Page 28 of Born of Vengeance

No trace.

Just one thing left behind.

A single envelope.

It sat on the edge of Valderrama’s desk, addressed to no one. Inside were four photographs—blurry images of corrupt officials shaking hands in private compounds, a flight log with forged names, and a photocopy of a document titled “Comité de Sombra.”

It was a warning.

________________________________________

The first media reports trickled out two days later.

COLOMBIAN SENATOR FOUND DEAD IN PRIVATE ESTATE FIRE

Officials claim accidental explosion due to cartel infighting.

Local police suspect rival faction conflict.

No suspects in custody. Investigation ongoing.

By the third day, the real story began to leak.

Thanks to Milo Reyes.

The files Rafael had collected—the ledger, the drives, the notebook—were decrypted, copied, and anonymously dumped into multiple corners of the digital world:

? Secure journalist networks.

? A whistleblower forum in Scandinavia.

? A darknet channel used by rogue intelligence agents.

? A file-sharing site favored by underground activists.

Then the dam broke.

“Brazilian Senators Linked to International Trafficking Ring”

“European Officials Named in Black Ledger”

“Global Web of Exploitation Exposed in Massive Data Leak”

“From Cartagena to Warsaw: The Shadow Trade Unmasked”

The documents were real.

Too detailed. Too damning.

Governments scrambled to deny. Agencies launched internal probes. Names were redacted. Statements issued.

But it was too late.

The public saw it. The world knew.

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In Brasília

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