Weeks before that incident, Marta had discovered an irregularity in the dining room carpet.
While cleaning, she noticed that one of its ends was slightly raised.
Upon lifting it, he found an old wooden trapdoor.
The structure did not appear in the areas of the mansion that were normally used.
Later he learned that it was part of an old storage space.
The lock was rusty.
And it looked like it hadn’t been used for a long time.
Marta found an old key in a drawer where objects related to the house were kept.
He verified that it corresponded to the mechanism.
Then she kept it to report the discovery.
I never imagined that I would end up using it to rescue Sofia.
The night before the discovery
Fernanda had begun to feel worried about Sofia’s questions.
The girl had overheard a private conversation related to family documents.
During that conversation, Fernanda mentioned changes she wanted to introduce in the management of certain assets.
Sofia didn’t understand all the details.
But she overheard her stepmother talking about gaining more control over Adrian’s money.
Then he innocently asked why he needed to hide it from his father.
Fernanda reacted with irritation.
And he began to consider that the girl might reveal something he preferred to keep secret.
Why did Fernanda lock up Sofia?
That day Adrián left early to attend to business matters.
Fernanda stayed at the mansion.
During the afternoon, Sofia brought up the conversation she had overheard again.
He also said he wanted to talk to his father.
Fernanda became alarmed.
He feared his financial plans would be discovered.
Instead of acting responsibly, he decided to use the trapdoor he had discovered some time ago.
He tricked Sofia by telling her there was a surprise under the dining room table.
After the girl got out, she closed the door.
And he left Sofia trapped.
His initial intention was to keep her there until he found a way to control the situation.
But the hours began to pass.
And the decision became an act of enormous gravity.
The confession Fernanda tried to avoid
When Adrián heard his daughter’s story, he turned to Fernanda.
—Is what Sofia is saying true?
The woman remained silent.
Finally, he replied:
—I didn’t want to hurt him.
Adrian opened his eyes.
—Then why was she locked under the floor?
Fernanda started to cry.
He tried to explain that he had lost control of the situation.
But the businessman understood that there was no justification for putting his daughter in danger.
She also recalled that Fernanda had hit Marta when she tried to reveal the truth.
And she knew she had to protect them both.
The call that Adrián made immediately
After rescuing Sofia, Adrian requested medical assistance and notified the appropriate authorities.
The girl needed an evaluation.
It was also important to preserve the trapdoor and other elements related to the confinement.
Marta explained what she had observed.
He showed the wound on his lip.
And she recounted how Fernanda had tried to prevent them from discovering the door.
Adrian realized that the decisions he had made minutes before had been wrong.
I had believed Fernanda.
He had fired Marta.
And he had almost prevented his own daughter from receiving help.
The apology that Adrián offered to Marta
Once Sofia was safe, Adrian approached the employee.
Her expression showed deep sadness.
—Marta, I want to ask for your forgiveness.
The woman watched him.
The businessman continued:
—I accused you without listening to you.
Then he added:
—And if you hadn’t insisted, perhaps I wouldn’t have discovered where my daughter was.
Marta lowered her gaze.
—I only wanted to protect Sofia.
Adrian nodded.
-I know.
He later acknowledged that the dismissal had been unfair.
He also pledged to ensure that Marta received the care she needed for the assault she suffered.
The real surprise was in Adrian’s documents.
During the following days, the businessman began to review some financial decisions related to his marriage.
I had entrusted Fernanda with certain administrative tasks.
But he discovered that she had tried to gain access to information and powers that did not belong to her.
There were also documents whose purpose needed to be clarified.
Adrian requested professional advice.
The review made it possible to identify irregularities and stop procedures that were not yet completed.
The businessman realized that Fernanda had not only deceived Sofia.
He had also tried to hide important aspects of his financial life from her.
The mother Sofia still remembered
Sofia had lost her biological mother when she was very young.
Adrian kept family photographs.
Also, some personal items that he wanted to give to his daughter when she grew up.
The girl kept a photograph of her mother next to her bed.
