Act Two - Lux Aeterna — Chapter 18

Applying a thriller writer’s logic, David goes to the Land Registry to investigate his lease at 30 Calle Flassaders. He uncovers a chain of ownership: the building was bought by Don Diego Marlasca Pongiluppi in 1902 from Bernabé Massot y Caballé, later inherited by the Marlasca family, and seized by Banco Hispano Colonial in 1911. The records list a family lawyer, S. Valera, providing David with a concrete lead.

Before closing time, David searches for the deed to Andreas Corelli’s house near Güell Park but finds nothing. A surly clerk dismisses him, reinforcing the troubling absence of any official trace of Corelli’s property and heightening David’s suspicion about Corelli’s identity and reach.

David then visits the Bar Association to identify the lawyer in the Marlasca records. The secretary locates two S. Valeras: Soponcio (deceased in 1919) and his son, Sebastián, who is active at 442 Diagonal. David resolves to contact Sebastián after the lawyers’ lunch hour, setting his next investigative step.

With time to spare, David stops by Sempere & Sons. He finds the elder Sempere thinner and suffering from angina, yet steadfastly keeping the struggling shop open. Sempere declines David’s offer of lunch but invites him to share a simple meal later, offering warmth and stability as David’s inquiry grows more unsettling.