Chapter 6: Blood and Truth**
That evening, tucked inside a secure safehouse doctor's clinic, Aurelio watched the surgeon remove the bullet from Mateo’s shoulder. There were no tears in the boy's eyes, only a deep, troubling realization.
"You're not just a businessman, are you?" Aurelio asked quietly once they were alone in the dimly lit room.
Mateo winced as he buttoned his shirt, looking up at the young man who had stood beside him in gunfire without flinching.
"I built an empire out of dirt, Aurelio," Mateo confessed, his voice heavy with regret. "I did things I will answer for when my time comes. When you pulled me from that river years ago, I thought God was giving me a second chance to buy my salvation. But you can't buy redemption. You have to earn it."
Aurelio looked at his bruised knuckles. "I don't care who you used to be. You saved my mother. You gave me a future."
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"Then honor that future," Mateo commanded fiercely, grabbing Aurelio’s shoulders. "Do not follow my path. You study. You become a man of the law. You build things that heal people, not break them."
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