Chapter 3 - The Flight in the Dark
"I don't care about the empire," Alejandro whispered, looking at his mother as if seeing a monster for the first time in his life. "You hurt my wife. You endangered my child."
Without warning, Alejandro grabbed a heavy bronze statue from the side table and hurled it through the floor-to-ceiling glass balcony doors. The glass shattered violently into a thousand glittering pieces, setting off the mansion’s primary security alarms.
Siren blares echoed across the estate.
In the confusion, Alejandro scooped Valeria up into his arms, ignoring the sharp pain in his back as he sprinted out onto the balcony, down the private spiral staircase into the sprawling gardens.
"Stop them!" Esther roared from the balcony above. "Don't let them reach the front gate!"
Alejandro carried Valeria through the dark cypress trees toward the rear maintenance exit. Blood soaked his shirt from a piece of stray glass, but he didn't slow down. Valeria clung to his neck, her breathing shallow and ragged.
"The rear gate... the code is my birthday," Alejandro gasped, punching the numbers into the electronic keypad.
The heavy iron door unlatched. Alejandro burst out into the side alley just as his loyal personal assistant, Mateo, pulled up in an unmarked black sedan.
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"Get in! Quickly!" Mateo yelled, popping the rear door open.
Alejandro slid into the backseat with Valeria, slamming the door just as Esther’s security guards rounded the corner, firing warning shots into the night air. Mateo slammed on the accelerator, tearing down the winding streets of Las Lomas toward the city below.
