Chapter 8 - THE ROOM THAT HELD ELENA’S LAST SECRET
The message disappeared.
But the fear it left behind remained.
DANIEL SALGADO.
WELCOME BACK.
Those words followed me everywhere.
In the police station.
In the hospital hallway.
Inside my own thoughts.
Victor Hale wanted me to know something.
He wanted me to understand that this was not an accident.
This was a game.
And he had just made his first move.
I walked out of the police station without saying another word.
The officers tried to stop me.
They asked questions.
They demanded answers.
But none of them understood what was happening.
They were investigating a crime.
I was fighting a war.
When I returned to the hospital, Renata was awake.
She looked at me the moment I entered the room.
“You found something.”
It wasn’t a question.
I sat beside her.
“Yes.”
She looked at my face.
And she immediately knew.
“Dad…”
Her voice was weak.
“Don’t become him.”
I looked away.
Because those words came from Elena.
Not exactly.
But close enough.
Everyone who loved me feared the same thing.
That one day, The Ghost would return and erase Daniel Salgado forever.
I held my daughter’s hand.
“I need to find the truth.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
I looked at her.
“Renata…”
She grabbed the notebook.
Her hand trembled as she wrote.
THE TRUTH IS WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO FIND.
I stared at the sentence.
“What do you mean?”
She continued writing.
THEY KNOW YOU WILL COME.
A chill moved through me.
She was right.
Victor knew me.
Better than anyone.
He knew I would chase answers.
He knew I would search for Elena’s secrets.
He knew I would follow every clue until I reached him.
The question was…
Why?
My phone vibrated.
A message from my contact.
LOCATION FOUND.
I opened it.
A photo appeared.
The Luna Hotel.
A place abandoned for almost twenty years.
My old safe house.
The place where Elena and I used to disappear when the world became too dangerous.
The place only two people knew about.
Me.
And Elena.
Then another message appeared.
ROOM 214.
My heart stopped.
The key.
The number.
Everything was leading there.
I looked at Renata.
“I need to go somewhere.”
She immediately shook her head.
“No.”
“I have to.”
She grabbed my arm.
“Promise me.”
I stopped.
“Promise you what?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Promise you won’t become the man they want you to be.”
For a moment, I saw Elena again.
The same eyes.
The same fear.
I nodded.
“I promise.”
But deep inside…
I knew promises became difficult when someone threatened your child.
The Luna Hotel stood abandoned at the edge of the city.
A forgotten building surrounded by empty streets.
Twenty years ago, it was one of the most exclusive hotels in Manhattan.
Now it looked like a grave.
I entered through a broken side door.
The elevator still worked.
Barely.
The numbers on the panel flickered.
Second floor.
Room 214.
The doors opened.
The hallway was covered in dust.
But one thing caught my attention.
Footprints.
Fresh ones.
Someone had been here recently.
I walked slowly.
Every instinct inside me awakened.
The Ghost was not returning.
He never left.
I reached room 214.
The silver key fit perfectly.
The lock clicked.
The door opened.
Inside was a room frozen in time.
A table.
A chair.
Old documents.
Photographs.
And a small wooden box.
I walked toward it.
On top was a note.
Daniel.
If you are reading this…
then I failed.
My breathing stopped.
Elena’s handwriting.
The same handwriting that filled our home with grocery lists and birthday cards.
I picked up the letter.
Daniel,
I never wanted you to find this place.
Because I knew what would happen.
You would blame yourself.
You would blame Victor.
You would try to fix everything with anger.
A tear fell onto the paper.
She knew me.
She always knew me.
I continued reading.
But there is something you deserve to know.
Isabella was never Victor’s daughter.
I froze.
The room became silent.
I read the sentence again.
Isabella was never Victor’s daughter.
My hands tightened around the paper.
Then why the name Hale?
The next line answered everything.
I gave her Victor’s name because it was the only way to keep her alive.
My heart started racing.
Someone had been hunting Isabella.
Someone who feared what she knew.
Someone who wanted her erased.
I continued.
Daniel,
The three families you trusted were never your allies.
Cordova.
Beltran.
Varela.
They were part of the organization that betrayed you.
The same organization that Victor tried to control.
I stopped reading.
The three millionaire families.
The three heirs.
Everything connected.
But there was more.
The final paragraph made my blood run cold.
The person who ordered the attack on Renata…
was not Victor Hale.
I looked at the words.
Not Victor.
Then who?
The next sentence was written darker.
Because Elena had pressed so hard on the paper, the ink had almost torn through.
It was someone who was beside you the entire time.
Someone you never suspected.
The lights suddenly went out.
I turned instantly.
Someone was inside the room.
A shadow moved near the doorway.
I reached for the weapon hidden beneath my jacket.
“Who are you?”
No answer.
The figure stepped into the moonlight.
And I froze.
Because I knew that face.
A face I had not seen in nineteen years.
A face I believed was buried with my old life.
My former right hand.
The man who helped create The Ghost.
He looked at me with tired eyes.
“Daniel…”
His voice was barely a whisper.
“You need to leave.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
His expression changed.
“Because the person who betrayed you…”
A pause.
“Was never Victor Hale.”
My blood turned cold.
“Then who?”
He looked directly at me.
“The person who killed Elena…”
He whispered:
May you like
“Was your closest friend.”
TO BE CONTINUED...
