All Chapters of wounded Heart : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Alex reacted instantly, pulling Sonia away from the windows and toward the bedroom. His mind raced through possibilities—the shadow board's tactical team, his mother's operatives, his father's contingency plan activating. Any option meant danger. "Back exit," he whispered, guiding her through the darkness with practiced ease. Years of visiting this apartment as his private sanctuary had made its layout as familiar as his own heartbeat. They slipped into the bedroom just as the front door lock began to turn. Alex pressed his finger to his lips, then pointed to the vintage wardrobe against the far wall. Silently, they moved toward it. The wardrobe's back panel slid aside, revealing a narrow maintenance passage that connected to the building's original service shaft—a feature Alex had discovered and carefully modified years ago, his one concession to the paranoia his upbringing had instilled in him. "You really did think of everything," Sonia breathed, admiration mingling with co

The pre-dawn light crept through the villa's curtains, painting shadows across Alex's face as he watched Sonia prepare. She moved with practiced efficiency, checking the signal jammer—now completely depleted—and securing the few possessions they'd accumulated during their flight from Macau. "The storm has passed," she observed, glancing through a gap in the curtains. "Clear visibility to the northwestern point." Alex nodded, his mind still processing the revelations of the night before. The knowledge that their meeting—their entire professional relationship—had been orchestrated as part of a Rodriguez dynasty left a bitter taste. But beneath that manipulation lay something genuine, something neither his father nor mother had anticipated: real connection. "We have approximately ninety minutes to reach the original coordinates," he said, checking his watch. "Assuming we avoid main roads and potential surveillance." Sonia's fingers brushed her temple, where the implant lay beneat

Sonia's body convulsed as the implant's destabilization protocol ripped through her neural pathways. Alex caught her, his photographic memory capturing every microscopic detail of her deterioration—the way her pupils dilated, the precise tremor in her left hand, the near-imperceptible pulse at her temple. Years of corporate training had taught him to analyze every detail, but nothing prepared him for the raw vulnerability of the woman in his arms. "The archive," she gasped, blood trickling from her nose, "James can't have it. Not all of it." Around them, the clearing dissolved into controlled chaos. James's mercenaries struggled with communication interference, their tactical gear suddenly useless against whatever electronic disruption Sonia's implant was generating. Geneva stood motionless, her calculating gaze fixed on Sonia with an intensity that suggested more than mere corporate interest—this was personal in a way Alex had never understood. The Rodriguez family had always b

The helicopter cut through clouds that hung like omens over the Alpine landscape, each mile carrying them deeper into a labyrinth of long-buried truths. Alex studied Eliana's face, searching for traces of Sonia in her features—the same determined set of her jaw, the calculating intelligence behind eyes that revealed nothing unintentionally. "Renovation," Sonia repeated her mother's word, fingers intertwined with Alex's in a grip that betrayed her tension. "You mean destruction." The corner of Eliana's mouth lifted in what might have been approval. "Perspective is everything in our world, isn't it?" Her attention shifted to Alex. "Your father was brilliant at recognizing opportunities others considered catastrophes." "The banking crisis of '94," Alex said, pieces clicking into place with the precision that had made him Carlos Rodriguez's heir apparent. "Everyone said it was miraculous how Rodriguez Holdings emerged stronger while competitors collapsed." "Miraculous," Eliana ech

Alex moved with such fluid precision that the choice seemed predestined—his body deciding before his mind fully processed the consequences. He pulled Sonia toward the narrowing gap beneath the descending security barrier while simultaneously shoving the archive device Eliana had dropped into his jacket pocket. "Go!" he commanded, lifting Sonia to slide beneath the barrier before following in one practiced motion. James caught his eye through the diminishing space—his brother's expression communicating volumes in microseconds. This wasn't betrayal; it was coordination. James would remain with Carlos, maintaining access from the inside while Alex secured the archive. The barrier sealed with pneumatic finality, separating them from the vault. Through the reinforced glass panel in the barrier, Alex witnessed the tableau frozen in red emergency light: Carlos straightening his immaculate suit, unruffled despite the chaos; Franco restrained by the security personnel; Eliana standing de