Chapter two: The Lopez Estate

The Lopez Estate

Elsewhere, in the heart of the Lopez estate, a man burst into the living room, pale

"Turn on the TV!" he shouted.

The family exchanged confused looks but obeyed.

A live broadcast filled the screen. The anchor, beaming, announced breaking news: A revolutionary code had just been launched by a mysterious figure named Dexter. The code was already being hailed as the most important digital breakthrough of the decade.

Joseph Lopez rose from his chair in horror. His lips parted. His face turned white.

And then he collapsed.

At the hospital , the Lopez family gathered outside the operating room.

When the doctor emerged, drenched in sweat, everyone fell silent.

"I'm, sorry," he said. "We tried everything. But with his prior condition, the shock, we lost him."

Wails erupted. Vivian collapsed into a chair. Lilian screamed into her palms. Damian stood frozen.

After a moment, Damien finally found the strength to approach the doctor, his heart pounding.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "This isn't the first time my dad had suffered a heart attack. What could have happened? Why did he die?"

The doctor's expression shifted to one of deep concern. "I understand how difficult this is for you," he began, his brow furrowed. "We performed the surgery, and everything seemed to go well. But then, it was like the life just slipped away from him. I was genuinely surprised. I thought we had stabilized him,"

Damian's eyes searched the doctor's face for answers. "But he was doing better, wasn't he? How could this happen?

Even though the doctor wore a strange confused look as well, even for a flitting moment, but was quick to mask it up by wearing a professional looks.

The doctor placed a gentle hand on Damian's shoulder, offering a small measure of comfort. "Sometimes, the body reacts in ways we can't predict. I'm truly sorry for your loss. Take heart; Joseph Lopez is indeed a great man, and he fought bravely, he would be greatly missed." The doctor walked away while Damien grinds his teeth firmly, while narrowing his eyes, it was very obvious he was pained.

The mansion was draped in silence, thick and oppressive. The great hall usually alive with staff and echoing footsteps was now a mausoleum of grief.

The entire Lopez family sat together in the formal sitting room. Leather chairs circled a central fireplace, its flames crackling quietly, like a whisper trying to fill the hollow left by Joseph Lopez's absence.

Vivian Lopez, Damian's younger sister, was the first to break the silence.

"I still can't believe any of this," she said, voice low but sharp. "First, someone steals Dad's life's work. Then he dies because of it. Meanwhile, some fraud named Dexter is out there being hailed as a tech savior."

Lilian, Damian's cousin, folded her arms tightly across her chest. "That man is parading around with glory that never belonged to him. Daddy bled for that code."

Damian's aunt leaned forward. "Can't we do something? There must be a way to expose him. Are we really going to let this slide?"

Damian sat back, running a hand over his face. "What I don't understand," he said, "Is how anyone managed to get inside the Code Room, our secret vault. It's supposed to be impenetrable."

His mother snapped her head toward the security detail stationed at the door.

"Explain," she barked. "How does someone waltz into one of the most secure homes in the country and walk out with everything we've built?"

A senior guard stepped forward in a crisp black suit. He bowed slightly before speaking.

"Ma'am, we've reviewed all access points. No external breach. No irregular entries except for Friday, during the welcome reception."

"The day Damian brought that girl," Vivian said sharply, her voice suddenly cold.

The guard nodded. "Yes, ma'am. The only guest outside the family was Mr. Damian's fiancée. All security protocols were intact until precisely 8:46 p.m., when our internal CCTV system malfunctioned for five minutes."

Lilian's eyes narrowed. "That's oddly specific."

"We believe it was deliberate," the guard admitted. "Someone timed it perfectly. Just long enough to gain access to the vault."

Silence blanketed the room like snow.

Lilian stood. "Are you saying someone inside this house betrayed us?"

"Not a member of the family," Vivian said quickly. "No one else would know how to bypass Dad's lockout protocols."

The guard hesitated then spoke with grim finality. "Sir, Ma'am, after a thorough investigation, we believe the person responsible is the young woman introduced to us as Mr. Damian's fiancée."

The room erupted.

"You're out of your mind!" Damian shot to his feet. "You think Tyler did this?"

But even as he defended her, his mind was already splintering. His chest felt hollow.

The guard pressed on. "The timeline matches perfectly. At the exact moment of the system crash, she excused herself to use the restroom. A patrol guard reported movement near the restricted corridor but dismissed it, he said she looked too innocent. Too fragile."

Vivian's expression darkened. "Innocent like a fox. I just knew it. No wonder i never liked her, turns out shes fraud"

Damian's mother turned toward him, voice trembling with betrayal. "Damian, did you bring a thief into this house?"

Damian's jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

Because apart from the fact that, for strange reasons he hadn't been able to reach her, particularly ever since he lost his dad.

Her lines suddenly became unreachable, her cousin's house became empty, and its almost like she had vanished from the earth surface.

He had been worried for her, but had thought to settle familyy problems first, and then now she was being called out on the suspect list.

No way in hell could that ever be possible, Tyler, his fragile, sweet reserved little girlfriend, Tyler could never do such a thing, except..,

Except, something, he doesn't want to spell or name, except she was being controlled by someone in the dark, but then it couldn't have been Tyler, be was absolutely sure this time. But for a memory that punched him right in the gut.

Two Months Earlier in San Francisco

He had been in the city for a quiet acquisition deal, planning to leave unnoticed.

After the deal, he and his right hand man Victor had decided to go check out a beach front he had just acquired.

Then she appeared.

A girl with oversized glasses, messy curls, and a handmade placard that reads; "You Are My Dream Man."

His bodyguards moved instantly, stepping forward to usher her away but she'd burst into tears before they could reach her.

"Hey mr handsome, are you going to just stand there and watch your guards throw me away like a piece of trash, but come on, i haven't done anything, couldn't you be more gentlemanly,

If you don't want me just say it and I'll walk away like i wasn't eben here, but see how i have been rough handled. When all I did was tell the truth," she said as she suddenly became sad.

Damien had to give her audience because she was damn too noisy, and maybe because he felt his men were a little too much,, too aggressive with her, after all she is just a woman, so he decided to give her a listening ear, something he later come to regret or maybe not.

"I've spent my whole life hiding. People told me to speak up. Be brave. But i was never courageous enough to do so, but then I thought to finally do today and judging by this level of rejection, remind me never to believe in people's word." Then she dropped the olacard in an exaggerated manner and puffs her cute little cheek and then turn around to walk away. But she had returned the momont she took two steps.

She walked back to Damien and her expression was everything, she looked like she has so much to say but didn't know what to say, she looked like a lonely sad little girl, she was a nervous wreck.

Damian had stared at her, frozen. She was shaking so profusely, he thought she might collapse right there.

"Please," she'd whispered, "just let me talk to you. For five seconds, I promise."

Damian had immediately told his men to stand down.

Looking at her then trembling, broken, earnest he felt something crack inside him. She looked nothing like a threat.

Nothing like a liar.

And that's exactly what made her so dangerous.