One evening, as he was walking past the office, he heard her voice during a video call.

“Your father is getting worse and worse,” Lucía said. Yesterday he forgot where he had put his shoes and this morning he wanted to go out to buy bread at eleven o’clock in the evening. »

Ernesto stopped.

This was false.

He had never been out at that time.

He approached discreetly.

“I’m worried, darling. I think we will have to make decisions soon. »

Javier replied something that his father couldn’t hear.

But Lucía continued:

“I don’t want to scare you, but maybe he’s already not able to manage his properties.”

Don Ernesto felt a shiver run through him.

That night, he understood that something was happening.

And he decided to observe.

CHAPTER 3. THE PLAN OF LUCÍA

Lucía was not acting alone.

His true ally was a man named Víctor Salcedo.

He was forty-five years old and ran a small company specialising in the purchase of properties facing financial or legal difficulties.

They had known each other for years.

Long before Lucía met Javier, they had been romantically involved.

Their story had ended badly, but they had never completely broken off contact.

When Lucía discovered that Javier was the son of Don Ernesto Valcárcel, she immediately contacted Víctor.

“I’ve found an opportunity,” she told him.

“What kind of opportunity?”

“A very wealthy family and an old man who controls almost everything.”

Víctor did not answer immediately.

Then he asked:

“And what place do you occupy in this family?”

“For the moment, none. But that will change. »

Two years later, now married and living in the mansion, Lucía called him back.

This time, she had a more precise plan.

She had to get Don Ernesto’s signature on several documents.

The first would allow the management of certain accounts in order to pay for domestic and medical expenses.

The second would allow certain procedures concerning real estate assets.

The third was much more dangerous.

It was a private document which, according to Lucía and Víctor’s intentions, was to serve as purported proof of a commitment to sell the mansion.

Víctor had created a company called Inversiones Alameda Norte.

Lucía was listed as a minority shareholder through another company.

The objective was to present a real estate transaction as if the old man had agreed to sell his property.

Then, they would try to get new signatures, confirmations, and other formalities to make the transaction effective.

They knew that a simple sheet of paper would not be enough to register a real estate sale.

That’s why they needed Ernesto’s cooperation, even if it had to be obtained through deception.

“There’s a problem,” Víctor warned. If the old man is in his right mind, he can refuse. »

Lucía smiles.

“Then we will have to convince everyone that he no longer has it.”

She began to create the image of a man whose mental faculties were deteriorating.

She hid the old man’s glasses, then pretended that he had lost them.

She moved small objects.

She gave him false dates for her appointments.

And when Ernesto asked questions, she accused him of losing his memory.

Some nights, she would sneak into the kitchen and change the place of the products.

The next morning, she blamed the old man for it.

“Once again, you have disturbed everything, Papa Ernesto.”

He was trying to explain himself.

Lucía systematically interrupted him.

“Don’t worry. It’s not your fault. At your age, this kind of thing happens. »

In front of Javier, she showed patience.

Alone with her father-in-law, she despised him.

However, Don Ernesto began to notice what was going on.

In a small notebook hidden inside his old coat, he wrote down dates, conversations, and suspicious events.

On February 12, Lucía had claimed that he had broken dishes that had been intact the day before.

On February 17, a letter from the bank had disappeared.

On February 23, Víctor Salcedo had presented himself at the mansion during a trip by Javier.

Lucía had introduced him as a financial advisor.

Ernesto had greeted him politely.

But he had listened intently when his visitor began to talk about cash, inheritances, and real estate opportunities.

“A property of this size comes with a lot of expenses,” Víctor commented. Sometimes it’s better to sell before family complications arise. »

Don Ernesto had looked at him.

“What complications?”

“Those related to age, Don Ernesto. Older adults sometimes need help making decisions. »

The old man had put his cup of coffee back on his saucer.

“I still know perfectly well what I own and what I owe.”

Víctor had smiled.

“Of course.”

But that afternoon, Ernesto overheard another conversation.

Víctor and Lucía were in the office.

The door was not completely closed.