Chapter 16 - The Fall of an Empire
The television in the kitchen was playing the morning news while Mariana packed lunches for the girls. A familiar, sharp face flashed across the screen, causing Mariana to pause.
It was Beatriz Alcazar. But she wasn't draped in diamonds at a charity gala. She was wearing a tailored but subdued suit, flanked by attorneys as she pushed through a swarm of reporters outside a federal courthouse.
"The Alcazar family empire faces catastrophic collapse today following a massive federal indictment," the news anchor announced. "Charges include severe tax evasion, money laundering, and racketeering spanning decades."
Leo walked into the kitchen, his eyes immediately finding the screen. He stood behind Mariana, his hands resting gently on her shoulders.
"You didn't release the files?" Mariana asked softly.
May you like
"I didn't have to," Leo replied, his voice calm. "A house built on rot eventually collapses on its own. They ran out of people to intimidate, and someone finally talked."
Mariana watched the woman who had once been the terrifying author of her misery look small, cornered, and afraid. There was no gloating in Mariana's heart, only a quiet, overwhelming sense of closure. The ghost of the Alcazar mansion was finally, permanently laid to rest.
