Alejandro's POV:
_28 Years Later_
The steady hum of the jet's engines used to calm me. Today, it barely registered. My eyes were fixed on the window, watching the clouds thin out, revealing the landscape below—home. A place I hadn't seen in twenty-eight years but one that never left my mind.
I clenched my fists, feeling the cool metal of my watch dig into my wrist. I wasn't the scared little boy who had been thrown out into the rain that night. That boy was dead, buried along with the woman who had brought him into this world. What was left of him had been shaped by years of survival, by the harsh lessons of the military, and by the relentless pursuit of one thing: revenge.
The captain's voice crackled over the intercom, announcing our descent. I didn't need the reminder. I'd been counting down the minutes, the seconds, until I could finally set foot on the ground and begin what I had been planning for years.
My first target was clear: Don Esteban Ruiz, a man who had been my father's closest ally and one of the most ruthless mafia members in the region. He and his family were the first on my list. They had made their fortune off the blood of others, just like my father. But today, the retribution they had dodged for so long was coming for them.
I'd built my empire over the years—wealth and power far beyond most imaginations. I had connections worldwide, men and women who owed me their lives and were ready to follow my command. Now, everything I had built would be used to destroy the world that created me.
As the jet touched down, I took a deep breath, steadying myself. The private runway was far from prying eyes, just how I liked it. My men waited, their faces impassive as the jet's door opened and I stepped out.
"Welcome back, Señor Morales," my right-hand man, Javier, greeted me with a slight nod.
"Thank you, Javier," I replied, my voice calm and measured, though my mind was anything but. "Is everything in place?"
"Yes, sir. The Ruiz family is at their estate, expecting a business meeting, but we've already made sure all their security has been compromised. They won't see it coming."
"Good," I said, a cold smile tugging at the corner of my lips. "Let's get this done."
The drive to the Ruiz estate was brief, but the time felt like an eternity. I watched the familiar streets pass by, memories flickering at the edges of my mind. But I pushed them aside. There was no room for sentimentality here. Only purpose.
As we approached the estate, I recalled the detailed plans I had put in place. Months of preparation, bribing guards, learning the estate's layout, monitoring their every move—it all led to this moment. The Ruiz family would pay for their sins, and I would be the executioner.
The gates of the estate loomed ahead, grand and imposing. They opened without hesitation, and we drove through, the path lined with palm trees and manicured gardens—a stark contrast to the darkness that lurked within these walls. I had infiltrated their security system long before tonight, ensuring that our arrival would go unnoticed by those inside.
The estate was vast, a testament to the wealth they had accumulated over the years through blood and betrayal. But tonight, it would be their tomb.
"Remember," I said to my men as we exited the vehicles, "no one leaves the place alive."
They nodded, their expressions as cold and determined as my own. We moved through the estate like shadows, silent and lethal, each step bringing me closer to the revenge I had dreamed of for so long.
Inside, the house was eerily quiet. We slipped through the hallways, our footsteps muffled by the thick carpets, our guns at the ready. The layout of the house was ingrained in my mind, every turn, every door, a step closer to my target.
The Ruiz family was gathered in the dining room, oblivious to the death that had just walked through their doors. I paused outside the door, my hand hovering over the handle as I listened to the muffled sounds of laughter and clinking glasses. It disgusted me, the ease with which they enjoyed their lives, unaware of the suffering they had caused.
I signaled to my men, and we burst through the door. The laughter died instantly, replaced by gasps of shock and terror. Don Estaben was at the head of the table, his wife and children beside him, frozen in place as they stared at the armed men who had just invaded their sanctuary.
"Who are you?" Don Esteban demanded, his voice shaking as he rose from his seat, his eyes darting between us.
"Your reckoning," I said simply, raising my weapon.
The room erupted into chaos as my men opened fire. I moved with precision, each shot a calculated strike, each scream a note in the symphony of vengeance. I took no pleasure in it, only satisfaction in the fulfillment of a promise I had made to myself all those years ago.
Don Esteban tried to flee, but I was faster. I caught him at the far end of the room, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall. "You don't get to run," I hissed, pressing the barrel of my gun to his forehead. "You were among the people that took everything from me. Now it's my turn."
His eyes were wide with fear, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. "Please," he begged, his voice trembling. "I have money, power—whatever you want, it's yours. Just spare my family."
"You spared no one," I said, my voice as cold as the steel in my hand. "Neither will I."
I pulled the trigger, and his life ended in an instant, just as he had ended so many others. I stepped back, watching as his body crumpled to the floor, lifeless. The last remnants of the Ruiz family lay around me, their blood staining the lavish carpets, their legacy reduced to nothing.
As I left the estate, the flames already locking at its walls, I felt no remorse, no regret. Only a cold, quiet satisfaction. The blaze would consume everything, erasing any trace of the Ruiz family from existence. By morning, all that would be left of their legacy would be ash.
We drove back to the airstrip in silence, the scent of smoke clinging to our clothes. I boarded my jet, and as we took off, I looked down at the burning estate one last time. The fire glowed against the darkness, a beacon of my vengeance.
This was what I had been born for. This was my destiny.
But even as the estate disappeared from view, I knew this was far from over. Don Esteban was just the beginning. There were more names on my list, more people who had wronged me, who had betrayed my mother and abandoned me to a life of pain. And I would not rest until every single one of them paid the price.
I settled into my seat, pulling out the small leather notebook I always kept close. Inside were the names of everyone who had a hand in my mother's death, everyone who had stood by and watched as my life was torn apart. I crossed out Don Esteban's name with a swift stroke of my pen, then moved on to the next.
I had learned patience over the years, biding my time, gathering my strength. But now, it was time to act. My enemies had enjoyed their power and their wealth for too long. They had forgotten the boy they had cast aside, but I had never forgotten them.
As the jet climbed higher into the sky, I closed my eyes, letting the hum of the engines lull me into a calm focus. I had waited twenty-eight years for this, and I would wait as long as it took to see it through.
"I'll come for you next, Father," I whispered to myself, a vow that burned with the same intensity as the flames I had left behind. "And when I do, you'll wish you had never had me."