Midway through the banquet, a strange vibration filled the air. It wasn’t an immediate sound, but a feeling. The waiters stopped serving. The orchestra, which had been playing a soft waltz, abruptly ceased.
From outside the hotel, the unmistakable sound of sirens pierced the night. They weren’t ordinary police sirens; they were deep, authoritative tones, followed by the roar of high-powered engines.
The main doors of the hall swung open, not by waiters, but by men in dark tactical gear and wearing headsets. The Presidential General Staff.
A murmur of astonishment and nervousness rippled through the elite tables. What was happening? A raid? An attack? A state visit?
Don Arnulfo stood up, adjusting his jacket, his heart pounding. He saw a group of high-ranking officers enter, their chests covered in medals, and in the center of them, a figure everyone recognized from the news and newspapers.
It was General Valdez. The Secretary of National Defense. The man with the most military power in the entire country.