Chapter 48
The dawn had yet to break when Anthony made his decision. The mansion, which had been his refuge and fortress for years, was no longer safe. If they had managed to infiltrate it once, they could do it again. It was time to move.
"Vincent, make sure everything is ready," Anthony ordered, adjusting his watch as he strode down the hallway. "I want everyone out in thirty minutes."
Vincent nodded briskly, quickly barking orders to the men. One group armed armored vehicles while another dismantled equipment and gathered important documents. Everything needed to proceed with precision-there was no room for error.
Anthony headed to Gabriela's cell, where two guards stood watch. They found her sitting against the wall, eyes closed, her face so serene it seemed she was asleep. When she heard the door open, she slowly lifted her gaze.
"Come to say goodbye, Anthony?" she murmured with sarcasm. "How thoughtful."
Anthony ignored the provocation. He stepped forward and signaled to the guards.
"Take her to the transport vehicle. Keep her separate from Valdiri. I don't want them exchanging a single word."
Gabriela let out a small chuckle as the men lifted her and shackled her hands and feet.
"Afraid of what we might plan?" she whispered in his ear as she passed by. "Smart of you. But I warn you, Anthony, you haven't seen the worst yet."
He ignored her, keeping his gaze steady and cold, though every word felt like a thorn piercing his patience.
"Move her now," he ordered.
Gabriela was escorted out of the cell, followed by another team who retrieved Valdiri from the underground holding area. Both prisoners were taken along separate routes, guarded by heavily armed men. No risks could be taken.
"What about the mansion?" Vincent asked as he caught up with Anthony outside near the vehicles.
Anthony paused, glancing back at the imposing structure that had been his stronghold. He took a deep breath, tension radiating through every fiber of his being.
"Destroy it," he finally said. "I don't want a single stone left standing."
Vincent looked at him, surprised, but then nodded, understanding the weight of Anthony's decision.
"Place explosives throughout the perimeter. Once the last vehicle is out, I want this mansion reduced to ashes," Anthony added firmly.
The men moved quickly, placing demolition charges in strategic locations. The air buzzed with hurried footsteps, sharp commands, and the rumble of engines.
Sophia, her hand resting on her now more visible belly, watched the scene from one of the vehicles. Anthony approached her, opening the door to climb in.
"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice softer this time.
Sophia nodded, though her expression revealed her concern.
"Where are we going now?"
"Somewhere safe," Anthony replied, taking her hand. "Everything is under control."
"And Gabriela?" she asked, glancing at the vehicle where Gabriela, her head lowered, was being escorted by four guards.
"Don't worry about her. She won't harm us again."
The convoy began to move. Seven armored vehicles lined up, escorted by security motorcycles. The headlights barely pierced the darkness as they departed the mansion.
A few kilometers away, Anthony ordered a stop. He stepped out of the vehicle and, alongside Vincent, watched the mansion from a nearby hill.
"Is everything ready?" Vincent asked, holding the detonator in his hand.
"Yes," Anthony replied, his gaze unwavering.
Vincent pressed the detonator. For a second, all was silent. Then, a series of deafening explosions shook the ground. The mansion erupted from its foundations, and massive flames began consuming every corner. The sky glowed orange as thick black smoke spiraled upward.
Anthony watched impassively, as if the fire weren't just consuming a building but a part of his own history. Sophia observed him from inside the vehicle, sensing the heavy burden of what had just happened.
"We'll make sure they never find us again," Anthony murmured, more to himself than to Vincent.
"They have nowhere left to return to," Vincent added, pocketing the detonator.
Anthony nodded and climbed back into the vehicle.
"Check the routes and ensure we're not being followed. From now on, every move counts."
As the convoy resumed its journey, Gabriela, seated in the last vehicle, smiled faintly at the sound of explosions in the distance. Despite her restraints, the glint in her eyes revealed that, in her mind, this wasn't a defeat.
"What's so funny?" one of the guards growled.
Gabriela glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her lips barely moving.
"I'm just thinking... this is only the beginning."
