Chapter 6 - The Man Who Looked Away
Daniel drove to Javier’s office.
I stayed with Sofia at a small apartment belonging to my cousin, Elena.
Going home felt too obvious.
Teresa knew our address.
Ricardo knew the alarm code.
Mariela knew which window in Sofia’s room didn’t lock properly.
I had told Daniel about that window months earlier.
He had promised to fix it.
He never did.
Now every forgotten promise felt dangerous.
At the office, Javier met Daniel in the underground parking garage.
He looked as if he hadn’t slept.
His shirt was buttoned incorrectly.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Javier said.
“You said there was another copy.”
Javier glanced toward the elevator.
“The cameras upload clips to a cloud account.”
“Whose account?”
“Your father’s company server.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Why would home cameras upload to a company server?”
Javier wiped sweat from his upper lip.
“Because Ricardo uses the house for meetings.”
“What meetings?”
“I don’t know.”
“You handle the books.”
“I handle what he gives me.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“You watched Mariela throw the coffee.”
Javier’s face collapsed.
“I saw the clip after your father called me.”
“And you did nothing.”
“I copied it.”
“You did nothing for Sofia.”
“I didn’t know how bad—”
“She’s two.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Javier stared at the concrete floor.
“I’ve spent six years telling myself Mariela just has a temper.”
Daniel said nothing.
Javier swallowed.
“She threw a glass at me last year.”
“Why didn’t you leave?”
“I tried.”
“And?”
“She said I’d never see Iker again.”
The elevator chimed.
Both men turned.
Ricardo stepped out with two security guards.
Javier went pale.
Ricardo adjusted his cuffs.
“I wondered how long it would take you to betray me.”
Javier backed away.
“I didn’t give him anything.”
“Not yet.”
Daniel positioned himself between Javier and the guards.
Ricardo smiled.
“Still pretending to be a hero?”
“You assaulted me with a bat.”
“You broke into my home.”
“You erased evidence.”
Ricardo’s smile disappeared.
“There is no evidence.”
Javier suddenly pulled a small keycard from his pocket and shoved it into Daniel’s hand.
“Server room. Third floor.”
One of the guards grabbed him.
Javier shouted.
“Run!”
Daniel hit the emergency button beside the parking gate.
An alarm screamed.
Sprinklers burst overhead.
Cars began honking as the exit barrier lifted.
Daniel ran between two moving vehicles.
A guard grabbed the back of his jacket.
Daniel twisted free, leaving the jacket behind.
He reached the stairwell.
Ricardo’s voice echoed across the garage.
“If you take anything from that server, I’ll make sure Camila loses Sofia.”
Daniel stopped on the first step.
Ricardo smiled from across the garage.
“Do you really think the social worker appeared by accident?”
Daniel looked at the keycard.
Then he looked back at his father.
Ricardo leaned closer to Javier.
“Tell him what else is on that server.”
Javier’s face went gray.
May you like
Daniel knew then that the footage of Sofia was only the beginning.
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