His face changed immediately.
All traces of calm had disappeared.
“What is it?” asked Valeria.
Alejandro slowly raised his eyes.
His voice became lower.
“Valeria… someone asked questions about you even before we landed.”
For the first time since she had boarded that plane, Valeria felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.
The plane had barely touched down when her heart started beating so hard that she could barely hear the engines.
“Who asked about me?” she murmured, hugging Sofia tighter.
Alejandro put his phone back in his jacket and remained silent for a moment.
He wasn’t the kind of man to answer lightly.
When he finally spoke, his tone was confident.
“One of my security agents checked the cameras in the arrivals area. A man is showing your photo to airport employees.”
Valeria felt her face go pale.
“What does it look like?”
Alejandro was watching her closely.
“Grey suit. Luxury watch. Around forty years old.”
She closed her eyes.
She didn’t need any more details.
“It’s Rodrigo…”
Alejandro’s face darkened.
“Your ex-husband?”
She nodded.
“How did he know you were coming here?”
Valeria remembered the farewell message she had sent to an old friend the previous evening.
Don’t worry. I’m flying to Mexico City tomorrow.
She had never imagined that her friend was still talking to Rodrigo.
“Someone told him…”
The plane door opened and the passengers began to stand up, eager to leave.
Alejandro raised a hand in front of her.
“Remain seated.”
“But-“
“Trust me.”
So she stayed.
For nearly five minutes, the other passengers exited one after another until the cabin was almost empty.
Three men in dark suits then entered, each wearing a discreet earpiece.
The first one went straight to Alejandro.
“Mr. Montenegro.”
“Status?”
“Confirmed.”
One of the men handed him a tablet.
The screen displayed a still image of an airport security system.
Rodrigo Salinas was standing near the baggage claim area, phone in hand, in front of an employee.
Valeria’s photo filled the screen.
She was seen carrying Sofia.
The photo had been taken only two weeks earlier.
A shiver ran through her.
“He’s looking for me…”
“Yes,” replied Alejandro.
“But why? He’s already taken everything.”
The words escaped her before she could catch them.
“The house. The money. The accounts. Everything.”
Alejandro looked her straight in the eyes.
“No.”
She looked up.
“He didn’t take everything.”
It took him a few seconds to understand.
Then she hugged Sofia tighter.
” My daughter… “
Alejandro nodded.
“I think he came for her.”
Thirty minutes later, they left the airport through a private exit reserved for authorized personnel and business flights.
Valeria had never seen anything like it.
Three black SUVs were waiting outside, engines running.
No one shouted.
No one panicked.
Everything unfolded with controlled precision.
Alejandro opened the back door himself.
“Get in.”
“I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”
He gave a slight smile.
“Believe me. The problems started before we did.”
Meanwhile, Rodrigo slammed his fist on the steering wheel of his truck.
“What do you mean by ‘she’s already left’?”
The airport security officer shrugged.
“She went out via a private platform, sir.”
Rodrigo swore under his breath and immediately pulled out his phone.
“Have you checked the phone’s location?”
A woman answered on the other end of the line.
“She turned it off ten minutes ago.”
Rodrigo smiled coldly.
“It doesn’t matter. She won’t be able to hide for long. I need this girl.”
“Are you sure this only concerns the child?”
Rodrigo remained silent for several seconds.
Then his voice turned icy.
“Without Sofia, I cannot claim to have her trust.”
He ended the call.
No one around him knew the truth.
Not even Valeria.
During their marriage, Sofia’s grandfather had created a trust fund of several million pesos for his first great-granddaughter.
Managing this money required the agreement of both parents.
Rodrigo needed Sofia to come back.
Not because he loved her.
But because he had lost almost all of his fortune in fraudulent investments.
That trust was his last hope.
The SUVs headed towards Mexico City.
Valeria sat in silence, her gaze lost out the window, while Sofia slept peacefully against her.
Alejandro finally spoke.
“Do you have a safe place to go?”
She hesitated.
“With a cousin.”
“Or?”
“Iztapalapa.”
One of the bodyguards exchanged a quick glance with Alejandro.
Alejandro understood immediately.
“No.”
Valeria frowned.
“No, what?”
“If Rodrigo has your photo, he can also find your loved ones.”
His stomach contracted.
He was right.
