Chapter 3: The Hidden Wing
The distorted announcement echoed through every hallway.
"Subject E-17 has begun memory recovery."
"Initiate containment protocol immediately."
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Alejandro slowly raised his head, his arm still wrapped protectively around Elena. She clung to him instinctively, trembling as though her body remembered him even if her mind could not.
He looked around the foyer.
Every servant had turned pale.
Several housemaids silently backed away.
One security guard actually reached for the radio clipped to his belt before realizing Alejandro had noticed.
That single movement confirmed everything.
This announcement had not been a coincidence.
It was part of a system.
A system operating inside Castillo Manor.
Alejandro's voice was calm, but colder than ice.
"Who just made that announcement?"
No one answered.
Vivian crossed her arms.
"A malfunction," she said. "Someone must have hacked the intercom."
Alejandro didn't even glance at her.
Instead, he addressed the guards.
"Who controls the mansion's security network?"
Silence.
"I asked a question."
The youngest guard swallowed.
"Mr... Mr. Harrison Keller."
Alejandro frowned.
"Harrison reports directly to me."
The guard lowered his eyes.
"He... hasn't for a long time."
The Mansion That No Longer Belonged to Him
The realization settled over Alejandro like a physical weight.
For three years he had traveled across Europe, South America, and Asia searching for Elena. Every week he had left instructions for the estate, assuming his executives and longtime employees remained loyal.
Instead, while he searched outside the mansion...
Someone had taken control inside it.
Vivian hadn't stolen his company overnight.
She had done it piece by piece.
One employee.
One account.
One security system.
One lie at a time.
Samuel, the elderly butler, quietly stepped closer.
Without moving his lips, he whispered,
"The east cellar..."
"Before they destroy it."
Alejandro gave the slightest nod.
He understood.
A Dangerous Diversion
Vivian suddenly smiled.
"Alejandro, you're exhausted."
She walked toward him gracefully, as though nothing unusual had happened.
"Come upstairs. We can discuss everything privately."
He finally looked directly into her eyes.
"For three years..."
"How many lies have you told me?"
Her expression didn't change.
"I comforted a grieving husband."
"You manipulated a grieving husband."
She shrugged.
"Is there a difference?"
The room fell silent.
Even the servants seemed shocked by her answer.
Elena Remembers
Alejandro gently helped Elena stand.
"Can you walk?"
She nodded weakly.
As they moved toward the eastern hallway, Elena suddenly stopped.
Her breathing became uneven.
She stared at one section of the marble floor.
"There..."
she whispered.
"I know this place."
Alejandro looked down.
Nothing seemed unusual.
But Elena slowly knelt and touched one particular tile.
"It's... cold."
Samuel's eyes widened.
"Sir..."
"She's right."
Alejandro frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Samuel glanced nervously toward Vivian before answering.
"That section wasn't part of the original floor plan."
Alejandro's expression hardened.
"What was underneath it?"
Samuel swallowed.
"A passage."
The Secret Elevator
Alejandro crouched beside Elena.
Together they examined the marble.
The stone looked identical to the rest of the floor...
Except for one detail.
Tiny scratches.
As if heavy objects had been dragged across it thousands of times.
Alejandro tapped the surface.
Solid.
Then...
One corner produced a hollow sound.
He looked toward the guards.
"Bring me a crowbar."
Nobody moved.
Alejandro smiled faintly.
"So none of you work for me anymore."
He removed his jacket.
Rolled up his sleeves.
Walked to a nearby decorative statue.
With one powerful movement, he broke off its steel support rod.
The crash echoed through the mansion.
Vivian's composure cracked for the first time.
"What are you doing?"
Alejandro ignored her.
He drove the steel rod into the edge of the marble slab.
Once.
Twice.
The third strike produced a loud metallic click.
Everyone froze.
The marble shifted slightly.
Then...
With a deep mechanical rumble...
It slid sideways.
A blast of freezing air rushed upward.
Hidden beneath the foyer...
Was a steel elevator.
Not shown on any architectural blueprint Alejandro had ever approved.
Its doors bore no company logo.
Only three engraved characters.
E-17
Elena staggered backward.
Her hands flew to her head.
"No..."
"No..."
"I remember..."
Flashes burst through her mind.
Bright operating lights.
Metal restraints.
Needles.
Voices.
Vivian standing beside a doctor.
Someone saying,
"Increase the dosage."
Another voice.
"If she remembers her name, start over."
Elena screamed.
Alejandro caught her before she fell.
He looked at the elevator again.
Then at Vivian.
His voice became terrifyingly calm.
"You built a prison..."
"...under my own home."
Vivian slowly laughed.
Not nervously.
Confidently.
"You still think you've discovered everything."
She stepped backward.
"You've only opened the front door."
Before Alejandro could stop her...
She pressed a hidden switch beneath the staircase.
Warning sirens erupted throughout the mansion.
Red emergency lights began flashing.
Marcus's voice exploded through Alejandro's earpiece.
"Alejandro!"
"We've intercepted encrypted transmissions leaving the estate!"
"There are at least thirty armed men heading toward your location!"
Alejandro tightened his grip on Elena's hand.
Then he looked into the darkness beyond the elevator doors.
Somewhere below...
He could hear voices.
Not one.
Not two.
Dozens.
And then...
A child's frightened cry echoed up the shaft.
Alejandro's blood turned to ice.
May you like
There were other prisoners.
End of Chapter 3