The guard frowned but didn't reply, while Gabriela leaned back in her seat, whispering words just loud enough for herself to hear.
"Enjoy your moment of victory, Anthony... because mine will be the last."
The convoy disappeared into the shadows of the road, leaving behind what had once been a fortress. The true battle was yet to come.
Capítulo 48: The Unexpected Departure
Adrien arrived in Argentina with a feeling of uncertainty that he couldn't shake off. The mix of sensations was overwhelming: the obligation to be there, the weight of what he had left behind, and the worry about what might be happening in Paris. The flight had been long, and although fatigue consumed him, he couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he had had with Margaret before his departure.
The call he had received had shown him the magnitude of the situation. He couldn't stay inactive; he couldn't ignore what was happening, nor the repercussions his decisions would have on those he loved most. He knew that, even though he was in Argentina for reasons he couldn't explain, what worried him most at that moment was Margaret.
As he left the airport, the warm, humid air of Buenos Aires enveloped him, but it didn't make him feel any more comfortable. He walked quickly, as if trying to escape his own thoughts. In the taxi to the hotel, the sound of the traffic, the murmurs of the city, seemed unreal, disconnected from the emotional storm he carried inside. Everything seemed unreal, but his sense of urgency was very real.
He was in Argentina to handle what was in front of him, facing challenges and decisions that he couldn't postpone. However, despite his determination, he couldn't help but feel that he had left many things unresolved. An inexplicable weight accompanied him, a feeling that he had left behind more than he was willing to admit. He knew that life wasn't always about clear answers, but at that moment, silence and distance seemed to be the only way to deal with what was coming, even though they hurt deeply.
In his hotel room, Adrien paced back and forth, as if the simple movement could ease the anxiety that pressed on him. His mind wouldn't stop turning with the same questions, the secrets he still wasn't brave enough to face. The unsaid words, the gestures that had remained halfway, consumed him, filling the air in the room with a sense of emptiness. Every step he took seemed to bring him no closer to any answers, and at the same time, it pushed him further from the certainties he so desperately longed to find.
He approached the window, searching in the city lights for a breath of air for his restless mind. The lights flickered in the distance, like small sparks in the midst of the night's darkness, and for a moment, Adrien allowed himself to get lost in them. The city vibrated with an energy he couldn't reach, but one that felt close, like a promise that everything could eventually be resolved. Or maybe not. Perhaps the decisions he had made had placed him at a point of no return, where the consequences couldn't be predicted.
He thought about everything he had left behind, about everything he had done to get there. The uncertainty of having taken a path with no turning back made him feel even more alone. He leaned against the cold glass of the window, feeling how the night enveloped him. Was it possible to make up for what he had done? Could he ever come to terms with the past and look forward without the weight of the wrong decisions? The questions, like invisible ghosts, followed him relentlessly.
Adrien closed his eyes for a moment, trying to find some kind of peace amid the chaos that had erupted within him. In his mind, the answers seemed to escape every time he tried to capture them. But one thing was clear: no matter how much he wanted to change what had happened, he couldn't. The only thing left was to accept that, at that moment, he was completely alone, with the only company of his thoughts and his doubts.
The urgency of the situation in Argentina wasn't something he could postpone. There was something he had to resolve there, something he couldn't ignore. But that same urgency prevented him from giving Margaret the answers she so desperately needed, and that tormented him.
The only thing he knew for sure was that he couldn't keep running from the truth. Every day that passed, every minute that took him farther from her, he felt something inside him breaking a little more.
He hadn't called Margaret. He didn't know if it was the right thing to do. But what he did know was that he couldn't stay much longer without explaining what was happening, even though at that moment he still didn't have the exact words. What weighed on him the most was not being able to be with her, not being able to share with her what was happening, not being able to tell her that, despite everything, his affection remained intact.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. Adrien took a deep breath, straightened up, and for a moment, wished it was something more than the noise from the outside world. But he couldn't ignore that, at that very moment, his life was taken by circumstances, and Margaret was no longer the only concern he carried on his shoulders.