Chapter 7 - Setting the TrapOver the next forty-eight hours, the downtown penthouse became a command center.
While Thomas’s team gathered physical evidence—including security footage from local hotels where Marcus and Elena had met, bank records, and the forensic toxicology report confirming the vial contained lethal cardiac toxins—Ricardo focused on Marta.
He realized how much this young woman had given up to protect him. She had no family left in the city, her modest savings were tied up in her room at the mansion, and she had put herself in extreme danger.
One evening, while the tech team was out setting up cameras for Friday’s gala, Ricardo found Marta sitting on the balcony, wrapped in a blanket, looking at the city lights.
He walked out and handed her a warm cup of cocoa—real cocoa, made by him.
“You don't have to stay here, Marta,” Ricardo said softly. “I can buy you a ticket anywhere in the world. You can start fresh.”
Marta looked up at him, her soft brown eyes honest and clear. “I don't want to leave, Ricardo. For fifteen years, I watched you work yourself to exhaustion while your wife spent your money and ignored your kindness. You were always polite to the staff. You remembered my birthday every single year when nobody else did.”
She set her mug down on the glass table. “I didn't save you because you’re rich. I saved you because you’re a good man.”
Ricardo felt a warm, quiet sensation settle in his chest—something he hadn't felt in over a decade. His marriage to Elena had been a cold corporate alliance disguised as romance. But sitting here with Marta, he saw true loyalty, warmth, and genuine care.
“After Friday,” Ricardo said gently, “you will never have to clean another floor or answer to anyone again. I’m appointing you as the director of my new charitable foundation.”
May you like
Marta’s eyes widened. “Ricardo, I can’t…”
“You can,” he said firmly, taking her hand gently. “And you will.”
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