There were no distant relatives or known enemies.

Only one shadowy figure emerged from his memories, a distant cousin of Clara’s, a bitter and unscrupulous man named Marco, with whom Clara had severed all ties years before marrying Roberto, due to a family scam involving property.

But Marco lived in another country, and rumors circulated that he was dead. Could it be him?

Elena’s note and Marco’s mention opened a door to an abyss of intrigue. Roberto felt a chill run down his spine. The threat wasn’t just against Ana, but against everything he had built, against his wife’s legacy and his daughter’s future.

The sedative given to Ana was only the beginning of a much more elaborate plan to strip him of his fortune and inheritance, a plan that was only just beginning to unfold.

The revelation of Elena’s note and the mention of Marco, his late wife Clara’s distant cousin, ignited a spark of suspicion in Roberto’s mind.

Marco had been a greedy and resentful man, disinherited by Clara’s family because of his shady dealings with property and debts. Roberto had assumed Marco had vanished from their lives forever, perhaps consumed by his own poor choices.

But the precision of the note, mentioning the “Tear of the Ocean” diamond and the coastal lands, jewels, and properties known only to Clara’s closest family in detail, was undeniable.

Detective Miller contacted Interpol and a team of private investigators hired by Roberto. The search for Marco was immediately launched. Meanwhile, Roberto delved into Clara’s inheritance documents.

He reviewed the original will, the trusts, the property deeds. Everything seemed in order, unshakeable. Clara’s fortune, which had merged with his after their marriage, was protected and designated entirely for Ana.

Days later, the answer came. Marco wasn’t dead. He’d been living under a false name in a small Eastern European country, racking up debt and legal troubles.

But what was most alarming was the discovery of his recent activity: he’d been in contact with a shady law firm specializing in inheritance litigation and family disputes, known for its aggressive tactics and questionable ethics.

And even more disturbing, that firm had been in contact with the employment agency he’d recommended to Elena.

Roberto felt a knot in his stomach. The connection was undeniable. Elena was nothing more than a pawn, a chess piece in a game orchestrated by Marco to seize the family fortune.

But how? What legal angle could Marco possibly have to claim something that didn’t belong to him?

Roberto’s lawyers, an elite team accustomed to corporate battles, got to work. They discovered that Marco had been investigating an old clause in Clara’s great-grandfather’s will, a nearly forgotten clause dating back to the early 20th century.

This clause stipulated that, should the direct line of heirs (that is, Clara and, by extension, Ana) be “unable to manage their estate due to a persistent and severe physical or mental condition,” the inheritance would pass to the nearest male relative in the family, provided he demonstrated “capacity and solvency.”

It was an archaic clause, drafted in a different era, but its existence posed a latent threat. Marco, with Elena’s help, had planned to use Ana’s condition, exacerbated by the sedative and the trauma, to have her declared “incompetent.”

If Ana were declared incompetent, and Roberto, as her father and guardian, could be disqualified on some technicality or a fabricated accusation of neglect (which the incident with Elena might have been designed to achieve), then Marco could present himself as the “next male relative” and claim the inheritance.

Roberto’s outrage knew no bounds. Marco didn’t just want the money; he wanted to destroy Roberto’s reputation and Ana’s dignity. With the new information, the police intensified their search for Elena, now facing charges of attempted murder and conspiracy.