Chapter 2 - The Counter-Attack
The five-second snippet completely dominated the global news cycle overnight.
On morning talk shows, legal analysts and audio forensics experts hotly debated whether the recording was a terrifyingly realistic AI deepfake or a genuine, chilling cry from the grave. The public was hooked, demanding answers.
Predictably, the Salcedo PR machine mobilized with terrifying speed and unlimited resources. By noon, Victoria Salcedo appeared live on a major national television network.
Dressed in flawless, somber black weeds, she wiped away expertly manufactured tears, sobbing softly into a silk handkerchief.
She claimed that ruthless "cyber-terrorists and corporate rivals" were viciously torturing a deeply grieving family by manipulating their dead daughter's voice using artificial intelligence.
"To weaponize our profound grief and Mariana's tragic mental health struggles for financial gain is an act of pure evil," Victoria cried out to the cameras, her voice trembling with theatrical perfection.
From her dingy hideout, Mariana watched her mother’s award-winning performance on a cracked television screen, her jaw clenched so tight it throbbed.
She knew she couldn't fight this multi-billion-dollar empire with data alone. She needed an ally—someone on the inside who had access to the physical servers.
She needed Julian Vance.
Julian was the brilliant chief technology officer who had originally designed the Salcedo Group’s internal cloud network.
More importantly, he was Mariana’s former fiancé—the only man she had ever truly loved before her parents had ruthless broken them apart, forcing Mariana into a miserable, political marriage with a corrupt, easily manipulated US Senator to expand their dynasty.
Risking everything, Mariana bypassed Julian's professional accounts and sent a heavily encrypted, self-destructing link directly to his private, personal terminal.
The link contained a ten-second video clip showing the exact moment Victoria’s face came into view right before the push.
Less than an hour later, her encrypted burner phone buzzed violently.
“Where are you? Oh my god, Mariana... I thought you were dead. They swore to me you jumped. They showed me medical records. Please tell me you and Nico are safe.”
“They lied about everything, Julian,” she typed back, her hands shaking. “They tried to murder us because I found the offshore logistics logs detailing their human trafficking and arms smuggling routes. I need you, Julian. I need you to ensure they don't physically wipe the secondary backup servers located in the mansion's private vault.”
But Rodrigo Salcedo had not maintained his iron grip on the billionaire class by being careless. He monitored everything, including his own CTO.
The moment Julian began querying the restricted, high-security mansion servers to lock down the data logs, a silent alarm tripped in Rodrigo’s private study.
Just as Julian successfully transferred the master encryption keys to a portable hard drive, the heavy mahogany doors of his office were violently kicked open.
Three large men in tactical gear—Rodrigo’s elite private security detail—burst into the room, their weapons drawn. They shoved Julian against the wall, brutally twisting his arm behind his back and snatching the hard drive and his devices.
Rodrigo walked into the room slowly, his steps measured and heavy. He looked down at Julian with a cold, pitying smile.
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"Did you really think I didn't monitor my own network, Julian? You always were too sentimental for your own good," Rodrigo murmured, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. "Where is she? Where is my daughter hiding?"
Julian, his face pressed painfully against the glass desk, spat blood onto the floor. He looked up at the billionaire with fierce defiance. "She's coming for you, Rodrigo. And this time, you don't have enough money to stop her."
