated.
“Your mother.”
The room went silent.
I couldn't breathe.
“My mother?”
“She was alive.”
“Is she alive now?”
“We don't know.”
“Take me there.”
My father immediately objected.
“No.”
I turned toward him.
“If she's alive, I'm going.”
“It's dangerous.”
“I don't care.”
“You're walking into a trap.”
“Maybe.”
I looked at him.
“But if she's there, I need to see her.”
My father closed his eyes.
Then he said something I never expected.
“I'll come with you.”
We flew to Chicago that night.
The city was cold.
Rain covered the streets.
The warehouse stood at the edge of an industrial district.
Police surrounded the area.
Daniel approached us.
“We found signs of a struggle.”
My heart pounded.
“Where is she?”
He didn't answer.
I pushed past him.
Inside, the warehouse was almost empty.
A broken chair.
Blood on the floor.
An overturned table.
And on the wall—
a photograph.
My mother.
I walked toward it.
There was writing beneath the picture.
YOU WERE NEVER THE TARGET.
I stared.
Then another line.
YOUR EMPIRE WAS.
My father stepped beside me.
His face went pale.
“I know this handwriting.”
I turned.
“Whose?”
He didn't answer.
“Dad.”
He whispered:
“Your mother.”
I stared at the wall.
A final sentence appeared beneath the photograph.
Ask your father what happened the night I disappeared.
I turned toward him.
“What happened?”
My father looked at me.
For the first time in my life, I saw genuine fear in his eyes.
He whispered:
“I killed someone that night.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who?”
He looked toward the photograph.
“Victor's father.”
I stared.
“What?”
“He came for your mother.”
“And you killed him?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because your mother made me promise.”
“To whom?”
“To you.”
I shook my head.
“This doesn't explain why she disappeared.”
My father looked at me.
“It does.”
He took a breath.
“Because she witnessed it.”
Silence.
“And she believed,” he continued, “that if Victor ever discovered the truth, he would come after you.”
I looked at the photograph.
My mother hadn't disappeared because she abandoned me.
She had disappeared because she was protecting me.
But there was one problem.
If she had been alive three days ago…
where was she now?
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice whispered:
“She's alive.”
My heart stopped.
“Who is this?”
“You want your mother?”
“Yes.”
“Then come alone.”
“Where?”
“Mulberry Street.”
The line went dead.
I looked at Daniel.
He had heard enough.
“It's a trap.”
I nodded.
“I know.”
My father grabbed my arm.
“You're not going.”
I looked at him.
“My entire life, people have told me what I cannot do.”
I pulled my arm free.
“I'm done listening.”
At midnight, I stood outside a deserted building on Mulberry Street.
Rain fell around me.
My father's security team waited two blocks away.
Daniel was monitoring everything.
I walked inside alone.
The building was dark.
Then a light turned on.
A chair sat in the middle of the room.
And someone was sitting in it.
A woman.
Dark hair.
Thin face.
A scar above her eyebrow.
My heart stopped.
“Mom?”
The woman slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes met mine.
For twenty years, I had dreamed about that face.
For twenty years, I had believed it belonged to a ghost.
She whispered:
“Mariana.”
I couldn't move.
Tears filled my eyes.
“Mom?”
She stood.
Then suddenly looked terrified.
“Why did you come?”
I stepped forward.
“You called me.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“I didn't.”
My blood went cold.
“Then who did?”
The woman looked toward the darkness behind me.
Her face became pale.
“They found you.”
I turned.
The door slammed shut.
The lights went out.
May you like
And somewhere in the darkness, a man's voice whispered:
“Welcome to the real Escalante war.”
