CHAPTER 2: THE ECHO OF SIRENS
The old man didn't utter a single groan. With majestic slowness, he placed his calloused hands on the cold floor. He adjusted his titanium leg, which creaked slightly, and grabbed his crutch. He stood up. His face was a mask of stone, but his eyes, dark as coal, burned with an intensity that made Valeria step back a couple of inches without even realizing it.
Suddenly, the screeching sound of tires slamming on the brakes broke the tension. At the main entrance, visible through the immense glass doors, a convoy of five jet-black armored SUVs came to an abrupt halt. The heavy doors flew open. Men in dark suits and security earpieces quickly stepped out, securing the perimeter.
From the central SUV stepped a man everyone in the city recognized: the Mayor. His demeanor, usually political and smiling, was one of absolute seriousness, almost panic. He entered the hotel at a hurried pace, his presence radiating an overwhelming authority. The crowd, which had previously watched the incident with morbid curiosity, immediately parted, making way for him as if the Red Sea itself were dividing.
The Mayor crossed the lobby, ignoring the tycoons and celebrities. He stopped dead in his tracks in front of the old cowboy. With a bow that bordered on submission, the Mayor raised his trembling hands and gently brushed the dust off the man's plaid shirt.
"Mr. President, please forgive our late arrival," the Mayor said, his deep voice heavy with absolute respect and reverential fear.
The crowd erupted into a chaos of deafening murmurs. "Oh my god!" "It's the Mayor!" "But... he called him president!"
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Valeria felt the floor disappear from beneath her high heels. Her hands lost their strength, and the electronic tablet she was holding fell to the ground with a loud crack, shattering the screen. Her arrogant face became disfigured, transforming into a mask of unimaginable terror. Her lips trembled uncontrollably as she babbled, feeling the air escape her lungs.
"H-how...?" she managed to articulate, her voice a whisper that faded into the cold air of the hotel.
