Chapter 2: Panic in the Private Room
Chapter 2: Panic in the Private Room
Inside the private dining room, the atmosphere shifted from obnoxious, self-satisfied celebration to absolute, suffocating terror in less than five seconds.
Alonso stared down at his phone screen, his thumb swiping frantically over a premium banking app that refused to load, flashing a brutal, unyielding red warning box across the display. Across the long mahogany table, Evangelina dropped her crystal wine glass. The expensive stemware shattered against the white marble floor, spilling deep red liquid that pooled across the tiles like a graphic omen of destruction.
"What is this nonsense?" Evangelina hissed, her voice losing its polished composure, a sharp edge of genuine panic slicing through her aristocratic facade. "My primary corporate card has been declined. The family trust is completely locked out. Check yours, Alonso, right now!"
"Mine too," stammered Alonso's younger brother, his face turning the color of chalk as he refreshed his screen for the fifth time with trembling fingers. "Every single account—personal, corporate, offshore—it's all frozen. Error code four-zero-three. Unauthorized asset movement detected by federal regulators."
Alonso stood up so violently his mahogany chair crashed backward onto the expensive rug with a loud thud. He spun around, staring wildly toward the doorway where Renata had vanished just moments ago. A cold, heavy sweat prickled at the base of his neck, freezing the blood in his veins.
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"She didn't," Alonso whispered, his voice trembling so badly the words barely formed. "She couldn't have."
Evangelina lunged forward, grabbing his arm with manicured fingernails that dug deep into his flesh, leaving crescent-shaped marks. "Find her!" she shrieked, all pretense of elegance entirely shattered. "Bring her back now!"
